There was a time when Apple wasn’t afraid to play with design. Mac apps somehow looked like they were made of stainless steel, and the OS’s interface had all sorts of fun “3D” elements. All that’s gone now: in the current era, applications are generally just a bit flat, a stark contrast from two decades ago. Recent versions of the macOS menu bar don’t even have a drop shadow; it just sort of blends in with the wallpaper.

Lickable Menu Bar is a completely free app that aims to visually turn back the clock on your Mac. You can choose from three different retro menu bar styles. There’s the matte look of 2013’s Mavericks; the flat-but-with-drop-shadow look of 2019’s Catalina; and the glossy look of Tiger, which came out all the way back in 2005. Switch between the two for a jolt of nostalgia and to marvel at just how different macOS (or OS X, if you’re an OG) looked back in the day.

The application is easy enough to use. You just open it up and choose the menu bar style you prefer. (The design of the application window itself resembles a Mac app from 2005, which is a nice touch.) You can optionally set the app to launch every time you log into your Mac. Just make sure to deselect the "Show this window on startup" option if you do that, unless you also want to choose a different menu bar style to suit your mood every time your Mac restarts (no judgment if you do).

Nothing about this application is going to change your life. It's not even one of those weird Mac apps that are actually kind of useful, because I honestly can't think of a use for it, other than improving the vibes on your machine. Which might be useful.