More than 100 million Mac computers are active, worldwide.
Apple’s Mac computers are one of the most popular options on the market. This is mainly because of their efficiency and user-friendly system.
But did you know that all Macs come with shortcuts that are meant to help make your life easier?
Continue reading to discover all of the cool things to do on a Mac that you didn’t know about!
-
Make Currency Conversions Quickly
Have you ever been in another country for business or pleasure and had to convert your money?
Currency conversions can be a bit of a hassle when you don’t know the worth of each dollar. By pulling up the Spotlight, you can quickly convert your money.
Spotlight can be pulled up in your finder. Once open you can type in the currency that you have and its predetermined currencies will convert. You can easily compare British pounds, Japanese Yen, Canadian dollars, and Swiss francs.
You won’t have to ever feel underprepared again when you travel with Spotlight.
-
Shut Down Tasks Quickly
On most computers, when they freeze up, you must hit “Ctrl Alt Delete” to close out of applications.
Mac computers don’t have this option, however. Instead, you can hold down Command+Option+Escape to quickly force quit windows. This is a much faster way to control your dashboard than right-clicking on each window.
Take control over your computer again and prevent major freeze-ups by shutting down apps at the beginning. Exiting out of applications that are struggling to run can free up space on your computer and get it back to running normally.
-
Clear Your Desktop
Are you one of those people who tends to fill up their desktop with files and important documents?
Most people that do this don’t realize how much junk is actually on their desktop when it could be saved in a file. If you don’t want to drag each icon to the trash application, there is a shorter way.
By clicking on a file and hitting Command+Delete, you can quickly get rid of old files. Clearing your desktop can help you work more efficiently. You may also feel less overwhelmed by doing this. Organization and minimalism are helpful and cool things to do on a Mac.
-
Find Your Cursor
If you work mainly on a computer and handle a variety of tabs all at once, you may sometimes lose your mouse cursor.
When this happens it can be frustrating and you can accidentally close out applications. Instead of risking your valuable work, you can enlarge your cursor by shaking it. Place one finger on the mouse tracking pad and quickly go back and forth, without pressing down.
After doing this you will see your cursor grow and go back to its normal size. This trick can also come in handy in the mornings when your coffee hasn’t quite kicked in!
-
Take a Shot
How many times have you gone to Chromecast on Mac to search how to take a screenshot on your computer?
For school assignments and work projects, you may have to take a screenshot of your computer to verify the information needed. In a pinch, you can just take a picture from your phone and send it over. However, this doesn’t come off as very professional.
Instead of doing it the hard way you can hold down Command+Shift+3 to take a screenshot of your entire screen. If you are wanting to capture only certain aspects of your desktop view, you can select Command+Shift+4.
Take a shot on your computer and capture a photo of your desktop to practice. You never know when this will come in handy!
-
Gain Access to Quick Info
Have you ever been writing a research paper or working and came across a word that you didn’t quite understand?
Typically in these situations, you would pull up the internet and search the terms if they are important. Instead of wasting your time you can highlight a word and press down Command+Control+D. This will then open up your Dictionary App.
In this window, you can enter your word and its definitions, along with the Wikipedia page and other information will come up. This is a great way to get access to important information without wasting any time.
-
Add an Accent
If you are bilingual or learning another language in school, you may be able to benefit from this hack.
For a long time, people would have to copy and paste certain letters that have accent marks in foreign languages. Instead of going through that tedious task, you can instead hold down the vowel key until a list of options pops up. In this window, you can look at the options and type the corresponding number to type.
This can save you a lot of time and frustration, especially if you have to write a report in another language.
-
Control Your Volume Settings
Everyone knows that you can turn up your computer’s volume with its volume keys and from the top right corner of the screen.
These ways of controlling your sound are quick and can quickly jump from one level to the next. If you need to better control your computer’s volume, you can hold down Shift+Option while pressing your desired volume keys.
This will help make smaller adjustments that give you more control. The best part about this trick is that it can work for your brightness setting too!
-
Search for Words and Terms
Have you ever had to look through long lists of information, trying to only spot a needle in the haystack?
Searching for one word can help you quickly find the information you want. By pressing Command+F you can open a window that allows you to type in any words or terms. Whatever you enter will become highlighted in the open window so that you can quickly find the information.
-
Set up Voice Dictation
One of the coolest things about Mac computers is that they have voice dictation and can even read back to you.
The main purpose of these features was to help those who are visually impaired or have low vision. These features can also come in handy if you are multi-tasking and want to listen to important information on your computer screen.
Having these capabilities can allow those with poor vision access to computers and information.
-
Use Windows Platform
Have you ever needed to get access to a Windows computer but all you have is a Mac?
In these situations, there is hope. You can quickly download applications like VMware and Parallels Desktop to run Windows on your hardware. Sometimes people need access to Windows to play certain video games or run a particular piece of software that isn’t compatible with Mac.
-
Type Special Characters
Most people are used to texting information between one another.
Switching to your computer shouldn’t limit your communication with emojis and special characters. To gain access to all of the special characters, you can hit Edit at the top menu bar. Then select Emojis and Symbols and pick your selection.
This can help liven up your language and keep conversations going, even when you switch to your computer.
-
Rename Multiple Files at Once
Renaming files can be an annoying and time-consuming task. Fortunately, with a Mac, it doesn’t have to be!
Instead of spending hours renaming pictures and downloaded files, you can right-click them and select rename. There are multiple ways that you can control the names of your files.
One example is replacing text with a word, “IMG_1” could become “1st Birthday_1” and so on with the numbers.
-
Add Your Signature
The digital age is here and people aren’t using a scanner anymore.
Instead, people can sign important documents straight from their computer. After opening a document you can go into the Preview application. In this application, you can enter your signature by writing it on the mouse tracking pad.
After your Preview application has saved your signature, you can attach it to documents by selecting the pen icon in the right corner of the screen.
-
Sneaky Startup
Have you ever been late to lecture or in a quiet place where you don’t want to turn your computer on?
When you are in these quiet situations, the entire room can hear your computer turn on. This can be especially scary if you fell asleep last night watching a show. Holding down the mute key, however, as your computer boots up will keep it from making any noise and disrupting class.
Test These Cool Things to Do on a Mac Yourself
Utilizing this guide can help you learn more about your computer and all of the cool things to do on a Mac.
Even if you have had a Mac for 10 years, you likely don’t know all of its capabilities. You can start up your computer silently, take screenshots, and even look up words with these shortcuts.
Don’t be afraid to test these tricks out on your Mac. They may help improve your efficiency and productivity.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about improving efficiency and productivity with mobile technologies!