13 Best Mac Tricks to Use Mac More Efficiently

If you’re new to using a Mac it may seem not user-friendly. The reason you may think this is because you don’t know how to use your device efficiently.

To help you use your device to its fullest we have compiled a list of the top Mac tricks every user should know to use their Mac efficiently. Keep reading below to see our top tips to make using your computer easier.

1. Take Screenshots On Your Mac

If an image doesn’t have the option to save or if you’re trying to save a webpage and the formatting gets messed up, try taking a screenshot. To screenshot on a Mac you need to press command + Shift + 4 all at the same time.

Crosshairs will appear and you will be able to select what part of your screen you’d like to capture. After capturing you can proceed to the print screen on Mac to print your selection.

If you want to capture the whole screen you don’t necessarily need to drag the crosshairs over the whole desktop. Just hold down command + shift + 3 to capture the entire screen at once.

2. Run Windows Directly From Your Mac

Did you know that it’s possible to run Windows on your Mac and it’s surprisingly more simple than you think? All you have to do is go to the Applications folder on your Mac and then navigate to the Utilities folder.

Then launch the program called Boot Camp that you will find within the Utilities folder. Then you will click Partition to begin the process of making Windows run on your Mac.

When you restart your Mac you will need to load a Window’s installation CD. If you don’t have one they are easy to purchase.

3. Remember the Mac Version Of Control + Alt + Delete

Even though you’re not using a Windows machine, this doesn’t mean your Mac doesn’t have a troubleshooting ability. On Windows, you have to select control + alt + delete all at once to open the troubleshooting panel and close any unresponsive applications.

Mac also has this feature. By pressing Command + option at the same time their troubleshooting panel will open. From here you can close any unresponsive applications or ones that just don’t want to close.

4. Digital Signatures Are Easier Than You Think

Most things are done digitally in today’s world. This involves important contracts that need your signature.

Some think it’s impossible to sign a document on their Mac. They usually end up printing the contract out, physically sign it, and then scanning it back into their computer.

This is tedious and is unnecessary because you can capture your signature right in the Preview application that comes on every Mac. All you have to do is select the pen icon from the top bar when the Preview application is launched. From there you will select create a signature and follow the steps to copy your John Handcock.

After doing this once you won’t have to do it again. Your signature will be saved for future documents so all you have to do is click and sign.

5. Rename More Than One File For Ease Of Use

Renaming files can be tedious, especially if you need to rename more than one. This can be annoying and become very time consuming fast.

If you highlight all the files you’d like to rename by clicking and dragging or holding down command and selecting the files you’d like to rename, you can then control-click and select rename X amount of items all at once. Of course, they will all have the same name with a different number following such as Best Birthday_01 and Best Birthday_02 and so on.

6. Open Multiple Windows At Once To Make Your Workflow Smoother

One of the most annoying things about working on a Mac is that it seems nearly impossible to open one than more windows at a time. You can either carefully size each window to fit on your desktop at the same time or use a quick hotkey command to switch seamlessly and fast between windows.

If you use the hotkeys command + tab at the same time you will have the option to view all open windows at once. From there, you just need to select which one you want open. This is fast and a great alternative to having a second monitor or resizing windows constantly.

7. Make Your Mac’s Start-Up Sound Silent

If you’ve used a Mac before you’ve most likely heard the starting chime that blares at the start-up. If you’re in a quiet car on the train or trying to take notes in a meeting where this loud chime isn’t welcome, you can silent it.

It’s pretty simple to silence this sound. All you have to do is hold the mute key down at startup and there will be no loud chime.

8. Look Up Any Word In a Few Seconds With the Built-In Dictionary

When you’re reading an important document or researching something you may not know well, there are bound to be words you’ve never seen or heard before. Instead of copying each word and doing an individual search for each one, your Mac makes looking up definitions really easy.

All you have to do is select the word you want to look up by dragging to highlight or double-clicking. After selecting your word press command + control + D to open the dictionary. Your word will be defined in a few minutes right on the page you’re viewing.

9. Merge Finder Windows To Declutter Your Desktop

We all know that having multiple windows for the same application open at once can be cluttering, annoying, and frustrating. The good news is that if you’re working out of or in multiple finder windows at once you can combine them with a few clicks.

When you’re in one of your many finder windows navigate to the menu at the top of your desktop. Select Window and scroll down to merge all windows. From there all your finder windows will be merged into one for ease of use.

10. Record Your Screen

If taking a screenshot isn’t quite enough you can go ahead and do a simple screen recording. This process isn’t difficult and all done through the built-in Quicktime application every Mac comes with.

Head on over to your Applications folder and select file > new screen recording from the top menu bar. A pop-up will appear with a recording button and you can begin.

11. Add Foreign Characters To Your Letters Easily

To place a foreign character or an accent above a letter, all you have to do is hold the key down for a second or two. After this, a little pop-up will appear above your letter. From here you can select what character or accent should appear over the letter.

12. Find Your Forgotten Passwords In a Few Clicks

For almost all of the programs and websites you visit on your Mac, your log-in information will be tucked away and saved. Your Mac will automatically save these passwords deep within your Keychain so it’s not easily accessible to others.

You can easily retrieve this information if you know your log-in for changing preferences on your device. Open the Finder window and head on over to your Applications folder. Then you will select the Utilities folder and open it.

The Keychain program will appear and you will open this to find your log-in credentials. Now you have access to every log-in and can search them by name to find your password and user names.

13. Quietly Change Your Volume

When changing the volume on a Mac there are little sound bites that indicate the volume you’re choosing. If you’re in a situation where this could be distracting to others, you have the option to silence them.

To silence these sound bites all you have to do is hold down the shift key while you select your volume. This makes it easy to silence your Mac in a hurry without a lot of drop noises coming from the speakers.

Now You Know the Top Mac Tricks

From learning how to silence your Mac from making distracting noises to taking screen recordings, you now know the top Mac tricks to use your device more efficiently.

We look forward to seeing your productivity rise and the use of your Mac becomes easier with the tips above. For more tech tips and information be sure to check out the rest of our website.