Six Things to Know When Switching From Windows to macOS
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Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company just had “its best launch week ever” for customers buying a Mac for the first time, with the MacBook Neo, MacBook Air M5 and MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max going on sale. It appears people are switching to the Mac in significant numbers, with the $599 MacBook Neo likely to make the biggest impact.
If you’re one of those responsible for Apple’s record-breaking launch week for new customers, you may be wondering where to start with macOS and how it differs (or doesn’t differ) from the Windows operating system you’re already accustomed to. Windows is the operating system I grew up with, dating back to the early days of Windows 95, but as a tech journalist I’ve had to write a lot of articles about macOS. I use both operating systems almost every day, so here’s my guide to getting familiar with Apple’s desktop operating system if you’ve only ever used Microsoft’s.
Perhaps the biggest interface change you need to get used to at first is the menu bar. If you’ve only known Windows, you’ll be used to having a taskbar at the bottom and application menus closer to the top, attached to the programs they’re associated with.
macOS has a menu bar that combines these different elements. It takes the application shortcuts, time and date display, and notification pop-ups from the lower right corner of Windows and places them in the upper right corner. This same top bar also includes the menus for any currently active application.
So whether you’re using Google Chrome, Adobe Photoshop, or Spotify, the menus aren’t attached to the program windows: they’re just at the top of the screen. It may take some getting used to, but the name of the currently active program is always displayed in the upper left corner, and to the left is the Apple menu, which I’ll cover next.
There is no Start button or Start menu on macOS. Instead, different parts of the Start menu are spread out in other places. For example, if you are looking for operating system settings or shutdown and user account options, these will be found in the section Apple menu: it is the Apple logo which always appears in the upper left corner of the screen.
Go here to find About this Mac (information about the computer you are using); the options for Sleep, RebootAnd Close; and commands to lock the Mac or log out. It is also useful here Force quitwhich can close misbehaving apps for you.
THE Apple The menu also gives you access to the macOS App Store and any app updates that might be pending there. THE Recent articles The submenu, meanwhile, fulfills some of the uses of the Windows Start menu, giving you convenient access to recently launched applications and recently opened files.
You can access your apps through Spotlight.
Credit: Lifehacker
How the macOS app experience differs from Windows
Like on Windows, you can install apps on macOS through the official App Store or by downloading them through your web browser. There are several ways to find and launch apps, which can be a little confusing at first: The method I use most is to launch Spotlight (via Cmd+Space or the magnifying glass in the menu bar), then typing the name of a program.
Then there’s the Dock at the bottom of the screen, which is largely equivalent to the Windows taskbar. You can switch between apps and launch recent apps from here, as well as pin app shortcuts permanently (right-click an app icon and choose Options > Keep in Dock). Open the Apple menu and select System Settings > Desktop & Dock to define the position and behavior of the Dock.
To find all installed apps on macOS, you can launch Spotlight (as above), then click the App Store icon to the right of the search box. You can also launch the Finder app and choose Go > Applications in the menus (or select the Applications link in the left navigation pane, if visible).
The Mac “Finder” is your new “File Explorer”
Finder is the perfect place to manage anything saved locally on your system, and while it may seem different from File Explorer at first, it doesn’t take long to get used to it. Like any other application, you can launch it from Spotlight or the Dock.
By default, there is a navigation pane on the left that lets you access key areas of your system, including the desktop and your Downloads folder (as well as the Applications case). As usual, the main menus are at the top, but drop-down menus to control the Finder layout are at the top of the current window.
Many Finder operations work the same way as in File Explorer: so drag a file from one window to another to move it between folders, for example. A nice Finder feature that you don’t get in Windows is Quick Look, which lets you press Space to quickly preview a selected file, without opening it.
What do you think of it so far?
How to Control Settings on Your New Mac
There are many ways to customize on macOS, and you can start by opening the Apple menu and choosing System Settings. From there, you can manage everything from software updates and Siri access to Wi-Fi connections and battery life (if you’re using a MacBook and not a desktop Mac).
Head to Wallpaper to set your desktop background (you will see that dynamic backgrounds that change over time are supported), Notifications to control how often you are distracted by app alerts, and Menu bar to change the items and shortcuts that appear right at the top of the screen. If you’re wondering how to edit something in macOS, you’ll usually find it here.
Options for individual programs are usually managed by clicking on the program name in the menu bar (like Chromium Or Spotify), then choosing Settings in the menu that appears.
System settings on macOS.
Credit: Lifehacker
It takes some time to get used to keyboard shortcuts on macOS
Keyboard shortcuts are a crucial part of using Windows and macOS as efficiently as possible, but you’ll need to retrain your muscle memory when you move to Apple computers. If you use Windows and macOS together, like me, you may need to take a second to remember which keys to press and when.
In many cases you can replace Ctrl under Windows with Order (Command) on macOS: Use Cmd+C copy (instead of Ctrl+C), Cmd+V paste (instead of Ctrl+V), And Cmd+W to close browser tabs (instead of Cmd+W), For example.
Sometimes the combination is a little different. If you are used to using Alt+Tab To browse your open applications in Windows, you must use Cmd+Tab for this on macOS, although you can install a utility to replicate Alt+Tab if you miss it. There are utilities available that can help you learn all the relevant shortcuts you need.
Integration of the Apple ecosystem is seamless
If you already have an iPhone or iPad to go with your new Mac, there are plenty of great features to explore. As long as your mobile devices and your Mac use the same Apple account and are connected to the same wifi network, they will work together.
There is a universal clipboard, so you can copy an image on macOS and paste it on iOS. You can also mirror your iPhone screen to the macOS desktop, control an iPad with your Mac’s keyboard and mouse, use your iPhone as a webcam, and even use an iPad as a second screen for your Mac.
If you’re on the Android side of the fence, your phone won’t work as well with macOS, although Apple Music and Apple TV are available in the Google Play Store. The best ways I’ve found to use Android, macOS, and Windows together involve cross-platform tools including Dropbox, pretty much anything Google makes, and web apps.
