Guide to Mac OS for beginners Essential tips to help you get started smoothly
Guide to Mac OS for beginners Essential tips to help you get started smoothly
I've been using Windows for years and am moving to Mac in about six months—possibly longer if new devices arrive. Since I no longer play games (except on my switch) and focus on video editing, I'm looking for tips for new Mac users. If you're interested, feel free to share some tricks.
I've watched many beginner tutorials on YouTube, but the more I learn, the better I become. PS: I don’t want to build an editing rig because I already use Final Cut Pro—especially since the magnetic timeline would really speed up my workflow.
Honestly, there isn’t much to know about macOS. That’s the beauty of it. It is very simple and straightforward. As an ex macOS user, the main things I used were f3 and f4 to see workspaces and all the apps, control-shift-eject to put it to sleep, and control-shift-escape to force quit poorly behaving apps. You will probably find it useful to look at lists of shortcuts and choose some you think you will use often and memorize them. You will also want to enable right click in the settings. I believe the default for right click is command-left click and too many people don’t realize they can change it. Some notes: you will have a learning curve for using the control and command keys instead of the one regularly used on windows as the position is different please consider getting a different mouse than the one it comes with. The Magic Mouse 2 is one of my least favorite mice I have ever used (including $5-10 dell ones). The shape is pretty awful and the charging port is on the bottom so you can’t charge and use it at the same time the file system is meh. Expect it to get disorganized if you are not on top of it.
Here are some notes:
1. It's regrettable but not a major issue.
2. I'll use an MX Master with a MacBook.
3. I'll keep things organized.
Thanks!
MacOS shines when it comes to photo or video editing. Even though Apple machines can be slower at processing, once you adapt, Windows might seem like a real challenge. For instance, the control panel, start menu search, color management... The reason creative folks love Macs is that with limited hardware options, software tends to be more reliable, and mastering color management is straightforward compared to Windows, which often feels chaotic. Apple is shifting to ARM, and the merging of MacOS with iOS is something I strongly support.
For macOS, experiment freely. Navigate through various menus, discover how components work together, and simply explore the system. In my view, this is likely the most straightforward approach to begin with.
On GitHub there are numerous collections of excellent mac software. Being hosted there naturally attracts developers, yet the core productivity tools often prove useful. I favor this list, another one, and a selection of open-source applications. For specific programs I rely on: * I adore Terminal Notifier. It integrates with the native notification system to display script outputs, which is perfect for background jobs or scheduled tasks. * bitbar allows you to add any script output to your menu bar—very convenient, and something I’ve helped develop myself. Many recommendation sources suggest Alfred as a better alternative to Spotlight. I personally use it frequently, though you might want to try Spotlight first. Spotlight has improved significantly and includes handy integrations such as currency and measurement conversions. If you’re involved in video production, Handbrake is likely familiar to you. It performs exceptionally well on macOS (where it’s widely available). Edit: I almost overlooked a clipboard manager! Windows 10 includes one by default with Win+V, but mac users usually need third-party solutions. I prefer Alfred, but PasteBot has received positive feedback as well. Updated September 17, 2020 by maplepants – added clipboard manager.