Technology

The Seven Best Mac Tips, Tricks & Timesavers

Macs are capable of accomplishing hundreds of clever things. No matter if you’ve been using a Mac for years or recently bought a new iMac, learning the shortcuts and tricks will save you precious hours and effort. Read along to know some of the top Mac tips and timesavers. 

 

Set default folder 

 

The default folder management system on Mac is Finder, and it has been an essential part of macOS since 1984. But Apple hasn’t brought about any significant changes to streamline Finder and boost its usefulness. So, it would help if you took matters into your own hands.

For instance, when you open Finder, you’ll look at the Recents folder on your Desktop, and the folder will have all the files you have recently interacted with. If you want to see the Downloads or any other folder when you open Finder, you need to set a default folder, and this guide https://setapp.com/how-to/set-default-folder-on-mac shows how. 

 

Find your lost Mac, even when it’s offline 

 

If your Mac has been stolen or you’ve lost it, you can use the Find my iPhone service to track it down. Before Catalina, macOS relied on being connected to the Internet so that the device could be tracked. 

Thanks to Apple’s new solution, you can track your stolen or lost Mac even when it is offline using Bluetooth. Your Mac will communicate with other devices via Bluetooth, and those devices will let you know of your Mac’s location via iCloud. For this to work, you must always keep Bluetooth turned on. 

 

Use Siri to change system settings 

 

The inclusion of Siri on Mac means you can do all sorts of things using your words without clicking or typing. Even system settings can be controlled, and you can activate Siri by pressing Command + Spacebar. Wi-Fi is one of those items that you can turn off using Siri. However, Wi-Fi needs to be turned on manually because Siri requires an Internet connection to function. 

Even though Siri will be disabled when your Wi-Fi is switched off, you can access any system preferences by asking Siri to open them. You can even use Siri to make changes to your settings and save your time by having Siri go through the Preferences menu and searching for what you need. 

 

View and control someone’s screen remotely 

 

Controlling and seeing someone else’s system remotely is easy thanks to the Internet. Seeing someone’s screen remotely is required when you are troubleshooting computer difficulties. You can unveil Screen Sharing by looking for it in Spotlight and entering the Apple ID of the person you are trying to interact with.

Alternatively, you can find it on the iCloud pane in System Preferences, where you need to enable it. If the person accepts to share their screen with you, they need to click on the screen-sharing icon in the menu, and the facility will be enabled. You can also remotely control their mouse and keyboard. 

 

Take screenshots of any size 

 

Screenshots can be taken in three ways on a Mac:

  • The entire screen – You can capture the whole screen by clicking Command + Shift + 3. 
  • Part of the screen – Capture a part of the screen by clicking Command + Shift + 4. The cursor will become a crosshair, and you need to drag and click to capture the specific part of the screen you want. The screenshot will be saved on the desktop. 
  • Window screenshot – Capture a window screenshot by clicking Command + Shift + 4 + Spacebar, and your cursor will become a camera. 

Use Mac as a wireless hotspot

 

 

Your Mac can turn into a wireless hotspot, and you can share your network with others near you. If your macOS is linked through Ethernet, the sharing Internet feature is a temporary hard remedy for a deficient wireless router. Go to Settings > click sharing and steer to Share your Connection in the drop-down box > click To Computers Using Wi-Fi for the feature to work. 

 

Turn on Hot Corners 

 

Enabling Hot Corners ensures you control the actions that will be triggered when you move your cursor to a particular corner on the screen. With the feature turned on, you can forget about keyboard shortcuts, and you wouldn’t even need to swipe to find the notification center.

All you need to do is assign it in Hot Corners, and that’s it. For instance, you wish to set up the screensaver so that you can simply move the cursor and activate the screensaver when you take a break. Set up this valuable feature by going to Settings > clicking Desktop and Screensaver > choosing Screensaver > clicking Hot Corners. Then, assign functions to each of the corners of the screen. 

Macs are robust systems that are specifically built to help you work faster and smarter. All you need to do is keep in mind the tips and tricks mentioned above and let your Mac work harder for you.

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