12 things to do after buying a new Mac

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Customize the system to make it comfortable to work with.

1. Update the system

It must have been a while since the Mac hit the store shelf and then into your hands. This means that fresh updates have probably been released to the installed system. Let's start by installing them.

Click Apple (small logo in the upper left corner) → System Preferences → Software Update. If updates are available, click the Update Now button.

Make sure the "Automatically install Mac software updates" option is enabled so that the computer does it later.

2. Use the "Migration Assistant"

Migration Assistant helps you copy your files from your Windows computer or old Mac to your new one. This can be done as follows.

If you need to transfer files from another Mac, just turn on Wi-Fi on both the Mac and the new device and make sure the computers are connected to the same network. If you are moving from Windows, download and install Windows Migration Assistant. Connect the devices with a LAN cable or connect them to the same local network.

Then open the assistant on both computers. On a Mac, click Launchpad → Others → Migration Assistant. Click Continue on both devices. On a new Mac, enter your password if needed and choose where to transfer your data from - From Mac … or From Windows PC. And the Mac will show the available source of the files.

Click "Continue" and make sure the code that appears on both computers is the same. Finally, choose which files and settings to transfer.

3. Set up your backup

Time Machine is a great backup tool built into macOS. It will help you return the system to a working state if you managed to damage it, or return the last copy of a document that was accidentally deleted or damaged.

It is recommended not to neglect backups and enable Time Machine. To do this, you need an external hard drive with at least the same capacity as your Mac drive. More is better.

Connect the drive and click System Preferences → Time Machine. Click "Select a backup drive" and select your external media. It will be formatted and used by Time Machine. Then activate the "Create backups automatically" option and your files will be safe.

Time Machine can be used with more than just a separate external hard drive. There are functions for creating a partition on an existing medium or connecting the program to a network drive - for example, with a Raspberry Pi.

4. Set up email, calendar and other accounts

Instead of keeping tabs in your browser with your emails and calendar events, you can use the built-in macOS applications, they are more convenient. But you need to give them access to your Google account and other accounts so that they can pick up mail, contacts and calendar events from there.

Open "System Preferences" → "Internet Accounts" and select the desired account. Then enter your username and password. Now you can view emails in Mail, cases in Calendar, contacts in Address Book, and so on.

In addition, in the same window, you can configure your iCloud. Mac usually prompts you to turn on the service account during the initial setup right after you turn it on for the first time, but many users skip this step.

5. Set up Mission Control

The Mac can be left on for a long time, and when it reboots, it restores all previously open windows. Gradually confusion arises on the desktop due to the many open programs. With the Mission Control feature, you can scatter all windows across different virtual desktops, thus putting things in order.

Press the F3 key and a bar with virtual desktops will appear at the top. You can create a new one by clicking on the button with the plus sign on the right side, and place windows on it by simply dragging and dropping. It will turn out to create separate desktops for entertainment, business, games, and so on.

6. Customize your mouse or trackpad

If you've switched to a Mac from Windows, then you will certainly have a couple of questions. One is why when you scroll with your mouse or trackpad, web pages and documents do not move in the direction you are used to. Second, how to right-click.

In general, macOS has such a thing as Natural Scrolling. It reverses the scrolling direction. But if this function does not seem convenient to you, then it can be disabled. To do this, click "System Preferences" → "Mouse" (or "Trackpad", whichever you are using) and uncheck the "Scrolling direction: natural". The content will now scroll in a more familiar way.

Here you can also enable "Simulate Right Button" if you prefer a Magic Mouse, and change the speed of the cursor.

7. Select your default browser

The default macOS browser is Safari. But not everyone likes it, despite a bunch of nice features. If you want to switch to Chrome or Firefox, you need to make them the default browsers, otherwise links from other applications will still open in Safari, which is inconvenient.

Install any browser for Mac. Then open "System Preferences" → "General" and select the one you want from the "Default Web Browser" drop-down list.

8. Set up the dock

By default, the macOS dock is on the bottom, but on a MacBook widescreen display, you might find it more convenient to place it on the side. To do this, open System Preferences → Dock and select the desired location in the Screen Layout section.

You can also set up automatic hiding to save screen space by activating the "Automatically show or hide the Dock" option.

Finally, remove unnecessary icons from the Dock and add the necessary ones. To remove, drag the icon from the panel, release, and it will disappear. And to add, just drag the desired icon from the Applications folder to the panel.

9. Adjust hot corners

MacOS Hot Corners are a great thing that Windows 10 lacks so much. You hover over a corner of the screen and the system does the right thing. For example, this way you can quickly minimize all applications, or open Launchpad, or show the mode of switching between windows.

Click System Preferences → Mission Control → Hot Corners and specify which actions you want to pin to which corner.

10. Turn on encryption

This is optional, but encrypting your disk will dramatically increase your security. This is especially true in the case of the MacBook, which can steal from you and get confidential data. With disk encryption, all of its information will be inaccessible to attackers.

Go to Settings → Security & Safety → FireVault. Click on the lock icon at the bottom of the window and enter your password to allow changes. Click "Turn on FireVault" and create a recovery key (in iCloud or local, which you will need to write down).

Now your data will be reliably protected. Most importantly, do not lose your recovery key. Otherwise, you will not be able to access them if you forget your password.

11. Create additional accounts

If not only you, but also your household members will sit at your computer, you need to create separate accounts for them so that they do not confuse your files and screw up the settings.

Open "System Preferences" → "Users and Groups", click on the lock icon and enter your password. Then click on the plus button on the left panel to create a new account.

Enter the username and password for the user, leave the entry type "Standard" and click "Create User".

Repeat until you have created the desired number of entries.

12. Install the required applications

In general, macOS has many preinstalled applications that you can already live comfortably with without using third-party programs. But still, there is a set of downloadable applications that you cannot do without. For example, you might find the following options useful.

Unarchiver. Small, free and very easy to use application for working with archives.

VLC. An incredibly popular media player that supports many more formats than QuickTime. However, someone prefers even more progressive IINA to him.

Microsoft Office for Mac. Mac has a fully functional iWork office suite built-in, containing Pages, Keynote, and Numbers for working with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. They're not bad, but if you want better compatibility with common Microsoft formats, you'll have to buy their Office for Mac.

Google Drive or Dropbox. iCloud is a good cloud storage solution if you only use Apple devices. But for those who have a more diverse "zoo" of devices, it is better to install clients for more popular services.

BetterTouchTool. A useful program that makes working with a Mac much easier. Allows you to customize the mouse, touchpad and keyboard in detail, assigning the appropriate system action to any press.

Hazel. This smart program will clean up your files for you. Create rules for different types of documents, and she will distribute them into folders, rename, and at the same time assign music tags.

AppCleaner. The application will help you remove unnecessary programs so that they do not leave trash behind them - empty folders and configuration files.