10 Quality-of-Life Updates in macOS 27 for Finder, Safari, and More

We are deep into the Beta 2 season of macOS 27. Things are getting pretty wild. Apple is shipping a massive wave of updates across the system. We are seeing major improvements to Siri, visual intelligence, and everyday apps like Finder and Safari. Let's dive into 10 of the best quality-of-life updates you can try right now.

1. AI file name suggestions in Finder

Your Mac can now automatically suggest names for files right in the Finder. This is incredibly useful for cleaning up generic screenshots or downloaded images.

Here's how to try it

1. Go to Finder and open your Settings.
2. Under the General tab, make sure Suggest file names is checked.
3. Click once on a generic file like "Unknown.jpeg" to rename it.
4. Wait a second and a dropdown of suggestions will appear based on the image content.

Pro tip: This feature also pulls context from text inside your screenshots. If you snap a picture of a questionnaire, Finder might suggest a highly specific name based on the visible text.

2. A cleaner Menu Bar and Control Center

If you use a lot of menu bar utilities, you know how easily they get hidden behind the camera notch. In macOS 27, when you add enough icons to push past the notch, two little arrows will automatically appear. Clicking these arrows lets you show and hide your overflow icons.

You can also finally hide those AI suggestions in the Control Center for a much cleaner look.

How it works

1. Open System Settings and click on Menu Bar.
2. Toggle off Show suggestions in Control Gallery.
3. Open your Control Center to see the streamlined layout.

3. True touch controls in Sidecar

Sidecar has always been a great way to use your iPad as a second display. Now it actually feels like you are using a touchscreen Mac. Apple updated the touch controls in Sidecar to support standard interactions.

You can now use a single finger to scroll through apps like Shortcuts. System gestures are fully supported too. You can tap the top corner to open your Notification Center or use custom drag gestures to move things around the screen.

4. Resizable iPhone Mirroring

iPhone Mirroring is no longer locked to a single, phone-sized window on your desktop. You can now resize the window freely.

Give it a spin

1. Open the iPhone Mirroring app.
2. Click and drag the corner of the window to make it larger.
3. Watch responsive apps like Apple Podcasts automatically reformat to fit the wider, iPad-like dimensions.

If you ever want to snap back to the default view, just click View in the menu bar and select iPhone Size. You can also use the Command 9 keyboard shortcut.

5. Spotlight becomes a general knowledge engine

Spotlight now integrates directly with Siri AI. It handles local file searches much better and also predicts what kind of question you are asking.

When you type a general knowledge question like "how tall is Ryan Gosling?", Spotlight gives you two paths. You can hit Return to send the query straight to the new Siri app for a detailed answer. Alternatively, you can click Show Results to see web links, Wikipedia entries, and photos pulled from around your Mac and the web.

6. Contextual Siri right in Finder

Siri is now available in contextual menus across your Mac. This means you can ask complex questions about your files without ever opening them.

Here's how to use it

1. Select multiple files in a Finder window.
2. Two-finger click to open the context menu.
3. Click Ask Siri.
4. Type a prompt like "Compare the surround sound formats across these two receivers".

Siri will read the documents and generate a detailed breakdown. It will even build a comparison table for you on the fly. You can expand this conversation into the dedicated Siri app if you want to ask follow-up questions or attach more files.

7. Visual Intelligence anywhere on screen

This is one of the most powerful features in the update. You can now invoke visual intelligence over absolutely anything on your screen using a simple keyboard shortcut.

What this unlocks for you

• Identify objects: See a bird in a photo? Select it and ask Siri what it is.
• Find products: Spot a bag you like in an Instagram post? Run an image search to find it on Amazon or Google.
• Add calendar events: Select a tour poster and let Siri automatically parse the dates and cities into Calendar events.
• Save recipes: Highlight the ingredients list on a food blog and ask Siri to add them as individual items to your Reminders grocery list.

Just press Shift + Command + 6. Your cursor will turn into a crosshair. Drag a box over the item you want to scan, then choose either Image Search or Ask Siri.

8. Safari "Notify Me" and Pull-to-Refresh

Safari is picking up some great mobile-inspired features. You can now pull down on your trackpad to refresh a web page instead of hitting a keyboard shortcut.

Safari also introduces a brand new tracker tool. If you want to keep an eye on a specific web page, you can ask Safari to monitor it for you.

How it works

1. Click the bell icon in the Safari address bar.
2. Select Notify Me.
3. Type in what you are looking for. You might type "Price Drops" or "New blog posts".
4. Click Done. Safari will check the page daily at a set time and alert you if the content updates.

9. Automatic Tab Organization in Safari

If you are the type of person who leaves dozens of tabs open, Safari will now clean them up for you automatically.

Head into Safari and open your Settings. Under the Tabs menu, look for the Organize tabs dropdown. Change this setting to Automatically Create Topics.

Safari will instantly analyze your open tabs and group related pages together in your sidebar. If you are researching smart locks, all your Amazon and tech blog tabs will get neatly bundled into a single folder.

10. Video support in Apple Podcasts

Video podcasts finally have a proper home again on the Mac. When you open a video show in the Apple Podcasts app, it will play the video right inline.

The player includes support for chapter markers so you can jump to specific topics easily. You can also toggle the transcript on. The app highlights the active words as the host speaks, working exactly like the standard audio experience.

A few more quick wins

Apple sprinkled several smaller updates throughout the system too.

• Ethernet in Control Center: You can now see your active Ethernet connection right inside the Wi-Fi menu in Control Center.
• Freeform drawing: You can finally use your trackpad to draw shapes and notes directly on your Freeform boards.
• Liquid Glass slider: Head to System Settings > Appearance to find a new Liquid Glass slider. This lets you adjust the exact opacity and transparency of system UI elements to your liking.

Go explore

macOS 27 is packed with thoughtful additions that make everyday tasks faster. The visual intelligence shortcut alone is a massive time saver. Grab the beta, try out the new Shift + Command + 6 shortcut, and see how much faster you can get things done.