{"id":2928,"date":"2025-09-16T13:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T12:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/?p=2928"},"modified":"2025-10-20T13:35:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T12:35:32","slug":"totl-desktop-macos-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/totl-desktop-macos-26\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2139\ufe0f 3 Powerful Things You Did Not Know About TOtL Desktop (macOS 26 Update)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\" id=\"rank-math-toc\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><nav><ul><li><a href=\"#1-legacy-icons-automatically-adapt-to-tahoes-new-styles\">1. Liquid Glass Icon for macOS 26<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#2-new-slider-that-fit-the-tahoes-style\">2. New Slider and User Interface Changes that Fit Tahoe\u2019s Style<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#3-deeper-shortcut-and-automation-integration\">3. Deeper Shortcut and Automation Integration<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#final-thought\">Final thought<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are using the premium <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/turn-off-the-lights-desktop\/id1043732024?mt=12\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Turn Off the Lights &#8211; Desktop<\/a> Mac app (aka <em>TOtL Desktop<\/em>), and have just upgraded or are considering upgrading to <strong>macOS 26 Tahoe<\/strong>, there are some hidden gems and new behaviours you might not yet have discovered. Even if you have used the Turn Off the Lights for Desktop app for years, the macOS 26 update unlocks a few subtleties that change how the app works, especially when paired with Tahoe\u2019s redesigned UI and features. Here are <strong>three things you probably did not know<\/strong>, plus how to get the most out of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"1-legacy-icons-automatically-adapt-to-tahoes-new-styles\">1. Liquid Glass Icon for macOS 26<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the subtle but neat changes in macOS 26 is the introduction of the Liquid Glass effect, which gives app icons a fresh and adaptive look. With this new rendering system, icons are no longer static. Instead, they dynamically adjust their appearance depending on your selected system theme. That means the TOtL Desktop icon can look slightly different in Light Mode, Dark Mode, Clear Style, and your chosen Tinted Style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This creates a more seamless integration with the macOS environment, as the icons feel alive and consistent with the overall design language of Tahoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-300x300.png\" alt=\"Turn Off the Lights Desktop Liquid Glass app icon on macOS 26\" class=\"wp-image-2930\" style=\"width:300px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/image.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Turn Off the Lights Desktop Liquid Glass app icon on macOS 26<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\ud83d\udc49 Try switching between Light, Dark, Clear, and Tinted modes with the TOtL Desktop Settings window open. You will see the icon subtly transform to match each environment, creating a polished, system-native feel.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"2-new-slider-that-fit-the-tahoes-style\">2. New Slider and User Interface Changes that Fit Tahoe\u2019s Style<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you click the lamp icon in the Apple menu bar, you will see the Turn Off the Lights for Desktop control panel. It now includes a new update slider, harmonized with the design style of macOS Tahoe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/new-slider-macos-1024x640.png\" alt=\"Turn Off the Lights for Desktop Mac app with the control panel open\" class=\"wp-image-2934\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/new-slider-macos-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/new-slider-macos-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/new-slider-macos.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Turn Off the Lights for Desktop Mac app with the control panel open<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>settings window has been redesigned<\/strong>: instead of the traditional top-tab navigation, TOtL Desktop now uses a <strong>tab bar on the left side<\/strong>, giving it a cleaner, more modern look that aligns with macOS 26\u2019s UI trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <em>Try to open the menu panel when you click on the white\/black lamp button in your Apple menubar that is located left of the clock.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"3-deeper-shortcut-and-automation-integration\">3. Deeper Shortcut and Automation Integration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The macOS 26 update makes TOtL Desktop even more powerful when paired with the <strong>Shortcuts app<\/strong> and scheduled automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You can also connect TOtL Desktop to weather or time-based conditions. For instance, when the sun sets in your location at a specific time, TOtL Desktop can automatically activate and add a dimming layer to your Mac\u2019s screen, helping you transition to a softer evening workspace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keyboard shortcuts and menu bar triggers are snappier, reducing lag when toggling dimming or switching focus modes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shortcuts-macos-1024x640.png\" alt=\"Shortcuts app with Turn Off the Lights for Desktop actions\" class=\"wp-image-2935\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shortcuts-macos-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shortcuts-macos-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/shortcuts-macos.png 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Shortcuts app with Turn Off the Lights for Desktop actions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc49 <em>Try creating a Shortcut that dims the desktop to 60% whenever you switch to Dark Mode or when sunset begins in your city. It is a simple automation that helps eye comfort in low-light environments.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"final-thought\"><strong>Final thought<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Turn Off the Lights for Desktop has always been a great tool for focus and eye comfort, but with macOS 26, it feels even more integrated into the Mac experience. If you have not yet explored these hidden improvements, now\u2019s the perfect time to rediscover them. You can get the premium <a href=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/desktop\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/desktop\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Turn Off the Lights for Desktop app<\/a> from the Mac App Store.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you are using the premium Turn Off the Lights &#8211; Desktop Mac app (aka TOtL Desktop), and have just upgraded or are considering upgrading to macOS 26 Tahoe, there are some hidden gems and new behaviours you might not yet have discovered. Even if you have used the Turn Off the Lights for Desktop [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-desktop"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2928"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2944,"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2928\/revisions\/2944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turnoffthelights.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}