macOS reimagined and redesigned

The 17th release of the Apple Operating System, Big Sur is packed-full of changes and new additions. The various menu changes make it feel smoother and more efficient, and the additional customization options offer a more user-friendly system. A new design refresh, the introduction of a new Control Center, as well as various improvements to Safari, is set to greatly improve the overall experience from a usability standpoint.

New system features

MacOS Big Sur has a new look, which Apple says is its biggest design update to its desktop operating system since OS X debuted back in 2001. It’s fast, nice to look at, and full of useful.

Most noticeable are the new system sounds, from a chime when you boot up your computer and file transfer pings to noise alerts for trashing and locking files. Along with that, the overall interface has also been refined. Sidebars are now full height, the menu bar has been updated to offer wider spacing, the toolbars are remarkably more space-efficient, and they boast a translucent look instead of just a plain white.

The “10” era of the Mac operating system (Mac OS X and macOS 10) is now over. Apple decided to turn it up to (version) 11 and released macOS Big Sur. MacOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. And get even more transparency around your privacy.

When the Big Sur operating system hit the shelves, many Mac users were excited, expecting the next best thing. However, in reality, the new OS left many longing to come back to the system they knew before. Not that Big Sur is the worst thing that Apple has released, but it seemed to be rushed in production, linked to many problems along the way. MacOS Big Sur is now available to download. Screenshot by Sarah Tew/CNET Apple's latest operating system MacOS Big Sur is now available for download as a free software update for all users, so.

Along with these tweaks, your new Control Center is convenient as it places your controls in one place, making it easy to adjust settings when needed. There’s also an updated notification center that brings all your widgets and notifications in one area. Of course, many different useful widgets have been improved as well. Finally, Big Sur boasts a great ‘edit view’ where you can add all sorts of widgets on your screen, and customize them to your liking.

Safari Browser

Safari Browser has seen some changes owing to the system update too. Apple has introduced extensions that let it compete more effectively with Google Chrome. You can also convert your Chrome extensions to your Mac Safari Browser. The search engine also has new website previews that appear when you go over a tab.

Technicalities

This OS update is available for free for your Mac. We find that it’s a big improvement on the Catalina update. It’s a 12.6 GB download, so be prepared to wait for some update time. After installing, you may find that some mentioned features are not available.

Our take

We’re big fans of the update. We love that Apple is catering to its users by providing more advanced customizations. The new features are keeping them relevant and make for a much better user experience.

Should you download it?

Yes, as soon as you can. This Mac update is full of system change goodness that every user will appreciate.

Highs

• Improved notification center
• Safari extensions

macOS Big Surfor Mac

11.0.1

Apple Mail is Mac’s built-in email client. It didn’t get a big update in macOS Big Sur, although, like most built-in apps, it looks very different from its predecessors in earlier macOS versions. Despite the lack of new features or changes, many users have reported problems when using Mail in Big Sur. If you’ve encountered issues with Mail since upgrading to Big Sur, read on, we have the solutions below.

What’s new in Mail app?

There are no big new features in Mail app in macOS Big Sur. However, it does get the same interface as the rest of the OS. The sidebar now runs to the full height of the window. Icons have been refreshed to match those in other Apple apps. Sheets, the alerts that drop down from the top of the window when you need to take action, are now scaled to the center of the window and are accompanied by the screen dimming.

Mail problems in Big Sur and how to fix them

Messages deleted from server before going to Trash

When you press delete on a message in your Mail inbox, it should go to the Trash folder so that you can retrieve it later if necessary. However, some users have reported that instead of going to Trash, messages were immediately deleted from the server. This appears to be a bug; however, it does have a workaround.

Solution: Instead of pressing delete, right-click, or Control-click the message and choose Move to Trash. Alternatively, click the message and drag it to the Trash.

If you’re having general problems with Mail, not just in Big Sur, CleanMyMac X can help. It can speed up Mail and help it run more smoothly. The tool you need is in the Maintenance section. It’s called “Speed Up Mail,” and that’s exactly what it does. It re-indexes Mail’s message database so that Mail will find messages much more quickly the next time you use it.

All Trash and All Junk mailboxes are missing

Another issue reported by Big Sur Mail users is that they can no longer find the mailboxes that hold deleted messages and junk for all accounts. It’s as if junk mail has disappeared. This only affects users who have more than one account set up in Mail. The Junk and Trash mailboxes still appear for each account; it’s the combined ones that are missing. Also, the mailboxes still exist; they are just not visible.

Solution: This appears to be related to the way Favorites is configured in Big Sur Mail. So, the solution is to use Favorites to restore those mailboxes manually.

1. In the sidebar, move the mouse pointer to the right of Favorites until you see a “+” sign.
2. Click the “+” and choose All Trash from the dropdown menu in the window that appears.
3. Repeat step 2 but this time, choose All Junk.

Mail search is not working

If you use the search box in Mail’s toolbar to search for messages and the results aren’t what you expect, it may be that Mail is not searching the mailboxes in which the messages are stored.

Solution: To fix the problem, when you search, make sure “All” is highlighted in the toolbar and not, for example, “All inboxes.”

Apple Mac Os Big Sur

IMAP timing out

It seems that lots of macOS Big Sur users are having problems with connections to IMAP mail servers timing out before they make a connection. The problem occurs in Mail but also seems to affect other email clients in Big Sur.

Solution: The problem appears to be related to third-party apps with network filters such as anti-malware tools and utilities that monitor outgoing connections. So far, the only solution seems to be to uninstall Little Snitch if you use it and to turn off email protection in anti-malware tools.

Bonus tip: Clear up Mail attachments

I already told you how to speed up Mail using CleanMyMac X. This app has another tool that will help you clear some space on your Mac by removing saved Mail attachments. For most mail systems, attachments and messages are stored on the server, so even when you delete them, they remain available for download. Deleting them frees up space on your Mac and should make Mail run more smoothly. Download CleanMyMac X here to clear all mail attachments.

Apple Macos Big Sur Review

While Mail hasn’t had a significant upgrade in macOS Big Sur, it does appear to have had quite a few problems in early releases. These should be fixed in future updates. However, in the meantime, follow the steps above to resolve issues. And if you use CleanMyMac X, you can speed up Mail and free up space no matter which version of macOS you use.