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In this brief tutorial, we show you how to draw and sketch right in the Apple Notes app on your Mac running macOS 27 Golden Gate, without having to rely on your iPhone, iPad, or external touchscreen devices.

The incredible Continuity feature has allowed Mac users to sketch in the Notes app by opening a virtual drawing board on their iPhone or iPad. However, it relied on the user having at least one iOS device linked to the same Apple Account as their Mac. Secondly, the temporary virtual board on the iPhone and iPad is handy for casual use, but it’s not ideal for prolonged sketching or sessions that require breaks.

macOS 27 fixes all that by adding a native drawing tool to the Notes app.

While seemingly an innocent feature, this also hints at the upcoming MacBook (maybe called MacBook Ultra) with a touchscreen (fingers crossed till late 2026 or early 2027).

Draw and sketch in the macOS 27 Notes app

1) Update your Mac to macOS 27 by enabling beta updates in System Settings > General > Software Update or by using a bootable USB installer. You can also install macOS Golden Gate on a second partition of the same Mac.

2) Open the Notes app and create a new note or go inside an existing one. You can also work in a note that already has normal typed text.

3) Click the Markup icon, as shown in the screenshot below.

You have the following tools at your disposal. If you have used Markup on iPhone, it will feel right at home.

Selection tool: Lets you select your drawing and then change the size, move it around, etc.

Drawing tools: You can use Pen, Monoline, Marker, Pencil, Crayon, Fountain Pen, Reed, and Watercolor tools. After selecting one, don’t forget to further select that tool’s style (like brush thickness). There is also an Eraser option to remove errors and fix them.

Color picker: Click the small dot to pick a different color. You can also change the color afterward by using the selection tool to select an existing drawing, then change its color.

Shapes: Click the circle-square icon and select from line, arrow, square, square with rounded corners, circle, speech box, star, and a hexagon.

Text: Click the A icon to add text.

Signature: Add an existing signature or create a new one and add it.

Once you’re done sketching, click the Markup icon again to exit drawing mode.

Of course, like all other notes, these too sync via iCloud and appear on your other devices. And you can edit a sketch started on your Mac on your iPhone or iPad.

One weird thing I noticed is that if you use a tool for a long time without a break (like dragging the pen tool around for a while without lifting your finger from the trackpad), the entire sketch for that session disappears. Sometimes, making another small sketch and then pressing Command + Z seems to bring back the disappeared sketch. Other times, this trick doesn’t work. I assume this is a bug in the initial version of macOS 27 developer beta, which will be polished soon.

Also, check out:

• How to use the new Drawing tool in iOS 27 Messages app
• How to build Siri shortcuts just by describing in iOS 27

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/06/18/draw-notes-mac/

Find out how to manually adjust the glassy/transparency level of the Liquid Glass interface on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac running iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 Golden Gate.

The Liquid Glass design language Apple introduced last year across its devices has received mixed feedback from users.

Based on that, Apple made changes in future OS 26 updates and even added simple Clear and Tinted options, giving users two styles to choose from.

However, that wasn’t enough!

Many people on X and Reddit regularly complained that they missed the super-glassy look in the initial OS 26 beta, and that the later versions took it away. And then there are many, including me, who faced legibility issues with text on a transparent background.

Learning from all that, starting with OS 27, Apple has just added a simple slider, giving users full control over how much of the Liquid Glass style they prefer.

You can adjust it to make it super glassy, translucent, or something in between.

Adjust the Liquid Glass look on iPhone or iPad

1. Update your device to iOS 27 or iPadOS 27. As of writing, it’s in the developer beta stage.
2. Open the Settings app and tap Appearance.
3. Tap Liquid Glass.
4. Adjust the slider to your preferred level. The left side is more glassy, while the right mutes down the transparent look. Center is the default. As you adjust the level, you can preview the changes on the animation above.

Adjust the Liquid Glass look on Mac

1. Update your Apple silicon Mac to macOS 27 Golden Gate. It’s in the developer beta stage. And if you don’t want to mess up your existing macOS installation, consider installing macOS 27 on a second partition of the same Mac.
2. Open System Settings and click Appearance.
3. Adjust the Liquid Glass slider accordingly.

In case setting the Liquid Glass level to the rightmost side is too transparent or glassy for you, consider turning on Reduce Transparency or Increase Contrast in iOS or macOS display accessibility settings.

Also, check out:

• How to build Siri shortcuts just by describing in iOS 27
• How to adjust Liquid Glass intensity of Lock Screen clock

Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2026/06/18/adjust-liquid-glass-ios-macos/