Mac in the makeover: How to make your Apple computer look completely different

A Mac or MacBook is one of the nicest computers you can buy. Still, the interface can be quite a mess. However, that does not have to be the case, because you can easily adjust this. OMT editor Jeroen Kraak tells you how.

If you use both a Mac and a Windows PC, you will immediately see significant differences. One of the things you will probably notice first is the different appearance. If you want it to be different with your Mac or MacBook, there are solutions for that.

Give your Mac or MacBook a makeover

Your Mac or MacBook has a standard appearance. Yet it is easy to adjust to your taste. We give you five tips on how to do that.

#1 A new background

This is of course the fastest and easiest way to give your Mac or MacBook a completely different look. For this you go to System Preferences –> Desktop and screen saver. You can choose from Apple’s dynamic backgrounds, but you can also add your own photos.

You can even choose in the menu to change the image every few minutes. Nice if you want to be inspired by the wallpaper for your Mac every time. To do this, select the album that your MacBook is allowed to use.

#2 Choose other colors

Tired of the standard colors of your Mac menu? Then you simply adjust it and choose a color that suits you completely. Maybe that’s green, or maybe bright pink? For this you go to System Preferences –> General. That’s where you go Accent color -> Highlight color.

Did you do that? Then you see that your windows and menus on your Mac or MacBook have a different color.

#3 Customize your Mac or MacBook’s Dock

Let’s face it, the Dock really does make a Mac a Mac. But you can also easily adjust these, so that your MacBook looks different. You can, of course, simply remove apps by pressing delete and add other apps by dragging them in.

But of course there is more. You can move, resize, and zoom the icons. For this you go to System Preferences –>Dock & Menu bar.

Moreover, it is also possible to fully customize the Dock by third-party programs. For example, you can use uBar, which makes it look just like the Windows taskbar. Ideal for homesick users.

#4 Give your Mac or MacBook personalized icons

Time for the more complicated options. Of course we all know the standard icons of the different apps. Do you find the Safari or Keynote logo too boring? Then you can change it to the image you want.

To do this, you must first convert the image you want to an ICNS extension. You can choose to download icons from the internet, but you can also create and convert them yourself using a program like this.

To change an icon, first copy the new one (CMD+C) and then select the folder whose icon you want to replace. You do that File –>Info to pick up. In the info screen, select the icon and then enter To process –>To stick from.

#5 Give your apps a makeover

It can all be a little more personal on your MacBook. It is also possible to give individual apps a makeover. For example, you can choose to adjust the appearance of emails in the Mail app. For this you go to Preferences –>Fonts. You also change colors of emails there.

Even your Terminal can get a completely new look. If you have this open, you opt for it Preferences –>Profiles. There you can choose from different themes.

These are just a few examples. You can adjust it per app by going to Preferences if you have opened the relevant program. Of course you can adjust more with one app than the other.