In macOS Mojave or later, the Finder includes Quick Actions that make it easier to perform quick edits to files without having to open the apps associated with them. In the default set that Apple includes with every macOS install, there's a very handy Quick Action that allows you to remove the background from a selected image or photo.
The feature lifts the subject out of the picture and turns it into a PNG file, which makes the background transparent. The Quick Action works best on images with a clearly defined subject in the foreground, like a person or object, set against a fairly uniform background.
To use the Remove Background feature in macOS, simply right-click an image file in Finder, hover your cursor over the Quick Actions submenu, then click Remove Background.
Wait for the image to be processed, and you should soon see a transparent PNG version of the file appear in the same location as the original image, titled "[original filename] Background Removed.png.".
Stationery Pad is a handy way to nix a step in your workflow if you regularly use document templates on your Mac. The long-standing Finder feature essentially tells a file's parent application to open a copy of it by default, ensuring that the original file remains unedited. Almost any file type can be defined as a template with Stationery Pad – it could be used to streamline common Photoshop jobs, create skeleton HTML/CSS files, or help with Word document invoicing.
To take advantage of it, right-click (Ctrl-click) the file that you want to use as a template, select Get Info, then check the Stationery Pad checkbox under the General section. Lastly, click the red traffic light button to close the Get Info window. Next time you double-click the template file, Finder will automatically create and open a copy of it, leaving the original untouched.
Stationery Pad doesn't get much attention these days, but it's a neat alternative to repeatedly editing templates and using the "Save As..." command, which can lead to overwriting the original file if you're not too careful.
When browsing files on your Mac in the Finder’s list view, you’ll notice that the Size column only shows a pair of dashes instead of actual folder sizes. This is the default setting because calculating folder sizes takes time and can make the Finder less responsive. Thankfully, you can change this behavior with a few clicks.
Set the Finder to display folder sizes on a Mac:
• Open the Finder and click a location in the sidebar or navigate to any folder on your Mac
• Press Command + J or click View > Show View Options in the menu bar
• Tick the box next to “Calculate all sizes” and macOS will display folder sizes in the Size column
• Click the "Use as Defaults" button and close the inspector window
Don’t see the Size column? Follow these steps if the Size column is missing in the Finder:
• Open a new Finder window and click View > As List in the menu
• Right-click the Name column below the window toolbar and check the Size option. While at it, uncheck any other Finder columns you don’t need
If the Size column still won’t show up, the Finder window is too narrow to display all columns. Simply move the pointer to a side of any column so it changes to the drag pointer, then click and hold and move the column to reveal invisible columns. You can also reorder columns by dragging.
If you don’t want to always calculate folder sizes, you can always find the size of the folder by selecting it and pressing Command + I or Command-clicking it and choosing Get Info from the menu.
Window Tiling
With macOS Sequoia, Apple has introduced a new window tiling management feature that aims to make it easy to arrange open windows into a layout that works best for you. When you drag a window to the edge of the screen, macOS Sequoia suggests a tiled position by displaying a frame, and you release the window to drop it right into place. This way, you can quickly arrange two app windows side by side, or place four windows in corners to keep several apps in view at once. When a window has been dragged to tile on one side or the other, dragging it back immediately resizes it to its original width and height.
macOS 15 also adds new tiling options to the green traffic light in the top corner of windows. Hover your pointer over the green button, and a menu appears with options to move and resize or fill and arrange all open windows.
Safari Video Viewer
When watching a video in Safari, click the menu icon in the left-hand side of the address bar and select the new Video Viewer option. This makes the playing video expand within the Safari window into a kind of theater mode that blurs everything out behind it, bringing the content front and center.
It also includes a native playback controls interface that replaces YouTube's – or the UI of whatever video you are playing. Options include AirPlay, volume, Picture in Picture, and playback speed.
