You don’t need Photoshop or an upload website to cut a subject out of a photo. Since macOS Ventura, your Mac can find the person, pet or object in an image and remove everything behind it in one click, on your own Mac. This guide covers every built-in way to do it, which one to use when, how to put a white or coloured background back, and what to do when it doesn’t work.
Which built-in method should you use?
| Method | Best for | What you get | Changes the original? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finder Quick Action | The fastest result, one or several images | A new PNG next to the original | No |
| Preview | Checking the result and fine control | The same file, converted to PNG | Yes, unless you duplicate first |
| Preview’s Instant Alpha | Logos and plain, single-colour backgrounds | Manual, colour-based removal | Yes, unless you duplicate first |
| Photos (Copy Subject) | Pasting a cutout into a message, note or document | The cutout on the clipboard | No |
| Keynote or Pages | Slides and documents, with touch-up controls | A cutout inside your slide or page | No |
| Shortcuts | Repeating the same job on many files | Whatever your shortcut saves | No |
Method 1: Finder Quick Action (fastest)
- In Finder or on the desktop, Control-click (or right-click) the image.
- Choose Quick Actions › Remove Background. If you don’t see it, choose Quick Actions › More or Customize, and turn on Remove Background.
- A new PNG appears in the same folder, with the background made transparent. Your original image isn’t touched.
You can also select an image and use the Quick Action buttons at the bottom of Finder’s preview pane (View › Show Preview).
If the option is missing entirely, open System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions, click the info button next to Finder under Extensions, and switch on Remove Background.
Method 2: Preview (see the result before you save)
- Open the image in Preview.
- Choose Tools › Remove Background, press Shift-Command-K, or click the Remove Background button in the toolbar.
- If the image is a JPEG, Preview asks to convert it to PNG, because JPEG can’t store transparency. Click Convert.
- If the result isn’t right, choose Edit › Undo.
Preview may scale very large images down before removing the background, so for big product photos check the size of the result with Tools › Adjust Size.
Instant Alpha, for logos and plain backgrounds
Automatic removal looks for a subject. For a logo on a white background, a signature, or a graphic with no obvious subject, Preview’s older Instant Alpha tool often works better, because it removes by colour.
- Choose View › Show Markup Toolbar (Shift-Command-A).
- Open the selection tools menu and choose Instant Alpha.
- Click on the background and drag slowly. The area to be removed turns red; drag further to include more similar colours.
- Press Delete. Repeat for any other areas, then save as PNG.
This is the best built-in way to remove a white background from a logo or icon.
Method 3: Photos (Copy Subject)
- Open the photo in Photos (this also works in Quick Look, Safari and Mail).
- Control-click the subject and choose Copy Subject. Hover over it first and you’ll see an outline of what will be kept.
- Paste it wherever you want it: Messages, Notes, Pages, Keynote, an email.
Copy Subject puts the cutout on the clipboard only. To save it as a file, open Preview and choose File › New from Clipboard (Command-N), then save it as PNG.
Method 4: Keynote or Pages (with touch-up controls)
Apple’s free Keynote and Pages apps have the most control of the built-in options.
- Add the image to a slide or page and select it.
- In the Format sidebar, click the Image tab, then Remove Background. The background is removed automatically where possible.
- To remove another colour, drag slowly over it. Option-drag removes that colour everywhere in the image; Shift-drag adds colours back.
- Click Reset to start again, or Done when you’re happy.
To use the cutout somewhere else, select it, copy it and paste it into another app, or into Preview with File › New from Clipboard.
Method 5: Shortcuts (for batches)
The Shortcuts app includes a Remove Image Background action. A simple shortcut that receives images from Finder, removes their backgrounds and saves the results lets you process a whole folder from the Quick Actions menu. If an image has no subject the action can recognise, it returns nothing, so check the output count.
