How to change the accent colour on a Mac
2 min read · 4 steps · Updated 4 October 2026
Open System Settings, click Appearance, and click a colour under Theme. Buttons, pop-up menus and other controls then use that colour. Multicolor, the first circle, lets each app use its own colour.
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS Tahoe 26
- App
- System Settings
- Path
- System Settings › Appearance › Color
- Real screenshots
- 4 of 4 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
The blue of buttons and selected menu items on a Mac is a choice, not a fixed design. Nine options are offered: Multicolor and eight single colours.
The screenshots show System Settings on macOS Tahoe 26.
Step by step
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.
Click Appearance in the sidebar
Appearance is below Accessibility.
Click a colour
The circles are in the Color row under Theme. In the picture Multicolor is selected.
Choose the highlight colour for text
Text highlight color, the next row, sets the colour used for highlighting selected text. In the picture it is Automatic.
Good to know
Light and dark appearance are at the top of the same page: how to turn on dark mode on a Mac.
In short: System Settings, Appearance, Color.
Links checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.