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@zhuowei
Created June 15, 2021 02:02
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>UnifiedBar</key>
<dict>
<key>DisclosureRequired</key>
<string>ace440ac-b4f6-4b43-aade-02bba1589aef</string>
<key>Enabled</key>
<false/>
</dict>
</dict>
</plist>

To get old tab bars on Safari for macOS 12, create

/Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/Safari.plist

copy the above into it, and reboot.


The feature is controlled by

+[FeatureAvailability isUnifiedBarEnabled]

which calls os_feature_enabled, which searches in /System/Library/FeatureFlags/Domain/Safari.plist and /Library/Preferences/FeatureFlags/Domain/Safari.plist.

I copied the System file, removed the other flags, and changed UnifiedBar to false.

@rightones
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It seems not working from 12.0 Beta 2.

@drewfrank
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@Jean-Daniel How did you generate that assembly? I wonder if there's a way to make a one-bit binary patch to disable the feature.

@Jean-Daniel
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Jean-Daniel commented Jun 30, 2021

Any disassembler will do the job.

xcrun llvm-objdump --dis-symname="+[FeatureAvailability isUnifiedBarEnabled]" --source Safari\ Technology\ Preview.app/Contents/Frameworks/Safari.framework/Safari

It's quite easy to write a patch, but it will require to re-sign all "Safari Tech Preview" frameworks and binaries. For an app that is updated every 2 weeks and for which a new patch will be required each time, I'm not sure this is worth it.
Especially as Apple is free to completely remove this escape hatch at any time.

@mykamel
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mykamel commented Jun 30, 2021

Is there someway to unlock /System/Library/FeatureFlags/Domain/Safari.plist and edit it directly ?

@alderete
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alderete commented Jul 8, 2021

@mykamel That's kind of the point of everything in /System these days, that it's read-only except by Apple. If it's not on the locked system volume, you could probably do it, but it's a terrible idea. Follow the instructions instead.

@mykamel
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mykamel commented Jul 8, 2021

@alderete Thanks for the reply, but the instructions no longer work on DP2.

@ToniWonKanobi
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Is there a way to do this on Big Sur with Safari Technology Preview 14.2 (126)? This method doesn't seem to work.

Did you get this working with STP?

@hacker1024
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The old layout is now the default in the latest Tech Preview and Monterey Beta. It can be changed to the single-row layout in the preferences.

@ToniWonKanobi
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The old layout is now the default in the latest Tech Preview and Monterey Beta. It can be changed to the single-row layout in the preferences.

This is random, but do you know if it is possible to move the Bookmarks Bar to above the Tab Bar?

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