50 New macOS Sequoia Features and Changes Worth Checking Out

Apple on September 16 launched macOS Sequoia, the newest model of the corporate’s Mac working system. ‌macOS Sequoia introduces interactive iPhone Mirroring, simpler window tiling, a brand new Passwords app, and up to date capabilities throughout the platform.

On this article, we have chosen 50 new options and lesser-known adjustments which can be price testing for those who’re upgrading. What do you consider ‌macOS Sequoia to this point? Tell us within the feedback.

1. Distraction Management

In case you are uninterested in pop-ups and banners interrupting your net looking expertise, it is price attending to know Distraction Management, a brand new Safari function that helps you give attention to the content material that issues by minimizing intrusive components on webpages. Whereas it is not designed as an advert blocker, Distraction Management can considerably enhance your studying expertise by hiding static distractions.

To nix a distracting merchandise on a webpage, click on the Web page menu icon within the deal with bar and choose Disguise Distracting Gadgets. Then merely hover your pointer over the merchandise in query, whereupon it is going to be auto-selected for elimination. With one other click on, the distraction will disintegrate earlier than your eyes. Whenever you’re completed, click on Carried out within the deal with bar. In the event you’re on a webpage the place you’ve got hidden objects, a crossed out eye icon will seem within the deal with bar, indicating you could make them seen once more by revisiting the Web page menu and deciding on Present Hidden Gadgets.

2. Window Tiling

With macOS Sequoia, Apple has launched a brand new window tiling administration function that goals to make it simple to rearrange open home windows right into a format that works greatest for you. Whenever you drag a window to the sting of the display screen, ‌macOS Sequoia‌ suggests a tiled place by displaying a body, and also you launch the window to drop it proper into place. This fashion, you’ll be able to rapidly organize two app home windows aspect by aspect, or place 4 home windows in corners to maintain a number of apps in view without delay. When a window has been dragged to tile on one aspect or the opposite, dragging it again instantly resizes it to its authentic width and top.

macOS 15 additionally provides new tiling choices to the inexperienced visitors mild within the prime nook of home windows. Hover your pointer over the inexperienced button, and a menu seems with choices to maneuver and resize or fill and organize all open home windows.

3. Regulate AirPods Adaptive Audio

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Professional have an Adaptive Audio function that features Adaptive Noise Management, Customized Quantity, and Dialog Consciousness, that are all options that alter sound and Energetic Noise Cancellation in response to the setting round you.

Beforehand, Adaptive Audio was an all or nothing setting, however that is modified in macOS Sequoia. Apple has added a “Customise Adaptive Audio” menu that allows you to alter the setting to permit for kind of noise.

4. AirPods Professional Head Gestures

With the brand new head gesture options, customers can management Siri on the ‌AirPods Professional‌ with a shake or a nod of the pinnacle. In the event you get a telephone name, for instance, you’ll be able to shake your head no for those who do not wish to reply it, or nod to simply accept the decision. ‌Siri‌ interactions can be utilized for responding to incoming messages, calls, and notifications.

In Sequoia, Apple has added a bit to the AirPods Professional menu in System Settings, enabling you to show the gestures on and off.

Apple’s Game Porting Toolkit 2 permits builders to run unmodified Home windows executables on Apple silicon Macs utilizing the analysis setting for Home windows PC video games, however finish customers can use it to run video games too. The most recent model helps a good bigger set of recreation applied sciences, improved graphics and compute compatibility, ray tracing, the AVX2 instruction set, and elevated efficiency.

6. New Dynamic Wallpapers

Sequoia options a number of new wallpapers, together with dynamic variations. The wallpapers function the sequoia timber that ‌macOS Sequoia‌ is known as for. The imagery doubtless comes from Sequoia Nationwide Park, situated within the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. There are three separate variations of the wallpaper for various instances of day: Sequoia Dawn, Sequoia Morning, and Sequoia Night time.

Every wallpaper is animated and can shift barely on the Lock Display screen once you unlock your Mac, plus there’s an choice to set it as a display screen saver. There’s additionally a enjoyable new Macintosh dynamic wallpaper and screensaver mixture that highlights basic Mac icons.

