macOS Monterey Tidbits: Animated Memoji on Login Screen, Change the Color of the Mouse Pointer, and More

We've highlighted several new features coming in macOS Monterey, such as Low Power Mode and the option to erase a Mac without reinstalling the operating system, but there are some smaller tidbits that we wanted to share.

macos monterey tidbits feature copy

Animated Memoji on Login Screen

One small but fun new feature in macOS Monterey is the addition of a personalized Memoji on the login screen, complete with animated facial expressions.

Change the Color of the Mouse Pointer

A new Accessibility feature added to macOS Monterey is the ability to customize the outline and fill color of the mouse pointer so it's easier to recognize when it moves or changes to an insertion point, crosshair, hand, or other shape. The pointer can be customized in System Preferences under Accessibility > Display > Pointer.

'Go to Folder' Redesign in Finder

On macOS Monterey, the "Go to Folder" window in Finder has been redesigned and now features an improved autocompletion engine to help you get to the files or folder you're looking for more quickly, according to Apple. "Go to Folder" can be found under "Go" in the Finder menu bar, or by using the ⌘⇧G keyboard shortcut.

File Copying Enhancements

macOS Monterey features a new pie chart progress indicator when copying files. It is also now possible to stop or cancel a copy session and resume it later.

macOS Monterey is available now in beta for developers, with a public beta to follow in July. The software update will be released in the fall.

Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 15, 2025 5:45 am PDT by
Following three months of beta testing, iOS 26 was released today, September 15. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, and it is available to install via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features included in iOS 26. Even more new features and changes are outlined in Apple's release notes for the update. Some of ...
iPhone 17 Pro Air Boxes

iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Boxes Revealed

Sunday September 14, 2025 1:36 pm PDT by
T-Mobile President Jon Freier today shared real-world photos of Apple's boxes for the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 models, which launch on Friday. Image Credit: Jon Freier Apple has typically included iPhone box renders in its product environmental reports, but it did not do so for the latest models. However, Apple's iPhone Upgrade Program page does offer some images of the boxes, ...

Top Rated Comments

Digital Dude Avatar
56 months ago
I'm soOoo sick of this Memoji craze. When I saw the WWDC splash page full of those damn things' I was embarrassed that I'm an Apple guy. Made me feel like we should all be about eight years old to appreciate them. Okay, let the poison pens fly.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Maconplasma Avatar
56 months ago

Memoji at login. Why? It's stupid stuff like this that make macos bloated. Again, my 9 year old rMBP shouldn't run Windows 10 better than Catalina.
Not everything in computing needs to be so serious. I enjoy fun things to make my computing experience enjoyable. You saying it makes the system bloated? Where's your proof on that?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bug-Creator Avatar
56 months ago
Well lets see:

- the code to display short animations is used elsewhere, so a whole lotta nothing
- if you created no Memoji there is no Memoji
- displaying that Meomji on the login-screen, about 10 lines of Swift (being generous) resulting in 10k of extra binary size (which hopefully gets discarded after you logged in)
- whatever 1st year entry level developer did it in about 30min wouldn't have been of much use in areas that matter anyways

Yeap, 3 metric tons of bloat on this one....
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr.Blacky Avatar
56 months ago

Memoji at login. Why? It's stupid stuff like this that make macos bloated. Again, my 9 year old rMBP shouldn't run Windows 10 better than Catalina.
Does Apple force you to use it? And what exactly about it makes macos bloated?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
56 months ago

Memoji at login. Why? It's stupid stuff like this that make macos bloated.
Could you explain, in purely technical terms, how a small animated image on the login screen 'bloats' the operating system?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boswald Avatar
56 months ago

Memoji at login. Why? It's stupid stuff like this that make macos bloated. Again, my 9 year old rMBP shouldn't run Windows 10 better than Catalina.
I feel the same way about my mini, and it’s from 2018. ?‍♂️
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)