Migration Assistant is a tool from Apple that makes it incredibly easy to move your documents, apps, user accounts and settings from your old Mac to your new Mac, whether you're doing it directly or with a Time Machine backup.

With Migration Assistant you can also connect two Macs with Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt, FireWire, or Ethernet and transfer your data that way. Migrating all of your old data to your new computer means you can start working on your brand new Mac straight away. 

Migration Assistant is easy to use, but in this guide we'll walk you through the key steps and show you how to transfer data to your new Mac from your old Mac.

How to transfer data to your new Mac 

If you're setting up your first Mac, don't worry. You can also migrate your old PC data to your new Apple device. For that you'll need our how to transfer your data from your old PC to your new Mac guide.

If you already own a Mac, there are a few things you need to do before you transfer data to a new Mac from your old one.

• Update your software - You'll need to update your software first.
• Name your old Mac - If you haven't done so already, make sure your old Mac has a name. Open System Preferences > Sharing > and enter a name in the Computer Name field.
• Connect your old and new computers to a power source - Both devices need to be plugged into a power source to ensure that you don't run out of juice in the middle of the migration process.
• If you installed antivirus or firewall software on either Mac, turn that software off until after the migration is complete.

How to transfer data to your new Mac using Migration Assistant

Step 1: On your new Mac:

1. Click Go on your Mac's menu bar.
2. Choose the Utilities folder.
3. Open Migration Assistant

4. Click Continue.
5. Log into your Mac account, if applicable. This will shut down every open app on your Mac.
6. Select how you want to transfer your information: from a Mac, Time Machine backup, or startup disk.
7. Click Continue.

Step 2: On your old Mac:

1. Click Go on your Mac's toolbar.
2. Choose the Utilities folder.
3. Open Migration Assistant

4. Click Continue.
5. Log into your Mac account, if applicable. This will shut down every open app on your Mac.
6. Select the option to transfer to another Mac.
7. Click Continue.

Step 3: On your new Mac:

1. Select the other Mac option when asked to select a Mac, Time Machine backup, or another startup disk.
2. Click Continue.

Step 4: On your old Mac:

1. Confirm the security code shown on your old Mac is the same as the code now on your new Mac.
2. Click Continue.

Step 5: On your new Mac:

1. Select the information to transfer.
2. Click Continue.

After Migration Assistant is done, log in to the migrated account on your new Mac to see its files.

When you've finished transferring data to a new Mac from your old one

Your new Mac should have all of the data you selected to transfer. It should look almost exactly like your old one if you migrated everything.

If you don't want your old Mac anymore, check out our guide about how to sell your Mac. You'll need to rest it before you sell it, but we have a guide for that too: how to prepare your Mac for sale.

If you haven't got a new Mac to transfer your data to yet, but you're in the market for one, take a look at our MacBook Air (M2, 2022) review or our best MacBooks and best Mac desktops guides. 

Whether you're backing up business documents or a lifetime's worth of family photos, there are few things more precious than your personal data. Keeping it protected and backed-up is a modern-day essential, and our picks of the best external hard drives for Macs will help cast out your data-storage demons once and for all.

The best external hard drives for Macs are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. When you consider price, ease of use, and portability, the Seagate Ultra Touch HDD is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times, but there are plenty of other options. We recommend the SanDisk Professional G-Drive 12TB for those really big back-up jobs, for instance.

Quick List

The best external hard drives for Mac: in depth

The best external hard drive overall

If you want a reliable external hard drive with a decent amount of storage that is super easy to carry around and has a very affordable price tag, the Seagate Ultra Touch HDD is the best option for most people. Formatted for Windows and Mac right out of the box, it's easy to carry all your essential documents from desktop to laptop as soon as you hook it up.

The Seagate Dashboard backup system is a fantastic, simple tool that lets you schedule backups to ensure you never miss any critical files if something terrible happens to your computer. You can set automatic backups daily, weekly, or monthly and change the frequency whenever you want.

