Mac tips and tricks for Beginners
Macs had long been praised for their ability to perform actions outside of remits of Windows computers. Nevertheless, many users are still not aware of Mac tips and tricks that can be performed on a Mac or every hidden feature.
Whether you have an iMac, a MacBook Pro, or a MacBook Air, here are the most impressive hacks to use with your Mac.
Mac tips and tricks: Bring emoji keyboard and add emojis on Mac
Let’s start with the most interesting Mac tips and tricks. As we use emoji in everyday messaging, it can bring emoji pens quickly and easily. To do this on a Mac, just follow this method:
- Place your cursor in the text field where you want to add the emoji.
- Hit: Command + Ctrl + Space.
- Emoji keyboard panel will appear on your screen.
- Scroll through all the available emojis and categories or use the search box at the top of the window
- Click the emoji you want and it will appear in your text box.
Please note that this does not work in each text entry field, but usually works in messages and emails. Emojis that fail to render are usually displayed as a triangle.
Using Spotlight as a calculator
Here come another Mac tips and tricks which would be fun to explore surely. By using the following method Mac users can use Spotlight as a calculator:
- Click command + space to launch spotlight.
- Type your equation (for example, 1 + 1).
- The answer will immediately pop up in the spotlight as a search result.
By using the snipping tool take a screenshot
The ability to take screenshots is a major feature. There are some additional aspects to using the snipping tool on the Mac screen:
- Capture a specific area:
- you will get a crosshair that you can drag with your mouse to the area you want by typing Command + Shift + 4.
- Capture Full Window:
- Typing Command + Shift + 4, then let them go
- Click on the spacebar
- Now you can click on any window you want and take a shot of the entire window, including the shadow.
- Capture Desktop:
- Hit Command + Shift + 3 to take a shot of your entire desktop.
Sign PDF to Mail App
Since more official documentation is digitally recorded, it is important to be able to digitally sign documents such as PDFs.
First of all, you need to capture your signature for reuse in PDF. You can do this with your mouse, trackpad, or camera.
- Open the preview app on your Mac.
- If the markup toolbar is not showing, click on the markup toolbar button.
- Click on the ‘Sign’ button.
- Create and save your signature.
Using your trackpad:
- Click on ‘trackpad’.
- Click on the text as the prompt.
- Sign your name on the trackpad using your finger.
- When your signature appears in the window, click ‘Done’ (or click ‘Clear’ if you don’t like the result).
Using your computer’s built-in camera:
- Write your signature on a white piece of paper.
- Click on ‘camera’.
- Place your signed paper in front of the camera so that you have a signature with a blue line in the window.
- When your signature appears in the window, click ‘Done’ (or click to clear to ‘, if you don’t like the result).
Add your signature to a PDF:
- Choose the signature you want to use.
- drag it to where you want it.
- Use the handles on the corners and edges of the box to adjust the size.
Create an Apple icon anywhere
Want to quickly and easily create an Apple icon in a text message, email, and text document? Mac tips and tricks can help you with that, simply hit Option + Shift + K, and you are done.
Start the ‘Don’t Do Disturb’ setting
The information center in OS X is home to all the apps and websites on your Mac that require permission to send you alerts. If you want to disable notifications for your Mac, you can do so quickly using the following method:
- Hold down the options button on your keyboard.
- Select the Notification Center icon in the menu bar and it will shade itself, indicating that DND (Do Not Disturb) is on.
Rename Files in Bulk
Renaming files in bulk can save valuable time and helps ensure that file naming conventions are consistent. To rename files in Finder:
- Highlight the files you want to rename.
- Right-click on any of them.
- Select “Rename Item” from within the menu that appears.
- Name utility will pop up on your files.
- Now you can choose how you want to format your filename. For example, if you type ‘Photo Yatra Photo’ in the ‘Custom Format’ textbox, the files you select will be named ‘Yatra Photo 1,’ Yatra Photo 2 ‘etc. (you can change the format and number as you wish)
- Click ‘Rename’ when finished.
Send and Receive Text Messages from Your Desktop
This is great for being able to send and receive text messages on your Mac, especially if your iPhone battery is low or you don’t take it on hand. It is possible to send and receive text messages from people who do not have iPhones. Use these Mac tips and tricks:
There are two different types of messages that you can send and receive on your Mac – normal text messages and iMessages (which are sent via Apple’s servers).
Sending text messages to iPhone users
- Click on the message icon in the dock (you can search it by pressing Cmd + Space and start typing the message).
- Sign in using your Apple ID (associated with your iPhone).
- Choose new message icon.
- Place your cursor in the To: field.
- Type in the recipient’s phone number and press ‘Enter’.
Please note: If you have synced your contacts with your Mac, you should be able to click the if + ‘sign to connect people directly to the contact list.
Log your Apple ID into messages on your Mac to receive iMessages sent by people with iPhones. These messages will also appear on your iPhone.
If the recipient has an iPhone, a blue box will be added to their number and they will receive your text as iMessage. How your details appear on their phone depends on whether you are already established as a contact. If not, for example, they may see your Apple ID email address as an identifier instead of your phone number.
