4 Features I Wish Apple Would Steal From Windows

Key Takeaways

macOS could benefit from Windows features like auto-clipped screenshots and thumbnail previews in the dock.
Individual app volume sliders and clipboard history are basic features missing in macOS.
Apple might consider adding highly-requested Windows features to macOS in the future, like it did with window tiling in Sequoia.

macOS is one of the best operating systems for productivity work and content creation out there, and in my opinion, it’s the best. However, there are still somehow many essential Windows features that aren’t part of macOS in 2024. I love using macOS because it’s straightforward and seamless, whereas Windows 11 can feel clunky and overcomplicated. But that also means that Windows has an expanded feature set that makes Apple’s desktop operating system feel too limited. As a heavy user of both macOS and Windows — my daily-drivers are the best Macs, and I’ve reviewed over 10 Windows laptops in the last year alone — there are critical features I’m begging Apple to borrow from Microsoft.

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Plus, it’s possible Apple will actually listen and add these features to the Mac. I’ve spent what felt like ages complaining about how far behind macOS is compared to Windows in terms of window snapping. Well, the company actually went out and added it to macOS Sequoia. It’s also taking inspiration from Android in its development of iOS 18, by all accounts. So, there’s a chance. Apple, if you’re reading this, it’s past time to look over at what the folks in Redmond are doing with these four Windows features.

4 Auto-clipped screenshots

Screenshots should automatically be copied, every single time

The option to save a screenshot to clipboard in macOS.

I take screenshots, and most of the time, I don’t want them cluttering up my desktop or my Mac’s SSD. I just want them saved to my clipboard so that I can copy them into a document, a message, or a specific folder. It’s possible to do this on a Mac, for what it’s worth. When you take a screenshot, a tiny preview of the screenshot will appear in the lower right corner of the screen. If you click and hold that preview, a menu will pop up revealing a Save to Clipboard option. But the preview only lasts for a few seconds — if you’re not quick enough, it’ll disappear.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Windows 11 shows a preview of the screenshot and automatically saves it to your clipboard, and Apple should copy this behavior for macOS. It’s so much easier to deal with screenshots on Windows as a result, even though the actual process for taking a screenshot on macOS is easier. On a Mac, it’s just Command + Shift + 5 — all the time, across the entire OS. You don’t have to deal with print screen buttons moving around, function and function lock buttons, or anything of the sort. However, Apple doesn’t automatically copy screenshots, and that makes the entire process worse than the same one on Windows.

macbook on a white desk with a plant in the background

If I had to guess, macOS probably doesn’t have automatically-copied screenshots because it also doesn’t have a clipboard history. Taking a screenshot and copying it means that whatever’s currently saved to your clipboard will be gone forever. Instead of macOS simply ignoring this superior screenshot behavior, it should just finally add a clipboard history.

3 Thumbnail previews in the dock

Show us what’s inside our windows, Apple

An Image showing AltTab window-switcher on Mac.

This third-party app, AltTab, gives us a glimpse of what thumnail previews might look like on macOS.

I’m a massive fan of Mission Control, which lets you see all your open windows and desktop Spaces in one place. It’s so much better than the comparable Windows 11 feature. However, there’s one thing multitasking in macOS is missing, and that’s thumbnail app previews in the dock. Simply using the app icon in the Windows 11 taskbar or pressing Alt + Tab will show you a small preview of your open windows. It’s helpful for finding out which window you actually want to open if you have multiple windows open from the same app.

There are some similar UI elements already part of macOS, but they aren’t enough. The Command + Tab keyboard shortcut is just like Alt + Tabexcept the macOS version only shows the app icons — not the actual thumbnail previews. In other words, it’s not very helpful when using multiple windows. There’s also the option of right-clicking an app icon in the macOS dock, which will show you a list of the open windows. In Safari, these will be named by the name of the open website. All of these processes would be better if they had thumbnail previews, though.

An image showing a MacBook Air with a custom desktop theme applied to it.

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2 Individual app volume sliders

I want to be able to quickly and easily adjust volume on a per-app basis

The volume mixer for individual apps in Windows 11.

Have you ever wanted to change your system’s volume on a per-app basis? If you’re a Windows user, you might do it all the time. Mac users will know that this is borderline impossible to do with current macOS versions. While you can set volume limits on a per-app basis, you don’t get individual app volume sliders. This is a shame, because there are plenty of reasons you might need a different volume for one app than another. The quick example that comes to mind is if you want background music while listening to a podcast or YouTube video. There isn’t much more to say here — this is a basic feature that really should be part of macOS.

1 Clipboard history

We shouldn’t need third-party apps for this basic functionality

Based on my rant about macOS screenshots, you might have guessed that a clipboard history would be on this list. If that was the case, you’d be right; in fact, it’s my top-requested feature now that Apple fixed macOS window snapping. Currently, macOS can only save one thing to its clipboard at a time. When you copy or cut something new, whatever was saved is gone forever. Not only is this limitation annoying, it’s also potentially devastating if you don’t have what’s saved in your clipboard somewhere else. Windows has this feature, and it’s one I’d consider essential.

You can fix this limitation with a third-party app, like CopyClip, which is depicted above. But you shouldn’t have to, and it would be better if Apple just added it to macOS the right way. Having a clipboard history can seriously save you time and improve productivity. If you’re a macOS user who isn’t using a clipboard history app, I highly implore you to try one, because it’s a life-changer.

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Will we ever see these features become part of macOS?

Apple’s addition of window tiling (called “snapping” on Windows 11) was long overdue, but it gives me hope that we might see more highly-requested Windows features make their way to the Mac in the future. With that said, I feel like some are more likely than others. A clipboard history and auto-clipped screenshots are probably most likely to be added to macOS, because they can stay out of the way when unneeded or be an optional setting altogether. I’m not so sure that individual volume sliders or thumbnail previews will ever come to the Mac, though. Apple seems to like Mission Control — and there’s Stage Manager now, too, which has thumbnail previews. Plus, macOS is all about simplicity, and I suspect that Apple would think per-app volume sliders would complicate things.

With that said, there’s always a chance Apple will add these beloved Windows features to macOS. Luckily, many of the functionality they provide can be replicated with other methods and third-party apps.