10 little-known Mac features that will transform your desktop

The Mac working system that we use in the present day was launched 21 years in the past. Whether or not you’ve been utilizing the Mac longer than that or simply purchased your first M1 MacBook, macOS is an unlimited working system and there are tons of tucked-away options that you may reap the benefits of that will help you get stuff accomplished.

Listed here are 10 macOS ideas and options that you could be not know or have forgotten about that may enable you to get extra out of your Mac. A few of these are previous, some simply arrived up to now 12 months, however all of them are extremely helpful to have in your arsenal.

The menu bar is an efficient method to shortly entry frequently-used settings and different features. To get probably the most out of it, you’ll be able to rearrange the icon order to your most popular areas. To maneuver an icon, maintain the Command button, after which click on and drag the icon to the place you need.

A number of menu bar objects can’t be moved, such because the date and time, Siri, and Management Middle. All the icons to the left of these immovable icons could be rearranged.

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Customise (and find) your cursor

In the event you’ve been utilizing the Mac for so long as I’ve, that white-and-black pointer cursor is a well-recognized sight. You’ll be able to really give it just a little character with some customizations within the Accessibility settings.

Within the Show part of Accessibility, there are settings for Pointer, which modify the Mac’s cursor. You may make the cursor larger, and you’ll change its define and fill colours. Have just a little enjoyable and make your Mac just a little extra private.

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And right here’s a bonus tip: Contained in the Pointer tab you’ll discover a checkbox for “Shake mouse pointer to find.” Flip it on and also you’ll have the ability to wiggle your mouse backwards and forwards shortly to briefly enlarge your cursor. That is nice for those who typically end up unable to identify the cursor.

Tile your home windows

One of many most important causes customers want engaged on a Mac as a substitute of an iPad or iPhone is as a result of macOS is made for multitasking and dealing in a number of apps directly. For instance, I’m penning this in Apple Pages whereas leaping over to Pixelmator Professional to have a look at and edit screenshots.

I’ve a single show on my Mac and I exploit the Tile Window characteristic so I can see each apps clearly. Tile Window is offered in each Mac app, and to activate it within the app you might be utilizing, go to Window within the menu bar, and choose Tile Window to Left (or Proper) of Display screen.

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The app you might be in will transfer to the facet, and the opposite facet will show the opposite obtainable app home windows. Click on on a kind of apps, and its window will fill that facet of the display. (If a working app doesn’t have something open, it received’t present as a variety. The app must have a file or window open.) To exit this view, press the Escape key in your keyboard.

Change the caption fashion

My listening to isn’t what it was, and I additionally watch extra worldwide exhibits than ever. So I’ve been watching TV with captions on and I’ve been capable of benefit from the present with out worrying about misunderstanding what anybody is saying. However the Apple TV app’s default caption fashion is just a little too obtrusive for my style.

The way in which to vary the caption fashion is just not within the TV app’s preferences however in System Preferences > Accessibility. Within the left scroll window, scroll to the Listening to part and click on on Captions. Apple provides 4 caption types, and you’ll choose one among them. Or you’ll be able to click on on the “+” and create your individual fashion.

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Word that the caption fashion set right here impacts solely Apple apps corresponding to TV. In the event you watch a YouTube video, for instance, you’re subjected to the fashion that YouTube implements. 

Create and customise Memojis

Memojis are regarded as an iPhone/iPad factor, and whereas they’re a bit extra useful (and enjoyable) on these gadgets, you’ll be able to nonetheless create or make them in macOS. Right here’s how.

1. Launch System Preferences (positioned underneath the Apple menu).
2. Your account needs to be on the high of the System Preferences window. In the event you transfer the cursor over your profile pic, “edit” ought to seem. Click on it.
3. Within the window that seems, an inventory of various profile pic choices are on the left. Make certain Memoji is chosen.
4. Your obtainable Memoji seems on the appropriate. If you have already got a Memoji and also you need to make adjustments to it, choose it and click on the Edit button. To make a brand new Memoji, click on the “+” button. 
5. You may be introduced with a set of traits you’ll be able to modify, from Pores and skin to Clothes. Undergo every one and make your picks.
6. Click on Finished when completed.

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After making a Memoji, you may as well set a Pose or a Type (which is principally a background colour). If you wish to set the Memoji and your Mac’s person profile pic, choose it in order that it seems within the lower-left nook. Click on Save.

