Are you a Mac user? If you aren’t you should be and if you are, we hope you’re making the most out of your Mac.
Macs are efficient and powerful machines, yet so many Mac users don’t make the most out of their Mac experience. There are many Macbook tips and tricks that will help you complete your work faster.
By using a MacBook, you should be increasing your productivity and efficiency. If you’re taking your sweet time as you do with a PC, you’re doing it wrong!
So what are the best MacBook tips and tricks?
Here’s what you should know:
iCloud
One of the most convenient services that Apple offers is iCloud. This lets you back up your files to a cloud storage service.
Even seasoned Mac users often forget to back up their files to iCloud. As a result, one can lose files and have no option to recover them.
Make sure you set up your iCloud account as soon as you set up your new MacBook. We’d also recommend you set up an automatic backup with iCloud. This means that iCloud will automatically save your files without you having to do any extra work.
You should also check out this useful source to learn how to manage your MacBook with an external hard drive.
Bypass and Reset Password
What happens if you need to log in to your Mac but you’ve forgotten your password?
Luckily, there’s an easy way to reset your password and log in with the new password.
When you boot up your Mac, hold down Command + R. Keep this pressed until you see a progress bar beneath the Apple logo. You’ve now entered Recovery Mode.
Once in Recovery Mode, you can access Utilities from the menu bar. From Utilities, choose Terminal.
When the Terminal window opens type in resetpassword. You’ll then get prompted to create a new password. Once created, you can log in using your new password.
Quick Calculations
How many pounds are in a kilo? How many Euros make 1 US dollar? You can make quick calculations and conversions using Spotlight.
Simply press Command + Space to open the Spotlight bar. Then you can type in a calculation within the bar. The result will show up within the Spotlight bar.
You can also get the results of conversion within Spotlight. If you type in “2 KG,” you’ll get the conversions in pounds and other units. You can also type in a currency with its amount to get currency conversions.
Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the major benefits of MacBooks is that there are numerous keyboard shortcuts. You can also create your own custom keyboard shortcuts.
Go to System Preferences. Select Keyboard -> Shortcuts -> App Shortcuts.
You can click the + icon at the bottom to add keyboard shortcuts. You can create different keyboard shortcuts for your various apps. You can also edit and remove these keyboard shortcuts at any time.
Give Siri some Work!
If you have Siri on your MacBook, you can always ask her to do some tasks for you.
This will make your work much more efficient. For example, you can ask Siri to open your Mail app. Then, you can dictate an email to her and ask her to send it.
If you connect your iPhone to your MacBook, you can also ask Siri to send iMessage on your behalf. You can ask Siri to make calculations, look up information, and open files.
You’ll find that your productivity will increase significantly if you just send some work to Siri!
Screenshots
If you want to take screenshots on your MacBook, there are many quick solutions.
You can press Command + Shift + 3 to take a quick picture of your entire screen. If you need to capture a particular area, press Command + Shift + 4.
This will create a cursor for taking screenshots. You click and drag the cursor over the area you want to capture. Once you let go, the screenshot gets taken.
The screenshot will open in the Preview app for you to see. You can save it or discard it within Preview.
If you need to take regular screenshots, you can also consider screen capture software. MacBooks have a variety of options for screenshots such as Paparazzi. You can also use QuickTime to record your screen.
Split Screens
You can use Split View to work between two apps at once. You can do this without resizing the windows and without background distractions.
Click and hold the green button on your app’s window. You’ll get an option to tile to the left or the right.
Click on the option of your choice. This will resize your app window and then move it to the left or right of your screen. Then you can do the same with another window from another app.
This makes it very efficient when you need to work between two apps. Let’s suppose you work as a writer. You can keep your web browser open to research material. You can also keep Microsoft Word open to type your article.
Rename many Files
Isn’t it a pain when you have 100 files and you have to rename each of them one by one?
Well, you don’t! The first step is to organize your files in one folder. Then, you can select all the files at once.
Then, right-click and select Rename ‘#’ items. Then you’ll have an option to rename all the files at once. You can also use this system to add numbering and other ordering information to the files.
Share these MacBook Tips and Tricks
Now that you know these MacBook tips and tricks, please share these with your fellow Mac geeks!
We suggest you take advantage of all these tips and tricks to increase your productivity. This is by no means a comprehensive list, so there are many more hacks to make your work more efficient.
Start with creating custom keyboard shortcuts to speed up your workflow. Don’t hesitate to ask Siri to automate some of your more arduous tasks.
You can also find more tips on Macs and productivity on our website!