12 small macOS Golden Gate annoyances, and the workarounds that help

Big problems get headlines. Small ones get you twenty times a day. After the first week with macOS 27 Golden Gate, users have collected a list of little things that changed, broke, or just feel off.

None of the items below is confirmed by Apple as a bug, and several may be fixed in the first updates. Until then, here's what people are running into and what helps.

1. The Dock's open-app dots are barely visible

What happens: "Show indicators for open applications" is on, but the small dots under running apps are so faint they're easy to miss, especially over light wallpapers.

Workaround:

• Confirm the setting in System Settings > Desktop & Dock. Toggling it off and on doesn't fix the visibility, but make sure it's on.
• Turn on Increase Contrast in System Settings > Accessibility > Display. It makes many subtle interface elements more visible. It also changes other parts of the interface, so see if you like the overall result.
• Try a darker wallpaper, or Dark Mode, where the indicators stand out more.

2. "Fill" hides the menu bar

What happens: using the window tiling Fill action makes the menu bar disappear until you switch away and back.

Workaround: one user found that filling a window the older way, holding Option and double-clicking a window's corner edge, doesn't trigger the problem.

3. App Exposé doesn't show minimized windows

What happens: App Exposé used to show an app's minimized windows at the bottom. On Golden Gate, users report they're missing.

Workaround: to bring back an app's minimized windows, press Command-Tab, move to the app, then hold Option before releasing Command. The app comes forward and its minimized windows restore. You can also click the app's icon in the Dock and choose the window from its right-click menu.

4. Mission Control shortcuts stop responding

What happens: keyboard shortcuts for Mission Control or switching Spaces don't work for some users, and mouse buttons mapped to them through utilities stop working.

Workaround:

• Reassign the shortcuts in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Mission Control, even if they look correct.
• If you use a mouse utility, test with the built-in trackpad first. Many mouse tools simulate trackpad gestures in a way macOS 27 no longer accepts, and need an update.

5. Command-Return in Spotlight no longer reveals a file

What happens: selecting a file in Spotlight and pressing Command-Return used to show it in Finder. Users report this doesn't work reliably in Golden Gate, where Spotlight is now shared with Siri AI.

Workaround: drag the result from Spotlight onto the Finder icon in the Dock, or search with Finder's own search field (Command-F in a Finder window), which shows file locations directly.

6. The Globe key doesn't open the emoji picker

What happens: pressing the Globe (fn) key no longer brings up Emoji & Symbols for some users, and text expansion tools have also misbehaved.

Workaround:

• Check System Settings > Keyboard, find the setting for what pressing the Globe key does, and set it to show Emoji & Symbols again.
• Use the long-standing shortcut Control-Command-Space, which opens the picker regardless of the Globe key setting.
• Update text expansion apps to versions that support macOS 27.

7. Notes resets its sidebar to the narrowest width

What happens: each time Notes opens, the notes list shrinks to a width too narrow to read.

Workaround: none reliable yet. Resizing it works until the next launch. If you keep Notes open, it stays put; if this breaks your workflow, report it through Feedback Assistant with the steps.

8. "Ask Siri" in every right-click menu

What happens: with Siri AI enabled, an Ask Siri item appears in context menus everywhere, and a floating Siri button appears near selected text.

Workaround: there's no setting short of turning off Siri AI, but there are Terminal tweaks that remove both. They're undocumented and may stop working in a future update. Our Golden Gate settings guide has the commands and, just as important, the commands to undo them.

9. Full-screen video controls look broken in Safari

What happens: moving the pointer to the top of the screen during full-screen video in Safari reveals the window controls without their usual background bar.

Workaround: purely cosmetic. The controls still work. If it bothers you, press Escape to leave full screen instead.

10. The new window buttons look different

What happens: the red, yellow, and green window buttons have a slightly different shape and a subtle glow. It's a design change, not a bug, and opinions are split.

Workaround: none. If the glow makes them harder to see, Increase Contrast (see item 1) sharpens a lot of interface detail.

11. The CUPS printer web interface is disabled

What happens: people who manage printers through the CUPS web interface in a browser find it disabled.

Workaround: on previous macOS versions, running cupsctl WebInterface=yes in Terminal enabled it. Some Golden Gate users report it no longer works as before. For most printers, System Settings > Printers & Scanners covers everything the web interface did.

12. AirPlay audio and audio utilities misbehave

What happens: users report problems with AirPlay audio and with per-app audio routing utilities after upgrading.

Workaround: quit third-party audio utilities and test AirPlay again. If it works, the utility needs an update for macOS 27. Check the developer's site before reinstalling.

Before assuming something is broken

A lot of first-week weirdness disappears once post-upgrade indexing finishes. If the Mac feels sluggish, animations stutter, or Spotlight and Siri behave strangely, give it two or three nights plugged in before troubleshooting further.

And if something on this list affects you daily, report it. Open Feedback Assistant, describe the exact steps, and attach a screen recording. Small quirks get fixed when Apple can reproduce them.

Quick reference