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PSA: Here’s how to disable the colored Safari toolbar in macOS Monterey

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.

Last week, 9to5Mac showed a workaround on how to bring back the old Safari tab bar in macOS Monterey beta. Now, there’s also a way to disable the colored Safari toolbar in macOS Monterey.

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.

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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.

In a concept post addressing this new Safari design, 9to5Mac’s Parker Ortolani said what could be improved:

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.”

What do you think about this new Safari design? Did it grow on you? Tell us in the comment section below.

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