In the event you’re utilizing iCloud and your gadgets are on the identical account, your Memoji will carry over to your different gadgets.

Copy textual content in a photograph

In macOS Monterey, Apple launched Reside Textual content, the power to pick and replica any textual content in a picture. For instance, for those who took an image of an indication, you’ll be able to open that image within the Preview app, transfer the pointer over the phrases in an indication, and the pointer adjustments to the textual content choice instrument. You’ll be able to then choose the textual content, copy it, after which paste it right into a textual content doc. You’ll be able to be taught extra about how Reside Textual content works in our overview article.

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Activate iCloud Personal Relay

Apple created iCloud Personal Relay to assist protect your privateness while you’re looking the net. While you use Safari, the information that’s despatched is encrypted, after which it travels by two intercept relays—factors on the web that knowledge travels by—to assist disguise your location, IP deal with, and looking exercise to forestall a profile about you from being created. The second relay is carried out by a third-party service to forestall Apple from figuring out the person’s data. It’s not fairly a VPN, but it surely’s an important instrument for privateness.

To activate iCloud Personal Relay, go to System Preferences and click on in your Apple ID. Within the guidelines on the appropriate, search for Personal Relay (Beta) and verify the field and click on the Choices button. There’s additionally an IP Tackle Location setting you’ll be able to modify. Study extra about what iCloud Personal Relay can do in our FAQ.

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Web Personal Relay remains to be a beta characteristic, which implies it’s usable but it surely nonetheless has some apparent kinks to work out and Apple may at any time make a significant change to the way it works. It requires an iCloud+ subscription, which prices as little as a buck a month for 50GB.

The macOS contextual menu, accessible by right-clicking, control-clicking, or tapping with two fingers on the trackpad, is nice in that it will possibly permit you to do some duties instantly, saving some steps. It’s not simply system features, although—while you set up an app, it typically provides features to the contextual menu.

You might even see some app-related actions on the backside of the pop-up menu, or, while you right-click a file and choose Fast Actions, an inventory of app-related duties seems. When an app provides this sort of performance, it’s including an extension to macOS. However typically there are objects within the menu that you simply by no means use, or chances are you’ll not know that there are features obtainable that you may be utilizing.

To handle the contextual menu, go to System Preferences and open Extensions. To particularly handle the Fast Actions part of the contextual menu, go to the Finder part. There are different sections within the left column the place you’ll be able to add to take away duties. For instance, within the Share part, you’ll be able to add apps to the Share menu.

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Customise the Contact Bar

In the event you’re utilizing a MacBook Professional with a Contact Bar, you’ll be able to customise the Contact Bar features. Right here’s how.

1. Go to System Preferences > Extensions.
2. Within the left column choice Contact Bar.
3. Click on on the Customise Management Strip button.
4. A brand new display will seem with a collection of buttons on the backside of the display. That is the set of Contact Bar buttons that seem when the Management Strip is collapsed.
   • To add a button, click on and drag the button to the underside of the display. The Contact Bar will present the brand new button.
   • To take away a button, transfer the cursor to the underside of the display till a button is highlighted, then transfer left or proper to pick the button you need to take away. Click on after which drag up on the display and the button ought to seem with a “Take away from Contact Bar” tag. Drop the button to take away it.

To customise the Management Strip when it’s expanded within the Contact Bar, observe the steps above. At step 4, broaden the Contact Bar, and the button set will modify on-screen. Beneath is a fast video on what these steps appear like.

Erase All Content material and Settings

All of us run into points on our Mac that would use a manufacturing unit restore. In the event you’re utilizing an Apple silicon Macs or an Intel Macs with a T2 safety chip working macOS Monterey, there’s a fast method to erase your Mac’s settings, knowledge, and apps whereas protecting the currently-installed working system. This doesn’t erase a Mac fully, simply your private stuff.

Open System Preferences (Apple menu > System Preferences), after which with the System Preferences window on the entrance, go to the menu bar and click on on the System Desire menu. Underneath About System Desire is a brand new merchandise referred to as Erase All Content material and Settings. It really works similar to it does on the iPhone and iPad: choose it while you need to wipe out your private data with out wiping and reinstalling all the working system.

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You’ll have to enter an administrator password, and also you’ll must undergo the steps of the Erase Assistant. The Mac will restart and take you thru the setup course of. In the event you don’t need to arrange the Mac, press and holding the ability button to close it down.