Got a new Mac ? If this is the first one you ’ve ever owned , a hearty kudos ! Your new Mac is easy to employ and more powerful than it ’s ever been . As easy as the Mac is to practice , doing some thing may not be instantly obvious ( specially if you are come from Windows ) . You owe it to yourself to verify you ’re getting the most out of your new investing .
Here are 12 things that you should do correctly away that will help oneself you get started down the path toward being a Mac index user . Most of these will cost you absolutely nothing except a bit of meter to fix up .
We have a separateguide to how to limit up your Mac , we also explainhow to move everything from your quondam Mac to your fresh Mac . And if you are go to Mac from a microcomputer read : How to move from PC to Mac .
Time Machine snapshots appear as volumes in the Finder.
Enter your Apple Account and password
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There ’s a effective chance that even if this is your first Mac , you already use an iPhone or an iPad . Just like those other equipment , your Mac wants you to enrol your Apple Account and Apple Account password . inscribe your Apple Account and password to plug in to iCloud on your Mac when you first set it up or later through the Apple Account system setting .
By connecting to iCloud with your Apple Account you may get at all your photos , contacts , calendars , and much more on all your Apple equipment without ever having to physically tether or synchronise them . Once all your Apple devices are linked this way you ’ll also be able-bodied to take vantage of feature article like being able tocut and glue between devices , use a computer mouse and keyboard to curb more than one Mac , and make purchases on the Mac App Store .
Time Machine snapshots appear as volumes in the Finder.
If you have n’t created an Apple Account yet , now is the metre to do so . Think of your Apple Account as your keys to the kingdom . For service read : How to create an Apple ID .
you may get to your Apple Account by going to System configurations and clickingApple Accountat the top .
Use the Help menu
If you ’ve ever wondered why the Mac does n’t come with a thick owner ’s manual explaining how it go and how all the apps mould , marvel no more : That manual is really ramp up right into the computer .
The Help card is so obvious that most of us overlook it altogether . But we do so at our peril because it can be a vast help . The service menu sits right there in the carte du jour bar , and it’scontextual : Its contents will change count on which app is open .
get across on the service menu will make for up a search field , table of content , lists of crosscut , and other helpful tips and step - by - step instructions , often with optic cues to show you which menus to penetrate on and what menu items to select . Any time you get stuck in an app and do n’t know what to do next , tap the Help menu to get out of a muddle .
Get familiar with the Apple Menu
The Apple menu is in the upper left-hand corner of your Mac ’s screen .
Clicking on the Apple ikon gives you clamant access to your Mac ’s System preferences , the Mac App Store , and apps and document you ’ve latterly opened ( see Recent Items ) . you may also apply the Apple card to re-start your Mac and shut out it down .
If an app misbehaves and stops work , the Apple menu also sports a special function that ’s worth knowing : Force Quit . Force quit will immediately stop a stubborn app , so you may reset your computer and get back to business .
Get to know Spotlight
Built right into macOS , Spotlight helps you quick find matter on your computer : document , apps , images , contacts , mathematical function , and files . What ’s more , it can connect to the cyberspace to look places like Wikipedia , intelligence internet site , motion-picture show itemization , and much more . you may even apply Spotlight to do calculations , like converting feet to measure or any sorting of simple arithmetic you ’d rather hope to the computer .
Spotlight live on your Mac ’s bill of fare bar ; it ’s the icon that looks like a magnifying glass and clicking on it brings up the Spotlight search theatre . you may also open Spotlight by pressing Command and Space at the same time .
typecast anything into the lookup champaign and Spotlight will look for for it .
Once you get the hang of it , using Spotlight is the libertine way to plunge apps , find documents , and do tons of other stuff on your Mac really apace . Over the years it ’s gain more and more features including full-bodied entanglement and range lookup , and quick actions like timers built right in .
Customize the Dock
Apple
The Dock is that taproom of icons that baby-sit at the bottom of your Mac ’s screen . Docks on new Macs will be filled with Apple ’s own built - in apps , like Safari , Mail , Contacts , Calendars , and Notes , but you’re able to customize it to your liking .
Your Dock is the most important part of your Mac Desktop , so drop some time getting it just the agency you want .
you may sew your Dock to show you only the apps you care about . Do n’t use Maps or FaceTime ? Drag them out of the Dock until the wordRemoveappears and let go . expend Mail more than anything else ? Move it over to the left or right , instead . you’re able to also tot app program , folders , and files you demand ofttimes just by dragging them and dropping them into the Dock .
To further reduce the blank taken up by the Dock you could alter the size of icons . To resize the Dock , snap and tangle on the bar that separates applications from folders and tidy sum . you’re able to also convert the size of ikon , change the magnification of icon as you communicate your cursor over them , turn over off the bouncing invigoration , reposition the Dock to the left , bottom or right edges of your screen , and much more in theDesktop & Docksettings ( macOS Ventura and afterwards ) orDock & Menu Barsettings ( macOS Monterey and earlier ) .
Personalize the way your Mac looks
This is your Mac . Make it look the way you require it to .
Change the wallpaper : Right - click the desktop and selectChange Wallpaper , or open System preferences and select theWallpaper option . you’re able to pick from the beautiful images Apple provides orchoose one of your own .
customise the port : spread out arrangement options and chooseAppearance . you could choose things like highlight colouration and whether your port changes to light or dark bet on the prison term of daytime , and more .
exchange the screen saver : In System configurations > Screen Saveryou can pick from tons of covert saver including some beautiful survey of the Earth from the space station , subaquatic telecasting , and more .
practice Desktop Stacks : If you want to keep your Mac ’s desktop tidy we recommend switch on Desktop Stacks , which will aggroup all the files on your Desktop by family ( you may choose whether they are sorted by kind , escort , or tags . ) To switch on Stacks snap on the Desktop and chooseView > Use Stacks from the carte du jour . Now everything will be slotted into category - appropriate ‘ Stacks ’ on your Desktop rather than your background being littered by thousands of screenshots and files .
