Throughout generations of updates, macOS has remained unchanged. But if you dig deeper, you will find various valuable features that can augment your productivity and streamline your workflow. So, prepare to change the way you use your Mac computer by knowing these hidden features.
Turn the Screen’s Corners Into Shortcuts
There are shortcuts, but it is a hassle remembering them all. macOS has a better alternative for you in the form of Hot Corners. Users can link a handful of actions to their screen’s four corners. Then, the device automatically executes the shortcut assigned to the particular corner when the cursor is taken to four corners.
Go to the System Preferences to set up Hot Corners > click Mission Control > click Hot Corners. From the dropdown menu, choose the actions you want to assign to the screen’s four corners. The action is executed when the mouse pointer is brought to a specific corner.
Trackpad Gestures and Mouse Pointer Customizations
Apple is known to make the best trackpads in the business. Their force-touch, multi-touch trackpads are excellent for helping users navigate the device with ease. There are tons of hidden trackpad gestures that users often overlook. Go to System Preferences > open the Trackpad pane to use the Mac trackpad gestures and speed up the tasks on your device.
Also, you can use almost any mouse with your Mac. With Monterey, macOS has even added a new feature to the mouse: the ability to swiftly locate the cursor by shaking it fast. There are also customization options, such as changing the fill color of the cursor by going to the System Preferences > Accessibility > Display > Pointer > Point fill color.
Quick Look
Quickly preview files using Quick Look; you don’t need to open the files in Finder. Instead, use the feature by opening a Finder window and locating the file you wish to preview. Then, click the file with your mouse to select it and press the spacebar. You’ll see a preview of the item in a pop-up window.
Quick Look is also used to get information on the contents of folders.
Spaces or Virtual Desktops
For Mac, Spaces is like virtual desktops. It helps users organize their open applications and windows into different desktop workspaces. Users can create separate spaces for various tasks. They can even switch between them without a fuss.
Press F3 on the keyboard to open Mission Control > move your mouse cursor to the top of the screen > click the plus button, and add a new desktop. Then, you can drag and drop app windows from Mission Control into the desktop thumbnails at the screen’s top. You can switch between them by clicking the thumbnails.
Keyboard Shortcuts for Taking Screenshots
Taking screenshots helps speed up productivity and allows users to capture the exact contents of their screens. In addition, the screenshot is saved as an image file that is viewed later or shared with other people.
You can take a screenshot by pressing Shift + Command + 3 on your keyboard. The screenshot will be saved on your desktop. For more screen recording and screenshot options, you can press Shift + Command + 5.
Force Quit
Force Quit is a fantastic feature that allows users to quit an unresponsive application quickly. Of course, you need not rely on it to quit applications, but sometimes it is required to close unresponsive apps. You can use it by pressing Command + Option + Escape. Then, choose the unresponsive app and select Force Quit.
Convert Images on Mac
There might be instances when you need to back up images from your iPhone to your Mac. While doing this, you will find the photos are saved in the HEIC format, or some of the pictures on the web are available in the WebP format.
You can convert WebP or HEIC to JPG on your Mac without hassle. You can right-click on the HEIC or WebP image, convert it using Finder, and select Quick Actions.
Hello Screensaver
M1-based Macs come with the iconic Hello screensaver, and thanks to Monterey, the feature has been expanded to all Macs. So if your macOS is updated to Monterey, you can use this feature. Set the new Hello screensaver on your device by heading to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > Hello.
Suppose you cannot find it that easily, you must dig deep. Click Go in the menu bar > click Go to Folder > enter /System/Library/Screen Savers > click Go > drag the Hello.saver file to the desktop > rename the file to anything you want but remember to keep the .saver extension and then double-click the file to open up System Preferences > click Install and when prompted, enter your password.
The Bottom Line
Knowing these hidden macOS features can enhance your Mac experience and reduce the time taken to complete regular tasks. So keep them in mind when working on your Mac computer.
