Here's a free Tuesday morning and ten years on a Macbook professionally, hope it helps!
System settings and preferences
Accessibility -> Zoom -> Modifier key for scroll gesture
This is an accessibility setting that lets you zoom into any part of your screen by holding the modifier key (I have mine set to ^ control, full screen). I use this all the time, specifically whenever I'm trying to bring focus to something on my screen to someone, as opposed to me pointing and them squinting.
Accessibility -> Color Filters
If you don't need color accuracy and have a desire to get your screen as orange/red as possible beyond what's possible with just Night Shift, use this.
Desktop & Dock -> Position on screen
Since there's more real-estate horizontally than vertically, I prefer my dock to be on the left side, as opposed to the default bottom. I prefer left over right because I keep the dock hidden, and even though I'm always using trackpad/mouse, there will be times when I go to manually use a scrollbar and the dock can be annoying, popping-up on the right edge.
Displays -> True Tone
Is a nice feature but if you work with colors professionally consider keeping this off. Night shift as well if for whatever reason you find yourself regularly working at night
Control center -> Menu Bar -> Clock -> Analog
I set the clock to analog because 1) it can't be hidden, and 2) I replace it with Itsycal (see below). I rearrange it to be the most far right icon; this in effect becomes an icon to open the control center.
Control Center -> Accessibility shortcuts -> Show in menu bar
If you use any of the accessibility settings, this adds a little button to your control center that lets you toggle them on/off. Feel free to add other things in this section to your CC that may be useful.
Trackpad -> Tap to click
I find MacOS unusable without this on.
Applications
Unless you're self-employed, these are things you may or may not be allowed to install per corporate policy. Nonetheless, these are things I use.
Itsycal - Free tiny calendar app that sits in the menu bar. I have it set to show the time/date (E, MMM d h:mm a) to replace the default time. When you click the time it shows a small calendar, mimicking Windows behavior. I feel MacOS should just do this by default. If you link your calendar it can also show upcoming events.
Raycast/Afred - Free/Paid spotlight replacement. Alfred is the one that's been around forever, Raycast a modern alternative. If there's one app I could choose to have it's probably this one. I personally switched to Raycast from Alfred years ago and I prefer it. I don't use any pro features, AI features and seldom 3rd party extensions. My absolute favorite thing is the built-in calculator, which I use for basic arithmetic, unit conversions, and more. For instance, opening up Raycast and typing "$23 $34 $22" shows $79; "63 days from tomorrow" shows December 9th, 2026, "$40 in jpy" shows "¥6,326", "130 kmh" shows 80.78 mph, and pressing return sends it to clipboard. Second favorite thing is the clipboard manager (set to cmd+shift+v) which I find an indispensable feature for any OS. Other things I use include color picker (set to cmd+shift+x), window tiling management (set to cmd+shift+control + left|right|up|down|m|.|return), emoji search (replacing the default one), caffeinate (keep computer awake), timer, and so on. It will for all intents and purposes replace a lot of small utility apps for most folk.
Cleanshot X - Paid screenshot tool. If you take a lot of screenshots or videos, this is the best one. I'm on v4.6. My favorite features include: video capture capabilities (showing Loom like camera head, showing keystrokes, clicks, device audio and/or microphone audio), scrolling capture, screenshot annotations, and being able to set OCR capture to a shortcut (e.g. I press cmd+opt+7, capture anything on screen like I were taking a screenshot, and the words in that capture go into my clipboard). I use that last one all the time. Shottr is a free (like WinRAR free) alternative that works ok, just for annotating screenshots.
Contexts - Paid window switching tool. Replaces the default cmd+tab switcher with a searchable list, which I much prefer. I bought a license for this years ago and it's something I use everyday and never think about it again.
Ice (or any alternative) - Free app that lets you hide and toggle visibility of items in the menu bar. For a decade people used Bartender for this, and people don't like Bartender anymore, so there's a bunch of alternatives now. I don't like a cluttered menu bar and this one works fine for me (I click the menu bar to toggle hidden).
