# MacOS Setup (Tahoe 26.5)

- Published: 2026-06-07
- Updated: 2026-08-30
- Language: en
- Canonical: https://drimchansky.dev/en/notes/macos-setup/

I am writing this after almost five years of using a MacBook for all my professional and personal things.

My beginning of using computers was only about Windows – I used it for years for education, playing games, watching movies, and later, for my main hobby – web development. Windows served quite well for these needs, especially up to version 10, but there is one **itchy thing about it..** It gradually wilts and needs to be reinstalled at some point.

Then, my professional career in web development started, and it started with Ubuntu, as a requirement for my first role's development environment. And it simply became clear why – **to set up a comfortable environment on Windows required a bunch of workarounds and crutches**, which feels, say so, unreliable. Ubuntu worked pretty well, when it worked, but for me, it nearly never did: touchpad? -> oh, we don't support drivers for it yet; wireless headphones? -> they worked, sometimes, but mostly not; decided to update the OS? -> back up everything and **get ready to reinstall everything from scratch**, because the chance that something critical will stop working is too big.

My first instinct was to try different distros besides Ubuntu. I tried Fedora, Linux Mint and Manjaro. **The best experience was with Fedora – it was the most stable and friendly.** But the amount of attention it (and other Linux-based distros) required was huge: you have to do a lot of customization and then constantly make sure everything keeps working fine.

At some point I got tired: I don't want to fuss around with OS settings, but **I want to get the job done**. So I tried a MacBook.

The first week was tough – it was a very different UX from any other laptop. But **when you get used to it – it is nearly impossible to go back to another OS**: you have Linux-level flexibility with top-level UX, and you don't worry about breaking anything when updating the system or some other dependency – somehow everything just works.

This guide is an artifact of a habit of reinstalling the system from scratch from time to time – I have done it just a few times when getting a new work laptop, but this time I decided to do so for the personal one, which is five years old but still feels like a new one. Of course, this process could be automated, speeded up, or simply skipped in the case of macOS – just use Migration Assistant, iCloud sync, or tools like that. But **for me, this process is more like self-reflection – on software I use, configurations I set – and a chance to review my experience with the laptop** in general.

## 1. Onboarding

- **Keyboards:** British and Russian – PC.
- **Location Services** – ON.
- **Siri** – OFF.
- **Apple Intelligence** – OFF.
- **FileVault** – ON.
- **Automatic updates** – only download.

## 2. Install Latest macOS Updates

## 3. Update macOS Settings

- **Speed up keyboard:** System Settings -> Keyboard -> Key repeat rate – Fast, Delay until repeat – Short.
- **Wallpaper:** Set some nice nature landscape from default library.
- **Appearance:**
  - Liquid Glass – Tinted
  - Show scroll bars – Always.
- **Desktop & Dock:**
  - Automatically hide and show the Dock – ON.
  - Show suggested and recent apps in Dock – OFF.
  - Dock: Size: 25%, Magnification: 50%.
- **Notifications:**
  - When screen is locked – OFF.
- **Sound:**
  - Play sound on startup – OFF.
  - Play user interface sound effects – OFF.
- **Network:**
  - Firewall – ON.
- **iCloud:**
  - Drive -> Optimize mac storage -> OFF.
- **Internet accounts:**
  - Add personal and work emails (calendar sync only).
- **Accessibility:**
  - Show window title icons – OFF.
- **Lock Screen:**
  - Turn display off ... (both) – 1h.
  - Require password ... – 5 min.