Seagate also throws in a one-year subscription to Mylio Create for free — which can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool — and a four-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan.

No lengthy setups or formatting procedures here. The Seagate Ultra Touch HDD 2TB is formatted for Mac right out of the box.

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The best external hard drive for portability

This small compact SSD drive from Samsung comes with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A, meaning it's perfect to use with your MacBook or Mac.

More importantly, it's super fast. SSDs tend to be much faster than HDDs, so if you need speeds, this is our pick. There's more than enough speed and power to transfer any file with up to 1,050 MB/s read speeds and 1,000 MB/s write speeds. And it should be able to store all your photo and video files with ease thanks to its straightforward software. Plus, if you're worried about encryption, the Samsung T7 Portable SSD has you covered with an optional password to launch the drive and AES 256-bit hardware encryption on all your files.

However, it's worth noting that you'll be paying more for SSDs than HDDs, hence the expensive price here.

The Samsung T7 is the best option if you need speeds. It's fast enough for photographers and videographers to transfer their work.

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The best external hard drive for capacity

Ready for your Mac Time Machine back-ups right out of the box, the 12TB storage capacity on the SanDisk Professional G-Drive offers enough terabytes to back up an entire family's most important documents.

Whether you're filling it with Photos libraries, home movies or professional editing projects, the USB-C (10Gbps) interface provides reliable and speedy data transfers (up to 280MB/s read and 280MB/s write) from a 7200RPM hard drive. It can get a little noisy under load, and its speeds won't match those of an SSD. But the dollar-to-terabyte ratio here is excellent, from a brand you'd happily trust your most valuable files with.

12TB not for you? SanDisk also makes everything from 4TB up to 22TB in this enclosure design – though we feel like 12TB will be the sweet spot for many.

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The best rugged hard drive

LaCie hard drives have always been good for people on the go because of their rugged design. The LaCie Rugged SSD Pro can withstand some dust, dirt, and even a tiny bit of water being splashed on it as it has an IP67 rating. Plus, its rubberized outside makes it shock-resistant, meaning it can survive a fall if you accidentally knock it off your desk.

Since it's an SSD, it's incredibly fast, being able to play back 6K video no problem. Plus, the included USB-C cable makes it perfect for MacBook and Mac users alike!

The LaCie Rugged SSD (1TB) is a favorite because it can withstand drops, dust, and even the occasional splash of water!

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The best external hard drive for speed

If you're used to dealing with giant file sizes and need a hard drive that can handle transfer data fast, the Samsung X5 is one of the fastest SSDs you'll find. Its read and write speeds are 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s, respectively, and the entire body is made of metal, making it much tougher than plastic drives. Plus, the internal frame on the inside is shock-resistant for drops from two meters.

This SSD comes with Thunderbolt 3 technology included. This is so you can take advantage of the fast speeds on your Mac or MacBook Pro, and it doesn't need any formatting, so it's plug and play!

If you need blazing fast speeds for giant files, the Samsung X5 is a monster external SSD that can handle any workload.

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Q & A

The Seagate Ultra Touch HDD is the best external hard drive for your best Mac because you can carry it around with you at all times, it's formatted for both Mac and Windows right out of the box, and its easy-to-use software can automatically complete backups for you as often or as little as you want. No matter how you back up your Mac, the Seagate Ultra Touch HDD has you covered.

Seagate also throws in a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create. This program can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool. A two-month membership to Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan means it's the best external hard drive for Mac for budding photographers as well.

If you are looking for something with USB-C to use with your MacBook, and nothing here suits your fancy, you can always check out the best USB-C hard drives for Mac to ensure you can use them on your Mac laptop with no dongle needed.

Interested in upgrading more of your home office set up? We recommend adding a second screen for comfort, productivity and to make the most of your Mac's wonderful display. Check out our best 4K monitors for Mac guide to see which we recommend.

What you need to know

• The worldwide PC market experienced "the sharpest decline in nine years" in Q2 2022.
• Worldwide Mac shipments and market share, however, grew.