7. New Chess Graphics

Apple has considerably up to date the built-in Chess app in macOS Sequoia, marking its first main overhaul since macOS 10.3 in 2003. Whereas not usually continuously used, the Chess app has obtained a considerable visible improve. It now boasts improved textures, lighting results, and rendering for each the board and items. Customers can even take pleasure in new aesthetic choices with wooden, steel, and marble skins for the sport components. Regardless of these enhancements, Apple has ensured backwards compatibility permitting customers to entry and proceed their beforehand saved video games within the new model.

8. Safari Video Viewer

When watching a video in Safari, click on the menu icon within the left-hand aspect of the deal with bar and choose the brand new Video Viewer possibility. This makes the enjoying video develop throughout the Safari window right into a sort of theater mode that blurs all the pieces out behind it, bringing the content material entrance and middle.

It additionally features a native playback controls interface that replaces YouTube’s – or the UI of no matter video you might be enjoying. Choices embody AirPlay, quantity, Image in Image, and playback pace.

9. Transfer & Resize Home windows Controls

Accessed from the menu bar, a brand new “Transfer & Resize” possibility within the Window menu means that you can simply handle and organize home windows in your display screen by providing numerous tiling and resizing choices. You may transfer a window to the highest, backside, left, or proper half of the display screen, or place it into one of many 4 corners for those who choose a quarter-screen format.

macOS additionally supplies extra versatile preparations, akin to splitting the display screen horizontally or vertically, the place you’ll be able to tile home windows aspect by aspect or one above the opposite. For much more management, there is a function to rapidly return a window to its earlier measurement and place, making it simple to undo any adjustments.

10. Set Scenes in Freeform

Within the Freeform app, Apple has launched “scenes” to make it simpler to navigate and current Freeform boards. Scenes are saved views of particular sections of your board, providing a flexible solution to arrange and current your work. By creating scenes, you’ll be able to divide your board into distinct, labeled sections, making it simpler to navigate by way of advanced content material.

To create a scene, open a board with content material, then zoom and scroll till you body the a part of your board you need on the display screen to your first scene. Then click on the three bullets icon and click on Add Scene. Merely repeat these steps till you seize all of the scenes you need.

11. Collapse Sections in Notes

Within the Notes app, when you’ve got lengthy notes with a number of headings, now you can collapse these headings right down to create a extra compact observe.

Any part header could be collapsed, together with headings, subheadings, and titles. Simply click on on a heading after which click on on the down arrow to break down it. Click on the arrow once more to open it up.

12. New Passwords App

Apple added a devoted Passwords app in macOS Sequoia‌, the place logins and passwords saved in iCloud Keychain could be accessed. It is basically the Passwords part that was once situated in Safari’s settings, however in a devoted app that makes it simpler to seek out your saved login data.

The app has a easy format with a search bar within the top-right of the window, so you’ll be able to search for the data that you just’re searching for. In the event you’ve already used the ‌iCloud‌ Keychain function, your entire saved logins and passwords are able to go as quickly as you authenticate with Contact ID or your Mac password. There are separate sections for passwords and logins (below All), Passkeys, two-factor authentication codes, Wi-Fi passwords, safety warnings, and logins which have been deleted.

You may click on in to any of the sections to see what’s listed there, and deciding on a person entry exhibits the login and password. Every entry has fields for web site or app identify, username, login, verification code, web sites the place the login is used, and notes. There’s additionally an possibility for altering your password for any given entry.

13. iPhone Mirroring

Apple has added help for iPhone Mirroring, one of many predominant updates coming to the Mac. ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring is a Continuity function that allows you to management your ‌iPhone‌ out of your Mac. Whenever you’re signed in to the identical Apple Account on a Mac and an ‌iPhone‌, you should use ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring to work together along with your ‌iPhone‌ even when the ‌iPhone‌ is locked. You may open up and use apps, take care of notifications, ship messages, and extra.

You should utilize your Mac keyboard, trackpad, or mouse along with your ‌iPhone‌, which is beneficial for typing up lengthy emails and different paperwork on the ‌iPhone‌, and it supplies a simple solution to sustain along with your ‌iPhone‌ notifications with out having to tug out your gadget and verify it. Whenever you click on on a notification in your Mac when utilizing ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring, it’s alleged to open up proper into the app in your ‌iPhone‌.

