Monterey is the next big update after Big Sur, and it continues the modern look introduced by the latter, thanks to its powerful controls and elegant design. The changes in macOS Monterey are more skin deep than the visual overhauls that have hit macOS in years. Continue reading to know how you can customize your Mac running on Monterey. 

Add widgets 

You can add widgets to your home screen to make your life easier. Click on the date and time in the upper-right corner of your system’s menu bar to find the widgets available by default. Then, scroll to the bottom and select Edit Widgets. 

When you click on it, you will notice a gray screen appearing on your display, and this will show you all the widgets available to you based on the applications installed on your system. You can add them to the Control Center by dragging and dropping them into the column. You will notice the size of the widgets is indicated by S (small), M (medium), and L (large). You can decide the size of the widgets when placing them on the Control Center. 

Personalize the menu bar 

The menu bar is one of the greatest features of your Mac system. It displays all the important information you need in real-time, and you can tap into it on the fly. However, if you keep adding icons to the menu bar, it can feel cluttered, and the menu bar might find it difficult to breathe. Thankfully, you can edit the Mac toolbar to jazzy up the appearance of your system. You can control how the menu bar looks and feels. From removing to rearranging the icons, you can personalize them to suit your specific needs. 

Customize Control Center

With the macOS Monterey update, the Control Center has a much-welcomed makeover. The Control Center can be customized according to your needs in this latest update. That’s also true for network, sound, and display. Go to the Apple icon from the menu bar and click System Preferences. Then, select Dock & Menu Bar. 

When you are in the Dock & Menu Bar tab, look for the Control Center on the left side. You will find AirDrop, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi at the very top. You need to go through all the available options and then come to the Show in Menu Bar option. You can decide to show everything on the menu bar or nothing at all. 

If you wish to remove items from the Control Center, you need to unclick the Show in Menu Bar option, and the items will be gone. You can repeat these steps to have a setup that you are satisfied with. 

Pin important conversations in messages 

Apple lets users pin their important conversations to the top of the iMessage window. The feature is incredibly useful because you can quickly find the crucial information your friends or family members have shared with you. You can pin any conversation by pressing Control + clicking any conversation and selecting Pin. When you click on Pin, the conversation gets pinned to the top, and you can access it whenever you need it. Check more >> Led video wall

Decide between light and dark mode 

Apple users have wanted a dark mode for years now, and your wish is fulfilled with Monterey. The company has provided a dark mode with all macOS systems running on Mojave and later. Enabling dark mode is a piece of cake and only requires a few mouse clicks. 

  • Go to the Apple menu and select System Preferences 
  • Look for General and then select the appearance option found at the top of the window. 
  • You can select between different options, like Light, Dark, and Auto. If you select Auto, your system will use the light appearance during the day by default and switch to dark mode when it’s evening or night. 

If you opt for Dark mode, you will benefit because many applications enable Dark Mode automatically in their application settings. For example, you can run apps in Dark Mode like Mail, Safari, Notes, etc. 

Add a unique wallpaper 

One of the easiest ways to change the appearance of your system is to swap out the default wallpaper and keep something unique. You can find a wide range of wallpapers already included in your system, including dynamic wallpaper. If you opt for dynamic wallpaper, it will auto-change according to the time of the day. You can also add your wallpaper by selecting any picture from your library that you like. You can also download wallpapers from the Internet. 

Right-click on your desktop and click on Change Desktop Background to change the wallpaper. You need to navigate to the folder where your wallpapers are stored and select the one you fancy. Then, click to apply the change. 

So, there’s no more waiting around to change the appearance of your macOS system. These tips will help you get started.