With macOS Sequoia, productivity levels up. Lay out your workspace on the fly, browse the web with focus, mirror your iPhone wirelessly and much more.

Here’s a look at some of the standout new features, along with apps and games to get the most out of them.

Enhanced window features give you new ways to organise your desktop. Drag a window to the left or right screen edge to fill that half of the screen, or move it to a screen corner to fill that quarter. Use keyboard shortcuts to put windows exactly where you want them. Or move the pointer over a window’s green button for instant tiling options.

With iPhone Mirroring, you can see your iPhone’s Home Screen and launch and interact with iPhone apps right on your Mac. Use your Mac’s keyboard and mouse for apps on your iPhone, and see iPhone notifications alongside those on your Mac.

(iPhone Mirroring requires a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac with the T2 chip; iPhone and Mac must be signed in to the same Apple ID.)

When gaming with recent AirPods on macOS Sequoia, Personalised Spatial Audio allows for more immersive sound in compatible games. And when using AirPods Pro (2nd generation), you get high-quality 16-bit, 48 kHz game audio even during voice chat and streaming, along with better wireless audio latency.

In macOS Sequoia, you can also start playing next-generation games faster than ever: the installation process requires less free storage space and may finish sooner (depending on your connection); and as a game or app installs, you can see the time as well as size remaining, along with the option to pause and resume downloads. Later this year, you’ll be able to install games on an alternate drive.

Check out these incredible Mac games, and follow new releases and updates under “The Latest Must-Play Mac Games” on the Discover tab of the Mac App Store:

The new Highlights feature detects important info on a page (locations, movies, music and more) and summarises it when possible. A new video viewer puts content front and centre, while the improved Reader shows a summary and table of contents for an article before you dive in.

(Reader updates and Highlights are currently available in the US and in English only.)

Try some of our favourite Safari extensions:

The Notes app in macOS Sequoia handles much more than text. Record a lecture or other spoken audio right in a note and the app creates a searchable transcript in real time (currently available in English). Enter mathematical expressions and Notes solves them – no scientific calculator needed. And new formatting features such as collapsible sections and highlighting make Notes ideal for more types of text tasks.

New features in the Messages app make it easier to convey exactly what you mean – and when. Format text as bold, italic, underline or strikethrough, or apply animated text effects. (Messages will even suggest effects as you type certain words or phrases.) Now you can send a Tapback with any emoji or sticker, including Live Stickers made from your photos. And for those times when it’s late or too important to forget, you can schedule messages to send later.

The Maps app now offers detailed topographic maps of the United States and Japan, with contour lines, trail information and more. Browse thousands of hikes in US national parks and save them to the new Places Library. And create and save custom hikes and walks to plan your own adventures.

AirPods. In addition to better game audio with all recent AirPods, the latest AirPods Pro let you respond to Siri by nodding your head yes or shaking it no. And your voice sounds better than ever on calls – even in windy or loud environments – thanks to Voice Isolation.

Passwords. The new Passwords app stores all your passwords and passkeys, along with verification codes and security alerts – and securely syncs them across your devices.

Video calls and presentations. Replace your video backdrop with your own photo or a built-in background. The new presenter preview lets you see what you’ll share before you show it.

Freeform. Scenes let you divide a board into sections for better navigation, while improved tools make it easier to create diagrams, place items and pan around your board effortlessly. You can also send a copy of your board to anyone via a link.

Photos. Collections automatically organise your library by topics such as Days, Trips, People and Pets, and Featured Photos.

Home. Guest access lets you manage who can enter your home – and when.

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices.