How to Make Your MacBook Aesthetic in 2026

You spend hours on your MacBook every day. It should look like yours.

The default macOS setup is fine. It's clean, it works, it's Apple. But it's also the same setup that every other MacBook owner is staring at. If you've ever customized your phone home screen, arranged a Pinterest-worthy desk setup, or picked a laptop case that matches your vibe, you already know that aesthetics matter.

This guide walks through every way to customize your MacBook — from the wallpaper to the menu bar to the notch to the sounds — so it actually feels like it belongs to you.

Start with the Wallpaper

The wallpaper sets the entire tone. Everything else you customize will build on top of it, so pick this first.

Using macOS built-in wallpapers: Go to System Settings, then Wallpaper. macOS comes with dynamic wallpapers that shift throughout the day and a solid collection of static options.

Custom wallpapers from Canva: This is where it gets fun. Open Canva, set your canvas to your screen resolution, and build a wallpaper that matches your theme. A lot of people create organized wallpapers with designated zones for folders, sticky notes, and widgets.

Free wallpaper sources: Unsplash has high-resolution photography in every category. For more curated aesthetic sets, check Etsy — creators sell themed wallpaper packs for a few dollars.

Customize Your Folder Icons

This is one of the most underrated customization moves on macOS because most people don't know it's possible. You can replace the default blue folder icons with literally any image.

Here's how: find an image with a transparent background (PNG works best), open it in Preview, select the image (Command+A), and copy it (Command+C). Then right-click the folder you want to change, click Get Info, click the small folder icon in the top-left corner of the info window, and paste (Command+V).

You can find icon packs on Etsy and Pinterest — sets of matching folder icons in every aesthetic from minimalist to cottagecore. The key is picking a consistent theme so your desktop looks cohesive.

Add Desktop Widgets

macOS lets you add widgets directly to your desktop. Click anywhere on the desktop, then click Edit Widgets. You can drag widgets for Calendar, Weather, Reminders, Clock, Notes, and more onto your desktop.

For more aesthetic widget options, check out these apps:

WidgetWall adds customizable widgets with aesthetic templates
Sticky Widgets / CuteNotes let you put colorful sticky notes on your desktop
VinylPod adds a retro vinyl record player widget that displays your currently playing music

Make the Notch Do Something

If your MacBook has a notch, it's taking up prime screen real estate and doing nothing with it. There are a few directions you can go.

Hide it entirely: TopNotch (free) turns the menu bar black so the notch blends in and effectively disappears.

Turn it into a tool: Apps like NotchNook and Boring Notch add music controls, calendar, battery indicators, and file shelves to the notch.

Give it personality: Nochi puts an animated companion character in the notch — a little friend that walks around, skateboards, sips boba, reads, and sleeps based on the time of day. It also comes with music controls, calendar, a file shelf, battery, AI chat, and custom HUDs.

Clean Up the Menu Bar

A cluttered menu bar kills the aesthetic. If you have fifteen icons crammed up there, the whole vibe falls apart.

Bartender is the go-to app for this. It lets you hide menu bar icons into a collapsible section so only the ones you want are visible.

Ice is a free, open-source alternative that does the same basic thing.

The Full Customization Checklist

Set a wallpaper that establishes your color palette and theme
Replace folder and app icons to match
Add desktop widgets (WidgetWall, Sticky Widgets, VinylPod)
Do something with the notch (hide it, add tools, or give it personality with Nochi)
Clean up the menu bar (Bartender or Ice)
Set your accent color and appearance mode
Customize your cursor color and size
Choose a screensaver that matches
Trim and resize the Dock
Step back and make sure everything feels cohesive

The whole process takes about an hour if you know what aesthetic you're going for. The result is a MacBook that feels like yours every time you open it.