Do you know everything your Mac is capable of? Do not miss this article in which we offer tips, tips and tools that you probably did not know
Discover everything your Mac is capable of. Surely you do not know the amount of tools and utilities that your Apple computer is willing to offer you.
So you know, keep reading to discover the tricks and tips that will allow you to get the most out of your Mac computer.
In this article we talk about tips and tricks that can be carried out in the MacOS High Sierra version , which arrived on our Macs on September 25, 2017.
1. Create GIFs with the Photos application
One of the new tools of High Sierra is to turn these live photos into fun gifs. You can also create other effects in the live photos such as loops, bounces and long exposures.
To convert a photo into a gif open ‘Live Photo’ and go to the ‘Edit’ mode.
You will see a box with different options: ‘Loop, bounce or long exposure’. Select ‘Loop’ .
You can get the long exposure effect from the ‘edit’ mode by choosing the ‘long exposure’ option. This effect can be very good, for example, in a photo of fireworks. What are you waiting to try it?
2. Highlights important notes
You have probably used the ‘Notes’ application before. The option to highlight specific notes can be very practical.
If you did not know, you can also block a note so that it can only be accessed if you have a password.
3. How to insert tables in the Notes application
To insert a table in one of your notes:
Click on the icon of the table in the menu bar.
To add more rows, click on the last row, specifically on the three points on the right. And select the option ‘Add row below’ (or above, depending on your interest).
When you add columns, each one of them will get smaller. If the table becomes wider than a page, a bar will appear at the bottom so you can slide and see all the information on your table without problem.
4. How to search for flights in Spotlight
If you know the number of your flight, it will be very easy to find all the information about that flight in Spotlight. Simply press the ‘Command’ key and the spacebar and type in the flight number.
Spotlight will not only inform you about the times of takeoff and landing, it will also show you where in the world that plane is currently located.
5. Use Siri to change the system settings on your Mac
If you do not feel ridiculous talking to your Mac, then you can use your Siri assistant to make changes to the system a simple and fast task.
Instead of having to go to system settings manually, you can activate Siri by pressing the ‘Command’ key and the space bar at the same time and ask her to make any changes.
Try asking to increase the brightness of the screen, turn off the Bluetooth connection, or inform you about the amount of space available.
6. Copy and paste between different devices
We love this new tool available in macOS Sierra.
Universal Clipboard is an extension of the Continuity tools already available in the Mac OS X El Capitan system. With Universal Clipboard you can cut and copy on your MacOS and iOS devices and paste them on other devices.
This means that you can copy and paste text, images and even video between devices without having to resort to AirDropping or emails for it.
If it does not work, make sure you have Bluetooth connected to your Mac and iPhone.
You simply have to press ‘Control + C’ on your Mac, and then select the ‘Paste’ option on your iPhone (or vice versa). If you are using the same Apple ID on both devices, the process will work automatically.
Do not you think that this is one of the most practical features of macOS Sierra?
7. Synchronize desktops on multiple Macs
Are you one of those who keep any file on the desktop? Then you will love this utility. One of the best features of MacOS Sierra is that the desktop will be synchronized with iCloud.
This means that when you access your iCloud Drive account from any of your devices, you can also access the files and folders that are stored on the desktop.
As you already know, you will not only be able to access your desktop, but also any other folder, such as ‘Documents’. The only downside is the space limit you have according to your iCloud Drive account.
If you are paying for more than 5 GB, this utility will come in handy. You may be interested to know that iCloud prices have fallen lately.
You can buy 50 GB for 0.99 € per month, 200 for 2.99 € and 2 TB for 9.99 €. For more information about the iCloud storage service click on this link.
By the way, do you know that there are more cloud storage systems? If you want to know what are the best services to save your files in the cloud do not miss this article.
8. QuickType keyboard on your Mac
Did you notice that when you type in your iPhone or iPad three suggested words appear? These are words that the system intuits that you are going to type next, according to what you have written previously.
You can get a similar function on your Mac. If you use TextEdit or Notes, you can press ‘Esc + Alt’ while you are typing a word and see the list of words that your Mac intuits you may want to write.
You can select any desired word simply by clicking on it.
9. Sign documents using the touchpad
If you have a finger and a Mac laptop, then you can sign PDF documents in ‘preview’ mode.
Open the PDF you need to sign and click on the toolbox icon in the upper right corner of the menu bar and click on the signature icon (it’s like a doodle).
Click on ‘Create signature’ and click on start.
When you have created your signature, you can drag it from the menu bar to any part of the document in which you want it to appear.
Do not miss our tips guide to create, save and edit PDF on Mac, if you want more extended information on the tools that you can enjoy thanks to a PDF.
10. Search your folders with Spotlight
If you are looking for any file through Spotlight, the folder in which that file is stored in the results list will appear.
