macOS is packed with smart features that make it easy to get things done right from your
desktop.
This is Jeremy, and I'll walk you through the macOS interface.
The pointer is used to navigate the interface, and is often displayed as an arrow, crosshair,
or I-beam.
With a Multi-Touch trackpad or Magic Mouse, you can tap, swipe, pinch, or spread one or
more fingers to perform useful actions.
For example, using one finger with a trackpad will move the pointer on the screen.
However sliding one finger up or down on a Magic Mouse will scroll.
If you want to scroll with a trackpad gesture, simply slide two fingers up or down.
Clicking or tapping with two fingers on a trackpad will be a secondary click (right-click).
Or to perform a secondary click with a mouse, click the right side of the mouse.
There are many other trackpad and mouse gestures, but these should get you started.
For more information, check out System Preferences or the Apple Support article titled, "Use
Multi-Touch gestures on your Mac."
The menu bar spans the top of the screen in macOS.
There are six areas of the menu bar that allow you to choose commands, perform tasks, and
monitor macOS and other apps.
First is the Apple menu, located in the top-left corner of the screen.
This contains shortcuts to frequently used apps like System Preferences and the App Store,
and commands to shut down macOS or quickly lock your screen.
Next are the app menus, located to the right of the Apple menu.
The name of the app you're using appears in bold, followed by other app-specific menus.
Each menu contains available commands for the app you're using; many of which are available
in most apps.
For example, commands to create new items are often found in the File menu.
Or copy and paste can be found in the Edit menu.
Over on the right end of the menu bar are status menus represented by icons.
These can be used to check the status and quickly access features for things such as
the Wi-Fi connection, available AirPlay devices, and battery power.
More status menus can be added like Bluetooth and Volume control, or some apps you install
may include their own status menu.
They can be rearranged by holding the Command key while dragging items, or removed by dragging
them out of the menu bar while holding Command.
Next to the status menus is a powerful feature called Spotlight.
Click to open Spotlight, or use the keyboard shortcut Command + Space bar.
Spotlight can be used to find and quickly open items on your Mac, like files, folders,
and apps.
It also shows other information from sources like the web, Maps, and Music.
You can even use Spotlight to get conversions, calculations, and definitions.
If enabled when first setting up your Mac, Siri can be found in the menu bar following
Spotlight.
Similar to Spotlight, Siri can find and open files or apps on your Mac and quickly get
information from the web.
Siri can also help with everyday tasks, like setting up meetings or writing emails.
At the far right end of the menu bar is the Notification Center, which contains two views
- Today and Notifications.
The Today view shows details about your day like upcoming calendar events, weather, and
even events scheduled for tomorrow.
The Notifications view shows notifications you missed.
Notification Center can be customized by clicking the gear icon in the bottom-right.
At the bottom of the screen is the Dock, which is a convenient place to access frequently
used apps and folders.
It can also show up to three recently used apps that aren't already in the Dock.
To the right of recently used apps are stacks, or quick shortcuts to folders like the one
for Downloads, and the Trash.
Click items in the Dock to open them, or drag them to rearrange items.
Apps can be added to the left side, or files and folders to the right.
Simply drag in an item to add it to the Dock, or drag the item out of the Dock to remove
it.
Items can also be removed by dragging them to the Trash, but don't worry - only the Dock
item is removed; the actual item remains on your Mac.
However, there are two items that can't be removed - the Trash and the Finder.
The Finder is the icon that looks like a blue smiling face on the end of the Dock opposite
the Trash.
Click the icon to open a Finder window and it can be used to organize and access almost
everything on your Mac.
The Finder sidebar contains items you frequently use like apps, downloads, and more.
New items can be added by dragging them into the sidebar, similar to the Dock.
If you want to change how items are displayed in Finder windows, use the group of four buttons
at the top to choose your view.
The Finder can display items as icons, in a list, in columns, or in a gallery.
Once the item you're looking for is found, you can use the Share button to send it with
AirDrop to a nearby Mac, iPhone, or iPad.
Or use the Tag button to tag files and folders with helpful keywords and make them easier
to find.
That's all on the macOS interface.
Thanks for watching, and we encourage you to continue learning!