30 Mac tips and tricks in 8 minutes, let’s get started...oh… did you think there was
going to be a 15 minute intro before I actually got into the video?
Well, that’s not how this channel works…
Plus these tips are cat approved, so make sure you subscribe otherwise she doesn’t
get a new MacBook for her birthday.
Starting with tip number one - refurbished Macs.
Did you know there's a refurbished section on the Apple website where you can buy refurbished
Macs at a large discount?
Typically, these Macs are near brand new, and are simply change of mind returns or have
had a faulty part replaced.
They also come with the same warranty and new packaging as a brand new Mac.
You can use a special mount to turn the Mac Mini into an ultra minimal desk setup by attaching
it underneath your desk or even the back of your monitor.
This means you can turn almost any monitor into your own custom iMac.
You can add more fingerprints to your TouchID capable Macs.
Just go to the Apple Logo>System Preferences>TouchID and click “Add Fingerprint”.
You can add multiple fingerprints from both hands which make unlocking your Mac much easier.
Spotlight search can be easily accessed by holding down the command key and tapping the
space bar.
Within Spotlight, you can do math equations and also currency conversions.
You can get relatively complex with the math if you want, and all the currency conversions
are done live at the market rate, so it’s always accurate.
When you want to preview a file, highlight it, then press the space bar.
This will give you a quick preview showing you the full file without having to open it.
Great for PDFs or pictures.
Simply tap the spacebar again and the preview disappears.
If your MacBook has a fan, and you’re in a dusty environment, it’s a good idea to
open the back every 12 months or so and check for dust buildup.
You’ll need a P5 Torx screwdriver, and some compressed air.
Make sure you hold the fan while cleaning it so it doesn’t spin in the wrong direction,
which could damage it.
If you switch between Windows and macOS, there are multiple keyboards out there that have
both Windows and Mac lettering on the keys.
For example the Logitech MX Keys and Keychron mechanical keyboards.
You can take it a step further and seamlessly transition between multiple Mac or PC computers
if you have both a MX Master and MX Keys mouse and keyboard combination from Logitech.
This is accomplished using Logitech’s Flow software.
You can have multiple desktops on your Mac that you can easily swipe between.
Using trackpad gestures like the 3-finger swipe up to access all open windows or the
3-finger side swipe to access desktops will make your workflow easier and quicker.
Use an app like TextSniper to easily grab text from a PDF document or lecture slide,
or any image in general.
Great for students or professionals who write notes or reports.
Simply take a screenshot of whatever text you want to copy on the screen, and TextSniper
will allow you to paste that text into a Notes or Word document, you can even include formatting
if you prefer.
Big thanks to TextSniper for sponsoring this video too.
I’ll link them down in the description as well, so make sure you check it out.
Rectangle is a great free app that brings Window snapping to macOS.
You can instantly resize app windows to fit in the corners or have a split-screen view.
Easily switch between light and dark mode by clicking the preferences icon in the right-hand
menu bar and selecting display.
You can also toggle Nightshift and true tone here as well.
If you have a compatible iPad you can use Sidecar to extend the display on your Mac.
To quickly and easily rename a file, highlight it and press the return key on your keyboard.
Once you’re done simply press the return key again and the new filename will save.
Add a signature to the Preview app to easily and quickly sign documents digitally.
Open Preview and navigate to Tools>Annotate>Signature to access this feature and add your own signature.
Easily use Windows on your Mac via Parallels.
You can load up Windows without restarting your Mac, switch between operating systems,
and even do some Windows gaming.
Great for those who love macOS but still need to use Windows for certain tasks or programs.
I’ve been able to run older Windows games like GTA 5, Batman, Assassin’s Creed, and
Tomb Raider with no issues, although performance won’t be as good as a proper gaming PC.
I will link Parallels down below.
Clean up your filthy desktop by using stacks.
Right click on the desktop, select stacks, and it will stack similar files on your desktop
on top of each other to clean everything up.
Use Command + Q to instantly close open programs.
If your budget is limited, the base model M1 Mac Mini is the most powerful M1 Mac you
can buy right now, it’s generally on sale too if you can find a deal.
I’ve been able to do some light gaming, some 4K and 6K editing, and a ton of hardcore
multitasking on this machine with zero issues, and it’s currently my favourite Mac model.
Apple recommends to only clean your screen with some water and a damp towel.
This doesn’t work well and generally leaves big smears and smudges on your screen.
Get yourself a proper screen cleaning solution from Amazon or a computer store and a microfibre
cloth.
It will remove all the dirt, fingerprints and grime, and won’t leave any smudges.
Make sure you spray only a small amount of solution onto the microfibre cloth and not
directly onto the screen.
Are you worried about the battery health and lifespan of your MacBook battery?
Or how often you should charge it?
There’s no need to be.
I have a video breaking down all the do’s and don’ts of MacBook batteries.
I will link it up in the top right corner for you to watch after this video.
Apple says that the limited hardware warranty only covers 1 year, but in many countries
there are additional laws that can extend this warranty.
In Australia for example, there’s something called consumer law that essentially gives
you a 3 year warranty on laptops.
Make sure you do some research and check out the consumer laws or protections in your own
country, because you might be surprised.
If you buy certain USB-C monitors, you can provide charging, display output, and gain
access to USB devices plugged into the monitor, all with a single USB-C cable.
This is perfect for students or those that use their MacBook out and about during the
day, but come home to a proper desk.
I recommend the Dell U2720Q, or LG 27UN850.
Both are 4K, USB-C, and have beautiful displays.
For a high quality ultrawide screen, you can’t go wrong with the Dell P3421W, although it
is a little pricier.
Again, I’ll link all of these down below.
If you’re using dual monitors, easily change which monitor you want as the main display
by going into System Preferences>Display and dragging the little white bar to whichever
monitor you want as the main one.
This means the dock will appear on that monitor.
Bonus tip, you can drag each monitor up and down to get the point where your cursor appears
on the other screen just right.
While you’re already in System Preferences, go into Dock & Menu Bar and make sure to tick
“Automatically hide and show the dock”.
This will give you a heap of additional room on your MacBook screen, which is great for
long word documents or web browsing.
Everyone knows about AirDrop by now, but did you know there’s a super simple way to send
these files to your iPhone or other Macs?
Simply right click on a file, Share, AirDrop, and select the device.
If you’re not worried about voiding your warranty, and don’t mind extra heat on the
bottom of your MacBook, you can actually mod your M1 MacBook Air and get anywhere from
5-15% performance gains.
Just bear in mind that this will likely void your warranty, isn’t exactly risk-free,
and will cause the bottom of your MacBook to get slightly hotter during intensive tasks
such as rendering or gaming.
I have several videos on this topic so if you are interested, make sure to check them
out.
Depending on your personal preference, you might like simply tapping the trackpad rather
than having to use a bit of force to click something on the screen.
Go to System Preferences > Trackpad > Point & Click and make sure “tap to click” is
turned on.
My final tip is for those who want to do a bit of video editing here and there.
iMovie sucks and so do pretty much every single one of the free programs out there, except
for Da Vinci Resolve.
It’s 100% free to use, runs perfectly on a Mac, is easy to use, and yes, this entire
video was edited for free within Resolve.
Anyway, thanks for watching this video, if you have any questions or want some more tips
and tricks let me know in the comment section.
Apart from that, I’ll catch you in the next one.