Learn keyboard shortcuts and master gestures
Apple ’s user port is set up up with straightforward menus such as File and Edit , and most apps expose their major features through those menus as well . Need to publish something ? Just press the File card and select Print .
But you may preserve yourselfsomuch time by using keyboard shortcuts to do commonly used tasks or else . or else of cluck on the data file bill of fare and selecting Print , for good example , you may just have down the Command key and closet P. ( If you are come from a personal computer , mostly you will bid Command where you used to fight Control ) .
Each app on the Mac has its own shortcut . Opening Mac assist and searching for “ keyboard shortcuts ” will yield some references , we also recommend this article : These useful Mac keyboard shortcuts will serve you process faster and smarter .
If your raw Mac admit a trackpad — either because it ’s a laptop with a built - in domiciliation , or you scored aMagic Trackpadto go with your new screen background — take some time to get a line about the many gestures built into macOS , your new Mac ’s operating organisation .
One of the simplest ways to discover the various gestures usable is right in System configurations . Once there , click onTrackpad . There , you ’ll obtain three tabs ’ worth of mouse crosscut . Move the cursor over any of them , and you ’ll get a video recording preview of how to trigger the gesture . Some may well improve your Mac computer science experience ; I , for one , do it the three - finger double - tap on any word to bring up its definition .
Visit the Mac App Store
The Mac App Store is a convenient and good agency to download software for your Mac , all using the same Apple Account and password you use for Music and iPhone apps . There are 1000 of apps uncommitted , let in many that wo n’t cost you a dime bag .
The Mac App Store is much more of import than just a elbow room to download great raw apps for your Mac . It ’s also how Apple pass on indispensable app updates . To keep your Mac running in tip - top anatomy and to keep everything as inviolable as possible , download updates when you see apprisal from the Mac App Store or congeal apps to automatically update like on your iPhone .
On a new Mac , it ’s right there in your Dock — the blue circle with a stylized A inside it . The Mac App Store volunteer thousands of apps , and downloading and installing those apps is straightforward . Many apps are barren ; others require a defrayal , ranging from $ 1 to a couple hundred sawhorse . While you may — and likely will — find plenty of apps outside the snug confines of the Mac App Store , browsing it is a enceinte way of life to discover interesting apps , read reviews , and get a sense of the Mac computer software marketplace .
On the M - series Macs , you could even set up iPhone and iPad apps . When you ’re look for , just click over to the iPhone & iPad Apps tab to download iOS apps right on your background .
Start a backup
Time Machine shot appear as volumes in the Finder .
Setting up a backup is boring , un - fun , and does n’t demand playing with any cool apps or doodads . But your succeeding ego will give thanks You - Of - Just - Past - Christmas , and with well intellect : Having a respectable backup solution now means you wo n’t lose irreplaceable information later on . We ’ve covered numerousways to back up your Macwith minimal squabble . Pick at least one and get started . bank me .
likely the simple solution is to use Apple ’s own backup man solution , Time Machine , which is part of the Mac operating organization ( seeHow to use Time Machine to back up your Mac ) . All you call for is a disjoined external computer memory machine that you’re able to buy for a relatively small investment ( see : proficient external SSD for Macorbest international tough drivesif you want something a scrap punk / big ) . Time Machine makes recovering from swelled problem well-to-do because it keeps a shot of your Mac and makes it a gentle wind to migrate to a Modern Mac when the clip comes to interchange or upgrade your system .
Time Machine snapshots appear as volumes in the Finder.
The “ prison term ” in Time Machine is a timeline that you may review , restore Indian file or changes to files that were made at the points where Time Machine saved its backups . Time Machine backs up your Mac hourly , daily , weekly , and monthly , so you ’ll always be able-bodied to recover to that point in time . As long as that drive is connected your Mac will be backed up .
To set up Time Machine follow these step :
Set up your email
Are you still accessing your email using a web internet browser , go to Gmail or Microsoft ’s website to see what new message you have ? There ’s a better fashion : Apple gives you a Mail app that can link up to almost every electronic mail serve . Using the Mail app is a peck more commodious specially if you moderate multiple email write up , and it ’s well - mix with macOS ’s other core program , such as Contacts , Calendars , and Maps .
You ’ll find the Mail app in your Dock on new machines . Click it to open it and travel along the instructions to set up your account .
Find your printer
With so many of us working from home these days , printers are a braggy thing in many of our houses .
In the past times , you had to download and install driver and software , but the Mac makes it way easy to fix up .
All you require to do is to connect your pressman to one of your Mac ’s USB - C ports or link up to a Wi - Fi web .
FaceTime a friend
video recording chatting might not finger like the future any longer , but it ’s still a delight . No package make it easier to start ( or receive ) a video call than FaceTime , which is build right into macOS .
Find FaceTime in your practical program brochure , or use Spotlight to search for FaceTime by typecast in the first few letter of the app ’s name .
Now all you need is the e-mail computer address or phone number of another FaceTime user .
Read FaceTime on a Macin our guide .
Check out Apple Intelligence
In macOS Sequoia 15.2 , Apple Intelligence protrude to hit its stride with some newfangled tricks , including Image Playground and ChatGPT integration . And that ’s in summation to the feature introduced with macOS 15.1 , include write Tools and a smarter Photos app .
