Mac computers have never been more popular. It seems you can’t go more than a few hours without the shiny silver laptop catching your eye somewhere. Whether it’s online, at the mall, or in a Netflix series you’re watching, they seem to be everywhere.
Mac users are among the most loyal consumers that you’ll ever come across. In what was once a product with more of a cult following, the Mac has gone mainstream, and its users cover a wide range from hardcore developers to your 92-year-old grandma.
There are many reasons for its worldwide popularity, and each user has their own. But one of the best reasons to own a Mac is because of the seemingly endless tips and tricks available to make your work or browsing experience amazing. Keep reading for a beginner’s guide to some of the best Mac tips available to everyone.
1. Take a Screenshot of Just Part of the Screen
If you’ve been using a computer for any amount of time at all, you’ve probably utilized the screenshot function once or twice. While taking a screenshot is great, what’s even greater is being able to choose just a portion of the screen to take a snap of.
It’s incredibly simple to do on a Mac. Just press Cmd + Shift + 4, and from there you can drag the box to select the part of the screen you like. When you release it, it will be saved to your desktop.
2. Rename Multiple Files at Once
If you have a large number of related files, like holiday photos, it can be a daunting task to rename them all individually.
Luckily, with a Mac, you can easily change the file names all at once. Just select the files you want to rename, and then right-click or press ctrl-click. From there, just click on the Rename option.
3. Add Your Signature to Documents
Adding a required signature can be an annoying task that can take research and steal valuable minutes from your day. With a Mac, it’s made easy.
Just open the document you need to sign in to the Preview application, click on the pen icon, and then click on the signature icon. On a laptop, you will be able to write the signature with your finger on the touchpad.
4. View Special Characters
Let’s face it, the world is now run by emojis, and we’re just living in it. To add a special character or an emoji to your document, just click on Edit and choose Symbols and Emojis from the drop-down list. Choose where on your document you would like the symbol, and then click on the emoji or special character.
5. Toggle Between Multiple Windows in the Same Program
You can quickly and easily switch between your open programs on your Mac by pressing Cmd + Tab. However, if you are working on a text editor such as Word and have multiple documents open, you will have to press Cmd + ~ to switch documents.
6. Quickly Look Up Words in the Dictionary
There’s nothing more irritating than wasting time looking up a word that you don’t understand. With a Mac, it’s a seamless process and you won’t have to skip a beat.
Just select the word you’re curious about, and press Cmd + Ctrl + D, and voila. It’s even easier on your MacBook. Just touch the word with three fingers.
7. Make Your Cursor Bigger
Don’t feel like playing “Where’s Waldo?” every time you try to find your cursor on your screen? No problem. With your Mac, you can just wiggle your mouse back and forth, or wiggle your fingers on the trackpad, and your cursor grows in size.
As soon as you’ve found it, just stop wiggling and your cursor will return to its regular size.
8. Record Your Screen
Taking a screenshot is one thing, but recording your screen is the next level. You can conveniently do this on your Mac by using its standard QuickTime program.
Just go to your Applications folder, click on QuickTime Player, choose File, and then choose New Screen Recording. It will even capture the sound for you. There are also sites like setapp.com that make it uber-convenient to take advantage of the apps you need.
9. Add a Foreign Character or Accent
We’re living in a multicultural world, and oftentimes we need an accent or character from another language. To do this, just find the letter you want to change and hold it down.
After a short pause, a menu will appear with a selection of characters to choose from. Select the one you want, and it will be inserted into your document.
10. Find a Forgotten Password
In an age where you need a password for everything and are constantly forced to change them for security reasons, it becomes pretty easy to lose track of some of them over time.
Rather than relying on your memory and trying to punch in multiple passwords into a program and getting locked out, Mac has all of your old passwords securely stored away. The only password you need to remember is that of your user account.
To do this just open a Finder window, go to Applications, open the folder called Utilities, and then open up the program Keychain Access. You will then be able to sort through all of the stored logins on your computer.
Make Your Life Simpler With These Mac Tips
In a complicated world, we’re all looking to make our lives a little simpler. By taking the time to get to know all of the great Mac tips available to you, your online life will soon become a breeze.
Hopefully, this was a nice starting point for you, but be sure to dig deeper to find the countless other tricks available to Mac users. For more great articles on all things tech, make sure to browse through our extensive catalog of great posts to keep you in the know.