Components

Component Patterns (macOS)

macOS Visual Design — Desktop-Native Feel

macOS apps should feel like professional desktop tools, not enlarged phone apps.

Sidebar: Use translucent sidebar by default (NavigationSplitView handles this). The sidebar background is slightly transparent when the window is active, becoming opaque when inactive — this signals which window has focus.

Color density: Similar to iOS — accent colors, branded surfaces, and colored icons are appropriate. However, in macOS Tahoe (26), sidebar icons default to monochrome (not tinted) since tinted icons clash with the translucent sidebar.

Content areas: Use opaque AppTheme backgrounds for content areas. Sidebars are the main translucent element.

Button Styles

// Primary action
Button("Save") { save() }
    .buttonStyle(.borderedProminent)
    .keyboardShortcut("s", modifiers: .command)

// Secondary action
Button("Cancel") { cancel() }
    .buttonStyle(.bordered)
    .keyboardShortcut(.escape)

// Tertiary / inline
Button("Details") { showDetails() }
    .buttonStyle(.borderless)

// Link-style
Button("Learn More") { openURL() }
    .buttonStyle(.link)

BUTTON HIERARCHY:

Liquid Glass (macOS 26)

// Translucent glass background
VStack { content }
    .glassEffect()

// Glass button styles
Button("Action") { }
    .buttonStyle(.glass)

Button("Primary") { }
    .buttonStyle(.glassProminent)

Context Menus (right-click)

Text(item.name)
    .contextMenu {
        Button("Copy", systemImage: "doc.on.doc") { copy(item) }
            .keyboardShortcut("c", modifiers: .command)
        Button("Delete", systemImage: "trash", role: .destructive) { delete(item) }
        Divider()
        Menu("Move to") {
            ForEach(folders) { folder in
                Button(folder.name) { move(item, to: folder) }
            }
        }
    }

Keyboard Shortcuts

Every primary action and menu item MUST have a keyboard shortcut:

Button("New Item") { createItem() }
    .keyboardShortcut("n", modifiers: .command)

Button("Delete") { deleteItem() }
    .keyboardShortcut(.delete, modifiers: .command)

Button("Find") { showSearch() }
    .keyboardShortcut("f", modifiers: .command)

Drag and Drop

// Draggable source
Text(item.name)
    .draggable(item)

// Drop destination
List { ... }
    .dropDestination(for: Item.self) { items, location in
        handleDrop(items, at: location)
        return true
    }

Table (macOS-specific)

Table(items) {
    TableColumn("Name", value: \.name)
    TableColumn("Date") { item in
        Text(item.date, style: .date)
    }
    TableColumn("Size") { item in
        Text(item.formattedSize)
    }
}
.tableStyle(.inset(alternatesRowBackgrounds: true))

Menu (dropdown in toolbar)

Menu("Options", systemImage: "ellipsis.circle") {
    Button("Import...", systemImage: "square.and.arrow.down") { importData() }
    Button("Export...", systemImage: "square.and.arrow.up") { exportData() }
    Divider()
    Toggle("Show Hidden", isOn: $showHidden)
}

Toggle

Toggle("Enable Notifications", isOn: $notificationsEnabled)
    .toggleStyle(.switch)

Form (Preferences)

Form {
    Section("General") {
        TextField("Name", text: $name)
        Picker("Theme", selection: $theme) {
            Text("System").tag(Theme.system)
            Text("Light").tag(Theme.light)
            Text("Dark").tag(Theme.dark)
        }
    }
    Section("Advanced") {
        Toggle("Debug Mode", isOn: $debugMode)
            .toggleStyle(.switch)
    }
}
.formStyle(.grouped)

Empty States

ContentUnavailableView(
    "No Documents",
    systemImage: "doc",
    description: Text("Create a new document to get started")
)

NOT Available on macOS

• No UIKit controls — macOS uses AppKit under the hood; SwiftUI apps should never import UIKit
• No card-style focus system like tvOS
• No spatial hover effects like visionOS
• Touch Bar is deprecated — do not implement

Rules

1. Every primary action MUST have .keyboardShortcut()
2. Use .contextMenu {} for right-click interactions on data items
3. Use Table for tabular data display (macOS-specific view)
4. Use Menu for dropdown actions in toolbars
5. Use .formStyle(.grouped) for preference forms
6. Use .draggable() / .dropDestination() for drag-and-drop
7. ONE .borderedProminent per visible area
8. Use .foregroundStyle() not .foregroundColor()
9. Use .clipShape(.rect(cornerRadius:)) not .cornerRadius()