The Mac operating system we use today was introduced 21 years ago. You know for sure that no matter which Mac or MacBook you use, macOS is a very complete operating system that offers many different features to make your job easier.
However, many of these features may be somewhat hidden in plain sight.
Here are ten macOS tips and features you may not know or have forgotten about that can help you get the most out of your Mac. Some are old, some arrived last year, but all are incredibly useful .
1. Rearrange Menu Bar Icons
The menu bar is a great way to quickly access settings and other features you use frequently. To make the most of it, you can rearrange the order of the icons according to your preference. To move an icon, hold down the “Command” button, then click and drag the icon to where you want it.
Some menu bar items cannot be moved, such as date and time, Siri, and control center. All icons to the left of these fixed icons can be rearranged.
2. Customize (and localize) your cursor
If you’ve been using the Mac for as long as I have, that black and white slider is a familiar sight. In fact, you can give it a bit of personality with some customizations in the accessibility settings.
In the “Accessibility screen” section, there are pointer settings, which modify the cursor of the Mac. You can enlarge the slider and change its outline and fill colors. Have a little fun and make your Mac a little more personal.
And here’s a bonus tip: in the Pointer tab, you’ll find a checkbox for “Shake mouse pointer to locate”. Enable it and you can quickly move your mouse back and forth to briefly enlarge the cursor. This is great if you often find yourself unable to locate your cursor.
3. Tile your windows
One of the main reasons users prefer working on a Mac over an iPad or iPhone is that macOS is designed for multitasking and working on multiple apps at once. For example, I type this into Apple Pages while jumping into Pixelmator Pro to view and edit screenshots.
I have a single screen on my Mac and use the Tile Window feature to see both apps clearly. The tiled window is available in all applications on your Mac. To enable it in the app you’re using, go to Window in the menu bar and choose Tile Window to the left (or right) of the screen.
The app you are in will move to one side and the other side will display the other available app windows. Click on one of these apps and its window will fill that side of the screen.
(If a running application has nothing open, it will not display as a selection. The application must have a file or window open.) To exit this view, press the key Esc from your keyboard.
4. Change subtitle style
My hearing isn’t what it used to be and I’m also watching more international programs than ever. So I watched TV with subtitles and was able to enjoy the show without worrying about misunderstanding what was being said. But the Apple TV app’s default subtitle style is too boring for my taste.
The way to change the subtitle style is not in the TV app preferences, but in System Preferences > Accessibility. In the scroll window on the left, scroll down to the Audience section and click Captions. Apple offers four subtitle styles and you can select one of them. Or you can click the “+” and create your own style.
Please note that the subtitle style set here only affects Apple applications such as TV. If you watch a YouTube video, for example, you will be subject to the style implemented by YouTube.
5. Create and customize Memojis
Memojis are considered an iPhone/iPad thing, and while they’re a bit more functional (and fun) on those devices, you can still make or create them on macOS. Here we explain how to do it.
- Open System Preferences (located in the Apple menu).
- Your account should be at the top of the System Preferences window. If you hover over your profile picture, it should say “edit”. Click on it.
- In the window that appears, there is a list of different profile picture options on the left. Make sure Memoji is selected.
- Your available Memoji appears on the right. If you already have a Memoji and want to make changes to it, select it and click the Edit button. To create a new Memoji, click the “+” button.
- You will be presented with a set of features that you can modify, from skins to clothes. Review each of them and make your selections.
- Click the “Done” button when you’re done.
After creating a Memoji, you can also set a pose or style (which is basically a background color). If you want to set your Mac’s Memoji and user profile picture, select it so that it appears in the lower left corner. Click Save.
If you use iCloud and your devices are on the same account, your Memoji will be moved to your other devices.
6. Copy Text on Photo
In macOS Monterey, Apple introduced Live Text, the ability to select and copy any text over an image. For example, if you took a picture of a sign, you can open that picture in the Preview app, move the pointer over the words on a sign, and the pointer turns into a text selection tool. You can then select the text, copy it, and paste it into a text document. You can learn more about how Live Text works in our overview article.
7. Enable iCloud Private Relay
Apple created iCloud Private Relay to help maintain your privacy while browsing the web. When you use Safari, the data sent is encrypted and then travels through two interception relays – points on the internet where the data travels – to help hide your location, IP address and browsing activity.
The second relay is done by a third-party service to prevent Apple from knowing the user’s information. It’s not exactly a VPN, but it’s a great privacy tool.
To enable iCloud Private Relay, go to System Preferences and click your Apple ID. In the checklist on the right, find Private Broadcast (Beta), check the box and click the Options button.
There is also an IP address location setting that you can change. For more information on what iCloud Private Relay can do, see our FAQ.
Private Internet Relay is still a beta feature, which means it’s usable, but it still has some obvious bugs to fix, and Apple could make a major change to how it works at any time. Requires an iCloud+ subscription, which costs as little as $1 per month for 50GB.
8. Add extensions to your context menu
The macOS context menu, accessible by right-clicking, pressing the Control key, or pressing with two fingers on the trackpad, is great because it can let you do certain tasks right away, saving you a few steps. But it’s not just about system features: when you install an app, it usually adds features to the context menu.
You can see some application-related actions at the bottom of the context menu, or when you right-click a file and select
Quick Actions displays a list of application-related tasks. When an app adds this kind of functionality, it adds an extension to macOS. But sometimes there are items in the menu that you never use, or you may not know that there are features available that you could use.
To manage the context menu, go to System Preferences and open Extensions. To specifically manage the quick actions section of the context menu, head to the Finder section. There are other sections in the left column where you can add or remove tasks. For example, in the Share section, you can add apps to the Share menu.
9. Customize the Touch Bar
If you’re using a MacBook Pro with the Touch Bar, you can customize Touch Bar functionality. Here’s how.
- Go to ‘System Preferences > Extensions’.
- In the left column, select “Touch Bar”.
- Click the “Customize Control Bar” button.
- A new screen will appear with a selection of buttons at the bottom of the screen. These are the set of Touch Bar buttons that appear when the Control Strip is minimized.
- To add a button, click and drag the button down the screen. The Touch Bar will display the new button.
- To remove a button, move the cursor down the screen until a button is highlighted, then move left or right to select the button you want to remove. Click and then drag the screen up and the button should appear labeled “Remove from Touch Bar”. Release the button to remove it.
To customize the Control Bar when expanded on the Touch Bar, follow the steps above. In step 4, expand the Touch Bar and the button set will fit the screen. Below is a quick video of what these steps look like.
10. Erase All Content and Settings
We all run into issues on our Mac that might require a factory reset. If you’re using an Apple Silicone Mac or an Intel Mac with a T2 security chip running macOS Monterey, there’s a quick way to erase your Mac’s settings, data, and apps while keeping the currently installed operating system. . It doesn’t completely erase the Mac, just your personal stuff.
Open System Preferences (Apple menu > System Preferences), and with the System Preferences window in front, navigate to the menu bar and click on the System Preferences menu.
In About System Preferences there is a new item called Erase All Content and Settings. It works like on iPhone and iPad: select it when you want to erase your personal information without having to erase and reinstall the entire operating system.
You will need to enter an administrator password and you will need to follow the steps of the removal wizard. Your Mac will restart and guide you through the setup process. If you don’t want to configure your Mac, press and hold the power button to turn it off.
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