Mac OS X 10.2.3 and Later: Some Window Buttons Lack Drop Shadow, Appear Countersunk

  • Last Modified: September 09, 2003
  • Article: TA28413
  • Old Article: 107350
Applications with brushed-metal appearance themes may incorporate slight changes to the close (red), minimize (yellow), and maximize (green) buttons that you may use to manipulate windows. The buttons appear countersunk (rather than raised) and thus do not have drop shadows.

Products Affected

Mac OS X 10.2, Mac OS X 10.0, iChat, iSync, iCal

Symptom

The close, minimize, and maximize buttons in certain applications' windows have a new appearance. They appear countersunk (rather than raised) and thus lack drop shadows.

Solution

This is deliberate design change. Not all brushed-metal-themed applications will automatically inherit this change (such as iTunes). No troubleshooting is necessary.