macOS: How to Remove the Background from an Image - MacRumors
Skip to Content

macOS: How to Remove the Background from an Image

by

In macOS Mojave and 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.

finder
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 (you may see a progress bar appear if the image is particularly complex), 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."

background removed
Aside from the default Quick Actions that Apple includes in macOS, Apple encourages third-party developers to add support for Quick Actions in their apps. You can also create your own custom ones using the Automator app.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 24, 2026 7:26 pm PDT by
It is now late July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are less than two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro...
macbook ultra

'MacBook Ultra' Coming Soon With These 12 New Features

Friday July 24, 2026 6:00 pm PDT by
Apple's first high-end MacBook redesign in five years is expected to arrive in the near future, bringing a run of firsts to the Mac. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the laptop to arrive between late 2026 and early 2027, with the later window now looking more likely owing to the global memory chip shortage. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expects mass production to begin by late 2026. Apple last...
5 Reasons to Buy the iPhone 17 Now Feature

5 Reasons to Buy the iPhone 17 Now Instead of Waiting for iPhone 18

Thursday July 23, 2026 8:26 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models and its first foldable are less than two months from being unveiled. That may sound like a reason to sit tight if you're looking to upgrade from an iPhone 16 or older series, but between looming price hikes and Apple's new split-launch calendar, there's a decent case for grabbing an iPhone 17 series model right now. Here are five reasons in favor of putting your order ...