Apple is one of the most valuable companies in the world. In fact, just a few months ago, they announced that their quarterly revenue was over $91 billion.
Headquartered in California, they’ve come a long way since the release of their first computer—the Apple I—in 1976.
Nowadays, they not only offer computers but they also sell smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, and more.
Thinking of getting one of their laptops? Interested in learning some MacBook tips and tricks? If so, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn more!
About Macbooks
MacBooks are a line of laptop computers manufactured by Apple. Introduced in 2006, they come with a wide range of pre-installed apps that allow you to work, get organized, connect with friends, and more.
Currently, Apple offers three kinds of MacBooks—there’s the MacBook Pro 13”, MacBook Pro 16”, and MacBook Air.
10 MacBook Tips and Tricks That You Should Know
MacBooks can take some getting used to at the beginning. Here are a few tips that’ll help you get started.
1. Search With Spotlight
Spotlight is a search engine that runs on your Mac. Highly versatile, you can use it to scan your computer for saved files or search the internet for news. How you use it is up to you!
To access it, click on the magnifying glass on the top-right hand corner of your screen—that’s the Spotlight button. Or if you want, you can use the keyboard shortcut, Command + Space.
2. Getting Internet Explorer
Believe it or not but you can actually run Internet Explorer on a Mac. In fact, there are a couple of ways that you can do it.
For example, you can launch it from a virtual machine. Alternatively, you can simulate Internet Explorer on Safari—all you have to do is turn on developer tools.
For more information, check out this page on how to get Internet Explorer for Mac.
3. Using Activity Monitor
Activity Monitor is pretty much the Mac equivalent of Windows Task Manager. That is, it’ll show you all the processes that are running on your computer in real-time.
Where can you find it? Open up Applications and click on the Utilities folder. You should be able to see the Activity Monitor icon.
4. Taking Screenshots
Taking screenshots is super easy. There might not be a print screen button, but there are a couple of keyboard shortcuts that you can use.
Want to take a snapshot of your Mac? Press Shift-Command-3. If you want to capture just a portion of the screen, press Shift-Command-4.
In addition to that, there’s an option to capture a window or menu. To do that, press Shift-Command-4-Space with the desired window open.
5. Backing Up With Time Machine
Time Machine is a built-in application that allows you to backup your MacBook. To use it, connect an external hard drive and select it as your storage device.
From there, search for the app in Spotlight. Click Back Up Automatically on the left-hand side and it’ll automatically make backups of your files (e.g. music, documents, photos, emails, etc) every hour.
6. Look Up Words
You can easily look up words with the built-in dictionary app, which comes with all Macs. Simply select the word or phrase and Control-Click. A shortcut menu will appear. Select Look Up.
Another method is to use the Command-Control-D shortcut. You just have to highlight the word or phrase beforehand and the definition will automatically pop up.
7. Using Siri
Siri is a virtual assistant that’s part of macOS. It can help you with various tasks such as scheduling meetings, sending messages, or finding files.
You just have to make sure that it’s activated in your System Preferences. For those who prefer typing, you can also type to Siri—you can find the option in the Accessibility window.
8. Add A Guest User
Thinking of lending your MacBook to a family member or friend? You can make a guest user account so that you won’t have to share your login details.
From the Apple menu, select System Preferences and go into User & Groups. On the left-hand side, you should see Guest as an option—enable it.
How it works is that they won’t need a password to log in. Once they’re done using the computer, all the data will also be wiped.
9. Adjusting Screen Brightness and Volume
There are specific keys that allow you to adjust your screen brightness and volume levels. While they’re convenient, there are only 16 increments to choose from.
Well, as it turns out, there’s a way to adjust the levels with finer control. Instead of just pressing the brightness or volume keys, hold down Shift-Option while you’re doing it.
10. Have Things Ready When You Log In
Are there certain apps that always want to have open when you log in? You can set it so that they’ll open automatically when you start up your MacBook.
Open System Preferences and go to Users & Groups. Click on your user account and select Login Items.
From there, you’ll be able to choose which apps you want to be open when you turn on your computer. Be careful not to add too many items, however, as it can slow down your Mac.
Making the Most of Your MacBook
And there you have it—10 MacBook tips and tricks. As you can tell, there’s quite a bit that you can do with these laptops.
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