macOS 27 introduces several useful improvements that make everyday tasks easier, from working with iPhone apps on your Mac to managing background activity and sharing photos with friends.
Some additions solve familiar frustrations, like apps that refuse to quit or the hassle of extracting a good photo from a video. Others make it easier to work across Apple devices.
Here are six macOS 27 features worth checking out.
1. Resize iPhone apps on your Mac
iPhone Mirroring is handy when you want to check an app without reaching for your phone, but the fixed window size has made it awkward to use alongside other Mac apps.
With macOS 27, you can resize the mirrored iPhone window to fit your workspace. Make it smaller while checking messages or enlarge it when an app needs more screen space.
You can also access your iPhone’s Control Center using Mac keyboard shortcuts. Supported video apps gain Picture-in-Picture playback, letting you keep a video visible while working in another window.
2. Find apps that keep running after you quit them
Sometimes an app appears to close but continues running in the background, potentially using memory, processing power, or battery life without you realizing it.
macOS 27 now alerts you when an app remains active after you’ve tried to quit it. That makes it easier to spot software that isn’t behaving as expected.
There’s also a centralized permissions list in System Settings where you can review which apps are allowed to run in the background and turn off access for those you don’t need.
3. Save a full-resolution photo from any video
You’ve probably recorded a video only to realize later that one particular moment would have made a great photograph. Taking a screenshot works, but it doesn’t always preserve the image quality you want.
The Photos app in macOS 27 lets you select an individual video frame and save it as a full-resolution photo.
You can choose the exact moment, extract the image, and edit or share it like any other picture in your library. The original video remains unchanged, so there’s no need to duplicate or trim the clip first.
4. Generate subtitles for videos that don’t have them
Watching a video without captions can be frustrating when someone speaks quietly, has an unfamiliar accent, or you’re in a place where turning up the volume isn’t an option.
macOS 27 introduces automatic subtitle generation for video playback in compatible apps, even when the original content doesn’t include captions.
You can customize the text size, color, and background contrast to make subtitles easier to read. The feature requires an Apple Silicon Mac and currently supports US and Canadian English.
5. Share full-resolution photos without losing quality
Shared Albums have long been convenient for collecting vacation pictures, family gatherings, and other memories in one place. The drawback has been reduced image quality, which becomes noticeable when someone wants to print or edit a photo.
macOS 27 removes that limitation by allowing Shared Albums to store photos and videos at their original resolution.
That means family members can contribute their pictures without sacrificing quality, and everyone can access the original files instead of compressed copies.
Existing Shared Albums need to be manually upgraded before they can use the new functionality.
6. Let Android and Windows users contribute to Shared Albums
Organizing a shared photo collection can get complicated when some friends use iPhones and others have Android devices or Windows PCs.
With macOS 27, people outside Apple’s ecosystem can contribute to Shared Albums through a secure web link. They no longer need an Apple device to add their own pictures to the collection.
For example, after a family vacation or wedding, you can invite everyone to contribute their photos to the same album instead of collecting files through separate messages, emails, or cloud storage links.
