Mac computers: the Desktop

The desktop of macOS has four main parts:

• The Desktop Background
• The icons
• The Menu Bar
• The Dock

The Desktop is what is presented to you when you start the Mac, or when you are not working with a program.

Here’s how to customize the Desktop Background on a Mac with macOS 10.14 Mojave or later.

• Click on it Apple logo > System Preferences > Desktop and screen saver. You can also right click on the Desktop > Change desktop background.
• Make sure the ‘Desktop’ tab is open.
• Click on the image you want as your background. The wallpaper is turned on immediately.
• If you want a solid color as background, click in the left menu on Colors and select the color you want to set as the background. The background color is immediately visible.

Own photo as background
To insert your own photo as background, follow the first two steps above. You can now proceed in one of two ways:

If you have not created any folders in your Pictures folder, proceed as follows:

• Click in the left menu folders or photos.
• All your photos will appear.
• Click on the photo you want to set as wallpaper. The photo is immediately set as wallpaper.

If you have created folders in your Pictures folder, proceed as follows:

• Click in the left menu folders.
• Click the plus sign (+) at the bottom.
• Select the image folder containing the photo you want to set as the wallpaper.
• When you have found the folder click on Choose and the folder is (temporarily) added.
• You can now select the image you want to set as wallpaper. You do not need to confirm this further.

Do you want the desktop image to change on its own every now and then?
To change your Desktop Background from time to time, continue from the first two steps as follows:

• Put a tick in front of Change image.
• Select how often you want an image to change by clicking the arrow and clicking the appropriate interval, for example every half hour.

When you connect a CD/DVD, USB stick, or external drive to the Mac, an icon will appear on the Desktop. This icon allows you to open it with a double click.

The Menu Bar is an important part of macOS. You can compare it to the Taskbar in Windows. An important difference, however, is that the Menu Bar in macOS is contextual. That is, the menu bar changes based on what you are doing. macOS shows the options you need, when you need them and not otherwise.

If you have no program open, or if you click on an empty spot on the Desktop, you will see the default view of the Menu Bar. You will see the apple on the far left of that bar. That’s similar to the Start button in Windows. This is where you will find your computer’s properties, view its configuration settings (called System Preferences in macOS), and the ability to shut down the computer.

Next to the apple you will see the word Finder in the menu bar. Always running, Finder is the program that helps you navigate macOS. That’s why Finder is displayed in the menu bar by default. Read more about Finder in the article ‘Mac computers: Finder’.

When you open a program, for example TextEdit (Notepad for macOS), you will see that the Menu bar changes. The word “Finder” changes to the name of the application you are opening (“Text Editor”)”, and the options next to it are now the options associated with that application. However, the apple always remains, as does the far right part of the Menu bar.

At the top right of the Menu bar you will find several icons. For example, an icon for wireless internet and a clock. The icons you see depend on your system. If you do not have wireless internet, for example, this icon will not be visible there.

What you always see in the top right corner of the menu bar is a magnifying glass icon. If you click on it, a search field will unfold with which you can search the entire computer. This search function is called Spotlight.

Finally, there’s the Dock, the bar at the bottom of the screen. This is the easiest place to start programs. There are already some programs on it by default, but you can arrange these according to your own wishes. You open a program by clicking its icon on the Dock. When you open a program, a small dot appears below its icon on the Dock so you can tell it’s open.

On the right side of the Dock, you’ll see the Trash. You can delete files and programs by dragging them to the trash. To the left of the trash can is what we call a pile. If you click on the icon of a stack, no program is opened, but the contents of a folder expands. You can then open a document directly from its contents, or open the folder in Finder. The stack can also look like a folder with you, but the principle remains the same.