Move & Resize Windows Controls
Accessed from the menu bar, a new "Move & Resize" option in the Window menu allows you to easily manage and arrange windows on your screen by offering various tiling and resizing options. You can move a window to the top, bottom, left, or right half of the screen, or position it into one of the four corners if you prefer a quarter-screen layout.
macOS also provides more flexible arrangements, such as splitting the screen horizontally or vertically, where you can tile windows side by side or one above the other. For even more control, there's a feature to quickly return a window to its previous size and position, making it easy to undo any changes.
iPhone Notifications
In System Settings > Notifications, there's an "Allow notifications from iPhone" menu that gives you several options. These include options to enable or disable sounds for notifications from iPhone, select which specific app notifications to mirror, and turn the entire feature on and off.
Show Passwords in Menu Bar
If you want to make access to the new Passwords app a lot more convenient, go to Passwords ➝ Settings... and check the box next to "Show Passwords in Menu Bar." When you're next on a website in Safari that you have login credentials for, click the key icon in the menu bar, and you'll see the dropdown menu automatically detect which login details you're looking for, ready for you to select. This also works with other browsers that have the iCloud Passwords browser extension installed.
Highlight Text in Notes
The Notes app now supports colors for typed text, allowing for highlighting. Apple added five colors, including pink, purple, orange, mint, and blue, with the colors able to be added through the formatting interface. Simply click on the Aa button in the toolbar to get to the color options when a word or phrase is selected.
Math Notes
Apple has added a powerful new feature to your Mac's Calculator app: Math Notes. This integration between Calculator and Notes offers a versatile tool for all your calculation needs. It's particularly handy for splitting bills, calculating group expenses, or working through more complex mathematical problems.
Math Notes allows you to type equations directly into a note, with automatic solving when you add an equals sign. You can perform a wide range of calculations, including defining variables for more complex math. For example, if you're planning a night out, you could write "dinner = $57" and "movies = $24" in a note, then simply type "dinner + movies =" to get the total cost. To access the feature, click the calculator symbol at the bottom left of the calculator window and select Math Notes.
You're not limited to accessing Math Notes through the Calculator app – you can also use the feature directly within the Notes app using any new or existing note. In fact, you can get Math results almost anywhere in the operating system. If you type an equation into Spotlight, for example, you'll get a result, and the same goes for apps like Messages.
Private Wi-Fi Address Options
In System Settings > Wi-Fi, if you click the Details button next to the currently connected network, there's a new Private Wi-Fi address option that may be familiar to users with iOS devices. A fixed private address reduces cross-network tracking by using a unique Wi-Fi address on the network. You can make it Fixed, Rotating, or turn off the option.
Record and Transcribe Voice Notes
Apple has made a significant enhancement to the Notes app, introducing a built-in audio recording feature that streamlines the process of capturing and transcribing voice notes. The new audio recording tool in Notes offers more than just simple voice capture. As users record, the app automatically generates a real-time transcript, making it easier to review and search through recorded content.
To record a voice note, simply click the new waveform icon in the Notes toolbar. An interface will appear on the right showing the audio recording controls, as well as a speech bubble icon that you can use to view the transcript. When you've finished your recording, it will be saved in the note along with the accompanying transcription.
Window Title Bar Double-Click Options
In System Settings > Desktop & Dock, there's a new option to change the behavior of a window when you double-click its title bar. In Sonoma, the default behavior is to zoom the window, but in Sequoia you can change "Double-click a window's title bar to" Fill, Zoom, Minimize, or Do Nothing.
An often missed feature in macOS is the Hot Corners feature that turns each of the four corners of your screen into a designated action, allowing you to quickly access certain functions built into the system, such as Mission Control, Notification Center, the Screen Saver, QuickNote, and more.
Setting up Hot Corners is very easy.
• Go to the Apple menu and choose "System Settings..."
• Click Desktop & Dock in the side column
• Click the Hot Corners... button at the bottom of the menu
• In the dialog that appears, click the chevrons to open the dropdown menu corresponding to the screen corner that you want to use as a Hot Corner
