Want more from your Mac? Follow these carefully curated tips & tricks

The Mac is a feature-rich system, and you can squeeze out more from your device if you know the following tips and tricks. Without wasting another minute, scroll down.

Know the ins and outs of Finder

Since you spent a lot of time in Finder, it is essential to make it work for you. A good starting point would be to define the most important folders as your Favorites on your system. You can also choose to define key folders to iCloud.

Place a folder in either section by dragging and dropping it into the specific parts of the left column in the Finder. Also, you can drag and drop your essential folders to the top of the Finder menu. You need to select the items, press Command, and drop them there. However, be careful not to drop too many items, or you will clutter the UI.

You can switch to the column view in your Finder, and it will be easier for you to find things. Also, do not forget the fastest way to find items on your Mac is to press Command + Space.

Quickly enter and exit the full screen on your Mac

Regardless of the screen size you have on your Mac, it is a boon to know how to enter full screen and how to exit full screen. It will boost your productivity. If you are using an app and need to view it in full screen, you can press Command + Control + F. You can even click on the app’s menu and select Enter Full Screen.

Use Stacks to tidy your desktop

Keeping your desktop tidy is one of the most critical tasks. If your desktop is cluttered, you won’t find the items you need. Apple understands the importance of keeping things organized, and that’s why it offers a handy feature called Stacks. You can use Stacks to keep all the clutter organized by tapping on an empty section of the Desktop and selecting the View menu. Then, select Use Stacks. Your desktop will be automatically tidied up, and the files will be grouped and sorted by their type.

Open your Mac in work mode

If your Mac automatically opens your work folder, you will save some time. You can set it up on Finder > Preferences in the General pane. Here, you will set the New Finder window to the folder you need to open and explore most often.

Rename files quickly without wasting time

The quickest way to rename a folder or file in Finder is to select it and press Return. You will be in the text entry mode and can type the new name.

Utilize text clippings

Text clippings are a fantastic way to paste texts into any applications used regularly automatically. You don’t need to put much thought into it as you would in text replacement. You need to choose some text you use every day and drag and drop them to the Desktop. Then, a text snippet will be created, and you can drag and drop it into any application.

Make use of smart folders

When you need to automate project management, you can turn to smart folders. They have been a part of macOS for decades. They can help you find work completed in the last month or documents. After you have created a Smart Folder, the folder gets updated on its own with relevant new files added to them.

Check items by using QuickLook

There’s no need to open a file to check the content because you can use QuickLook. You need to select an item in Finder and press Space. You can see a preview item. Lose the preview by pressing Space again.

Improve your use of the trackpad

By gaining expertise in using the trackpad of your Mac, you can navigate your system faster. You can access a tutorial by going to System Preferences and clicking Trackpad. Here, you will find all the gestures supposed by your trackpad, and you can select each of them to demonstrate what they can do or how they work.

When it comes to gestures, there are three main types – Scroll & Zoom, Point & Click, and More Gestures. These gestures can do different things, such as show desktop, open launchpad fast, or switch between spaces. Once you have mastered these gestures, you can quickly explore your Mac without wasting time.

The bottom line

If you want more from your Mac, remember the tricks and tips mentioned above. These will help you squeeze the maximum juice out of your system and quickly finish your tasks. Also, the more you explore your system, the more hidden features you’ll come across.

How many of these tricks were you already using to enhance your productivity on Mac?