One of the biggest features presented during the WWDC21 keynote was a redesigned Safari in macOS Monterey, iOS 15, and iPadOS 15. With a lot of controversies about whether Apple made the right decision with this update, it appears that most of the changes can be switched back to the old way — at least for now.
Although it could look cool in some cases, there are a few websites where the colored toolbar just feels wrong. This is why it’s possible to switch back to the old way. Here’s how to do it:
- Open “Safari,” then click “Preferences” in the Safari menu in the upper-right
- Click on the “Advanced” tab;
- Toggle on “Never Use Background color in toolbar,” and that’s it.
Now, when you’re browsing, the toolbar will stay in the Light or Dark mode.
These steps also apply to Safari Technology Preview 126 for macOS Big Sur users. With this version of Safari, even users running macOS 11 Big Sur can take a first look at some of Apple’s browser features in macOS Monterey and switch back to the old way as well.
In a poll conducted with our readers, more than 45% of them said they didn’t try the new Safari on macOS Monterey, although they appreciate the new design. With the 30% of voters who are already using Monterey, half of them said they don’t like this new Safari.
What do you think about this new Safari design? Did it grow on you? Tell us in the comment section below.
“The first issue people seem to have with the new design is the bottom search bar. While it’s more reachable during one-handed use, it still moves to the top of the screen when touched. The second major complaint is how all of the previous controls have been centralized under a single three dot icon.”
