Are you a new mac user and looking for a helpful guide? Read this article to learn cool things to do on a mac so you look like a pro user.
Whether we’d like to admit it or not, many of us are dependent on our computers. They’ve become integral to our lives.
On any given day, the average person spends six and a half hours on the internet. This means having a good, reliable machine is necessary, and is why many people have turned to Macs for their computer use.
Apple has created a pretty awesome machine. Their processors are powerful and besides that, they can do some pretty awesome stuff other computers just can’t.
If you’re coming over from another brand of computer, you might not know about these cool things to do on a mac — but you should certainly try them out.
1. Set up Speech Recognition
What can you do on a Mac that you can’t on many other computers? Speech recognition.
Some computers just don’t have the capacity, but Macs have very good advanced voice software that will increase your productivity.
Why type commands when you can speak them out loud?
2. Split Screen
Another awesome Mac trick is the split-screen.
You can have apps side by side, or even browsers — whatever you want.
If you’d like to be logged into the same site on two different accounts and have them both up at once for work or comparison’s sake, that’s fine too. Just make sure you download a different browser than Safari, such as Internet Explorer for Mac.
3. Connect Your Mac to Your iPhone
Connecting your Mac to your iPhone means that you can text, call, and even Facetime on your computer.
This can be far handier than holding up a phone when you’re trying to video call and means you can reply to texts without having to reach for another device.
Apple blends its technology together seamlessly.
4. Encrypt Folders
Want some extra security? Apple has built-in features that mean you can encrypt folders on your Mac.
It’s not really necessary for every folder, but if you have some particularly sensitive documents and you need that extra reassurance and security, this is a great feature.
Macs are known for their awesome security.
5. Take Quick and Precise Screenshots
By holding Shift, Command, 3, you can take a screenshot on Mac and then crop it — as you can do on any other computer.
What’s cool on Macs is that you can hit Shift, Command, 4 instead, and then drag your cursor to the area you want to screenshot.
Only that area will be saved, which is much handier than having to open up an entirely separate editing program and crop the image down to what you need.
6. Set Your Photo Stream as a Wallpaper
One of the really cool things you can do on a Mac to personalize it is to set your photostream as a wallpaper.
Why look at one of the boring default wallpapers? Why even restrict yourself to one photo?
Cycle through your photostream and have an ever-changing wallpaper. You can select a particular folder to have a set of memories that makes you feel great forever playing in the background.
You’ll feel good every time you minimize your apps!
7. Play Chess
Of all the Macintosh tips and tricks, this probably isn’t the most useful, but it is fun!
Apple has built-in chess on their computers. Play against the computer if you get bored and learn how to become a master at this game.
Ideal if you’re hanging around waiting on a work e-mail or a friend getting back to you and need to kill some time.
8. Sign Documents
If you’ve ever been sent a PDF contract, you know the hassle of having to print it off, sign it, and scan it back in.
No more!
On the Preview feature on Mac, you can hit ‘markup’ and sign it using your cursor. Drag your finger across the trackpad or use a mouse to create an electronic signature that looks just like your handwritten one.
More importantly, it’s just as valid!
With everything being done online these days, this is a pretty invaluable timesaver.
9. Use Emojis on Your Keyboard
Emojis have become a modern language. Many of us rely on them to express how we feel, or to emphasize a text tone that might be misconstrued.
On computers, you might be used to making smiley faces out of colons and parenthesis. No longer!
Hit Command, Ctrl, Space on your Mac to bring up the Emoji menu. From here you can scroll through Emojis and other text symbols, and it even has a search bar to find the one you’re looking for right away.
10. Customize Your Menu Bar
Your menu bar on your Mac will be filled with default apps. Some of them you might use, and others you might have no use for whatsoever.
Fortunately, it’s easy to customize. Right-click on an app to remove it from the dock, and when an app is open, you can also right-click and choose the option to keep it there.
From there, you can drag your apps around in an order that suits you.
The more apps you had, the smaller the menu bar will become to accommodate them. Make it yours!
There Are So Many Cool Things to Do on a Mac, So Get Exploring!
Macs are popular computers for a reason. They have powerful processors, tend to run smoothly, and they’re friendly to beginners.
There are so many cool things to do on a Mac that it can be hard for beginners to know where to start, so play around with these if you’d like to get the taste of a Mac’s capability.
From there, you can delve into your operating system and find the features that suit you and will enhance your experience.
Most of us love our computers, and being on them should be the most awesome experience it can be.
For more interesting tips and informative reads, check out the rest of our blog.