Resizing windows on macOS has become a frustrating ordeal, and it’s a problem that’s only gotten worse with macOS Tahoe. Norbert Heger, in his insightful post, The Struggle of Resizing Windows on macOS Tahoe (https://noheger.at/blog/2026/01/11/the-struggle-of-resizing-windows-on-macos-tahoe/), highlights a baffling issue: after nearly 40 years of seamless computing, resizing windows has suddenly become a hit-or-miss task. But why? Here’s the kicker: the invisible resize button, tucked in a tiny 19x19 pixel area near the window corner, is now mostly outside the window itself—thanks to Tahoe’s overly rounded corners. And this is the part most people miss: Apple removed the visual cue (the grippy-strip) in the lower-right corner years ago, leaving users to guess where to click.
Let’s rewind to 2011, when macOS Lion (10.7) ditched the visible resize indicator and made scrollbars invisible by default. While the overall design looked sleeker, the loss of the resize affordance was a step backward. In earlier versions, like Snow Leopard (10.6), a visible grippy-strip not only showed where to resize but also whether the window could be resized at all. Now, users are left to trial and error, hovering their cursor in the corner and hoping for the best.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Apple’s decision to remove the grippy-strip was likely rooted in the assumption that users already knew how to resize windows. After all, by 2011, resizing from any corner or edge was standard. But was this a fair assumption? And was it wise to sacrifice clarity for minimalism? The invisible scrollbars further complicated matters, eliminating the empty corner space where the grippy-strip once lived.
Fast forward to macOS Tahoe, and the issue has reached a breaking point. With 75% of the resize target now outside the window, users are essentially resizing by clicking next to the window—a counterintuitive design choice that defies decades of user experience. It’s as if Apple forgot Steve Jobs’s mantra: design is about how things work, not just how they look.
The solution? Avoid macOS Tahoe if you can. If you’ve already upgraded, consider downgrading (https://www.macworld.com/article/671318/how-to-downgrade-macos-revert-back.html). Why struggle with a UI that feels like it’s working against you?
Thought-provoking question for you: Is Apple’s pursuit of minimalism overshadowing usability? Share your thoughts in the comments—let’s debate whether this is a step forward or a misstep in design philosophy.
