No More Icons in Every Menu by Default

This explains that Apple’s experiment of putting an icon next to every menu item - introduced in macOS Tahoe - has been reversed in the Golden Gate update. The change is reinforced by Apple’s updated Human Interface Guidelines, which cite the Tahoe menus as an example of what not to do; John Gruber previously wrote about the reversion. The post includes a simple visual comparison showing a menu with icons flagged as incorrect and the same menu without icons flagged correct, emphasizing the value of consistent, uncluttered menu presentation.

The writer uses this reversal to sharpen a design critique: earlier, the argument against adding icons to every menu item was weakened when Apple adopted the practice, but Apple’s subsequent retreat makes the critique stronger. Rather than merely arguing that “Apple doesn’t do this,” the point now is that Apple tried the approach, lived with it, and then changed course - a demonstration of learning through doing. That experience-based reversal is presented as a more persuasive reason to avoid default icons in menus and as an example of a large company admitting and correcting a design mistake.