00:00So you just unboxed a brand new MacBook Air. Congrats! But before you dive in, there are 11
00:05essential settings and features you should change right away to get the best experience.
00:09Whether it's using hidden shortcuts, Apple intelligence, seamless iPhone and iPad integration,
00:14these tweaks will make your MacBook feel faster, smarter, and more efficient. Now,
00:19I'm using a MacBook Air M4 for demo purposes, but these features will work on any MacBook
00:24running an M1 or newer chip. So let's get started. If you want to navigate
00:29macOS faster, knowing a few essential shortcuts will save you a ton of time.
00:35Command plus tab quickly switches between open apps.
00:42Control plus up arrow views all open windows in Mission Control.
00:47Control plus down arrow views all open windows for the current app.
00:53Command space instantly opens Spotlight Search to launch apps, find files, or even do quick math.
00:59Command plus H hides the active window instantly. Great for when you need a quick, clean screen.
01:06And if you'd like to work in split screen mode, just hover over the green maximize button on any
01:12window, then select tile window to left or right of the screen.
01:19Then you can pick another app to fill the other half.
01:23You can also use thirds or quadrants if you need more multitasking.
01:31Screenshots and screen recordings are so much easier to take when you use these shortcuts.
01:36Command plus shift plus three takes a full screenshot automatically.
01:43Command shift four allows you to select a specific area to capture.
01:51Command shift five opens the full screenshot and screen recording menu.
01:58Under options here, you can even set a timer or change where the files are saved before capturing.
02:05Apple intelligence is here and bring some seriously useful AI power tools to your MacBook.
02:11But before you can use them, you need to turn them on. Go figure. Go to system settings.
02:18Siri. Make sure Apple intelligence is enabled. Once that's done, you can start using features like
02:25smart summaries, which can quickly summarize emails, web pages, or long notes.
02:32Re-write and proofread. Select any text and ask Apple intelligence to rewrite it for better clarity or a
02:37different tone. Image playground. Create quick AI generated images. Not for serious work, but for
02:47something fun and fast. It does the job. So now you should be able to start using some cool features
02:53like Apple intelligence on your MacBook, which brings me to an important question. What's been your favorite
02:58new feature in Mac OS? Drop a comment below. And if you're enjoying these tips so far, make sure to
03:03subscribe for more MacBook and Apple content. Next up are widgets. And no, they're not just for your
03:10iPhone anymore. They live on your Mac desktop. To add them, right click anywhere on your desktop and select
03:16edit widgets. Drag in whatever you need, giving you info at a glance without opening apps.
03:24For mine, I've got the important things, weather, calendar, and battery status just for my desktop.
03:30If you constantly visit sites like Gmail, YouTube, or Tom's guy, just saying, you can actually turn
03:35those web pages into an app that sits on your dock. To do this in Safari, open the site that
03:41you want.
03:42Click file, add to dock. Now it runs like a standalone app. And if you're someone like me with a
03:50million tabs
03:50open all the time, this can help keep things a little bit cleaner. Speaking of Safari, it's fast,
03:55optimized, and great for battery life. But if you prefer something else like Chrome or Firefox,
04:00here's how you can change your default browser. Go to system settings, desktop and dock. Scroll down
04:07to default web browser and choose your preferred one. Now any link that you open will default open
04:12in your preferred browser instead of Safari. Need a faster way to insert emojis? Instead of clicking
04:17through menus, just use these shortcuts. If you're using your MacBook's default keyboard,
04:21just tap on the function globe key and the emoji picker pops open. You can even search from here
04:26for your favorite emoji. For all keyboards without this shortcut, click on control,
04:33plus command, plus space, and you'll get that same window to pop up.
04:39For keeping your passwords safe, you no longer need a separate password manager as macOS has a really
04:43powerful built-in option that syncs across all your Apple devices. To access it, bring up Spotlight
04:49search by hitting command plus space and type passwords, or you can find it in your launchpad.
04:54Opening this will be secured with your login password. From here, you can store and autofill
04:59passwords across apps and websites. You can search and organize all your logins easily. You can also set
05:06up verification codes for two-factor authentication. This works just as well as one password or LastPass,
05:12but without the extra cost or download. You'll also be notified if any of your logins have been
05:16compromised. Now, maybe one of my favorite features is iPhone mirroring, which can fully control your
05:22phone from your Mac. Once that's enabled, you can check on and access your iPhone even if it's in the
05:30room next door. This allows you to see notifications, reply to texts, and even drag and drop files between
05:37the devices. And if you use two-factor authentication a lot like I do, it saves you a lot of
05:46time. And if
05:47you want to learn more about iPhone mirroring and its other cool features, you can check out my full
05:50video linked above. Speaking of using other Apple devices, if you have an iPad, you can turn it into
05:55a second screen for your MacBook using Sidecar. Click Add Display and select your iPad. You can now
06:01multitask a lot easier and it's my favorite tip when traveling. And finally, if your MacBook starts
06:09acting up or you're ready to sell it, here's how you can properly factory reset your device. Go to
06:14Transfer or Reset. Click Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the on-screen prompts.
06:24This will wipe everything and restore your Mac to factory settings.
06:29Just make sure to sign out of iCloud first to remove your activation lock if you're no longer
06:33going to be the owner or you're passing this on to a new user.
06:39So these 11 settings and tweaks will help you get the best experience out of your new Mac.
06:43If you found this helpful, drop a comment and let me know which you'll use most
06:46or if there's anything I should try out next time. And if you want more Apple content, stay subscribed.
06:51You can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide and you can follow me to see what other cool tech
06:54I'm reviewing. Until the next one, I'll catch you later.
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