BetterTouchTool - Paid complex automation / input customization utility. This is a heavy tool that's been around for a very long time that lets you do mostly anything that native MacOS doesn't when it comes to shortcuts, gestures, etc. I bought a license for v4 years ago and I'm still using it fine, I'm sure newer versions have more. It's hard to enumerate everything it can do but some highlights for me: specific app key forwarding and shortcuts (e.g. if I press cmd+k in this app, send cmd+p, or k+{delay}+tab+tab instead), hot corner functionality only if modifier key is held (I use it to quickly foreground apps, and would otherwise hate hot corners without this), customizing mouse buttons, etc. While Raycast and Hammerspoon (see below) can replace some common BTT functionality, nothing really comes close for obscure customizations, which can be worthwhile if you're constantly doing something for work.
Default Folder X - Paid finder add-on to make it easier to open/save/organize files. I knew about this tool and didn't use it for a long time but recently had a relevant use-case and decided it was worth the purchase. My most used feature is being able to quickly search and jump to a specific directory in open/save dialogs.
Hammerspoon - Free Lua-based scripting tool. If that means anything to you it may be valuable. It's similar to AutoHotkey for Windows.
Automator / Script Editor - Apple's default scripting engine. I use this for automating things that often interface with the OS itself, and for adding Finder quick actions.
KeyboardCleanTool - Free tiny app that locks your keyboard inputs so you can clean it. Helpful if you work around other people and care about appearances lol.
RightFont - Paid font manager. I'm using an old version (v8) and despite its warnings still works. If you work with a lot of fonts and font collections this may be useful to you.
Eagle - Paid photo/asset manager. If you work with lots of images and your work policy isn't strict with apps from Taiwanese companies, this is a helpful tool that I've been using for over six years. Similar to Adobe Bridge, or the defunct Google Picasa, but better.
GrandPerspective/OmniDiskSweeper/SpaceRadar - Free visual breakdown of storage space on computer. These are free alternatives to the popular paid software DaisyDisk. It's helpful for finding large forgotten files deep in nested folders to help reclaim storage space.
Syncthing - Free tool to sync folders across devices. Mostly self-explanatory; works seamlessly for me.
Tailscale - Free mesh-VPN / firewall traversal tool. Some companies might use Wireguard or Tailscale (based off Wireguard) for VPN. I use it to VPN into my home network when I need something.
UTM / VMware - Free virtualization/emulation software. If you have reasons for needing to run VM's, these two are good (VMWare used to be paid, but as of two years ago it's free). I prefer them to say VirtualBox (VirtualBuddy is fine). Some companies I've worked for only provide Parallels licenses, which is a paid alternative.
Antinote - Paid tiny note app. Similar to Default Folder X, knew about it for a long time and then decided to eventually buy it ($5) for a specific use-case. I really just wanted a note taking app that allows named variables. I have it set to my right hot corner and use it for quick jots. Can export to Apple Notes, Obsidian, etc, if that's important to your workflow.
Quicktime - Apple's default media player; listed here for professional context because if you have an iPhone you can plug it in and view and record the screen through the Quicktime window. Most screen-sharing apps let you connect a mobile screen, this is just an easy way. On later MacOS and iOS versions there's now a native iPhone Mirroring app.
SublimeText - Free/Paid text editor. It's a really good text manipulator. One of the oldest installed apps I use regularly, and even though I've long since replaced it for coding and writing, I always come back to it for manipulating text. Vim is the only thing that comes close, but that has a learning curve, whereas Sublime has a very easy, performant interface with regex and multiple cursors. Free like WinRAR but worth the license.
Handy - Free voice transcription app. Open source, downloads and runs local modern transcription models wrapped in a GUI. Only recently started talking to my computer regularly. New paradigm, works honestly pretty well, still developing the muscle memory for it (e.g. me typing instead of speaking this list).
Blip - Free cross-platform airdrop. Pairdrop.net if you don't want to install anything (but Blip does work well).
Files and file organization
I dislike a cluttered desktop, so I keep two folders _Sandbox and _Projects. Sandbox has long just held things that may end up on my desktop, an intake for things that may not have a place yet. Screenshots are configured to be saved to ~/Documents/Screenshots. Projects is where I keep all of my organized work. The name and structure of this directory may vary. Sometimes it may be in Google Drive. More on what works for me below.
I made a GYST system for keeping work files organized. When working as a designer for clients, it'd be something like below (there's a bit more detail within each numbered folder, just keeping it brief here for an overview). Depending on you do, this will look a little or very different; for my personal files and self-employed business, I use a moderately modified version of the Johnny.Decimal system, of which relevance to you may be very high or very low. In any case, my advice is the same: come up with a system that works for you and then stick to it (and evolve it when needed). You'll thank yourself later.
