Don’t work harder; work smarter. This phrase was coined in the 1930s, but is still relevant today. No one wants to spend hours on something long, when a few keystrokes can do it in just a few seconds.
To help you be more productive on your Mac, here are five simple tips. You will get your job done faster and you will have more time to play.
MacOS Tip # 1: Configure Spotlight Search
If you haven’t used a spotlight before, you should. Spotlight Search can find files, find information on the Internet, and even perform basic math calculations. Best of all, you can access it with a simple keyboard tap.
Follow these steps to customize what items Spotlight looks for and how to use it.
1. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu in the upper left corner.
2. Select in Spotlight preferences.
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3. Select the check box to select the categories that Spotlight will search for. Uncheck the boxes for the categories that Spotlight shouldn’t search for.
4. Select the Privacy tab. Add folders that Spotlight shouldn’t search.
You can use Spotlight search by selecting the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of your screen or by using the Command + Spacebar keyboard shortcut. When Spotlight Search opens, you can enter a word or phrase into the search bar and Spotlight will display the results.
MacOS Tip # 2: Create text shortcuts
macOS lets you create text shortcuts that automatically turn into longer text phrases. You can even add emoji to your text phrase.
For example, you can configure macOS to replace $ rec with “I received your message and will reply soon.” These shortcuts can be a huge time-saver and are very easy to customize.
1. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu in the upper left corner.
2. Select “Keyboard” in the settings.
3. Select the “Text” tab.
4. Find and click the + button in the lower left corner.
5. Enter the label in the “Replace” column. Choose a unique label, not the text you would normally type. Use the% or ~ symbol if necessary.
6. Enter the complete text string in the On column.
Once added, you can enter your shortcut into any text box and macOS will automatically replace it.
MacOS Tip # 3: Use Hot Corners
Never heard of Hot Corners? You are not alone.
This often overlooked feature allows you to perform an action when you hover your mouse over one of the four corners of the display. You can lock the screen, show the desktop, and more. You are limited in what tasks you can perform, but the ones that are available are useful.
It only takes a few simple steps to set up hot corners. To get started, follow these steps.
1. Open System Preferences from the Apple menu in the upper left corner.
2. Select Mission Control in settings to open Mission Control settings.
3. Click the Hot Corners button.
4. Use the drop-down menu to select an action for each corner.
When finished, select OK.
To use hot corners, you just need to move your mouse pointer to the edge of the display at that particular corner.
MacOS Tip # 4: Safari Picture-in-Picture
Do you often watch a video tutorial in one window, and then work in another? Are you tired of constantly switching between them? If you are using Safari, you can complete this switching cycle using the picture-in-picture feature.
You need to use Safari, but it works with any video streaming service including YouTube, Vimeo, and more.
1. Open Safari and click + in the right corner to open a new tab.
2. On this tab, start playing a video on YouTube, Vimeo, or another video service.
3 Find the sound icon in the tab and right-click it to display the drop-down menu.
4. Select “Insert picture-in-picture” to open the video in a smaller window
5. The picture-in-picture video will now float to the top of the browser window.
You can work in your browser and open other applications and the video will stay at the top for viewing. You can also drag the video to any corner of the screen that you like best. To exit picture-in-picture mode, simply click on the video and select the X in the upper left corner.
MacOS Tip # 5: Useful keyboard shortcuts
MacOS has many keyboard shortcuts It is almost impossible to learn all of them, so we simplified the task by choosing the ten most important ones to remember.
- Screenshot tools: Use Command + Shift + 3 to take a screenshot of the entire window, Command + Shift + 4 to take a screenshot of the selected area, and Command + Shift + 5. to open the screen capture toolbox, including video (macOS Mojave). Screenshots are usually saved to your desktop, but you can quickly copy them to the clipboard. Just add the Control key when you use the keyboard shortcuts in the screenshot For example, Control + Command + Shift + 3 will take a screenshot of the entire window and copy it to the clipboard.
- Close the application: Use Command + Q to quickly hide the application from prying eyes by closing it with a simple keystroke.
- Direct Delete: By default, the delete key on macOS deletes backward, deleting characters to the left of the cursor. Press Function + Delete to delete forward by deleting characters to the right of the cursor.
- Move between applications: hold the command key and press the tab key to switch between applications.
- Move between windows in an application: Use Command + tilde (~) to switch between windows.
- Minimize Window: Command + M minimizes the active window, and Command-Option-M minimizes all open windows.
- Force Quit: Use Command + Option + Esc when the application is frozen and you need to force quit.
- Lock your Mac: Use Command + Control + Q to lock your Mac.
- Open Spotlight Search: Use Command + Space to launch Spotlight and search.
- Open emoji and special character viewer: Control + Command + space in any text field will open the emoji and special character viewer.
These keyboard shortcuts are useful, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Check out our full article for a complete list of keyboard shortcuts
Use macOS tips and tricks to be more productive
These tips and tricks will help you work more efficiently, but there is much more you can do with your macOS computer. If you are using Windows, we have some tips to make the transition easier. Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can install productivity apps like Alfred on your Mac, or use these advanced tips to teach you how to use logical operators, currency converters, and more.
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