Sending text messages to non-iPhone users
When entering the recipient’s contact details, if you see a red box against the To: field, they are not registered with iMessage. Any attempt to send will result in a message: to ‘Your message cannot be sent. The way it allows your Mac to send messages through your iPhone. how to do this:
- If you haven’t already, sign in to iCloud on your Mac and iPhone using the same Apple ID.
- On your Mac, go to System Preferences> iCloud and sign in using your Apple login details.
- On your iPhone, check the Apple ID account you are using.
- Open the message on your Mac.
- Go to Settings> Messages on your iPhone.
- Hit ‘Text Message Forwarding’. Your Mac will be listed with an on / off slider next to it.
- Change the slider to green (on) to allow your Mac to send and receive text messages.
- You will be prompted to enter the code shown on your Mac.
- Enter code and wait for device verification.
- When you add your friend’s non-iPhone mobile number, it will have a green box indicating that you are sending a text message.
By following the above steps, you will also be able to receive text messages from non-iPhone on your Mac.
Access the dictionary from anywhere
Mac users can view definitions of words using Spotlight. Mac tips and tricks to do this quickly is:
- Hover over the word in question.
- Tap the touchpad with three fingers.
This will result in a pop-up that includes the definition of the word, as well as synonyms from the thesaurus.
You may have to make some efforts to correct the three-finger tap, but once you master it, the process will become muscle memory and you’ll find it easier to launch every time for the first time.
Reverse the colors on your screen
Want to do some exciting stuff? These Mac tips and tricks are waiting for you. The color of colors on your screen can be useful for people with color blindness, as it makes it easier to distinguish colors from one another.
Inverting colors can also be useful if you are trying to read a webpage with yellow text on a black background or have another hard-to-read color combination because you simply switch all colors to black and white by this command. can do. Others prefer inverted colors when using their computer at night, as it changes the white background to black, reducing glare.
To turn colors on your Mac screen, follow this simple method:
- Control + Options + Command + 8
Dictate Siri
The ability to dictate is very useful, especially for those who want to make notes or even decide long content while doing other activities. Dictation software has been around for many years but has not yet become as ubiquitous and widely used as expected. This is due, in part, to challenges with software and the ability to accurately define words in speech.
Recent developments with machine learning have greatly improved voice recognition. The key to this is the ability to learn the voice of individuals. The more you use dictation, the more you will find it in ‘hearing’.
Here’s how to set up dictation using Siri:
- Select Apple Menu> System Preferences
- Click on ‘keyboard’
- Click on dictation
- Turn dictation on
- Choose from these options:
- Increased dictation – This allows you to use dictation when you are not online.
- Language and dialect – Be aware that some languages have multiple dialects, for example, English US vs English UK.
- Choose the keyboard shortcut you would use to initiate dictatorship, for example: Control + Option + D. The default shortcut is Fn Fn (press the Fn key twice).
- Choose which microphone you want to use from the pop-up menu under the microphone icon.
- Once completed, go to a document or other text area.
- Place the cursor where you want the spades to begin.
- Use your keyboard shortcut to start dictation (you can also choose Edit> Start dictation).
- To stop playing spades, click ‘Done’ under the microphone icon, press Fn once, or switch to another window.
Airdrop Files for Other Apple Devices
AirDrop allows you to send documents, photos, videos, and other media to nearby iPhones, iPods, laptops, and desktop Macs.
- Choose Go> AirDrop from the Finder menu bar (you can also select AirDrop in the sidebar of the Finder window).
- The AirDrop window will be visible to all nearby AirDrop users (who have AirDrop enabled). Drag and drop files to recipients.
- The recipient will be presented with the option to reject or accept your request. What will happen to your phone if you get Airdrop from another Apple device?
- Once accepted, the content is saved in the recipient’s download folder.
Moving or hiding the dock
The dock is the bar of the app icon on your desktop screen. If you want to move or hide them using Mac tips and tricks, hit Command + Option + D. Hit them again to bring it back.
Adjust the volume in small increments
While there are volume controls on your keyboard, some people find the increments to be too large and they would prefer the volume between the two current increments. By executing the following shortcuts, you can achieve more precise volume control.
Hold down the Shift + option and tap the volume up or down keys. You will then be able to fix the volume level above or below it.
Type Special Characters
If you ever need to type a special character such as é, è, or ü, using Mac tips and tricks, all you have to do is hold the key letter key and a menu of options will pop up.
Some symbols have specific shortcuts, for example:
- ç is option + c
- Q is the option + Q
- Y is option + y
- € option + shift + 2 is
Other special symbols can be found in the Character Viewer pane:
- To bring up Hit Control> Commands> Space Character Viewer.
- Click on the command to expand the window and browse the characters by type.
- Double-click your favorite symbol to insert into your document.
Conclusive Lines!
Following the above methods of Mac tips and tricks, you can easily hack your Mac. If you face any problem then contact our Technical Support Team who gives you customized solutions to any issues.