While I do love the beautiful Mac news app Mixtab, it lacks customizability in terms of a background. Today I was using the app and really wanted to see a custom background instead of the boring ones that it includes. So, I fired up my inner hacker and began writing the guide you will find below.

The process is rather easy and practically anyone could discover it if they tried.

  1. The first thing you’ll need is an image that’s 2600 x 1600 pixels or the resolution of your screen. Once you have it, proceed to step two.
  2. Head to your applications folder in Finder and find the Mixtab app. Right click it and click “Show Package Contents.”
  3. Navigate to “Resources” and find the “t4” image, which is all the way at the bottom if you’re sorting the files by name.
  4. Open Mixtab and set the background as the snowy mountains and then head back to Finder.
  5. Rename your custom image “t4” and make sure it has a .jpg extension.
  6. Rename the old “t4” image “t4old” and leave the extension alone. It will ask you for your password to proceed.
  7. Drag the replacement “t4” image into the “Resources” folder. Authenticate the move.
  8. Open Mixtab again and your new image should be set.
The thumbnails in settings will still show the same images as before because of the way that the app is coded. If you want to add a few more custom images, just repeat the process above and rename the other “t[number]” images. You can also change the blue linen background, but it’s a different size - 1000 x 1000 pixels - since it repeats itself. You’ll need to find a suitable background for it in order for things to work correctly.

Experiment and have fun!