macOS is a clean implementation of an Unix operating system. While it officially is supported for both laptop and desktop use, it is visibly better adapted for laptops with a lot of features that are odd or even maybe disruptive for desktops. This gist lists actions you can take to improve macOS for desktop use.
Last updated: March 24, 2025
On macOS, there is a delay before caps lock activation and deactivation, forcing you to hold the key for an extra 1/5th of a second. This was implemented because users tend to accidentally trigger capslock while typing on butterfly keyboards produced by Apple. However, when using macOS on a desktop with external peripherals, this feature doesn't make sense and can be disruptive while typing.
Run this in Terminal.
hidutil property --set '{"CapsLockDelayOverride":0}'On macOS, programs remain loaded in memory even when they are closed, indicated by a dot underneath their icon in the dock. This behavior makes sense on operating systems with minimal screen space (e.g. mobile, tablet, or embedded systems) where closing an application's windows helps save visual space or system resources, but not so much on desktops where resolutions are usually sufficient and background applications are expected to create a tray icon when persisting in the background.
Install Swift Quit with homebrew.
brew install --cask swift-quitOn macOS, all mice are subject to Apple's trackpad-like scrolling features and acceleration profiles, which does not feel right on a desktop computer with a mouse. Conversely, Apple does not allow your mouse to use some of the good trackpad functionality that should be available on any mouse peripherals, such as mouse actions, lookup, mission control, and so on. It would be nice to have the good features that Apple should support on external mice, while disabling the bad features that make your mouse too trackpad-like.
Install Mac Mouse Fix with homebrew.
brew install mac-mouse-fixThe GPU of macOS devices based on Apple Silicon uses temporal dithering to simulate a broader range of colors. While this works usually fine on Apple's own monitors, it can result in extremely annoying and even eyestrain-inducing flickering on a variety of external monitors. macOS does not currently expose a user-facing setting to toggle temporal dithering.
Install Stillcolor. When it launches, select "Disable Dithering" in its menu.