macOS Tahoe Beta 2 Brings Back Classic Finder Color Scheme

In the initial macOS Tahoe beta, Apple swapped the colors of the Finder icon, a longtime Mac classic. Rather than featuring blue on the left side of the face and light blue on the right side, the icon was primarily white and the right side of the face was blue.

macos tahoe finder beta 2macOS Tahoe Finder icon in beta 2

The updated Finder look was a significant deviation from the design that Apple has used for Finder since 1996, and many Mac users were unhappy with the change. Apple had tweaked the Finder colors and design slightly over the years, but the first Tahoe beta marked the first significant change that we've seen because of the decision to put the darker color on the right.

Apple has now reverted the Finder icon to a more traditional color scheme, while keeping the Liquid Glass look. The left side of the face is blue, while the lighter side is a white/blue gradient that has a layered, glass-like appearance.

macos tahoe finder beta 1macOS Tahoe Finder icon in beta 1

The icon isn't the same as the version in macOS Sequoia because it doesn't use an even color split, but it's much closer to the original design while still looking fresh.

Related Roundup: macOS Tahoe 26
Related Forum: macOS Tahoe

Popular Stories

ios 19 messages app

Apple Sues Jon Prosser Over iOS 26 Leaks

Thursday July 17, 2025 8:40 pm PDT by
Earlier this year, YouTuber Jon Prosser shared multiple videos showing off what he claimed to be re-created renderings of what was then presumed to be called iOS 19 and which was eventually unveiled by Apple as iOS 26 at WWDC in June. In his first video back in January, Prosser showed off a Camera app redesign with a simpler set of buttons for moving between photo and video modes, and he...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Here's When to Expect the iOS 26 Public Beta

Tuesday July 15, 2025 11:07 am PDT by
Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, and now a more specific timeframe has surfaced. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said that Apple's public betas should be released on or around Wednesday, July 23. In other words, expect the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26, and more to be available at some point next week. Apple will be releasing...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Revealed in Latest Leak

Wednesday July 16, 2025 6:50 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a report for Macworld today, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report includes ...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

Ranked: The Best Features Rumored for the iPhone 17 Lineup

Wednesday July 16, 2025 4:17 pm PDT by
We have just under two months to go until the debut of Apple's iPhone 17 models, and rumors have been ramping up in recent weeks. We went through everything we know so far, pulling out the most exciting rumors and highlighting some other changes that aren't going to be so great. Top Tier Ultra Thin iPhone 17 Air - The iPhone 17 Air is 2025's most exciting iPhone rumor, because it's the...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone's Thickness and Price Range Detailed in New Reports

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:31 am PDT by
Apple's long-rumored foldable iPhone will likely have a starting price between $1,800 and $2,000 in the U.S., analysts at investment banking firm UBS said this week. If so, the foldable iPhone would cost more than a MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,599. With a starting price of at least $1,800, the foldable iPhone would be the most expensive iPhone model ever released, topping the Pro Max at...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Hornsby

Apple Store Near Sydney Permanently Closing Later This Year

Monday July 14, 2025 6:14 pm PDT by
Apple today said its store at the Westfield Hornsby shopping mall, in Hornsby, Australia, will be permanently closing in October. Apple Hornsby In a statement shared with Australian tech news website EFTM (via Reddit), Apple said that it has decided not to renew its lease at Westfield Hornsby. Apple said all affected retail employees will be given the opportunity to work at Apple's nearby...

Top Rated Comments

coolfactor Avatar
4 weeks ago
The new Finder icon did appear strikingly different, and not better. I'm glad they reverted this.

The Finder icon has always been an odd duck, and I'm glad they are retaining it at all, since they could change it to a boring Home icon, in the name of consistency.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shahrlee Avatar
4 weeks ago
tbh I prefer beta 1
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
4 weeks ago
This helps distinguishing the odd from the even betas.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jarman92 Avatar
4 weeks ago

Did this change really need a whole article? I didn’t see a problem with inverting the colors in Beta 1
Yeah people were pretty mad. And understandably so, the icon has been instantly recognizable for like 40 years and there was no reasonable justification for inverting the colors.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jbc25 Avatar
4 weeks ago

The new Finder icon did appear strikingly different, and not better. I'm glad they reverted this.

The Finder icon has always been an odd duck, and I'm glad they are retaining it at all, since they could change it to a boring Home icon, in the name of consistency.
Yeah, I'm honestly surprised they've kept the icon for this long. While I like it, it doesn't really make "sense" in the way the other icons do. It certainly doesn't say anything about file management. But there's something about that familiar smiling face that makes using the Mac a little more pleasant and human. I'm glad they've kept it.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theluggage Avatar
4 weeks ago

Rather than featuring blue on the left side of the face and light blue on the right side, the icon was primarily white and the right side of the face was blue.
Well, I hope that will be our last battlefield.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708435/
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)