Here are my top 10 tips for anyone who is switching from a Windows based PC to an Apple Mac. Some of them are tips and some are just things I’ve found out along the way. These are not in any order:

1. Purchase a copy of Parallels Desktop for Mac if you need to use some Windows only programs. It’s invaluable in my opinion. I’ve heard about bootcamp but that’s no good for me because you need to reboot in Windows mode, then back in to OS X mode each time. Will Parallels, as the name suggests, they run side by side.
2. The file menu of any active program isn’t stuck to the top of the program window, it is at the top of your screen and changes each time you switch active programs. This one was very strange to me at first and took a while to get used to.
3. Apple keyboards have some keys in different places. For example the @ symbol. On a PC keyboard it is just above the right shift key, but on an Apple keyboard it’s over the number 2 key. I have lost count how many times I have typed an email address like this - someone”domain.com. Slightly frustrating!
4. There is no “print screen” key, or hash (#) key. For a print screen on a Mac you have to press the Apple key + Shift + 3. Or as a nice reader pointed out to me in the comments, you can press Apple + Shift + 4 to get cross-hairs and select a portion of the screen. When you let go, a .png image is saved to your desktop. Nice!
5. The mighty mouse (that’s what I have anyway) is a bit awkward to get used to. I still sometimes struggle to to a “right click”. This is because there is “one large button” instead of two distinct buttons I think.
6. Copying text to the clipboard (or whatever it’s called in OS X) is Apple + C and not Ctrl + C. Same for paste (Apple + V).
7. Spend the little extra and get the wireless keyboard and mighty mouse. It’s well worth it, believe me. At work we have PC’s and there are wires everywhere. You sort of get used to them and accept them until you go wireless.
8. Clicking the X (red circle) does NOT fully close the program. For years, we’ve been clicking the X in the top corner of Windows programs to exit them. On a Mac, this isn’t the case. To fully close an active application in OS X, simply press Apple + Q. Alternatively you can use the file menu with your mouse.
9. Press F11 to instantly slide everything off the screen so you can view your desktop. Very useful when you want top access a desktop item. I use this all the time without realising it now!
10. Last but not least, double click an application’s top window bar to shrink it down to the dock. The same as minimising on a PC.

There you have it. My top 10 tips for new Mac users crossing over from the dark side.

Tagged : mac tips & tricks

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