macOS Monterey Release Candidate Undoes Safari Changes, Reintroduces Old Tab Design - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS Monterey Release Candidate Undoes Safari Changes, Reintroduces Old Tab Design

Apple has admitted defeat on the Safari design changes that have been present for the entire macOS Monterey beta, and the release candidate that was provided to developers today reverts to the old style that was available prior to Safari 15.

macos monterey safari design reverted

Safari design in the macOS Monterey release candidate

macOS Monterey now features a standard Big Sur tab design that does have the tabs with spaces in between them, which Mac users who were unhappy with the design update will be pleased to hear.

macos monterey safari design original

Safari design in the prior macOS Monterey beta

The standard tab design is enabled by default and is labeled "Separate" in the Safari preferences, but for those who preferred the original Monterey Safari design, there's also a "Compact" option that merges the URL bar with the tab bar.

Apple in the prior Monterey beta moved the Favorites bar back up above the tab bar, so now Safari looks about the same as it did prior to when Apple made the Monterey changes. There are, however, still new Safari features like Tab Groups.

macOS Monterey with no changes to the Safari design will be coming on Monday, October 25.

Tag: Safari
Related Forum: macOS Monterey

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Rumored Colors

What's Coming in September: New iPhones, Apple Watches and More

Thursday August 13, 2026 4:20 pm PDT by
Apple will introduce at least five new devices at its iPhone-centric event next month, and it's also possible we'll get devices waiting on Siri AI like the Apple TV. iPhone 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is going to look like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting some internal updates, including a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more control over lighting ...
iPhone 17 One Year Later Thumb 1

Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18?

Friday August 14, 2026 12:15 pm PDT by
For the first time since Apple started selling standard and "Pro" iPhones, we're not going to get an entry-level iPhone model this fall. Apple doesn't plan to release an iPhone 18 in September, and will only launch the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and foldable iPhone Ultra. The lower-cost iPhone 18 won't come out until spring 2027. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Everything New Your iPhone Can Do on iOS 27 Feature 1

30 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27

Friday August 14, 2026 6:24 am PDT by
Apple will release iOS 27 in September, and despite the company's focus this year on refining its flagship operating system and nixing bugs, there are still many additional features on the way, not least of which is Apple's new context-aware Siri, re-tooled for the generative AI era. This year's major iPhone software update isn't all about AI, though, as the following feature list...

Top Rated Comments

63 months ago
HALLELUJAH!
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
63 months ago
I feel like the only person that has liked everything they did with Safari, both on Mac with that design and on iOS with the address bar dropped to the bottom of the screen. Does this also rollback the way the nav bar inherits colors from the web page?
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JDGwf Avatar
63 months ago
And there was much rejoicing.



Attachment Image
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
63 months ago
I like the old tab design. I keep getting confused with the new one mistaking the active tab as the non-active one.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DogHouseDub Avatar
63 months ago
Macbook Pro reintroduces Magsafe and HDMI. MacOS reintroduces proper tabs.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
63 months ago
Thanks to Daring Fireball for the eloquent rebuttal; someone at Apple must have been listening.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)