Got a new Mac for Christmas? You should definitely do these 10 things

Did you have a new M1 Mac under your tree this holiday season? If this is the first Mac you’ve ever owned, congratulations! Your new Mac is easy to use and more powerful than ever before. As simple as the Mac is, some things may not be immediately obvious. these 10 tips will help you get the most out of your new asset.

Here are 10 tips to get you started on your way to becoming a true Mac expert. Most of these things will cost you absolutely nothing, except a little time to set them up.

1. Set up your Apple ID

If this is your first time getting started with a Mac, chances are you’re already using an iPhone or an iPad. Like those other devices, your Mac wants your Apple ID and Apple ID password. You connect to iCloud on your Mac when you first set it up, or through Apple ID System Preferences if you want to do that later.

By setting up iCloud on all your devices, you can share photos, contacts, calendars, and more without having to physically pair or sync your devices. And if you haven’t created an Apple ID yet, here’s your chance. Think of your Apple ID as your keys to the kingdom.

2. Back up your Mac

Time Machine is Apple’s easy backup software, which is already installed on your Mac by default. You’re crazy if you don’t use it. With Time Machine, you can easily recover Mac from major problems. The software keeps snapshots of your Mac. It also allows you to migrate everything to a new Mac when it’s time to replace or upgrade your old Mac.

If you’re worried about your Mac going “broken” or (accidentally) deleting important files, Time Machine should put your mind at ease. The “time” in Time Machine is a timeline that you can view. In addition, you can restore files or changes to files made at the points where Time Machine has stored its backups.

Time Machine works with external hard drives. You toggle the slider in the Time Machine System Preferences, tell it where to save the backup, and let it run its course. Time Machine backs up your Mac hourly, every day, every week, and every month so you can always recover. As long as that drive is connected, your Mac will be backed up.

If you want to be absolutely sure that you don’t lose anything, you can also make an extra online backup, for example at Backblaze. Online backups are generally not free.

3. Use the Help menu

Ever wondered why the Mac doesn’t come with a thick user manual? One that explains how the Mac works and how all programs work. You no longer have to wonder: That manual is actually built into the computer. The Help menu is so easy that most of us often overlook it altogether. But that’s not so smart, because it can be a huge help. The Help menu is in the menu bar, and it is contextual. That is, the content changes depending on which application is open.

When you click the Help menu, you’ll see a search field, table of contents, lists of shortcuts, and other helpful tips and step-by-step instructions. Often these also include visual cues to show you which menus to click and which menu items to select. Whenever you get stuck in an application and don’t know what to do next, click the Help menu to get you out of trouble.

4. Familiarize yourself with the menu

The  menu is located in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen. Clicking on it gives you instant access to some key features within macOS. Some of these are your Mac’s System Preferences, the Mac App Store, and the applications and documents you’ve recently opened. You can also use the menu to restart and shut down your Mac.

If a program stops working, the menu also has a special feature worth learning about: Force Quit. It ensures that a persistent program is immediately closed, so that you have to restart your computer and thus continue with your work quickly.

5. Visit the Mac App Store

Apple established the Mac App Store as a convenient and secure way to download software for your Mac. This is all possible with the same Apple ID and password that you use on your iPhone. There are thousands of programs available, including many that won’t cost you a cent.

The Mac App Store is much more important than just a way to download new apps for your Mac. It’s also Apple’s way of releasing critical program updates. To keep your Mac in top shape and as safe as possible, download updates as soon as you see notifications from the Mac App Store. You can also set macOS and applications to update automatically, like on your iPhone.

You can even install iPhone and iPad applications on the M1 Macs. While you’re searching, just click the iPhone & iPad Apps tab to download iOS programs directly to your desktop.

6. Set up your email

Do you still open your email with a web browser and go to Gmail or Microsoft’s website to see what new messages you have? There’s a better way: Apple gives you a Mail app that can connect to almost any email service. Using the Mail app is much more convenient, especially if you have multiple email accounts. In addition, Mail is well integrated with the other core applications of macOS, such as Safari, Contacts, Calendar and Maps.

7. Add a printer to your Mac

No matter how much we do online these days, printers are still an indispensable thing most of us have at home. You used to have to download and install drivers and software, but with the Mac it’s a lot easier to set up.

All you need to do is plug your printer into one of your Mac’s USB-C ports or connect via your WiFi network. Open System Preferences, click Printers & Scanners, and then click the + button. If your Mac recognizes the printer (which it does in most cases), it will configure it as needed and download any drivers from Apple’s servers. In some cases it may be necessary to download the drivers from the manufacturer’s website. These often contain special functions and, if desired, additional software.

8. Meet Spotlight

Spotlight is built into macOS and helps you quickly find things on your computer: documents, apps, pictures, contacts, maps, and files. In addition, Spotlight can connect to the Internet to search Wikipedia, news sites, movie lists, and more. You can even use Spotlight to perform calculations, such as converting inches to centimeters or other simple math tasks you’d rather leave to the computer.

Spotlight is in your Mac’s menu bar; it’s the icon that looks like a magnifying glass. When you click on it, the Spotlight search field appears, and when you type something into the search field, Spotlight starts working. You can also use the Command-key on your keyboard and then press the spacebar and Spotlight appears.

Once you get the hang of it, using Spotlight is the fastest way to launch apps, find documents, and many more things you want to do really quickly.

9. Customize the Dock

The Dock is the bar of icons at the bottom of the Mac’s screen. Docks on new Macs are populated with Apple’s own built-in programs, such as Safari, Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and Notes, but you can customize it to your liking.

You can customize your Dock to see only the apps you care about. Don’t use Maps or FaceTime? Drag them out of the Dock until the word “Delete” appears to make it a bit tidier. Do you use Mail more than anything else? Then slide it to the left. You can also add applications, folders, and files that you need frequently, just by dragging them to the Dock.

On the right side, between the vertical line, you will find your most recently opened apps. Finally, the Dock also includes the Trash to throw in files you no longer need.

You can also change the size of the icon, disable the bounce animation, change the way the Dock appears, and much more. Your Dock is the most important part of your desktop, so spend some time making it your own.

Open System Preferences and click the Dock icon to change its settings. You can change the size of the icons that appear in the Dock, change the magnification of icons when you hover your cursor over them, and move the Dock to the left, bottom, or right side of your screen, depending on your taste.

10. Learn Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

Apple’s user interface is made up of simple menus, such as File and Edit, and most programs display their key functions through those menus as well. Do you want to print something? Just click on the menu File and select Print.

But you can save yourself a lot of time by using keyboard shortcuts to perform frequently used tasks. Instead of on the menu File clicking and Print For example, you can also just hold down the Command (⌘) key and press P.

Every program on the Mac has its own keyboard shortcuts. If you the Mac Help opens it and searches for ‘shortcuts’ you will also find some references. more extensive lists of shortcuts can easily be found on the internet, such as on the MacHelp.nl website.

➔ Want to read more Tips and Tricks? Then look here.

This article appeared on MacWorld in 2015, but has been completely adapted to the latest version of macOS.