MAC
How to reduce motion and animations on a Mac
Real screenshot · MacBook Neo, macOS 27.0.1In short
Open System Settings, click Accessibility, then Motion, and switch on Reduce motion. On the same page you can also switch off Auto-play animated images and switch on Prefer non-blinking cursor.
Your Mac animates things on screen, like when you open an app, swap desktops, or open and close Notification Center. One switch, Reduce motion, customizes that movement, and two more on the same page pause animated images and stop the blinking cursor.
4 of 4 steps show a real screenshot from our MacBook Neo.
Steps
- 1
Open System Settings
Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen and choose System Settings.
- 2
Click Accessibility in the sidebar
On our MacBook Neo, Accessibility is near the top of the sidebar, just below General.
- 3
Click Motion
On our MacBook Neo, Motion is in the Vision group, between Display and Read & Speak.
- 4
Switch on Reduce motion
Reduce motion is the first switch on the page. On our MacBook Neo it was off at first.
If you like, switch off Auto-play animated images (on at first) so moving pictures like GIFs in Messages and Safari stay still, and switch on Prefer non-blinking cursor to keep the typing cursor steady.
If you do not see this option
- Accessibility is not in the sidebar Scroll down in the sidebar.
- Dim flashing lights or Vehicle Motion Cues is missing Apple says these only appear on some Macs. On our MacBook Neo, the Motion page had only three switches. Source: Change Motion settings for accessibility on Mac
- Vehicle Motion Cues missing on your laptop? Apple says it is available on Mac laptops, but not on MacBook Neo, MacBook Air (M1), or 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1) or earlier. Source: Change Motion settings for accessibility on Mac
If this does not work
- Things still move Apple says Reduce motion tones down on-screen movement, like when you open an app, swap desktops, or open and close Notification Center. It tones movement down rather than removing it everywhere.
- GIFs still play Check that Auto-play animated images is off. On our MacBook Neo the switch shows green when it is on and grey when it is off.
- The cursor still blinks Check that Prefer non-blinking cursor is switched on. On our MacBook Neo it was off at first.
- Flashing video is still bright? Dim flashing lights only works with compatible media, and only on Macs with Apple silicon. Apple says not to depend on it to treat any medical condition.
Good to know
Apple lists two more options that do not appear on every Mac: Dim flashing lights, only on Mac computers with Apple silicon, and Vehicle Motion Cues, on Mac laptops. On our MacBook Neo, the Motion page showed neither, only Reduce motion, Auto-play animated images and Prefer non-blinking cursor.
To make things larger instead of calmer: how to zoom in on the screen on a Mac.
Each switch can be turned off again on the same page. If the screen is hard to read rather than too busy, see how to increase contrast and reduce transparency on a Mac.
macOS 27 compared with macOS 26: We rewrote this guide on macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo): it now has 4 steps instead of 5. The macOS 26 page keeps the steps and screenshots as they were.
Version history: the macOS 26 version of this guide, with its own screenshots.
About this guide
- Device
- Mac
- Shown on
- macOS 27.0.1 (MacBook Neo)
- App
- System Settings
- Real screenshots
- 4 of 4 steps
- Checked
- October 2026
- Sources
- 1 official, linked below
Sources
Links checked October 2026. Menus and features can change with updates.Did this guide work for you?
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