I bought Default Folder X because I realized the friction of navigating to directories to save files on MacOS (on Windows I'd use Listary for the same purpose). With DFX and a Raycast extension that moves selected files to a directory you specify, I have found myself more regularly placing files where they should be, usually at the time of save, rather than post organization later. There's apps like Hazel that can help automate file organization, but in practice the files I'm organizing usually require manual input and decisions.
If you select multiple text or images in Finder, you can right click -> quick actions -> create PDF. This is helpful MacOS command that's not always very well known.
If you select multiple files in Finder you can right click -> rename, and there you'll find MacOS's built-in bulk rename utility that's also fairly unknown and quite solid for most use-cases. In the unlikely event you need something more robust (similar to Bulk Rename Utility on Windows), there's Name Mangler and A Better Finder Rename.
In Finder, turn on path bar, status bar, and Recents in your sidebar if not already there. Spacebar lets you preview items in Finder.
Command line tools
If you don't find yourself in a terminal ever, this may be less relevant to you. Besides Homebrew I'm also going to leave out specific managers (e.g. for python, node) because if you're using them, your workplace probably has a standard/PoV.
iTerm - terminal emulator. There's a dozen, this is just an old and very popular one at one I use. It's my left hot corner.
Homebrew - MacOS package manager. This lets you install a vast majority of CLI tools, and some desktop applications, in the terminal. There are others that folks will argue are better, this is just the most well-known and used.
ffmpeg - Suite of libraries for manipulating and processing audio and video. Many programs are using this under the hood. I use it to convert MOV to MP4's to share videos in work platforms that don't preview MOV's, MP4's to GIF's for work platforms that can't show video, and to reduce the filesize of videos I'm sharing by fixing a constant rate factor. The last one is one of the most awesome things on this list truly, I even made a quick action to quickly run it on any file. At CRF 28 or so, it's basically magic -- it'll take a 1.4GB video down to like 70mb with virtually no discernible loss of quality.
fzf & fzf-tab - Fuzzy searching and fuzzy shell text completion. If this sounds useful to you it very likely will be. I also like being able to fuzzy search previously entered commands.
zoxide - cd replacement. Uses database and frequency algorithms to quickly route you to directories. So z acme would be equivalent of cd ~/Desktop/\_Projects/Clients/Acme.
ripgrep/rg & fd - grep and find replacements. Before I used the CLI regularly I preferred GUI's. Windows has Everything Search which is an incredible piece of software and nothing really comes close on the Mac side. I used HoudahSpot but eventually found the most capable are these two tools. I use yazi (see below) sometimes as TUI for these two.
yazi - Terminal file manager. I usually just use finder, but there are some limited cases where I find a terminal file manager helpful, and this the one I use. I like how it has integrations with other utilities like rg/fd and how easy it is to view and edit (text) files when jumping around directories.
visidata - TUI for exploring and manipulating tabular data. If you work with datasets of any regularity, this is pretty fun tool that let's you analyze and understand the shape of the data. Especially when the size of the dataset causes performance issues in something like Excel.
Do note though that Homebrew is dropping support for Intel Macs; the last applicable model is six years old so if you're getting a new computer it's probably not relevant, but in the case that it is, you may need to look into alternatives like MacPorts.
Rectangle is a must for me to move the windows, I know mac now implements most of the functionality, anyway I still find it better, I heard good things about omniwm but I didn't do the jump yet.
Keeping you awake to keep the laptop from going to sleep during presentations.
You don't need neither of them, if your usage is basic.
macOS introduced windows management a few years ago. You can move a window to the screen's borders or use keyboard shortcuts — they are listed in the Window menu. Note that if you use a non-Apple external keyboard, they probably won't work, since they depend on the globe key, which is rare on third-party keyboards.
For keeping your computer awake, macOS has a little CLI app called caffeinate. Just type caffeinate -d on the terminal emulator to keep the computer awake indefinitely. There are other flags.
Homebrew: It’s a package manager for Terminal and it’s great. Easy installs and updates. Also you can save your configurations for easy reinstalls
Onyx: Helps clean your mac and gives easier access to certain system commands
Bear: It’s a note-taking app and it’s great. The Notes app that Macs come with is solid too
Spotlight: Press cmd + space to bring up spotlight search. This comes with macos and is a powerful search and apple launcher
Apple is clearly selling your data through spotlight. You can stop some of it by going to System Settings > Spotlight > Results From System, then uncheck everything except apps.