In a future replace, ‌iPhone‌ Mirroring will permit recordsdata, pictures, and movies to be dragged and dropped between your ‌iPhone‌ and Mac and vice versa.

14. Display screen Recording Permissions

In the event you use an app that may report or share your display screen, a brand new permissions popup will seem that means that you can allow entry for one month. You may encounter the identical popup for a similar app on a month-to-month foundation, as a part of Apple’s efforts to enhance macOS safety measures.

15. iPhone Notifications

In System Settings ➝ Notifications, there’s an “Enable notifications from iPhone” menu that offers you many choices. These embody choices to allow or disable sounds for notifications from iPhone, choose which particular app notifications to reflect, and switch the complete function on and off.

If you wish to make entry to the brand new Passwords app much more handy, go to Passwords ➝ Settings… and verify the field subsequent to “Present Passwords in Menu Bar.” Whenever you’re subsequent on an internet site in Safari that you’ve got login credentials for, click on the important thing icon within the menu bar, and you may see the dropdown menu routinely detect which login particulars you are searching for, prepared so that you can choose. This additionally works with different browsers which have the iCloud Passwords browser extension put in.

17. Spotlight Textual content in Notes

The Notes app now helps colours for typed textual content, permitting for highlighting. Apple added 5 colours, together with pink, purple, orange, mint, and blue, with the colours capable of be added by way of the formatting interface. Merely click on on the Aa button to get to the colour choices when a phrase or phrase is chosen.

18. Change Which iPhone to Mirror

Within the occasion that you just personal multiple iPhone, in System Settings ➝ Desktop & Dock, below “Widgets,” there is a new iPhone possibility that allows you to select which iPhone to reflect in your desktop.

19. Safari Highlights

Whenever you’re looking in Safari, search for a purple sparkle over the software icon within the browser bar. This means Highlights can be found. Consider Highlights as a sort of good assistant inside Safari, saving you effort and time by eliminating the necessity to manually search by way of prolonged net content material.

Click on the flicker to open the Highlights window. This will show deal with particulars and working hours for companies, and provide you with fast entry to instructions. When looking pages about individuals, it’d present transient biographical data, and for leisure content material it could possibly supply direct hyperlinks to play songs or summarize opinions for motion pictures and TV exhibits.

20. Take away Margins From Tiled Home windows

In the event you’re not a fan of the areas between tiled home windows and don’t love how the desktop seeps by way of the margins, there is a new possibility in System Settings ➝ Desktop & Dock that allows you to take away them. Below the “Home windows” part, search for the toggle known as “Tiled home windows have margins.”

21. Math Notes

Apple has added a strong new function to your Mac’s Calculator app: Math Notes. This integration between Calculator and Notes affords a flexible software for all of your calculation wants. It is significantly helpful for splitting payments, calculating group bills, or working by way of extra advanced mathematical issues.

Math Notes means that you can sort equations immediately right into a observe, with computerized fixing once you add an equals signal. You may carry out a variety of calculations, together with defining variables for extra advanced math. For instance, for those who’re planning an evening out, you could possibly write “dinner = $57” and “motion pictures = $24” in a observe, then merely sort “dinner + motion pictures =” to get the entire price. To entry the function, click on the calculator image on the backside left of the calculator window and choose Math Notes.

You are not restricted to accessing Math Notes by way of the Calculator app – you can even use the function immediately throughout the Notes app utilizing any new or current observe. In truth, you may get Math outcomes virtually wherever within the working system. In the event you sort an equation into Highlight, for instance, you may get a end result, and the identical goes for apps like Messages.

22. New AirDrop Interface

Sequoia features a new UI for AirDrop that exhibits you a progress bar and even offers you the choice to indicate the file in Finder as soon as the switch is full, making it quite a bit simpler to seek out what you’ve got obtained in your Mac.

23. iPhone Mirroring Controls

When utilizing iPhone Mirroring, for those who hover your pointer simply above the iPhone display screen it’ll reveal its window and two buttons to rapidly entry the Dwelling Display screen and the App Switcher. There are additionally keyboard shortcuts to entry apps, whereas urgent Command and the +/- keys will increase and reduces the dimensions of the mirroring window.

