Once people go Mac, they rarely go back and one of the reasons is that it’s known to be an operating system that make things easy for the user. From installing and uninstalling applications to connecting with a printer, Apple makes it a fairly trouble-free experience.
If you’re an iMac or MacBook user, a way to streamline your desktop computer experience even more is to learn some tips that will make everyday tasks take less time and effort.
Even if you’ve been a Mac user for years, there’s a good chance there are still a few tricks out there you may not have discovered. Read on for some of the best Mac tips to help you save time and become a super user!
Mac Tips & Tricks That Will Make Your Life Better
While Windows still holds the lion’s share of the global computer market, with Mac at just under 10%, Mac users have a loyalty for their tech that outmatches just about any other PC brand.
Love your Mac? Love it even more, make your life easier, and impress your friends with these nifty Apple tricks.
1. Add ™and ®Quickly
You’re typing along, then hit a brand name that needs a trademark symbol and you come to a standstill while searching for the symbol insert command. Just two easy keyboard shortcuts can make adding the trademark and registered trademark symbols a breeze.
For ™ use: Option + 2
For ® use: Option + r
2. Choose Where You Take a Screenshot
This shortcut could totally change your life if you like to take screenshots – but not of the entire screen.
Just hold down the Cmd + Shift + 4 keys and you’ll get a crosshatch on your cursor. Just drag it over the exact area of your screen that you want to capture and let go. The screenshot will be saved as a PNG on your desktop.
3. Use Preview for Light Photo Editing
You have an image you need to crop, but you don’t have any fancy photo editing programs on your computer. No problem, just use Mac’s native Preview app. Besides previewing PDFs and images, it also allows you to make tweaks such as:
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Image cropping
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Image resizing
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Color management
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Annotation
4. Make Your Own Keyboard Shortcuts
Do you wish you had a specific keyboard shortcut for something you do all the time? Mac lets you easily make your own. Just go to System Preferences, click Keyboard, click Shortcuts, and click the “+” button at the bottom and you’ll get all kinds of options for applications to use to design your own keyboard shortcut.
5. Remotely Control Another Mac User’s Screen
A nifty built-in feature on Mac is a way to screenshare and even take over another Mac remotely without needing to go through a 3rdparty application. This can be especially helpful if you’re helping a new Mac user ramp up the learning curve.
Set up sharing on both computers by going to System Preferences, choose Sharing, and input the user’s Apple ID. Here are detailed instructions.
6. Merge Your Finder Windows
Are you working with multiple finder windows and forgetting which one has the file you need? Don’t click around aimlessly, instead merge them all easily and have each on its own separate tab in a single window.
With Finder active, click on Windows in the top menu bar, then click Merge all windows.
7. Quickly View Hidden Files
Certain files default to hidden and can drive you crazy trying to find them on your computer. For example, if you’re trying to edit your website’s .htaccess file, it’s going to be hidden until you reveal it.
Easily see any hidden file in a folder by using keyboard shortcut: Command + Shift + . (period key).
8. Control What Items Start on Login
It can be annoying when every time you boot up your computer an unnecessary program automatically opens. Some software put themselves in your startup sequence by default, but you can get control back.
Choose which programs you want to start at login by going to System Preferences, click Users and Groups, click your User Name, and uncheck any applications you don’t want opening at startup.
9. Use Windows on a Mac
If you have some programs that you just need to use on Windows, you can host a Windows operating system on your Mac using the native utility called Boot Camp.
First check to make sure your computer or laptop matches the Apple requirements. Then purchase a copy of Windows 10 and the Boot Camp assistant will walk you through partitioning your drive so you can run both Windows and Mac on your system.
10. Remove Big File Attachments in Mac Mail
Is your Mac Mail getting big and you need a way to remove some file weight without deleting messages? You can strip any attachments pretty easily to free up space.
Highlight the mailbox or folder (like “Sent”) in which you want to delete the mail attachments. Hit Command + A to select all messages, pull down the Messages menu and choose “Remove Attachments.” You can repeat the process for various folders. If you only want to strip attachments from certain emails, just highlight those emails instead of using select all.
Windows or Mac – Pro Tech Guy Can Help
Have you been frustrated trying to find an IT shop to repair or customize your Mac? Look no further, because Pro Tech Guy has expertise in both Mac and Window computer services.
Contact us anytime for tech help at 508-364-8189 or reach out online.