![](https://help.apple.com/assets/62A8ED2F99A5D0045E612A42/62A8ED3DCA32D1047032C8FF/en_AU/1e4667d0ddf50de48001ef8eced1e87d.png)
Customise your Mac with System Preferences
You can change system settings to customise your Mac. For example, you can change the size and location of the Dock, choose a light or dark appearance, change the desktop picture, and more.
![A Mac desktop with Dark Mode, a custom desktop picture, the Dock positioned along the left edge of the screen, and desktop stacks along the right edge of the screen.](https://help.apple.com/assets/62A8ED2F99A5D0045E612A42/62A8ED3DCA32D1047032C8FF/en_AU/25500c4587bee0e4b27cb5090e756631.png)
To change System Preferences on your Mac, click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose Apple menu
Open System Preferences for me
Explore system preferences
Options for your Mac are organised into preferences. For example, options you can set for Spotlight are located in Spotlight preferences.
Preferences appear as a grid of icons; the icons shown may vary depending on your Mac and the apps you have installed. Click an icon to open a preference pane and display the options.
![The System Preferences window showing the grid of icons. Click the Show All button in the window’s toolbar to show system preferences as a list, or change how the grid looks.](https://help.apple.com/assets/62A8ED2F99A5D0045E612A42/62A8ED3DCA32D1047032C8FF/en_AU/6e49090d8a6a84d541d989642a2d99c5.png)
Set options in a preference pane
Each preference pane contains options you can set. Most panes include a Help button to click for more information about the options.
![Click the Show All button in the toolbar of the System Preferences window to display all preference icons. Click the Help button at the bottom right of a preference pane to get more information about the pane.](https://help.apple.com/assets/62A8ED2F99A5D0045E612A42/62A8ED3DCA32D1047032C8FF/en_AU/702a84bafe5ac1333bd1e3feb5c59082.png)
Some preference panes are locked to protect your Mac. If the lock at the bottom left of a pane is locked , click it to unlock the preference pane.
Find options in System Preferences
If you don’t know where to find an option in System Preferences, use the search field at the top of the window. Options that match your search text are listed, and the preference panes where they’re located are highlighted.
![The System Preferences window showing “zoom” in the search field, a list of matching search results below the search field and three preference icons highlighted.](https://help.apple.com/assets/62A8ED2F99A5D0045E612A42/62A8ED3DCA32D1047032C8FF/en_AU/a9f39f1fcf7485d67e111ec2095205b8.png)
Customise System Preferences
Hide a preference: Choose View > Customise, deselect the tick box of the preference, then click Done at the top of the window.
Show a hidden preference: Choose View > Customise, select the tick box of the hidden preference, then click Done at the top of the window.
Reorganise preferences: Choose View, then choose Organise by Categories or Organise Alphabetically.
If a red badge is shown on the System Preferences icon in the Dock, you need to take one or more actions. For example, if you didn’t fully set up iCloud features, the badge appears on the icon in the Dock; when you click the icon, the preferences are displayed so you can complete set-up.
To change options for an app, such as Mail or Safari, open the app, click the app’s name in the menu bar, then choose Preferences. Some apps don’t offer preferences.