Apple Reminders: It’s another Apple app that is secretly powerful. You can make location and time based reminders. I rarely use it, but on the
Hazel: It’s an autmation app for finder. It monitors folders and does actions based on conditions. For instance, I use hazel to move pictures from my downloads folder if they’re older than a week
Stuff that comes with macOS:
Tap to click: System Settings > Trackpad > Tap to click. It’s a personal preference but Tap to click is easier than just pressing hard on everything you need to click
Shortcuts are good for automation. You need to know a little about coding, but it’s mostly drag and drop stuff.
Hot Corners: System settings > Desktop & Dock > Hot Corners. They’re little gestures you can use to bring up certain features. Like i can drag my cursor to my bottom left corner to lock my screen.
Screenshots:
CMD + SHIFT + 3 to take a screenshot
CMD + SHIFT + 4 to take a selected portion of a screenshot
CMD + SHIFT + 5 to take a screenrecord and see the rest of the screenshot options
Hightlight:
CMD + C to copy, CMD + V to paste
CMD + Option + (direction) to highlight next word
CMD + Shift + (direction) to hightlight everything in that direction
Apps I don’t use but hear great things about:
Alfred & Raycast: They’re improved versions of spotlight that are extreemly customizable and powerful. Use them for search, automations, and launching apps
There’s a ton of other stuff and i might add to this as I think of things.
Reminders should be one I take a look at. Though it does seem it may cause a loss of sentence structure when
Hazel sounds nice but I doubt I'll use it much. I tend to keep file management to a minimum on work laptops as you're usually better off working in some shared environment. Nevertheless, saved.
A colleague of mine also mentioned Hot Corners and while I will likely check it out I have a visceral response to the name.
It’s been a while since I have used a Mac, but when I was doing corpus linguistics research with tens of thousands of text files, Publicspace apps were a godsend, specifically A Better Finder Rename and Big Mean Folder Machine. Worth every penny.
Those may work well combined with Raycast! I'm still figuring out how that works but it looks to be useful when I have a search bar able to find things I sorted using Rename tools.
By the by, if anyone has any tips for setting up Raycast or BetterTouchBar, I'm all ears.
Things that I have installed, use regularly, and haven't been mentioned yet
Timeout is my stretch reminder to help prevent RSIs
Alfred is what spotlight wants to be. It's a shortcut that will let me easily launch apps, run scripts, search my file system, and a bunch of other utilities
Amphetamine lets me easily keep my computer from sleeping during meetings and such
Stats tells me interesting things about the state of my system. Mostly this is essential for the battery display and nice for things like cpu and memory
As a Mac customization nerd, I’ll try and remember to reply more in-depth later. But for now, in addition to the others’ recommendations, in case you’re a video person, Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs has multiple videos on cool/interesting macOS apps (two of the more recent ones here and here).
You’re probably, nay, almost definitely not going to need even close to all of these apps, but he does include some nice inspirations even for improvements to the “basics” of computer usage on a Mac from time to time.
Macs come with a lot of pretty decent apps, so I wouldn’t say there’s anything that’s a must-have. I install Chrome first thing because it’s what I’m used to, but Safari is decent.
Since there’s more horizontal than vertical space, I move the dock to the right side.
Moving the dock may not be a bad idea. I did enable the Stage Manager so part of the screen's edges have been filled already. Though while some of the Stage Manager features are nice, I'm not entirely sold on how it works.
Another option (and what I do) is hide the dock so that it doesn't show up unless my mouse is down at the bottom of the screen. If I need to check what's open, I tend to cmd+tab, and if I need to open something, I use Alfred, so the dock doesn't get that much use.
I'm on the opposite of everyone with tap to click. With trackpads post-2016, it's better to actually click. Change the force required to the lightest setting and you'll save yourself the lag of having to lift up your finger. Post-2016, the click feeling is equal no matter where you are on the trackpad and the sensitivity is configurable because it's not a physically moving trackpad anymore but a force sensor.
Finger moves pointer to location, press down, clicked. Versus finger moves pointer to location, lift up, bring back down, clicked. Why move finger when there's no need? It's slower.
The extra benefit is that immediately after you press down, you can hold and just move for grab and move. There's tactile feedback that tells your brain the grab is valid versus when you tap, there's more uncertainty.