What can not be so obvious is that you can use the cursor arrows to highlight any folder, touch the ‘tab’ key to move to the correct window and to select any file with it.
If you press ‘enter’ you will open a new entry. Touch ‘shift + tab’ to move to the left column.
11. Centers the Spotlight window
Sometimes when we open the Spotlight search window, it appears on something we need to read, making our vision difficult. That is why it is possible to drag it across the screen to locate it where you want.
Did you know that if you click on the search icon in the upper right corner for a long time, the Spotlight window will refocus? Well now you know.
12. Translate to other languages
The dictionary application is not limited exclusively to your language. You can activate more than one language at the same time:
Open the dictionary app (you can search it in Spotlight through ‘Command + space’).
Simply click on all the languages you wish to have activated in the dictionary application.
You can also modify the order of the languages to give priority to one or the other when you search for any term.
When you activate the dictionary in two or more languages, you can search for any word in any application by clicking on it with the right button and selecting the option ‘Consult (word)’.
13. Check the strength of the signal and battery of your iPhone
If you can not access a Wi-Fi network from your Mac, it’s very easy to share the Internet from your iPhone.
On your iPhone go to ‘Settings> mobile data> share Internet’, and activate this last option.
In the menu bar of your Mac click on the wifi connection icon, find your iPhone in the list of available connections and type the password you have chosen from your iPhone.
Once connected you will be able to check how the signal strength and the battery status of your iPhone are, in order to know for sure how much connection time you have.
14. Record the screen of your iPhone or iPad
Did you know that you can view the screen of your iPhone or iPad on your Mac and record its contents?
Previously this was a more complicated task that required applications from third parties such as AirPlay mirroring. Now all you have to do is connect the device to your Mac with a USB cable and open QuickTime Player.
Click on ‘Select file> New video recording’
QuickTime will take you by default to the Mac camera, click on the small arrow next to the record button and your iPad or iPhone will appear as an option.
Obviously you do not have to record anything, you may simply want to watch a video or any content of your iPhone on the big screen of your Mac.
You also have the option to record audio only if you wish, by clicking on the option of ‘new audio recording’.
15. Find objects in Photos
Admittedly, in a matter of photo viewers, the rivals of macOS, such as Google Photos, give a hundred thousand laps to the Mac application. However, we can say that in the latest version of macOS High Sierra, the Photos app return to the load.
The Photos app is now able to scan your photos and detect more than 4,000 different objects and more than 7 facial expressions.
In addition, it adds categories to each image automatically, using metadata from photos and labels.
So now, in the Photos app, you can search for “birthday cake” for example, and all the photos with a birthday cake will appear.
16. Unlock your Mac with Apple Watch
If you have an Apple Watch you can configure your Mac to never again have to type your password. Instead, you can use your Apple Watch to access your Mac automatically.
If both your Apple Watch and your Mac are updated to the appropriate version of the operating system (macOS Sierra, iOS 10.3, watchOS 3), then you can automatically access your Mac without a password.
17. Free space quickly on your Mac
Are you running out of space on your Mac? Do not panic. MacOS Sierra will come to your aid.
You have a lot of options available, you can see them all by clicking on the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen, ‘On this Mac ‘, choose the ‘Storage’ tab , and then the ‘Manage’ option .
You can choose the option to store files and photos in iCloud, and only save recently opened files.
You can also select ‘Optimize storage’, which will help you, for example, to save space by eliminating movies and TV shows from iTunes, or only saving attachments to recent emails.
18. Do not waste your battery
The version 10.2.3 of macOS Sierra includes a new tool that warns its users when the MacBook has set the brightness of the screen very high.
If you click on the battery icon of your MacBook in the menu bar, a drop-down menu will appear with your current power source, in addition to the applications that are consuming more battery power.
Knowing which are the applications that consume more battery, you can easily organize yourself better: close the ones you do not use and moderate the use of the ones you do need, to ensure that the battery lasts until you stop needing it.
19. Put your Mac’s screen in night mode
This new feature was implemented in version 10.12.4 of Sierra. Thanks to it you can adjust the brightness of your screen according to the time of day (or night).
If you activate the tool, your Mac will adjust its colors in the afternoon, that is, replace the light blue for what Apple calls a “spectrum of warm light.”
You will notice that the colors look more yellow on the screen when you use your Mac at night.
This tool can be very beneficial for those who suffer insomnia or have problems sleeping, since apparently, the light blue shades of the screen make us stay awake longer.
20. Use the ‘Notification Center’ to see where your friends are
You can add the ‘Find my friends’ widget in the notification center to see where your friends are.
Although many think that this tool is perhaps a bit invasive, it is also a very useful tool.
If you add it to your notification center, accessing it becomes even easier. For this you will have to activate the option of ‘Search for my friends’ on your iPhone or iPad.
Remember that you can only see the location of friends who have agreed to share it with you.
Both you and they will have to have activated the location permissions on your devices.
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