24. New Window Sharing Choices

macOS Sequoia’s Presenter Preview function improves display screen sharing by permitting you to share particular apps or home windows as a substitute of the complete display screen. You may alter what’s being shared throughout a name, including or eradicating home windows as wanted. There are additionally buttons to indicate all home windows and alter the presenter overlay measurement, providing you with extra management over the content material being offered.

macOS makes use of a video controller on the top-right nook of the display screen throughout video calls, which incorporates controls for webcam options when in use. This panel additionally now exhibits a preview of what is being shared, serving to you keep conscious of what others can see in your desktop throughout display screen sharing classes.

25. New FaceTime Backgrounds

macOS Sequoia features a set of recent backgrounds for FaceTime calls, together with a number of that showcase options of Apple Park. There are 9 backgrounds in all, that includes iconic places across the firm’s round headquarters in Cupertino, California.

Different new built-in backgrounds that can be utilized for ‌FaceTime‌ and different video calls to blur out and conceal what’s behind you embody completely different colour gradients, together with the flexibility to make use of pictures out of your photograph library.

26. Personal Wi-Fi Tackle Choices

In System Settings ➝ Wi-Fi, for those who click on the Particulars button subsequent to the at present linked community, there is a new Personal Wi-Fi deal with possibility that could be acquainted to customers with iOS units. A set personal deal with reduces cross-network monitoring by utilizing a singular Wi-Fi deal with on the community. You may make it Mounted, Rotating, or flip off the choice.

27. File and Transcribe Voice Notes

Apple has made a major enhancement to the Notes app, introducing a built-in audio recording function that streamlines the method of capturing and transcribing voice notes. The brand new audio recording software in Notes affords extra than simply easy voice seize. As customers report, the app routinely generates a real-time transcript, making it simpler to overview and search by way of recorded content material.

To report a voice observe, merely click on the brand new waveform icon within the Notes toolbar. An interface will seem on the appropriate exhibiting the audio recording controls, in addition to a speech bubble icon that you should use to view the transcript. Whenever you’ve completed your recording, it is going to be saved within the observe together with the accompanying transcription.

28. Internet App Content material Blocker Assist

In Sequoia, net apps now help content material blockers and Safari extensions, making the webpage content material they current extra customizable. You may management these settings by deciding on Settings within the net app’s menu bar, and clicking the Extensions tab.

29. Window Title Bar Double-Click on Choices

In System Settings ➝ Desktop & Dock, there is a new possibility to alter the conduct of a window once you double-click its title bar. In Sonoma, the default conduct is to zoom the window, however in Sequoia you’ll be able to change “Double-click a window’s title bar to” Fill, Zoom, Decrease, or Do Nothing.

30. Hover Typing

In the event you wrestle to see what you are typing in a textual content discipline in macOS, this new function needs to be very welcome. In System Settings ➝ Accessibility ➝ Hover Textual content, there is a new Hover Typing possibility that when enabled will enlarge any enter discipline that you just’re typing into in order that it is displayed extra clearly throughout the middle of the display screen.

31. Calculator Adjustments

In keeping with iOS 18, the Calculator app for macOS has been up to date, in order that it now exhibits full expressions as you sort them out. You may click on on this show to undo the very last thing you typed, or use the backspace button that seems once you start urgent buttons.

By clicking the button with the calculator icon, now you can additionally change between Primary, Scientific, and Programmer calculators, open your Math Notes, or change to a plethora of conversion choices utilizing Convert. The brand new Convert possibility helps unit conversions for size, weight, currencies, and extra. Here is the total listing of conversions that it helps:

32. App Retailer Free Area Necessities

App downloads and installations from the Mac App Retailer will now not require double the quantity of native cupboard space out there. As an alternative, the free area requirement now matches the ultimate set up measurement of the app, plus a small buffer.

Apple has advised builders to replace any messaging associated to app measurement necessities to replicate the change, which ought to cut back confusion about how a lot free area is required for brand spanking new app installations. The brand new area requirement in macOS 15 ought to profit customers who obtain giant video games particularly.

33. RCS Messaging

Wealthy Communication Companies (RCS) is a messaging normal Apple has adopted in macOS Sequoia and iOS 18 to bridge the hole between inexperienced and blue bubbles. With RCS Messaging (Settings ➝ Messages ➝ RCS Messaging) and Textual content Message Forwarding enabled in your iPhone (Settings ➝ Messages ➝ Textual content Message Forwarding) to your Mac, you’ll be able to take pleasure in all of the capabilities RCS brings cross-platform conversations proper in your desktop.

