Finally taken the chance and treated yourself to a MacBook?
Here’s a list of what to do first to help you get all set up and raring to go on your new MacBook!
Back up early
Time Machine is foolproof backup software made by Apple, baked right into the Mac. Time Machine makes recovering from big problems easy, mostly because it keeps a snapshot of your Mac. Time Machine makes it a whole lot easier to migrate to a new Mac when the time comes to replace or even upgrade your system.
Connect to iCloud
If you already own any other Apple devices, be it an iPhone or iPad, then you’ll know all about iCloud. Connecting to iCloud on your Mac will let you access any photos, videos or notes that you’ve taken or made on your other Apple devices. Simply sign in using your Apple ID.
Use the Help menu
If you’ve ever wondered why the Mac doesn’t come with a thick owner’s manual explaining how it woks and what to do, wonder no more. The manual is built right into the Mac!
Clicking on the Help menu will bring up a search field, table of contents, lists of shortcuts and other helpful tips. It also includes step-by-step instructions and often with visual cues to show you which menus to click on and what menu items to select.
Set up Email and Calender
Although there are a number of fantastic email and calender apps for the Mac, you should still set up the built-in Mail and Calender, mostly because some apps use them as a jumping point for syncing data, and partly because you never know when your favourite third-party app will stop working.
Set up Optimized Storage
Apple has developed a great way for you to keep your Mac’s hard drive from getting too full. Using a number of iCloud syncing options, as well as a healthy clutter cleaning regimen, you can keep your hard drive free for more important downloads.
Set up automatic downloads
Apple regularly updates macOS with new and awesome features. Some Mac app developers also like to keep things ticking with regular updates. Make sure you don’t miss anything by setting up automatic downloads!
Visit the Mac App Store
Apple set up the Mac App Store as a convenient and safe way to download software for your Mac. Using your Apple ID to sign in, there are thousands of apps available.
Connect to your printer
Peripherals like a keyboard, trackpad, and mouse are all important to getting the most out of your Mac, but you should also thing about setting up a printer. Even if you don’t need one right now, you may need one in the future and this will save a lot of time.
Get to know Spotlight
Built right into your OS X, Spotlight helps you quickly find things on your computer: documents, apps, images, contacts, maps and files. What’s more, it can also connect to the internet to search places like Wikipedia, news sites, movie listings and more.
Not only that, you can also use Spotlight to do calculations, like converting feet to meters or any sort of arithmetic you’d rather trust to the computer.
Customise the Dock
The Dock is the bar of icons that sits at the bottom of the Mac’s screen. Clicking on those icons open many of the Mac’s built-in apps like Safari, Mail, Contacts, Calenders and Notes.
You can customise the Dock to your needs; you can add applications, folders and files you need or use frequently. Do this by simply dragging them and dropping them into the Dock. You can remove them too, do this by just dragging them out until you see the word Remove pop up. The icons in your Dock aren’t the apps, documents or folders themselves, just a visual representation of them.
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