What changed in macOS settings
macOS is the only large system in the catalogue that spent this period adding to its first screen without taking anything off it.
Nearly three arrivals for every departure
Across seven release pairs: 1,932 settings rows arrived, 686 left. The ratio is the most lopsided of any system we hold more than one pair for, and the top level lost nothing at all.
The largest pair is Ventura 13 to Golden Gate 27: 504 new, 178 gone.
VPN and Spotlight got promoted
Two entries joined the first screen: VPN and Spotlight.
VPN arriving as a top-level item is the clearest signal in the catalogue of how normal VPNs became — it used to be a configuration inside Network, reached by people who already knew it was there. Where the VPN setting lives on every system has the rest of that picture.
Spotlight separating from Siri is the other half of the Siri & Spotlight to Apple Intelligence & Siri rename: search got its own door when the assistant’s name grew.
The Ventura redesign is still settling
System Preferences became System Settings in Ventura, and the catalogue shows the consequences continuing for four releases afterwards. Most of the 1,932 arrivals are not new features; they are rows that existed in the old panel-based interface and acquired a path in the new list-based one.
Which is why macOS looks like it is growing faster than anything else here. Some of it is genuine growth, and some of it is a redesign finishing its inventory.
Compare any two releases
Seven pairs, each with every row and its path, from Ventura vs Golden Gate onwards — see the index. In the simulator: 27 Golden Gate, 26 Tahoe, 13 Ventura, and Mac OS X 10.6 for contrast.
Related: the macOS settings guide, macOS vs Windows, and the cross-system picture.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Has macOS removed settings recently?
Very few, and no top-level sections at all. Across seven release pairs 686 rows left against 1,932 that arrived — the most lopsided ratio of any system we hold several pairs for.
Why is VPN now a top-level setting on Mac?
It was promoted out of Network. A VPN used to be something you configured if you already knew where to look; it is now expected to be findable on the first screen.
Why did Siri & Spotlight change name?
Spotlight moved out into its own first-screen entry and the remaining entry became Apple Intelligence & Siri, so the old combined name no longer matched the contents.