Icons in macOS 26: Fighting the "Squircle" Prison
Apple has revised the shape of its app icons in macOS 26, also known as Tahoe. If apps don't comply, there's a visual intervention. This helps against it.
Imprisoned icons in Tahoe (top row). Below then "freed".
(Image: heise medien)
While not everything is running smoothly in macOS 26, Apple has significantly refined the interface: windows are now as curved as the icons in the “Squircle” style. To achieve a uniform look, app icons are also automatically adjusted if they don't meet Apple's desired dimensions. This leads to a rather unsightly look. However, there is a way to change this, provided Apple doesn't change its mind with one of the next Tahoe updates: you can assign your icon to apps that lack the appropriate one.
Forced into prison
macOS automatically shrinks the freely shaped icons of older apps so that they follow Apple's specifications. Confusingly, this sometimes happens even with seemingly suitable square icons. The system detects when pixels protrude and places the gray shape behind them.
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Currently, macOS only treats the icon brought along by an app this way, but not custom icons. You can use this to restore the old look. In the Dock, hold down the Command key and click on an affected app to show it in the Finder. First, display the “Get Info” window with Command + I and then, by secondary-clicking in the Applications folder, open the app's context menu. With “Show Package Contents,” you switch to the app bundle (apps are actually just special folders).
Step by step to the new icon
Navigate to the “Contents/Resources” subfolder and look for the old app icon with the “.icns” file extension. It's often simply called “AppIcon.icns” or “.icns.” Now drag this onto the small icon at the top left of the previously displayed Info window. This assigns a new icon to the app, in this case, the icon for older versions of macOS (the modern icon for Tahoe is in the “Assets.car” file). For apps from the App Store, you must confirm the process with your administrator password or fingerprint. The next time you start the app, the Dock icon will also update.
Of course, you can also assign any icons to all other apps this way, even those already adapted to macOS 26. This is particularly convenient with the tool Replaicon (€8), which already offers alternative icons for many well-known programs. If you want to revert to the original icon, click on it in the “Get Info” window so that it is outlined in blue. Then press the Delete key. Many more tips on how to use macOS 26. You can find Tahoe, its problems, and solutions in a detailed article on heise+.
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