macOS · Personalization
Customize button and selection colors
Set the accent color used for buttons, checkboxes, and links, and a separate highlight color used for selected text and list items.
How to open Accent Color & Highlight Color
- Open System Settings
- Select Appearance
- Choose a swatch under Accent color
- Choose a swatch under Highlight color
What you should know
- Found under System Settings → Appearance
- Accent color changes buttons, sliders, and toggles
- Highlight color changes selected text and list rows
- Multicolor option restores classic per-control tinting
Why it matters
Accent and highlight colors are a lightweight but visible way to personalize the Mac interface beyond wallpaper and theme. They also improve usability for some users by making active controls and selected content easier to spot at a glance. Because these colors persist across nearly every native app, the choice has an outsized visual impact relative to how quickly it can be changed.
Best practices
- Pick an accent color with enough contrast against both Light and Dark mode
- Use the Multicolor option if you prefer the classic macOS look
- Match highlight color to accent color for visual consistency
Common problems and fixes
- Accent color doesn't appear in some third-party apps
- Not all apps read the system accent color; check the app's own theme settings.
- Highlight color is hard to read with certain text colors
- Choose a highlight color with strong contrast, or switch to a system default.
Tips and tricks
- Choose Multicolor to mimic the original macOS button styling
- Re-check accent color after switching Light/Dark since contrast can shift
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a custom hex color?
No, only the preset swatches Apple provides are selectable in System Settings.
Does this affect Safari or Mail icons?
No, it affects UI controls and selection highlighting, not app icons.
Related settings
- Appearance (Light, Dark & Auto)Choose whether macOS displays a light, dark, or automatically switching interface theme across the Dock, menu bar, Finder, and supported apps.
- Wallpaper & Screen SaverWallpaper settings let you set the desktop picture — from Apple's built-in dynamic and aerial images to your own photos — and configure the screen saver that appears after your Mac sits idle. Recent macOS versions combine both into a single Wallpaper settings pane.
More Personalization guides for macOS
- Desktop & DockDesktop & Dock settings control the size, position, and behavior of the Dock, along with desktop options like Stage Manager, widgets, and how windows and Mission Control behave. It's the main place to make the Dock and desktop work the way you want.
- Menu Bar & Control CenterControl Center gives you quick access to frequently used settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Focus, and display brightness from a single menu bar icon. You can customize which controls appear in Control Center and which ones show directly in the menu bar for one-click access.
- Lock ScreenLock Screen settings control when your Mac requires a password after sleep or screen saver, how long it waits before locking, and what's shown at the login window — all central to protecting your Mac from casual tampering or unauthorized access.
- Focus & Do Not DisturbCreate and schedule Focus modes such as Do Not Disturb, Work, or Personal that filter which notifications and apps can interrupt you.
- Stage ManagerEnable Stage Manager to automatically arrange open windows into a single focused workspace with recent windows shown as thumbnails along the side.
- Hot CornersSet each corner of your screen to instantly trigger an action such as Mission Control, Desktop, Notification Center, or starting a screen saver when you move your cursor there.