I used to tick off my wife by purposefully clicking down hard on her old MacBook Air some 10ish years ago. Friendly ribbing of course. But it did instill in me a penchant for clicking the trackpad.. which hasn't eroded.
For this specific laptop however I'm still in the figuring out phase. I have the trackpad that feels alright, they also gave me a magic mouse that desperately needs a mousemat to come remotely close to its potential, but I'll always have the option to buy something else if neither is sufficient. I've never been sold on trackpads as the main mousing device. Short bursts sure, not an entire working day though!
I really like Swiftbar -- it basically puts script output in the menubar. For me, I have an unread email account, a list of tasks / movies / tv / reminders (all based on timestamps) fed from Google Sheets, control sabnzbd, control my hue lights, and more.. its pretty handy.
quick edit: BetterTouchTool is fantastic and you can do so much with it. I also use Yabai for a twm. brew.sh is super handy if you're in your terminal a lot and need good tools.
People have mentioned the big things like Raycast already, but a few other utilities I like:
toggleMute: Adds an icon to the menu bar showing whether your mic is muted on the system level and lets you use a global hotkey to toggle it. There's a Raycast extension that's similar, but I found the icon for the standalone app to more reliably show the correct state when I tested it.
BackgroundMusic: App-specific volume levels. Has the unfortunate side effect of always showing the warning that an app is recording audio, though, so I tend to keep it off except when I need it.
OpenMTP: File transfer with plugged-in Android devices. SwiftMTP is a newer alternative with a more native-feeling UI, but I've not tested the functionality to see if either works better or not.
Karabiner-Elements: Key remapping. Has some complex options, but I mostly use a few simple things like changing around the media keys on my external keyboard.
Keka: Archive creation and extraction for a bunch of file types. Note that it works like the default MacOS unarchiver in that it just extracts the contents right away; if you want to browse them first, it looks like ShichiZip supports that, but I only just discovered it exists so I can't yet vouch for quality.
And a couple built-in features:
Keyboard Shortcuts: Page in system settings that not only lets you change most system-wide shortcuts, but lets you assign a custom shortcut to any menu bar item in any app (at least, any app that uses the system menu bar).
Login Items: Page in system settings that allows you to run any app or shell script at login.
Hyperspace (paid): Download more disk space! Apfs, the file system that apple uses, has a really cool feature called copy on write. When you make a copy of a large file, the copy happens instantly and takes up zero extra disk space.
(What actually happens is the system marks the data as copy on write. When you edit it, instead of editing the existing data, it makes a copy and then edits it. Since saving to an ssd requires writing a new version instead of editing in place anyway, you don’t notice a difference. But if you want a bunch of different instances of your 200gb photo library in 6 different places on your disk, it will fit with room to spare on a 512gb ssd since it’s only storing one true copy.)
However that all only works if you actually copy the files from finder. If you download the same file multiple times (like if you for some reason use npm instead of a proper package manager), this mechanism doesn’t work. This is where Hyperspace comes in. It will scan your disk, find duplicate files, and recreate them with the copy on write mechanism, freeing that space. Depending on your usage, you can save quite a bit of disk space.
I am currently messing around with different configs and whatnot for elite dangerous running in crossover bottles. I have ED installed in three different bottles for various tests. Because of hyperspace, it’s only taking up 50gb or so, not the 150gb that three separate installs would take.
meue | 3 hours ago
Here's a free Tuesday morning and ten years on a Macbook professionally, hope it helps!
