User profile for user: aayushman210
aayushman210 Author
User level: Level 1
19 points

Mission Control black background rendering glitch & erratic Dock jumping on MacBook Air M4

Device: MacBook Air (M4)

macOS Version: macOS Golden Gate (macOS 27.0)

Hello everyone,

Immediately after updating to macOS Golden Gate, I began experiencing noticeable graphical and animation bugs when navigating Mission Control and switching Desktop Spaces using trackpad gestures.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Use a three-finger swipe up to trigger Mission Control.
  2. Swipe between spaces or click directly on Desktop spaces in the top bar.
  3. Swipe down or exit Mission Control back to an active window.

Observed Behavior:

  • Black background glitch: Instead of displaying the dynamic wallpaper with standard Liquid Glass / blurred translucency, the entire background behind open windows turns into a solid black void.
  • Erratic Dock behavior: When invoking and exiting Mission Control, the Dock stutters, abruptly changes vertical position, pops, and resizes instead of gliding smoothly or remaining properly docked.
  • Space transition artifacts: Switching between full desktop spaces causes brief frame stutters and jarring visual pops.

Dock Assessment: The Dock is intended to slide smoothly off-screen or maintain a stable frosted backdrop during gesture interruptions; its current jumping, flickering, and instant resizing are clearly unintended rendering glitches.

Is anyone else seeing WindowServer / Mission Control compositing issues on macOS Golden Gate with Apple Silicon, and has a clean workaround or fix been identified?

Thank you https://youtu.be/zbfKZSuN9EU

MacBook Air 13″

Posted on Sep 19, 2026 1:43 AM

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User profile for user: neuroanatomist
neuroanatomist
User level: Level 9
65,519 points

Posted on Sep 19, 2026 4:49 AM

There have been multiple reports of issues with Mission Control. Personally, it is working fine for me in macOS 27 Golden Gate, with one behavior change that I've previously posted but that is not functionally meaningful. 'Glitching' and 'Dock jumping' are certainly not something I have seen. Everything is smooth as usual.


Have you rebooted your Mac? If not, that's the first step. If that does not help, then see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems.

 

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


If that does not correct the issue, test in a new user account. A newly-created user account will have all settings at default, and if the issue does not occur in that new account then it provides guidance on what may need to be changed to correct the issue.

 

Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

 

Once the testing is complete, the new account can easily be deleted.

 

Delete a user or group on Mac – Apple Support


Those steps will help to isolate the problem.


It might help to download and run EtreCheck, written by a long-time forum member. The free version is fine. Post the full report using the Additional Text button. No personal information is revealed. 



It's worth noting that other users have solved their Mission Control problems by identifying and eliminating incompatible 3rd party extensions. In one case, for example, an AI grammar checker (not Grammarly but something with the same functionality) was causing the issues...that goes to show that apparently unrelated items that users have installed can cause 'random' issues like those some people are seeing with Mission Control.


If the issue persists in safe mode and a new user account, then bugs can be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple


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2 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: neuroanatomist
neuroanatomist
User level: Level 9
65,519 points

Sep 19, 2026 4:49 AM in response to aayushman210

There have been multiple reports of issues with Mission Control. Personally, it is working fine for me in macOS 27 Golden Gate, with one behavior change that I've previously posted but that is not functionally meaningful. 'Glitching' and 'Dock jumping' are certainly not something I have seen. Everything is smooth as usual.


Have you rebooted your Mac? If not, that's the first step. If that does not help, then see if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode. That process performs some system cleanup and clears caches, and also disables 3rd party extensions that may cause problems.

 

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support


If that does not correct the issue, test in a new user account. A newly-created user account will have all settings at default, and if the issue does not occur in that new account then it provides guidance on what may need to be changed to correct the issue.

 

Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support

 

Once the testing is complete, the new account can easily be deleted.

 

Delete a user or group on Mac – Apple Support


Those steps will help to isolate the problem.


It might help to download and run EtreCheck, written by a long-time forum member. The free version is fine. Post the full report using the Additional Text button. No personal information is revealed. 



It's worth noting that other users have solved their Mission Control problems by identifying and eliminating incompatible 3rd party extensions. In one case, for example, an AI grammar checker (not Grammarly but something with the same functionality) was causing the issues...that goes to show that apparently unrelated items that users have installed can cause 'random' issues like those some people are seeing with Mission Control.


If the issue persists in safe mode and a new user account, then bugs can be reported to Apple here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple


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Mission Control black background rendering glitch & erratic Dock jumping on MacBook Air M4

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