Turn off transparency so Mac menus and windows look solid

Why it happens

The Liquid Glass look in recent macOS lets colours from behind show through menus, the Dock and notifications. With a busy wallpaper or bright windows underneath, the text on top can blur into the background. Reduce transparency swaps the glass for plain, solid backgrounds.

How to fix it

1. Click the Apple menu and open System Settings.

2. Choose Accessibility in the sidebar, then Display, and switch on Reduce transparency.

   Accessibility›Display›Reduce transparency

3. Open a menu or look at the Dock. Both should now sit on a solid colour instead of showing what's behind them.

Reduce transparency sits in the same place on macOS 26 and 27. The Liquid Glass setting under Appearance only exists on macOS 26.1 or later, where you pick Clear or Tinted. On macOS 26.0, Reduce transparency is the only option. macOS 27 has a slider instead.

Still not fixed?

1. For a frosted look rather than fully solid, open Appearance and change Liquid Glass. On macOS 26.1 or later pick Tinted, and on macOS 27 drag the slider to the right. On macOS 26.0 this setting isn't there, so Reduce transparency is the way to go.

   Appearance›Liquid Glass

2. If buttons and boxes still blend in, turn on Increase contrast on the same Display page. It adds darker outlines around controls.

   Accessibility›Display›Increase contrast

3. A calmer, plainer wallpaper also helps, because there is less colour to show through.

4. If the screen still looks blurry with transparency off, the problem is probably the display itself or its resolution. Contact Apple Support or a repair shop if text stays fuzzy everywhere.