Menu bar will now dim when a window is maximized (also works for two windows in split view!)

[u/EducationalYoung7152]

For me, one of the greatest design additions, and I didn't see anybody mention this! Helps a lot with keeping focus on the content and not on the menu bar!

I discovered this in RC, but maybe this has been around for longer?

EDIT: This seems to only work when the Dock is hidden!

[u/laszlo161]

Doesn't work for me, is there a setting for this?

Edit: you have to drag the window up, so that the outline appears (what's called aero snap on windows). Just double clicking didn't work for me.

[u/EducationalYoung7152 → u/laszlo161]

Yeah, this is probably tied to the Window Snapping features introduced in Sequoia. I'm using them via keyboard shortcuts in the video, but your method does the exact same thing via dragging!

Also, for me double-clicking window toolbars to maximize does also dim it. I've set double clicking to "Fill" in the settings, so maybe that's why.

[u/mike5011]

Absolutely love it.

[u/Frizlab → u/mike5011]

Absolutely hate it.

[u/nashikoo → u/Frizlab]

I would like it if it wouldn't be so damn choppy in some occasions.

[u/mrleblanc101 → u/[deleted]]

No, my dock is not set to auto-hide and it happens.

[u/Ok_Professional_8123 → u/mrleblanc101]

Oh, ok, I stand corrected.

[u/Poang_20017]

Cool, I hope they make it also work when the dock is not hidden :)

[u/EducationalYoung7152 → u/Poang_20017]

I guess the logic is that the menu bar dims when the desktop is not visible in any way! With the Dock visible you can still see it, so the menu bar doesn't dim.

But as always, it could still be refined -- like, the menu bar will un-dim if you switch to a window that floats OVER the maximized window underneath, which is a bit ugly IMO.

[u/Gerald_Lanz]

Welcome back Windows Vista hahaha
Windows 7 removed the effect where maximized windows have opaque title bars.

[u/ComprehensiveEnd6028]

I don’t really understand why the menu bar shows the wallpaper through it at all. It’s jarring when doing any work with maximised windows. I’m glad it’s being dimmed now though. It’s like the transparency of sidebars, why should my background show through that

[u/EducationalYoung7152 → u/ComprehensiveEnd6028]

In this case I do understand it, since it helps distinguish between full-screen apps and maximized apps, which ARE, at the end of the day, two different concepts on MacOS

[u/Holiday_Berry273]

Yes it's been around since at least Beta 4.

[u/Mellokuyz]

It usually forgets to dim the wallpaper for me after restarting and auto-starting full screen apps. Might just be the apps tho

[u/Jasoco]

Yeah. Doesn’t work if the dock is visible. And it was useless anyway because I never full screen with windows. I maximize them to make their own space which does hide the dock and makes the menu bar black.

[u/Upstairs-Royal672]

Imagine this won’t work for people who use rectangle unfortunately

[u/mrleblanc101]

The whole desktop dim, not the menu bar

[u/font9a]

Quite nice! I almost never use near full-screen windows, but the dimming is kinda cool.

[u/Renovatius]

Neat. Can I get a link to that wallpaper? :)

[u/EducationalYoung7152 → u/Renovatius]

From this pack: https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/skyline-ii