MacOS is an operating system that has been improving and adding new features over the years and has become a very complete and versatile operating system.
We will show you some of the best tricks for macOS, with which you can improve your productivity, customize your desktop, access hidden functions and much more.
The best tricks for macOS
1. Use your iPhone as a webcam
Since the latest version of the operating system, macOS Ventura, it is possible to use your iPhone as a camera on your Mac to make video calls. It works wirelessly, and you don’t need to connect anything.
The image quality will be much better than with the Mac camera, and you will have available features like Center Framing, which always keeps you in the centre of the image.
You can also use your iPhone as an external microphone. Go to System Settings > Sound > Input and select iPhone.
2. Personalization
For a few years, it has been essential that all operating systems have different modes that allow you to change the appearance of your device.
You can choose between different accent colours or a light or dark mode, among other options.
Turning on dark mode gives your Mac a stylish look while helping you reduce eye strain and battery drain.
Go to System Preferences > General to enable dark mode and select Dark under the Appearance option.
Another option to customize your Mac is to choose a custom icon for any file or folder using your images, icons downloaded from the Internet, or icons from another file or folder.
Right-click on the folder, choose the Get Info option, and a new window will open with the folder information.
You must drag the image you want to the folder icon at the top left, and you will see how it changes.
Also Read: Apple Launches The New MacBook Pro
3. Quick notes
These notes are great for jotting down something anytime without opening the Notes app.
To create a quick note, move your cursor to the bottom right corner of your screen and click the icon that appears.
This option is possible using a feature called hot corners.
It consists of using the corners of the screen to initiate actions quickly, and it is done by moving the mouse pointer to a corner.
For example, you can set it to start the screensaver or to lock the screen by placing the pointer in a certain corner.
You can configure this option in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Hot Corners.
4. Edit PDF documents
macOS allows you to edit PDF documents without installing third-party applications.
You must open the document with Preview, the default application to open image and PDF files.
You can use the tools on the top bar to edit from that preview mode.
You can add, underline and mark text, rotate the PDF, make annotations, add arrows, and much more among the available options.
5. Use the universal remote
This is one of the most impressive tricks of macOS. It lets you use your Mac’s keyboard, mouse, and trackpad on all your Apple devices, like iPad and iPhone.
So you can work seamlessly between them without having to change accessories. To use Universal Controls, hold your devices close to each other and move your cursor toward the edge of the Mac screen until it appears on the other device.
6. Email
The Mail application has received new features allowing us to carry out more actions, facilitating our work each time.
You may get an important email in the afternoon, and you want your Mac to remind you when you’re working the next morning. It is possible, thanks to the option to remember an email.
Right-click on the message, and click Remember. You can then choose when you want to be reminded.
You can also schedule an email to be sent whenever you want.
Another function that can come in very handy is to undo a shipment. If, after sending it, you realize it was wrong or incomplete, your Mac now lets you undo the sending.
Of course, you only have a short time to undo it, and it does not reach its recipient.
7. Captures or recordings of the screen
If you want to capture or record your screen in macOS, press Shift + Command + 5.
You will see a box on the screen and, below, a small toolbar with different options for capturing and recording the screen.
8. Use search with Spotlight
Spotlight helps you quickly find apps, documents, emails, and more on your Mac.
Now the searches are complete and show you all kinds of information about contacts, famous people, movies or sports results.
You can also search for images from Spotlight in Photos, Messages, Notes, the Finder, or the Web.
Likewise, it allows you to perform quick actions, such as setting alarms, starting concentration modes, or identifying a playing song.
You can open Spotlight simply by pressing Command + Space.
Also Read: 5 Common MacOS Ventura Update Problems