Much as we loveall the fresh featuresthat wind out with a invigorated macOS update every year , we ’re also rather partial to those long - standing pecker and functions that have been around for longer — and which you might have forget about or never used in the first billet . Here are a few of our favorite you should try on for sizing .
1) Smart folders in Finder
fresh booklet are n’t real folders : They ’re more like labels in Gmail , tagging sure files with certain lookup standard . As the data file on disc change , so the Smart Folders are updated automatically , hold them perfect for quickly call up groups of Indian file from disk .
In Finder picking File then New Smart Folder and put down your search damage . Use the plus icon underneath to add extra filters , like file types , or tags , or the date the file cabinet was last opened . When you ’re done , snap Save , and choose where to save and pin the leaflet for easy access .
2) Record iOS and macOS screen activity in QuickTime
Recording screen bodily function on equipment is often fraught with complexness and difficulty , but not so on macOS , where all you need is QuickTime . If you opt File then New Screen Recording , you could record your Mac ’s screen action by clicking on the red record clitoris .
If you ’ve gotan iPhone , iPad , or iPad Touch hooked up via USB , you could record what ’s take place on this screen instead , by selecting it as the stimulant option using the drop-off - down menu next to the record clitoris . It ’s a breeze to use and utile in all kinds of situations .
3) Activate your screen’s hot corners
If you click the Apple menu , open up up System Preferences , then choose Desktop & Screen Saver and switch to the Screen Saver tab , you ’ll see a Hot Corners option down in the lower right wing — this lets you assign the four screen corners to particular scheme military action .
Those action admit open up the Launchpad screen or the Notification Center , putting your computer to catch some Z’s , starting or disabling the current screensaver , hopping direct to the desktop , and so on . When a hot corner is configure , just move your shiner pointer over to it to trigger the action .
4) Stream music and movies around the home
iTunes comes with some effectual sharing pecker built right in : enter the iTunes menu , pick out Preferences and enable share under Sharing . Your library can then be accessed under the Shared Libraries segment of iTunes on other Macs on the same local web .
Home Sharing ( File then Home Sharing)works otherwise — it let you download as well as flow cognitive content , and it sour with iOS devices and the Apple TV as well as iTunes on Macs , but it requires you to sign on into the same Apple ID on all the devices you want to use .
5) Run Windows with Boot Camp
Boot Camp has been around as a macOS feature for over a decade now , making the process of getting Windows run on a Mac machine much more straightforward than you would initially look : Applehas a full guideto the feature of speech and how you could set it up .
It ’s honestly not that difficult — there ’s a Boot Camp Assistant that you could quickly find from Spotlight ( Cmd+Space ) that takes you through the appendage and prepares a slash of your punishing drive for Windows to run on . You do needa valid copy of Windows though .
6) Automate repetitive tasks
Automatoris one of the most utilitarian utilities included in macOS , but it ’s well obscure and might put some people off because it looks difficult to use . In fact , launch it from Spotlight ( Cmd+Space ) and you ’ll find there ’s nothing to be scared of .
We wo n’t dive into a full scout here , but any repeated macOS task you do can be handled by Automator — single file conversions , photograph renaming , opening multiple webpages , combining PDFs , carry backups , and so on . The official Apple guideis a good resource to start with .
7) Create virtual desktops
Virtual desktops give you more digital elbow room for your programs and windows , and Apple ’s desktop operating system has supported them in the form of distance for much longer than Microsoft ’s has . you’re able to find them via Mission Control ( hit F3 to launch it or set it as a hot recess ) .
Up at the top of the screen you’re able to see your current screen background — click the plus ikon to add a Modern one , and drag open window where they need to go . The Dock and Menu Bar persist over all your quad , and Ctrl+Left Arrow and Ctrl+Right Arrow will rise between them .
8) Ping files wirelessly with AirDrop
It ’s prosperous to block aboutAirDrop , and it does n’t always work flawlessly , but it ’s often the fastest and most convenient way to get single file between Apple - brand twist . The feature has been around since 2010 and is now broil into the material of both macOS and iOS .
To expend it on your Mac , see the communion options in the app you ’re in , or Ctrl+tap a file in Finder then prefer Share and AirDrop . On another macOS machine , look in the AirDrop part of Finder ; on iOS the file should pop out up in the relevant app , if AirDrop is enabled .
9) Sign documents in Preview
From Preview , open up the Tools menu then pick out Annotate , Signature and Manage signature to bring on a handwritten scrabble in digital shape — one which you may then append to anything you open up inside Preview , like PDFs that need to be signed .
you could either control a slice of paper up to your Mac ’s webcam or employ the trackpad to create your digital key signature , which is then save in a lean . To send packing a signature tune into a document or an image , go back into the same key signature menu and pick the scribble you need to apply .
10) Autocomplete words as you type
shroud out in macOS are a gang of clever keyboard shortcuts that can help you power through whatever it is you happen to be doing , but one of the handy is the integrated autocomplete function , which you’re able to bring up in most apps by hitting Option+Escape .
You ’ll see a list of potential matches total up on screen , which is helpful if you ’re not trusted how to spell something . It does n’t influence in vane browsers or places where autocomplete already exists , but it does process in Mail , Notes , Pages , and various other applications .
AppledesktopMacOS

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