System settings and preferences
Applications
E, MMM d h:mm a) to replace the default time. When you click the time it shows a small calendar, mimicking Windows behavior. I feel MacOS should just do this by default. If you link your calendar it can also show upcoming events.cmd+shift+v) which I find an indispensable feature for any OS. Other things I use include color picker (set tocmd+shift+x), window tiling management (set tocmd+shift+control+left|right|up|down|m|.|return), emoji search (replacing the default one), caffeinate (keep computer awake), timer, and so on. It will for all intents and purposes replace a lot of small utility apps for most folk.cmd+opt+7, capture anything on screen like I were taking a screenshot, and the words in that capture go into my clipboard). I use that last one all the time. Shottr is a free (like WinRAR free) alternative that works ok, just for annotating screenshots.cmd+kin this app, sendcmd+p, ork+{delay}+tab+tabinstead), hot corner functionality only if modifier key is held (I use it to quickly foreground apps, and would otherwise hate hot corners without this), customizing mouse buttons, etc. While Raycast and Hammerspoon (see below) can replace some common BTT functionality, nothing really comes close for obscure customizations, which can be worthwhile if you're constantly doing something for work.Files and file organization
_Sandboxand_Projects. Sandbox has long just held things that may end up on my desktop, an intake for things that may not have a place yet. Screenshots are configured to be saved to~/Documents/Screenshots. Projects is where I keep all of my organized work. The name and structure of this directory may vary. Sometimes it may be in Google Drive. More on what works for me below.right click -> quick actions -> create PDF. This is helpful MacOS command that's not always very well known.right click -> rename, and there you'll find MacOS's built-in bulk rename utility that's also fairly unknown and quite solid for most use-cases. In the unlikely event you need something more robust (similar to Bulk Rename Utility on Windows), there's Name Mangler and A Better Finder Rename.Command line tools
z acmewould be equivalent ofcd ~/Desktop/\_Projects/Clients/Acme.LewsTherinTelescope | an hour ago
Do note though that Homebrew is dropping support for Intel Macs; the last applicable model is six years old so if you're getting a new computer it's probably not relevant, but in the case that it is, you may need to look into alternatives like MacPorts.
[OP] CptBluebear | an hour ago
Legendary. Thank you for the effort. I will be reading this thread and post a lot in the coming days.
DoubleSupercool | 14 minutes ago
Another vote for Default Folder x. An absolute must.
marcus-aurelius | 9 hours ago
Bonooru | 8 hours ago
Seconding Rectangle. Its essential.
[OP] CptBluebear | 8 hours ago
Ooh, Keeping you awake is nice. I snagged that one. I'll have a look at Rectangle.
rodrigo | 8 hours ago
You don't need neither of them, if your usage is basic.
macOS introduced windows management a few years ago. You can move a window to the screen's borders or use keyboard shortcuts — they are listed in the Window menu. Note that if you use a non-Apple external keyboard, they probably won't work, since they depend on the globe key, which is rare on third-party keyboards.
For keeping your computer awake, macOS has a little CLI app called caffeinate. Just type caffeinate -d on the terminal emulator to keep the computer awake indefinitely. There are other flags.
shijie | 8 hours ago
Congrats on your new Mac, it's great.
Homebrew: It’s a package manager for Terminal and it’s great. Easy installs and updates. Also you can save your configurations for easy reinstalls
Onyx: Helps clean your mac and gives easier access to certain system commands
Bear: It’s a note-taking app and it’s great. The Notes app that Macs come with is solid too
Spotlight: Press cmd + space to bring up spotlight search. This comes with macos and is a powerful search and apple launcher
Apple Reminders: It’s another Apple app that is secretly powerful. You can make location and time based reminders. I rarely use it, but on the
Hazel: It’s an autmation app for finder. It monitors folders and does actions based on conditions. For instance, I use hazel to move pictures from my downloads folder if they’re older than a week
Stuff that comes with macOS:
Apps I don’t use but hear great things about:
There’s a ton of other stuff and i might add to this as I think of things.
[OP] CptBluebear | 7 hours ago
Reminders should be one I take a look at. Though it does seem it may cause a loss of sentence structure when
Hazel sounds nice but I doubt I'll use it much. I tend to keep file management to a minimum on work laptops as you're usually better off working in some shared environment. Nevertheless, saved.
A colleague of mine also mentioned Hot Corners and while I will likely check it out I have a visceral response to the name.
Thanks for the suggestions!
adutchman | 3 hours ago
Homebrew is great. Made me feel a bit more at home as a Linux user when I had a macbook for work.
DoubleSupercool | 9 hours ago
It’s been a while since I have used a Mac, but when I was doing corpus linguistics research with tens of thousands of text files, Publicspace apps were a godsend, specifically A Better Finder Rename and Big Mean Folder Machine. Worth every penny.
https://www.publicspace.net/index.html
[OP] CptBluebear | 8 hours ago
Those may work well combined with Raycast! I'm still figuring out how that works but it looks to be useful when I have a search bar able to find things I sorted using Rename tools.
By the by, if anyone has any tips for setting up Raycast or BetterTouchBar, I'm all ears.
Bonooru | 7 hours ago
Things that I have installed, use regularly, and haven't been mentioned yet
tauon | 5 hours ago
As a Mac customization nerd, I’ll try and remember to reply more in-depth later. But for now, in addition to the others’ recommendations, in case you’re a video person, Quinn Nelson of Snazzy Labs has multiple videos on cool/interesting macOS apps (two of the more recent ones here and here).
