10 Life Hacks Every Mac User Should Know 27
macOS 27 Golden Gate is now available for all Macs running Apple Silicon processors. If you don’t have a Mac with an Intel processor , you can upgrade to macOS 27. This update includes many new features, but Apple focused more on stability, bug fixes, and, to a certain extent, addressing some design flaws from macOS 26. I’ve been using Golden Gate on my main Mac for a few weeks now, and here are the 10 best ways I’ve found to upgrade to macOS 27:
Use this slider to reduce the “liquid glass” effect.
macOS 26 Tahoe introduced Liquid Glass animations, but many users disliked them . Apple has since reverted these changes , and in macOS 27, you can use a slider to fine-tune the Liquid Glass effect. I find that reducing the Liquid Glass effect improves readability, so I chose that option. To change the effect, click the Apple logo in the upper-left corner of your Mac’s screen and choose System Preferences > Appearance . You can now use the slider in the Liquid Glass section. Move it to the right to reduce the effect.
Use this gesture to refresh pages, just like on iOS.
The pull-to-refresh gesture, developed by former Apple engineer Loren Brichter, is one of the most iconic iPhone gestures. Now, it’s coming to the Mac, as some Apple apps now allow you to refresh a page using the pull-to-refresh gesture in macOS 27. You can try it on your MacBook (or iMac, if you have a trackpad) by opening a webpage in Safari and performing a two-finger swipe. If you use natural scrolling, you can swipe down with two fingers. Otherwise, swipe up with two fingers. This will refresh the webpage. The gesture also works in the Mail, Calendar, News, and Podcasts apps.
Use this tool to draw and create art in Apple Notes and Freeform.
In macOS 27, Apple Notes and Freeform introduce a new drawing tool that can be used to create artwork and other drawings. To try it out in Freeform, open the app and click the pen icon in the top toolbar. You can now use your trackpad or mouse to draw on the whiteboard. Similarly, you can select a note (or create a new one) in Apple Notes, click the pen icon, and start drawing.
Use the new Siri app to set timers, reminders, and answer your questions.
macOS 27 includes a dedicated Siri app that can be used for all interactions with the virtual assistant. After opening the app, you can speak or type your request, and Siri will do the rest. If you disable “Hey Siri,” as I did, the “Write to Siri” pop-up window will automatically appear when you open the Siri app. You can then type your request, which I use to set timers and reminders. The Siri app can also answer your questions and perform all the tasks the virtual assistant performed before macOS 27.
Take screenshots to access Visual Intelligence on Mac.
If Apple Intelligence is enabled on your Mac, you can use Visual Intelligence to learn more about objects on your screen. To do this, go to System Preferences > Siri and ensure Siri AI is enabled. Then, press Command-Shift-6 and select an area of the screen. Siri AI will analyze the image and show you the following options: You can use the “Ask Siri” text field to find specific information about the image. Or, click “Search Image” to check for other copies of the object or photo online. Depending on what Siri AI finds in the image, you may see other options, such as adding a phone number to your contacts or viewing the address in Apple Maps.
Use this command in Terminal to stream audio via AirPlay to your Mac in a resizable window.
When using AirPlay on your Mac from another Apple device, the video takes up the entire screen. I prefer when AirPlay opens in a window rather than full-screen. In macOS 27, this can be configured using a command in Terminal, as user pdfu discovered on the MacRumors forum . Use this command in Terminal:
sudo mkdir -p /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain && \ sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/ControlCenter APReceiverInWindow -dict Enabled -bool true
Now restart your Mac. The next time you use AirPlay from another device on your Mac, you’ll notice the video opens in a resizable window. To restore the default settings, use this command in Terminal and then restart your Mac:
sudo defaults delete /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/ControlCenter APReceiverInWindow
Use this feature to organize related tabs in Safari.
Safari for macOS 27 has a feature to automatically organize related tabs. This feature is enabled by default, but I don’t like how it automatically groups tabs. Instead, I prefer to let Safari suggest tab groupings and then group them myself. This is because the automatic tab organization sometimes misses a tab or two. Open Safari in macOS 27 and click the Safari menu at the top of the page. Go to Preferences > Tabs and click the drop-down menu next to “Organize Tabs.” Select “Show Related Tabs,” and you’re all set.
Use the Describe Extension feature to create your own Safari extensions.
After enabling Siri AI, you can use the “Describe Extension” feature. This feature uses AI to create Safari extensions, and all you need to do is enter the text you’re searching for. To try it out, open Safari on your Mac, load any website, and click the button with three lines in the address bar. From there, select “Describe Extension.” You’ll see a pop-up window with a text field and some helpful suggestions to get you started. You can create something simple, like an extension that automatically closes duplicate tabs, or more complex tasks, like modifying a website’s stylesheet to add a festive touch to every page.
Use this command in Terminal to disable the Ask Siri menu item and clear the right-click context menu.
Siri AI is useful in macOS 27, but it also pops up all over the place. I find it especially annoying when I see the Siri AI button every time I right-click anywhere on my MacBook. Luckily, there’s a simple way to remove it from the context menu, which I found on Reddit . Use the following command in Terminal, then restart your Mac:
codes=(soft apwn exit loca lock logo rlgo rcnt rrst rest rsdn shut slep spro syss) args=(-int 0) for code in $codes; do hex=$(printf %s "$code" | xxd -p -u) args+=(-int "$((16#$hex))") done defaults write -g NSAppleMenuAllowedItems -array "${args[@]}"
To restore default settings, use the following command:
defaults delete -g NSAppleMenuAllowedItems
Use this command in Terminal to manage applications in the menu bar using the keyboard.
If you prefer keyboard navigation, you know that you can use the arrow keys to switch between the different menus at the top of your Mac’s screen. After selecting a menu item in any app, you can press the right arrow key to move to the next menu, for example, from File to Edit. The left arrow key takes you to the previous menu item, but this navigation stops at the last menu item, which is usually Help. macOS 27 has a hidden feature that allows you to switch from the last menu item in an app to the first menu item in the menu bar using the arrow keys . You will need to enable this feature through Terminal and restart your Mac for it to take effect. Use this command in Terminal to enable this feature:
defaults write -g NSMenuEnableMenuBarAgent -bool truedefaults write -g NSMenuBarUseAgentNavigation -bool true
To disable this feature, use the following command:
defaults delete -g NSMenuEnableMenuBarAgentdefaults delete -g NSMenuBarUseAgentNavigation