## 4. Install Software

- Browsers: [Chrome](https://www.google.com/chrome/), [Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/). Set Chrome as a default browser.
- Primary messenger: [Telegram](https://desktop.telegram.org/)
  - Notifications and Sounds: Bounce the Dock icon – OFF, Allow sound – OFF, Include muted chats in unread count – OFF.
  - Advanced: Download path – Tmp folder, update automatically – OFF.
- The best media player: [VLC Player](https://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.en.html).
- Handy images optimization: [ImageOptim](https://imageoptim.com/mac).
- [Homebrew](https://brew.sh/) for packages management.
- Password manager: `brew install bitwarden`.
  - Allow browser integration – ON, show menu bar icon – OFF, unlock with Touch ID – ON, timeout – 5 min.
  - Login into browser extension -> unlock with biometrics – ON, timeout – 5 min.
- Code editor: [VSCode](https://code.visualstudio.com/).
- For remembering stuff: [Anki](https://apps.ankiweb.net/).
- [Things 3](https://apps.apple.com/ge/app/things-3/id904280696) the best task manager.
  - Badge count – Deadlines Only.
- [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/).
- [Scroll-Reverser](https://github.com/pilotmoon/Scroll-Reverser). Reverse Trackpad – OFF, Reverse Mouse – ON.
- [Command X](https://sindresorhus.com/command-x) – cut and paste files in Finder.
- [The Unarchiver](https://apps.apple.com/ge/app/the-unarchiver/id425424353).
- [Transmission](https://transmissionbt.com/download) bittorrent client.
- [nvm](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm).
- [Claude](https://claude.ai/downloads) + [Claude Code CLI](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/overview) (Native Install).
- [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/) – Install Page as App, [Codex CLI](https://developers.openai.com/codex/cli)
- [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/mac-install/).
- [Postman](https://www.postman.com/downloads/).
- `brew install cmake p7zip pnpm git git-lfs killport openssh gh fzf zsh-autosuggestions zsh-syntax-highlighting`.
  - `git lfs install`
  - `brew link openssh`
  - `gh auth login`
- [Yubico Authenticator](https://apps.apple.com/ge/app/yubico-authenticator/id1497506650).
- [Ledger Wallet](https://shop.ledger.com/pages/ledger-wallet#download).
- [agterm](https://agterm.com/) – the best terminal for agent management.
- [Happ](https://www.happ.su/main).

## 5. Update Configs and setup ssh with YubiKey

- [configs](https://github.com/drimchansky/configs)

Generate new ssh keys for each yubikey: `ssh-keygen -t ed25519-sk -f ~/.ssh/yubikey_x` -> and add them to GitHub.

Set directory rights `chmod 600 ~/.ssh/*`.

Apply [agents-kit](https://github.com/drimchansky/agents-kit).

## 6. Install Fonts

Download and install using Font Book.

- [Fira Code](https://github.com/tonsky/FiraCode).
- [Martian Mono](https://github.com/evilmartians/mono).

## 7. Tweak UI

- **Finder:**
  - Settings: Show all filename extensions – ON.
  - Favorites:
    - [User directory]
    - [Work directory]
    - Documents
    - Downloads
    - Applications
    - Desktop
  - View:
    - Show path bar.
    - Show View Options -> Always show in list view – ON, Calculate all sizes – ON + "Use as Defaults"
- Dock icons order, from left to right:
  - Finder
  - "Apps"
  - AI chats (Claude, ChatGPT)
  - IDE and editors (VSCode, Zed, ...)
  - Agterm
  - Default browser (Chrome)
  - Things
  - Obsidian
  - Notes
  - Activity Monitor
  - Bitwarden
  - Calendar
  - Clock
  - Calculator
  - Telegram
- Widgets in notification center:
  - Weather (med).
  - Calendar (large).
  - Calendar (small, month view).
  - Batteries (small).

## 8. Notifications

Disable as many as possible. Leave badge application icon only for Telegram, Slack and Things.

## 9. Menu bar and Controls

Enabled menu bar buttons: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Battery, Sound (show always), Timer.

Controls layout:

- Row 1: Bluetooth / Wi-Fi
- Row 2: AirDrop / Screen Mirroring
- Row 3: Display
- Row 4: Sound
- Row 5: Currently playing