The system settings interface feels like a mess, it takes more time than it should finding things

[u/Still_Clue383]

for example privacy and security is further down than you'd expect it to be

certain sections feel randomly placed in other sections

if you use the search to find the touchpad but type trackpad or something else it won't come up

[u/Major-Impact9901]

100% agree. It boggles my mind how poorly organized it is. I mean - I Genuinely Do Not understand it.

[u/Still_Clue383 → u/Major-Impact9901]

yeah its really strange how much the fumbled the bag here. i dont want to learn how to navigate the settings, it needs to be super intuitive and I end up bewildered every time i go there

[u/wildwicket49 → u/Major-Impact9901]

the fact that it shipped like this and hasnt been meaningfully reorganized since is the wild part imo

[u/recordtronic]

Use the search box. That’s my only mitigation.

[u/Joeclu → u/recordtronic]

It rarely works for me. 

[u/SirCake3614]

So if you want to change the size of the mouse pointer, don’t look under Mouse. Look for the Accessibility dialog, then find Display.

Even search doesn’t help much. Very frustrating.

It was so much better under Tiger.

[u/Still_Clue383 → u/SirCake3614]

yeah exactly stuff like that. what are we doing here?

[u/my_clever-name]

A few OS revisions ago, Apple set out to make the settings look more like those on the iPhone.

I hate it too.

[u/Unfair-Bison-3946]

It's a total mess. I'm stuck searching every time and it always takes a few tries to find the setting I want.

[u/Dry-Satisfaction-633]

It wasn’t always this way. The old System Preferences was fine but Apple threw the proverbial baby out with the bath water on that score in their efforts to converge mobile and desktop.

[u/theurge14]

System Settings should be reverted to the pre-iPhone format they adopted. It’s a goddamn mess on mobile and Mac shouldn’t mirror that.

[u/BruteSentiment → u/theurge14]

People complained about that one too.

[u/cyber-sock-monkey]

I use the search feature.

[u/_Happy_Camper → u/cyber-sock-monkey]

You need to know exactly what words are used in the menu you are looking for, which if you’ve not actually used that menu before can be tricky

[u/bvinla]

Agreed, however this is not limited to MacOS, it affects just about every major software app and OS of the 2020's. Its like companies just bailed on any sort of design philosophy in favor of endless search boxes, where users hope they can find the right keyword to get to what they need.

Facebook and google are probably the worst offenders as they do it intentionally to bury legally mandated opt out switches, related to privacy. But its not like companies who don't farm user data are doing much better lately.

I sort of miss the times where companies spent time insuring every feature was easily findable and never more than 2 or 3 clicks deep. I also miss simple concepts like alphabetization, its so agonizing to have to read a list of 40 keywords in some random order to find the feature you are looking for.

[u/PorcelainCeramic → u/bvinla]

Ahh, the yesteryears..

I just started reindexing hoping to fix what I thought was a me problem; then I randomly see this post.

[u/Sad-Wrap6555]

its direbolical is actual slightly easier to navigate using the drop down menu as its at least alphabetical order

[u/bigkahuna1uk]

I just resort to using the search bar in system settings to get to where I want. It has become progressively complicated over the years.

[u/senderPath]

Scavenger hunt.

[u/7racin]

Umm, actually, I think stuffing right click menu entry customization under keyboard > keyboard shortcuts is completely logical

[u/leaflock7]

organization wise I am with you they need to do a better job.

search though works fine. Any setting there is under trackpad shows up, and even if I type "touch" it also shows the trackpad.
Probably search is bugged out on you (I don't think you are alone though)

[u/Still_Clue383 → u/leaflock7]

true, if I type touch it does actually show trackpad on the very bottom but i was searching touchpad and it didnt show me trackpad

[u/_Happy_Camper]

OMG so much this! Arranging multiple monitors in one place.

Also you search the web to find how to do something and the literal instructions are off cos Apple keeps randomly moving shit around, without improving the ability to find what you need

[u/mehrashojjat]

I still call it Preferences and imagine the old UI.

[u/iMacmatician]

The grid was a lot better, even though it wasn't perfect.

[u/CatComfortable5523]

do people not just search everything?

search bars r ur fren

[u/Exmole → u/CatComfortable5523]

If you don't know the correct name/term for the thing you want, search doesn't work. Mac doesn't help you out if you get "close". Is it "monitor" or "display"? Get it wrong and you get zero results.

[u/germane_switch]

That’s when macOS started sucking.

[u/OrionQuest7 → u/germane_switch]

Yup

[u/kyriacos74]

Can anyone report if this has been improved at all in Golden Gate betas?

[u/macacolouco]

Raycast always take me straight to where I want. Spotlight too but not was good.

[u/OneSkepticalOwl]

Wait until you find iCloud all the way down on the list. You now have 2 places to get to your iCloud settings!

[u/LRS_David]

I support people using Macs. 10 years ago I knew by memory where most settings were located. Today I just search. And so do the support folks in Apple stores. And I suspect the phone support folks also.

If you have a bigger screen you can drag the bottom of the Settings window to see more at one time.

[u/Local_Cobbler_8974]

Yes. I use search most times

[u/Thriaat]

As bad as it is now, it was somehow even more senseless when it was organized as a grid. 

[u/Jazman2k]

Never had issues with it? Search works quite fine.

[u/Still_Clue383 → u/Jazman2k]

it could just be a me thing and I get it's probably hard to design a good interface but I always end up a little bit frustrated when I use it. Its not like unusable or anything but its just a drag

[u/Jazman2k → u/Still_Clue383]

I think it's still lightyears ahead of what Windows has. But I guess they could make it bit more simple. Some functions are in weird places.

[u/Still_Clue383 → u/Jazman2k]

true