With Mac Preview you can quickly create a new image file from your clipboard contents. On it’s own that might not be too enthralling, but this feature extends beyond Preview, meaning any image that you have copied from anywhere using Command+C will work as the source image to create a new image file. This includes images copied from all web browsers, other Mac apps, and even files in the Mac OS X Finder.

If you use the clipboard and copy/paste with images often, you’ll surely find this feature useful. It’s easy to use, here is how it works.

Create New Image File from Clipboard on Mac with Preview

Once you have an image copied to the clipboard:

Open Preview on the Mac

Hit Command+N to create a new image based on the clipboard (or access via the File menu as screenshot demonstrates)

to create a new image based on the clipboard (or access via the File menu as screenshot demonstrates) Save the File as usual in your preferred format

I use this frequently when saving images from the web since it cuts out any digging around in the Finder for a saved image file. Instead, I can just copy an image to my clipboard from Safari, and go straight to Preview to create a new file which can instantly be edited or converted.

Enjoy this great feature, it adds to my productivity on a Mac and surely it will for you too.