> Markdown version of [/magazine/612-5-underrated-things-you-can-do-with-preview-and-quicktime-on-mac](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/612-5-underrated-things-you-can-do-with-preview-and-quicktime-on-mac). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # 5 Underrated Things You Can Do with Preview and QuickTime on Mac **By:** [Daniel Cranney](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/@daniel-cranney) **Published:** August 7, 2025 Even long-time users of Mac’s often don’t realise how powerful many of the simple tools, built-in to macOS, actually are. Two of the most underrated are Preview and QuickTime Player, with both able to do much more than many people realise, and [just like we dug into Finder in a previous article](/magazine/541-finder-tips-and-tricks-upgrade-your-workflow-on-macos), we decided to the same with these two. In this article, we’ll look at a few hidden features that you might not have discovered yet. **TLDR? Scroll to the bottom for a video version, to get the run down in under 60 seconds.** ## 1. Copy and Paste Text from Images and PDFs Preview has an underrated Live Text feature that lets you copy text directly from images and PDFs. Just open a file in Preview and hover over any visible text. If the feature is supported (some low-res images or password-protected PDFs are excluded), your cursor will change to a text selector. From there, highlight the text and press `⌘ + C` to copy it (as always). ## 2. Remove Backgrounds from Images Preview also includes a surprisingly effective background removal tool, giving a cleaner result than a lot of automated tools. To use it, open an image in Preview, and go to `Tools > Remove Background`. Preview will automatically detect the subject and remove the background, with a subtle feather added to soften the outline of the shape. You’ll see a live glowing preview before applying changes, and we were impressed by how well it worked with long hair, which is always a good place to test background removal tools. ## 3. Trimming a Video Using QuickTime, you can quickly trim the start or end of a video. Start off by opening the file in QuickTime, then `Press ⌘ + T` (or go to `Edit > Trim`). Drag the yellow handles to select the portion you want to keep, then press `Trim` to finalise the edit. ## 4. Extract Audio from a Video You can convert any video in audio without needing additional software. Open the video, and go to `File > Export As > Audio Only`. This exports your audio as an `.m4a` file - great for a quick export. ## 5. Add Multiple Clips Together Possibly the most underrated QuickTime feature is one that lets you append multiple clips together. After opening the video, go to `Edit > Add Clip to End`, select the file you’d like to add, and you can switch between the files on your timeline, editing them individually. * * * For quick edits and simple pieces of content, Preview and QuickTime are surprisingly capable, and if you’ve got any macOs tricks worth sharing then we’d love to hear them! ## Video Version https://www.youtube.com/embed/gk6rVXV9z6Y ## Related Articles - [What Developers Really Need to Create Great Code Demos](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/658-what-developers-really-need-to-create-great-code-demos) - [Finder Tips and Tricks: Upgrade Your Workflow on macOS](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/541-finder-tips-and-tricks-upgrade-your-workflow-on-macos) - [The Overflow: 4 Tools for Fast File Sharing](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/697-the-overflow-4-tools-for-fast-file-sharing) - [HTML Media Elements and How to Use Them: <video> and <audio>](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/668-html-media-elements-and-how-to-use-them-video-and-audio) ## Related Videos - [WeAreDevelopers LIVE - Demo Time, Live Coding, End-to-End Testing and more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1713-wearedevelopers-live-demo-time-live-coding-end-to-end-testing-and-more) - [The Fundamentals of Online Video](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/32-the-fundamentals-of-online-video) - [Cat Herding with Lions and Tigers - Christian Heilmann](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1785-cat-herding-with-lions-and-tigers-christian-heilmann) - [New Browser APIs, End of React Create App, Smuggling Data in Emoji and more with Rowdy Rabouw](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1299-new-browser-apis-end-of-react-create-app-smuggling-data-in-emoji-and-more-with-rowdy-rabouw) ## Related Jobs - [Founding Mobile Engineer (iOS)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1648532-founding-mobile-engineer-ios) at **Almedia** - [iOS Engineer, Swift/SwiftUI/Combine (B2C Broker)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1611832-ios-engineer-swift-swiftui-combine-b2c-broker) at **Bitpanda** - [Remote Senior Full-Stack Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/683045-remote-senior-full-stack-engineer) at **Edge Impulse** - [Social Media Specialist](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/165308-social-media-specialist) at **Twilio** - [Remote Senior Full-Stack Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/356164-remote-senior-full-stack-engineer) at **Edge Impulse** - [Remote Senior Full-Stack Engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/645320-remote-senior-full-stack-engineer) at **Edge Impulse**