How to remove an image background on Mac

Recent versions of macOS can lift a subject out of a photo.

1. Open the image in Preview.
2. If you do not see Remove Background in the toolbar, click the Markup button to show the Markup toolbar.
3. Click Remove Background (Apple does not state which macOS version added it to Preview, so it may be missing on older Macs), then File > Export or Save to keep the result.

In Finder you can also right-click an image, choose Quick Actions, then Remove Background. It saves a new copy next to the original. Both work one image at a time.

Remove Background lifts the main subject out of a photo and saves it as a PNG with a transparent, white or custom color background. It uses Apple's Vision framework on your Mac, so your photos are not sent to a server. You can process many photos in one go.

1. Open Remove Background and drop your photos.
2. Choose Transparent, White or a custom Color background.
3. Turn on Crop to subject if you want the image trimmed to the cutout.
4. Click Remove Background. PNGs are saved to a dated folder in Downloads.

Use Preview or Quick Actions for one picture. Use Toolbox when you have a folder of product shots or portraits, or when you want a white or colored background filled in for you.

• Results are saved as PNG because PNG keeps transparent areas. A JPEG cutout would get a filled background.
• If no subject is found in a photo, Toolbox says so and moves on to the rest of the batch.
• Photos with a clear subject against a plain background give cleaner edges.