macOS 27 Window Controls Update: Switching to Liquid Glass!

Last night, Apple released the sixth beta version of macOS 27 to developers, along with the fourth public beta. This update introduces a redesigned look for the iconic red, yellow, and green window control buttons: they are ditching the flat design in favor of a “Liquid Glass” style! With added reflections and depth effects, these buttons will evoke memories of the early versions of Mac OS X that featured the Aqua interface.

The updated “traffic light” buttons now feature a new magnification effect when clicked, and a light effect appears beneath the cursor as it moves over them.

Looks like they’ve changed how the window controls look in macOS 27 beta 6 pic.twitter.com/doWKOCQpeG

— Ahnaf Mahmud (@AhnafAMahmud) August 17, 2026

An interesting tweak in this new design is the ability to play around by clicking and dragging on the three buttons, which stretch and then snap back to their original shape.

YOU CAN FUCKING PULL ON THEM OH MY GOD https://t.co/RqFSa0YMdN pic.twitter.com/KZ90bUWjMF

— † lucia scarlet (@luciascarlet) August 17, 2026

First revealed in early June at the WWDC, macOS 27 still requires several more weeks of development before it can be rolled out to the general public. The release is scheduled for sometime in September.