macOS Sequoia: The 5 Best New Features for Productivity

macOS Sequoia (version 15) introduced several features that Apple fans have been requesting for years. Not all of them are equally useful, though. Here are the five that make the biggest real-world difference for daily productivity - the features you'll actually use every day.

1. Native Window Tiling

This is the big one. After years of relying on third-party apps like Magnet and Rectangle, macOS finally has built-in window snapping. Drag a window to the edge of your screen and it snaps into place. Halves (left/right, top/bottom), quarters (corners), and thirds are all supported.

The implementation is smooth and feels native - windows show a subtle preview of where they'll land before you release. You can also use keyboard shortcuts (which Apple calls "Window Actions") to tile without using the mouse.

Our take: This is good enough for most users, but power users may still prefer Rectangle for its additional layouts (sixths, two-thirds, etc.) and more customisable keyboard shortcuts. The native tiling doesn't support as many configurations.

2. iPhone Mirroring

See and control your iPhone directly from your Mac screen. This is genuinely transformative. You can reply to messages, scroll through apps, use iPhone-only apps, and even receive notifications - all without picking up your phone.

The mirroring is smooth (surprisingly low latency) and supports drag-and-drop between devices. You can drag a photo from your iPhone's camera roll directly into a Mac app. Your iPhone stays locked during mirroring, so nobody can see what's on your screen.

Our take: This alone makes Sequoia worth the upgrade. If you've ever been frustrated by switching between your Mac and iPhone for messaging, this eliminates that friction entirely.

3. Improved Safari

Safari now highlights key information on web pages through a feature called "Highlights." It automatically surfaces relevant information like directions, phone numbers, and summaries. The new Reader mode is significantly cleaner, and the redesigned tab bar shows more of your open tabs.

Safari also added support for "Web Eraser" - a feature that lets you hide distracting elements on web pages (ads, banners, pop-ups). These removals persist across visits.

Our take: Highlights is useful but not revolutionary. Web Eraser is fantastic for cleaning up sites you visit daily. The overall Safari experience continues to be the fastest and most energy-efficient browser on macOS.

4. Passwords App

Apple finally gave iCloud Keychain a proper standalone app. Passwords is a full-featured password manager that works across Mac, iPhone, iPad, and even Windows (via iCloud for Windows). It supports passkeys, one-time codes, Wi-Fi passwords, and secure notes.

The app is simple and clean - exactly what you'd expect from Apple. It auto-fills passwords in Safari and third-party browsers, and syncs seamlessly across devices. For users who were previously relying on iCloud Keychain through System Settings, this is a huge upgrade in usability.

Our take: If you're already in the Apple ecosystem and don't need features like shared vaults or business team management, this replaces 1Password or Bitwarden for most personal users. It's free and deeply integrated.

5. Enhanced Continuity

Handoff and AirDrop improvements make transferring work between devices seamless. The biggest improvement is NameDrop for Mac - bring your iPhone near your Mac to share contact information or files instantly. AirDrop transfers are also faster and more reliable, with better handling of large files.

Our take: These are quality-of-life improvements rather than headline features, but they reduce the small daily frictions that add up over time.

Pair With ShortcutDock

Sequoia's window tiling works beautifully with ShortcutDock. Here's the ideal workflow:

Use ShortcutDock Groups to batch-launch all the apps for your current workflow
Use Sequoia's window tiling to arrange those apps on screen
Use ShortcutDock Favourites to quickly switch individual apps as needed

The combination of fast launching (ShortcutDock) and fast arranging (Sequoia tiling) creates the most efficient Mac workspace we've ever used. If you're on Sequoia, try it.