You’re probably, nay, almost definitely not going to need even close to all of these apps, but he does include some nice inspirations even for improvements to the “basics” of computer usage on a Mac from time to time.
skybrian | 9 hours ago
Macs come with a lot of pretty decent apps, so I wouldn’t say there’s anything that’s a must-have. I install Chrome first thing because it’s what I’m used to, but Safari is decent.
Since there’s more horizontal than vertical space, I move the dock to the right side.
[OP] CptBluebear | 8 hours ago
Moving the dock may not be a bad idea. I did enable the Stage Manager so part of the screen's edges have been filled already. Though while some of the Stage Manager features are nice, I'm not entirely sold on how it works.
Bonooru | 7 hours ago
Another option (and what I do) is hide the dock so that it doesn't show up unless my mouse is down at the bottom of the screen. If I need to check what's open, I tend to cmd+tab, and if I need to open something, I use Alfred, so the dock doesn't get that much use.
gary | an hour ago
I'm on the opposite of everyone with tap to click. With trackpads post-2016, it's better to actually click. Change the force required to the lightest setting and you'll save yourself the lag of having to lift up your finger. Post-2016, the click feeling is equal no matter where you are on the trackpad and the sensitivity is configurable because it's not a physically moving trackpad anymore but a force sensor.
Finger moves pointer to location, press down, clicked. Versus finger moves pointer to location, lift up, bring back down, clicked. Why move finger when there's no need? It's slower.
The extra benefit is that immediately after you press down, you can hold and just move for grab and move. There's tactile feedback that tells your brain the grab is valid versus when you tap, there's more uncertainty.
[OP] CptBluebear | an hour ago
I used to tick off my wife by purposefully clicking down hard on her old MacBook Air some 10ish years ago. Friendly ribbing of course. But it did instill in me a penchant for clicking the trackpad.. which hasn't eroded.
For this specific laptop however I'm still in the figuring out phase. I have the trackpad that feels alright, they also gave me a magic mouse that desperately needs a mousemat to come remotely close to its potential, but I'll always have the option to buy something else if neither is sufficient. I've never been sold on trackpads as the main mousing device. Short bursts sure, not an entire working day though!
economichael | an hour ago
Once I discovered three finger drag in accessibility settings I never went back. gotta get the word out since this should be default imo.
tomf | an hour ago
I really like Swiftbar -- it basically puts script output in the menubar. For me, I have an unread email account, a list of tasks / movies / tv / reminders (all based on timestamps) fed from Google Sheets, control sabnzbd, control my hue lights, and more.. its pretty handy.
quick edit: BetterTouchTool is fantastic and you can do so much with it. I also use Yabai for a twm. brew.sh is super handy if you're in your terminal a lot and need good tools.
LewsTherinTelescope | 55 minutes ago
People have mentioned the big things like Raycast already, but a few other utilities I like:
And a couple built-in features:
poduski | 29 minutes ago
I used to use a Jumpcut a ton, it’s a menu bar icon for cacheing your clipboard. It doesn’t work with images but it’s old as hell and free.
Weldawadyathink | 15 minutes ago
Hyperspace (paid): Download more disk space! Apfs, the file system that apple uses, has a really cool feature called copy on write. When you make a copy of a large file, the copy happens instantly and takes up zero extra disk space.
(What actually happens is the system marks the data as copy on write. When you edit it, instead of editing the existing data, it makes a copy and then edits it. Since saving to an ssd requires writing a new version instead of editing in place anyway, you don’t notice a difference. But if you want a bunch of different instances of your 200gb photo library in 6 different places on your disk, it will fit with room to spare on a 512gb ssd since it’s only storing one true copy.)
However that all only works if you actually copy the files from finder. If you download the same file multiple times (like if you for some reason use npm instead of a proper package manager), this mechanism doesn’t work. This is where Hyperspace comes in. It will scan your disk, find duplicate files, and recreate them with the copy on write mechanism, freeing that space. Depending on your usage, you can save quite a bit of disk space.
I am currently messing around with different configs and whatnot for elite dangerous running in crossover bottles. I have ED installed in three different bottles for various tests. Because of hyperspace, it’s only taking up 50gb or so, not the 150gb that three separate installs would take.