If you remove backgrounds often, MightyBench’s Remove Background does the whole batch in one go and gives you choices the built-in tools don’t: keep it Transparent, put it on White, or pick any colour; Crop to subject to trim the empty border for slides and product listings; and save as PNG, HEIC or WebP. There’s a before/after preview for every image, and it uses the same Apple Vision technology on your Mac, so nothing is uploaded.
How to put a white or coloured background behind the cutout
Online shops and marketplaces often want products on pure white, and ID-style photos need a plain background. Built in, there are two easy routes:
- Convert to JPEG. JPEG has no transparency, so transparent areas become white when you convert. Open the PNG in Preview, choose File › Export, pick JPEG and save. In Terminal,
sips -s format jpeg cutout.png --out cutout.jpgdoes the same. - Place it on a coloured slide. In Keynote, set the slide background to any colour, place the cutout on it, and export the slide as an image with File › Export To › Images.
Before converting to JPEG, read our guide to converting images on Mac for quality settings, and consider Compress Images if the result is going on a website.
Why “Remove Background” isn’t working on your Mac
- Your macOS is too old. Subject lifting arrived in macOS 13 Ventura. Check Apple menu › About This Mac.
- The Quick Action is turned off. Turn it on under Quick Actions › Customize, or in System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions › Finder.
- There’s no clear subject. Busy scenes, low contrast between subject and background, or several overlapping subjects confuse the detection. Crop closer to the subject first, or use Instant Alpha for plain backgrounds.
- The result keeps too much or too little. The built-in tools are automatic and you can’t paint the edge in Finder or Preview. Use Keynote or Pages, where Option-drag and Shift-drag let you remove or restore colours.
- Copy Subject doesn’t appear in Safari. Give it a few seconds after the page loads; it appears once the image has been analysed.
- Hair and fine edges look rough. Fly-away hair and transparent objects such as glass are hard for any automatic tool. Shoot against a plain, contrasting background when you can.
Tips for cleaner cutouts
- Start with the largest, sharpest image you have. Detection and edges are better with more pixels.
- Use contrast. A dark subject on a light background (or the reverse) separates far better than similar colours.
- Crop first so the subject fills most of the frame and there’s only one obvious subject.
- Save as PNG, HEIC or WebP to keep transparency. JPEG always flattens it.
- Remove metadata before posting product shots publicly; photos from a phone can include location. MightyBench’s Remove Metadata strips it in a batch.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Mac have a built-in background remover?
Yes. Since macOS 13 Ventura you can remove backgrounds with the Finder Quick Action, Preview’s Tools menu, Copy Subject in Photos, Keynote, Pages and the Shortcuts app. All of them are free and run on your Mac.
How do I make an image background transparent in Preview?
Open the image and choose Tools › Remove Background (Shift-Command-K). Preview converts JPEGs to PNG so the background can be transparent. For a plain-coloured background, use Instant Alpha in the Markup toolbar instead.
Why isn’t Remove Background showing in Quick Actions?
Either your Mac runs a version older than macOS 13 Ventura, or the extension is switched off. Choose Quick Actions › Customize, or go to System Settings › General › Login Items & Extensions, click the info button next to Finder and turn on Remove Background.
What file format does Remove Background save?
A PNG with a transparent background, from both Finder and Preview. JPEG can’t store transparency, which is why Preview offers to convert JPEGs to PNG first.
Can I remove backgrounds from several images at once on a Mac?
Yes. Select several images in Finder and run the Remove Background Quick Action, or build a Shortcut with the Remove Image Background action. A dedicated batch tool such as MightyBench’s Remove Background also lets you add a white or coloured background and crop to the subject in the same pass.
How do I remove a white background from a logo on Mac?
Use Preview’s Instant Alpha: show the Markup toolbar, choose Instant Alpha from the selection tools, drag over the white area until it turns red, and press Delete. Save as PNG to keep the transparency.
Is the Mac’s background remover as good as online tools?
For people, pets and products with a clear outline, it’s very good, and it never uploads your photo. Online editors can be better at hair and give manual brushes, but you trade privacy and often pay per image or accept a watermark.