With RCS help, you’ll be able to ship texts, excessive decision pictures and movies, hyperlinks, and extra by way of the Messages app, simply as in the event that they had been iMessages. RCS additionally helps supply and browse receipts and typing indicators. Observe that RCS help should be enabled by every provider. You may verify in case your community helps it by visiting Apple’s Wireless carrier support webpage.

34. New iCloud Settings Panel

Identical to on iPhone with iOS 18, the iCloud part in System Settings ➝ Apple Account has been fully redesigned for macOS Sequoia. The panel is split into neater sections exhibiting your storage, recordsdata saved to iCloud, and any iCloud+ options you might have, making all the pieces just a bit bit simpler to understand. You may as well handle how particular person apps and options in your Mac sync with iCloud by clicking the See All button.

35. Vocal Shortcuts

In System Settings ➝ Accessibility, there’s an choice to arrange the brand new Vocal Shortcuts function, which lets you educate your Mac to acknowledge a customized phrase you could say to rapidly carry out an motion. These phrases can be utilized for something from triggering Siri requests to shortcuts in your Mac.

36. Use Emoji as Messages Tapback Reactions

Apple has launched vital updates to its Messages app in macOS Sequoia, with a specific give attention to enhancing the favored Tapback function. Tapbacks, the fast reactions customers can add to messages by long-pressing on them, have obtained a colourful makeover and expanded performance.

The six normal Tapback icons now function extra vibrant colours and complicated particulars. However maybe essentially the most notable change is the addition of emoji help for Tapbacks. Whereas the basic six reactions stay, you now have the choice to select from a wide selection of emoji characters, including a brand new layer of personalization to your message responses.

37. Signal In With Apple Settings

Within the Apple Account (previously Apple ID) part of System Settings, there is a new part known as Check in with Apple that exhibits you a listing of all of the web sites and companies the place you employ the sign-in with Apple service. From right here, you can even decide to share your sign-ins with different members of your loved ones members and shut mates by way of the Passwords app.

38. Dwelling and Work Places in Climate

Within the Climate app’s Settings, there is a new Dwelling and Work possibility below “Places,” so when you’ve got two completely different locations the place you reside and the place you’re employed, you’ll be able to have them labeled as such within the app. Dwelling and work places could be up to date by modifying your Contacts card.

In the event you click on on the every day forecasts in the primary Climate display screen, you may additionally see a extra complete consolidation of climate situations for that day.

39. Messages Textual content Results and Formatting

Among the many new options within the Messages app, now you can add neat textual content results to your messages to make them extra expressive. The brand new animated textual content results could be utilized to your total message, a single phrase, a phrase, and even an emoji or sticker. The choices embody Huge, Small, Shake, Nod, Explode, Ripple, Bloom, and Jitter.

Utilizing the identical contextual menu, you can even now add emphasis to your textual content messages utilizing daring, italic, underline, and strikethrough formatting. Now you can apply these formatting choices to total messages, particular person phrases, and even particular letters, providing a better diploma of customization in the way you talk.

40. Make Siri Pay attention for Atypical Speech

In System Settings ➝ Accessibility, below the “Siri” part, there is a new choice to make Siri pay attention for atypical speech. This function expands the speech patterns Siri will pay attention for to assist enhance speech recognition, in accordance with Apple’s description.

41. HDMI Passthrough Assist

In macOS Sequoia, a number of Apple apps have gained a brand new HDMI Passthrough function that permits a Mac to ship an unaltered Dolby Atmos audio sign to a linked AV receiver or soundbar. The brand new performance seems in numerous locations in macOS 15, together with Apple’s TV, Music, and QuickTime Participant apps. Apple says turning on the choice lets customers “Play supported audio in Dolby Atmos and different Dolby Audio codecs utilizing HDMI Passthrough when linked to a supported gadget.”

This function is prone to be welcomed by customers who join their Mac to an exterior gadget that helps Dolby Atmos, akin to an AV receiver or soundbar. When conected by way of HDMI cable, the gadget will be capable of decode and output the total immersive Dolby Atmos audio because it was meant to be skilled by the creators, whereas sending any accompanying video sign to a linked TV.

