Change a window’s background color in Preview on Mac. Preview shows a gray background behind images and PDFs. In an image or PDF, you see the background if you expand the window larger than the size of the document; in an image, you can also see the background through any transparent sections. Users can toggle between a light and dark desktop, and built-in Mac apps like Mail, Messages, Maps, Calendar and Photos all include Dark Mode designs. MacOS Mojave also features a new Dynamic Desktop that automatically changes the desktop picture to match the time of day. An API is available so developers can implement Dark Mode in their apps. The new Evernote for Mac. Click View Dark Mode from the menu bar. Select a dark mode setting. Older version of Evernote for Mac. When you enable dark mode on your Mac, Evernote will automatically switch to the dark color theme. To enable dark mode on your Mac: From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences.
Preview User Guide
You can extract part of an image. For example, you can extract one person’s face from a group photo and then paste the face elsewhere.
If an image’s background consists of areas that are mainly the same color, you can also remove the background.
Extract an image
In the Preview app on your Mac, click the Show Markup Toolbar button (if the Markup toolbar isn’t showing), click the Selection Tools menu , then choose the Smart Lasso tool .
Trace the edge of the image you want to extract.
Make sure the image’s edge is within the thick border that appears as you trace.
Connect the end of the border back to its beginning, or stop dragging to connect the border in a straight line back to the beginning.
Do one of the following:
To copy the image so that you can paste it in a document: Choose Edit > Copy.
To remove everything outside of your selection: Click Crop or choose Edit > Invert Selection, then press Delete.
Extract a PDF page as an image
You can select part of an image opened in Preview, then copy and paste it elsewhere or crop the content surrounding it. If the image is in a PDF, you need to extract the PDF page as an image before you can use the image markup tools.
In the Preview app on your Mac, open the PDF file, choose View > Thumbnails, then select the page in the thumbnail sidebar.
Click File > Export, type a name, add a tag (optional), then choose where you want to save it.
Click the Format pop-up menu and choose an image format (such as PNG).
Click Save.
Remove the background from an image
In the Preview app on your Mac, click the Show Markup Toolbar button (if the Markup toolbar isn’t showing), then click the Instant Alpha button (or use the Touch Bar).
Drag over part of the background.
Preview selects the area you dragged over and any pixels adjacent to it that have the same colors.
To delete the selected area, press Delete.
To delete everything outside the selected area, choose Edit > Invert Selection, then press Delete.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 until you have the image you want.
Back up your library
Before following any of these steps, it's a good idea to create a backup of your photo library, even if you use iCloud Photos. You can use Time Machine, use a third-party backup solution, or copy the library to an external drive. By default, your photo library is stored in the Pictures folder within your home folder.
Make sure that your software is up to date
Photos is part of the Mac operating system. You can avoid or fix many issues by running the most up-to-date version of macOS. Learn more about updating the software on your Mac.
If you use RAW images in Photos, learn more about the digital camera RAW formats supported by iOS, iPadOS, and macOS.
If you have trouble migrating an existing iPhoto or Aperture library to Photos
You might see an alert message when you first open Photos or migrate an existing iPhoto or Aperture library. Learn what to do if Photos can’t copy or create a library.
How To Make Mac Photos App Background Dark Mode
If the Media Browser isn't showing your photos and videos
How To Make Mac Photos App Background Darker
Use the Media Browser to make images from your photo library available in other apps, like Pages and iMovie. The Media Browser shows only the contents of the Photos library designated as the System Photo Library. If you have more than one Photos library—and the one you're using isn't set as the System Photo Library—the Media Browser won't show its contents.
Follow these steps to designate the current library as the System Photo Library:
- Choose Photos > Preferences.
- Click the General button at the top of the Preferences window.
- Click Use as System Photo Library.
If you're having other issues with Photos
If you're experiencing other issues—like missing or blank photo thumbnails, unexpected behavior, or if Photos won’t open—try to see if it's an issue with your library by following these steps.
Create a new Photos library and see if your issues persist:
- Quit Photos.
- Press and hold the Option key while you open Photos.
- In the dialog that appears, click Create New.
- Give your new library a name, then click OK. Note whether Photos opens successfully with this new library.
To return to your main Photos library, quit Photos. Then open it again while holding the Option key, select your main library, and click Choose Library.
Alternatively, you can open Photos in another user account on your Mac and note whether Photos opens successfully.
If Photos opens with the new library, or in a different user account, it might mean that there's an issue with your library. Follow the steps to use the Photos library repair tool on your main Photos library.
Learn more
- Learn how to create and order print products like books or calendars in Photos with Project Extensions.
- Get help with iCloud Photos.