Some very practical features of macOS are missing on Windows 10. Here are the applications you need to install to use them.
Switching from a Mac to a PC can confuse more than one. Several very practical features offered on macOS are sorely lacking on Windows 10.
This absence is all the more noticeable when certain automatisms are set up after months, even years, of using a Mac. We think in particular of the glance function, which allows you to quickly display the preview of a document by pressing the space bar, or the active corners of Exposé which allow you to launch an action by pointing the mouse. in a corner of the four corners of the screen.
However, third-party developers offer simple and light utilities that make it possible to fill these gaps, and improve the comfort of use of Windows 10.
A look
Quick Look is by far one of the most convenient features of macOS. So practical that its use becomes natural on Macs. It allows you to display a quick preview of a file (document, image, videos, etc.), by selecting it and pressing the space bar. The preview is then opened in a floating window and allows you to quickly view the contents of the file.
This feature, which is sorely lacking in Windows, can easily be integrated by installing Seer. This software open source and free runs in the background without monopolizing PC resources.
To take full advantage of it, you will need to modify its settings (from the icon in the hidden icons pane of the taskbar) so that it is launched when Windows starts up. The program is used in the same way as Quick Look on macOS, by selecting a file and pressing the space bar.
Download Seer for Windows (Free)
Spotlight
On macOS, Spotlight allows you to do a lot of things: find a file, open a program, solve an operation, launch a query on the Web, etc. all in a minimalist interface. There is an equivalent on Windows 10, but its presentation is not as engaging.
However, you can replace the Windows 10 search engine with Wox, a complete application launcher that will allow you both to search for programs or files, and to launch a query on the web using the Alt + Space shortcut ( customizable) to launch it.
On the positive side, Wox offers several customizable themes that can match your desktop and offers the possibility of installing additional modules to add new features (calculator, translation, etc.).
Download Wox for Windows (Free)
Active corners
On macOS, Exposé’s active corners provide quick access to the desktop, view all windows in the active program, and more, simply by dragging the mouse pointer into any of the four corners of the screen. screen. While this feature is officially absent from PCs, it is quite possible to get the active corners of macOS on Windows 10.
WinXCorners is a free program that, once installed, delivers active corners to your PC. You will be able to display all windows, quickly access the desktop, launch the screen saver, turn off your monitor and even open the notification center.
Download WinXCorners for Windows (Free)
Dynamic office
With macOS Mojave, Apple introduced the dynamic desktop, a desktop whose wallpaper follows daylight depending on the time of day. For this, the wallpaper combines several photos of the same place, captured at different times of the day and night. Dynamic desktops are no longer just for Macs.
Timothy Johnson, a developer, came up with a program for Windows, WinDynamicDesktop, to achieve the same effect. The program natively embeds two dynamic wallpapers, including that of Mojave, and can accommodate others thanyou must first download.
At launch, WinDynamicDesktop will ask you for your geographical location so that the program can determine the time of day in order to adapt the wallpaper of your computer. To make sure you get the most out of it, don’t forget to check the option to launch the application when Windows starts up.
Download WinDynamicDesktop for Windows (Free)