42. Reminders in Calendar

Like iOS 18, macOS Sequoia introduces long-awaited Calendar app integration with Reminders. Including a reminder to a day or hour is as simple as right-clicking and deciding on Add reminder. The Calendar interface contains all of the reminder capabilities you’d wish to have entry to, with out having to open the Reminders app.

43. Headphone Lodging

In System Settings ➝ Accessibility ➝ Audio, you may now discover Headphone Lodging, a function beforehand solely out there on iOS and iPadOS. This software means that you can customise audio output for choose Apple and Beats headphones to fit your listening to wants.

To make use of this function, you have interaction in a “Customized Audio Setup” course of. This entails resetting your EQ and Stability settings to their defaults, then listening to numerous audio samples, and deciding on the pattern that sounds greatest to you. Selecting “Use Customized Settings” will apply these preferences.

44. System Settings Default Habits

Apple has made adjustments to the System Settings interface to enhance accessibility and navigation. A key modification is the brand new default view: Upon opening System Settings, you may now see the Common tab first, fairly than the Look menu as in earlier variations. This alteration locations continuously used choices in a extra distinguished place and reduces the variety of steps required to entry widespread settings.

45. Inline Math in Many Fields

You are not restricted to accessing the brand new Math options by way of the Calculator – you can even use the function immediately throughout the Notes app utilizing any new or current observe. In truth, you may get Math outcomes virtually wherever within the working system the place you sort. In the event you sort a calculation into Highlight, you may nonetheless get a end result, however the identical now goes for apps like TextEdit and Messages.

Home windows has had this function for ages, and eventually it is come to Mac. In Sequoia, now you can open a contextual menu in text-based apps by urgent Management+Enter, so for those who make a textual content choice or simply wish to select a contextual possibility when you’re typing away, your fingers now not want to go away the keyboard.

47. iPhone Mirroring Contact ID Assist

In the event you’re mirroring your iPhone to your desktop and try and open an app that requires authentication, you needn’t choose up your iPhone or resign your self to an inaccessible app – you’ll be able to simply use Contact ID in your Mac.

48. Redesigned Safari Reader View Choices

A longstanding function in Safari, Reader Mode permits customers to view net pages in a simplified format, stripping away adverts, movies, and different distractions to focus solely on the textual content and pictures. This clear interface has been a favourite amongst customers preferring a extra streamlined studying expertise, particularly for longer articles or text-heavy web sites.

In macOS Sequoia, Apple has redesigned the Reader interface in order that it is simpler to outline your readability and customization choices, permitting you to rapidly tailor your studying expertise to your preferences.

49. Schedule Messages to Ship Later

This addition to the Messages app now permits customers to schedule textual content messages for future supply. Out there solely for iMessage conversations by way of the + button, the Ship Later operate lets you compose messages prematurely and set a particular time or date for them to be despatched by modifying the clock. This function is especially helpful for remembering necessary dates or managing communication throughout completely different time zones.

The function works for each particular person and group chats, offered all individuals are utilizing Apple units with iMessage enabled. Scheduled messages are displayed on the backside of a dialog. If you wish to cancel a scheduled message or edit, merely right-click it and choose the specified possibility. Observe that messages could be scheduled as much as 14 days prematurely.

50. Climbing Trails in Maps

The Maps app now options detailed path networks and hikes, together with all 63 U.S. nationwide parks. You are able to do a seek for “hikes” or “mountaineering routes” within the Maps app to see close by path choices, with Apple together with hike size, elevation, rankings, and different particulars the place out there. Hikes could be filtered by size, route sort (loop, level to level, or out and again), and elevation, and could be saved for offline entry. In the event you click on on a path, You may as well see a full overview of the path’s path and get lengths for every part.

Maps additionally helps customized routes, so you’ll be able to plan out a particular mountaineering route that you just wish to take. At a trailhead, you’ll be able to click on on the “Create a Customized Route” choice to provoke the customized routing expertise. From there, click on on the map to start setting factors to your route, and the Maps app will present size and elevation particulars. You may as well have the Maps app end a route routinely by deciding on the Reverse, Out and Again, or Shut Loop choices (proven within the picture within the top-right nook).