8 MacBook Tricks That May (or May Not) Blow Your Mind
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It's crazy to think that Mac computers are almost 40 years old. But no matter how much time passes, Apple keeps updating both its software and hardware to make our Macs feel brand new. And although new features are always welcome, it can be difficult to learn everything that comes with each update. Fortunately, that gives you a chance to learn something new about your Mac every day. There are some hidden features that not even the most tech-savvy people know about. Whether you're an expert or just a casual user, continue reading to browse eight amazing Mac tricks you probably didn't know about.
YouTube Picture-in-Picture
Unlike iPhone, you can actually watch YouTube videos in picture-in-pictures on Mac. Of course, it's not the most productive way to work, but at least it keeps you entertained.
- All you need to do is go into any video you want and right-click.
- Right-click one more time, and a second menu will pop up!
- Click Enter Picture in Picture, and you'll be able to move your video around and go to another window or app while having the video playing and floating in a corner.
Split View for Mac
One of the coolest things about the iPad is that you can use Split View to see two apps at once. That way, you don't have to switch back and forth to get work done. And fortunately, you can do the same thing on a Mac!
- To use Split View, you first need to open an app you want to use, like Safari.
- Hover the mouse over the full-screen button on the top left corner of the Safari window. It's the green one.
- When a small menu shows up, click Tile Window to the left or right of Screen. This will put the Safari window in half, and you now have to choose which app you want to pair it with. You'll need to have the other app open as well.
To exit Split View, all you need to do is move your mouse to the top of the screen and click the full-screen button. You can also press the Escape key.
Use Spotlight to Do Math
Spotlight is a powerful tool that you can use to find any file or app on your Mac. Or you can use it to search for something on the internet in a flash! But did you know Spotlight is also a calculator? It's pretty easy to use.
First, open Spotlight by pressing Command + Space. Then you just need to type the calculation you want to make. For instance, you can type 44+2, 11x88, or 15/4, and Spotlight will show you the result next to your equation. It's way easier and quicker than open the Calculator app and clicking on numbers.
Emoji Keyboard Shortcut
If you're someone who's always looking for the best emoji in every situation, you're going to love this keyboard shortcut. Next time you're writing on your Mac and you want to add an emoji, all you need to do is press Control + Command + Space. This will open a pop-up menu with all the emojis you can add to your text (and more). You can see your frequently used emojis or type in the search bar to find the one you're looking for.
Unlock Your Mac With Your Apple Watch
Just like how you can unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch, even with a face mask on, you can also use your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac, which is extremely convenient, especially if you don't have Touch ID! First, you'll need to enable this feature. Here's how:
- On your Mac, click the Apple menu on the top left corner of your screen.
- Click System Preferences.
- Select Security & Privacy.
- Click on the General tab at the top of the window.
- Select Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac.
- Enter your password.
- You'll need to Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to unlock your Mac with your Apple Watch.
After that, you can lock your Mac and when you need to unlock it again it'll say that you're unlocking it with your Apple Watch. Your Apple Watch will show a message saying that your Mac has been unlocked.
You might need to double press the side button on your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac first.
Hot Corners
Although it's a weird name, Hot Corners is a really cool Mac feature you should be using. With Hot Corners, you can tell your Mac to perform an action just by moving the cursor to one of the four corners. You probably saw this in action with Quick Note, which was introduced earlier this year with MacOS Monterey.
To use Hot Corners, do the following:
- Click the Apple menu in the top left corner.
- Click System Preferences.
- Select Desktop & Screen Saver.
- Make sure you're on the Screen Saver tab.
- Click Hot Corners on the bottom right corner of the window.
- Click on a corner and select the action you want.
- When you're done, click Ok.
It's a quicker way to access your Notification Center or lock your Mac with just one movement. And if you don't like it, you can always change it back.
Quickly Hide the Dock
Sometimes the Dock gets in your way while you're working on your Mac. Fortunately, there's a quick keyboard shortcut to hide the Dock for as long as you'd like. On your Mac, press Command + Option + D, and the Dock will be out of sight in a flash. If you want to see it again, just press the same keys to make it reappear.
Preview Files without Opening Them
Finder gives you a small preview of all your documents, so you know which is which. But sometimes, it's too small to recognize anything. Before, you probably needed to open the file to understand what it was, but that takes too much time and RAM. Instead, you can easily preview any file or picture without opening it.
All you need to do is select the file you want to preview and press and hold the space bar until a small preview window pops up. You can see your file and even copy the text without opening an app!
What's more impressive is that you can even add a signature to any PDF document or lightly edit a picture without opening anything.