For most people, the best part of investing in a Mac is the ability to be blissfully unaware of what’s going on under the hood. Whether it’s a desktop or laptop, the convenience of all your Apple devices linking up so effortlessly is worth the price of admission. For the most part, you’re able to plug it in and enjoy a hassle-free experience. That said, if you want to get themost out of your Macand be as efficient and productive as possible, the default apps and programs just won’t cut it.
Like the bestiPhone apps, installing and using new Mac apps on your machine is a breeze. The process is as painless as possible, which only leaves the question of which apps you need to look for. The app store is bursting with apps both free and paid, making it basically a full-time job if you want to sort out the diamonds in the rough. For anyone who lives and works on their Mac like I do, these apps are the first ones I download whenever I upgrade to a new device.
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Keep everything in place
If you’re a Mac user that likes to multi-task, you’ve probably heard of Magnet. The app allows you to easily move your open apps to various on-screen locations, just like a Windows computer.
Whether you’re using a single monitor setup or multiple, we all have dozens of tabs and windows open at once. Your screen real estate is constantly at a premium, and if you want to have multiple windows open, then you will have to wrangle them around to keep from overlapping. Windows has a handy feature where you can easily segment your windows, but Macs don’t by default.
Magnet is the best $5 you can spend on an organization app. It allows you to easily section your screen into halves, thirds, and quarters in multiple variations. In a world where multitasking is required, this functionality is essential to stay efficient. It works on up to six connected displays, which should more than cover your bases.
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Stay on task
I think it’s safe to say we’ve collectively moved on from taking notes with pen and paper. It’s wasteful, messy, and inconvenient compared to what our Macs can do. The standard Notes app is serviceable, but once you experience a premium note-taking app, you won’t be able to go back.
Bear is designed to be easy to use yet far more feature-rich than Notes. You can create to-do lists, mark notes with tags and themes to organize them, and even draw or include pictures in notes. You can get as detailed or as simple as you want, but either way, the app keeps things user-friendly, so you don’t spend more time creating a to-do list than completing it. There’s a free version to test it out, and a subscription to a Pro level that gives you even more flexibility and options.
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The superior music app
Spotify is a popular audio streaming platform that offers music, audiobooks, and podcasts. It can be used on mobile and on desktop, allowing you to listen to music in a ton of different places. you may even download music to your smartwatch.
Apple will try to push its Apple Music app on you with every Mac you own, and while it isn’t a bad music player by any means, it can’t hold a candle to Spotify. In terms of the sheer number of songs, options, and features, it’s no wonder that this app has become the go-to music player for just about everyone. Odds are you already have it on your mobile device, so sync up with your Mac and keep the tunes rolling.
Whether you’re working or playing, having something on in the background can help prevent you from going insane from the silence. Or worse, if there are loud interruptions you need to drown out, Spotify has the best selection of music and podcasts with tons of features. If you don’t mind ads, you can stick with the free version or upgrade to Premium for no ads and unlimited skips.
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Just as a backup
Google Chrome
Unless you’re a Windows userconverting to Macs, you likely know that Safari is secretly an amazing browser. It’s specifically designed for Macs, meaning it won’t slow you down and can integrate seamlessly with your other Apple technologies. However, for some reason, there are still some sites out there that aren’t optimized for Safari users, or they might even malfunction.
Having Chrome as a backup for those instances where specific sites don’t function as they should on Safari is an unfortunate necessity. Just download Chrome and keep it on your desktop until you need it.
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5BetterTouchTool
Just a touch away
BetterTouchTool
One of the coolest features your Mac offers, whether you’re using a mouse, touch bar, or trackpad, is the variety of gestures you can use. Depending on your swipe, you can perform several simple actions. But what if you could create your own gesture shortcuts to do whatever you wanted?
BetterTouchTool fulfills that wish. By setting up a gesture, you may assign it to perform any function you want, such as opening a specific app, closing a window, or almost anything else. If you find yourself frequently performing an action and want to streamline it, this app will forever change how you interact with your Mac.
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6Dark Noise
Block out distractions
Dark Noise
If music is too distracting, but you need something to occupy your ears, some soothing ambient sounds might be just what the doctor ordered. We aren’t all fortunate enough to be working near a lake or in a tent during a light rain, but Dark Noise can at least create the illusion that you are.
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Never get locked out
It feels like every site we visit requires us to log in. Between email, apps, and various accounts, my mind just can’t keep track of all my information half the time. Thanks to Shift, I can offload all that mental burden and let it take care of remembering everything. That alone would be worth making the list, but Shift goes above and beyond that.
Once you link all your accounts to Shift, it consolidates everything into one organized window. All my various email accounts, apps, and more are in one place. It even allows me to search across all my connected accounts, so I don’t have to sift through each one individually to find that one calendar meeting I need to update.
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Like many of the apps I’ve listed, this one isn’t only for Mac users but for anyone who values their privacy. This is particularly true if you’re using a laptop, but it’s just as crucial for desktop users too. Data thieves and hackers are out there, looking for any way to get your data, and a VPN is by far the best defense we have against them.
NordVPN is my personal choice among the various VPNs for a few reasons. First, it’s incredibly easy to use. It literally only takes a couple of clicks to change my location to anywhere in the world. Beyond that, I can’t detect any performance difference when using it. Oh, and as an added bonus, it can let you watchshows on streamingservices like Netflix that aren’t offered in your region, which is a nice cherry on top.
What is a VPN and what do they do?
VPNs are a middleman between your computer or phone and the wider internet.
9Amphetamine
Don’t fall asleep
Amphetamine
Just look past the awkward name for a second, and you might just find a simple but useful app here. Unless you’re actively using your Mac, it will eventually go into rest mode to conserve power, right? That’s all well and good, but if you’re downloading something like a big game and want to go do something else while it downloads, you’re kind of stuck because your Mac falling asleep will interrupt anything running or downloading.
By using Amphetamine (the app, of course), you can ensure your Mac never falls asleep when you don’t want it to. You can simply toggle it to stay awake until you turn it off, set timers, or have it active only while files are downloading or apps are running, among many other specific scenarios. It can be as straightforward or as comprehensive as you need it to be.
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Sharing is caring
Especially in workspaces, having a unified file-sharing system simplifies everything. PCs and Macs each have their own cloud storage solutions, but Dropbox is platform-agnostic and runs perfectly well on all devices. Even if you don’t need it for work, backing up your files in an app like Dropbox is wise, ensuring you can easily access them in the future, regardless of the computer you use.
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