While the worldwide PC market experienced "the sharpest decline in nine years," the Mac continued to grow in both shipments and market share.

According a new report from Gartner, total PC shipments fell 12.6% to 72 million units in the second quarter of 2022. The firm says that the decline is due to "geopolitical, economic and supply chain challenges impacting all regional markets." Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner, said that the decline in shipments is contunuing to accelerate from the first quarter into the second:

That decline does not seem to be slowing down the Mac, however. When looking at worldwide shipments, Mac shipments grew from about 5,822,000 units in the second quarter of 2021 to 6,365,000 units in the second quarter of 2022. That led the Mac to grow from 7.1% to 8.8% market share, a total growth increase of 9.3%.

In the United States, Mac shipments grew from about 2,618,000 units in the second quarter of 2021 to 3,128,000 units in the second quarter of 2022. That led the Mac to grow from 10.5% to 15.3% market share, a total growth increase of 19.5%. In fact, Gartner says that "Apple was the only vendor to experience growth in the second quarter of 2022."

The introduction of Apple silicon has revitalized the Mac for Apple. The company has redesigned many of its computers because of the capabilities of its new processors, latest of which is the new MacBook Air which will officially launch on Friday, July 15.

What you need to know

• For All Mankind season three is full of Apple Easter eggs.
• An iPod has made an appearance in one episode.
• A Mac running macOS and featuring an oddly-placed Dock cropped up, too.

Apple TV+ was always going to be a good place for Apple to place its products and For All Mankind season three is definitely pulling its weight. Now, the show has given us a look at an iPod as well as a somewhat concerning macOS Dock placement.

Let's start with the iPod with a shot showing music being played via its headphone jack. This actually means the For All Mankind alternate timeline actually got the iPod before we did — the music box was released in 2001 here, but For All Mankind season 3 is set in the 1990s. Lucky them!

Next up is a screenshot that shows Ed Baldwin stood with a bank of displays in the background, but those paying close attention will have spotted what looks like macOS Monterey running on one of the machines — with the Dock at the bottom.

Now, Dock placement is something of a contentious issue for many Mac users and that's an argument for another time. But also notable is the Apple TV app that's also sat in that dock alongside the Podcasts, App Store, and Apple Music icons. That iPod was one thing, but it looks like the For All Mankind timeline was a good 20 years ahead of us in terms of streaming services.

What a time to be alive!

Haven't yet checked For All Mankind out for yourself? Now is the time to fix that — you can subscribe to Apple TV+ for $4.99 per month and also take the streamer as part of the Apple One subscription bundle, too. Remember, there's much more to watch as well with Ted Lasso, Severance, and more all ready and waiting for your eyeballs!

If you want to enjoy Apple TV+ in style, be sure to check out our list of the best Apple TV deals on the market today.

While controlling your HomeKit accessories from your iPhone is handy, making adjustments from your Mac can be more convenient at home or work. Using the Home app from your Mac means you don't have to look around for your phone if you're at the desk and want to secure your HomeKit door lock. The Home app on the Mac also allows you to put a live HomeKit camera view in a floating window so you can keep an eye on your home without losing focus. Here's how to use the Home app on Mac.

How to use the Home app on Mac

Unfortunately, you can't directly set up the Home app on your Mac. Instead, you'll need to set it up on your iOS device first. Here's how to pair a HomeKit accessory using iOS so that you can control it from your Mac.

1. Make sure your HomeKit accessory has power and is near your iOS device. You'll also want to double-check for any additional equipment you need for it to work with iOS (i.e., Philips Hue Bridge for Philips Hue bulbs).
2. On your iOS device, launch the Home app.
3. Tap the Plus icon.

4. Scan the HomeKit setup code for your accessory as prompted using your device's camera.
   • The HomeKit setup code is usually located on the device or in the manual included with your accessory.
   • You can also select I Don't Have a Code or Cannot Scan if you want to enter the code manually.
   • Some accessories support NFC pairing, which you can perform by placing your iPhone close to the HomeKit code.
5. Tap Add to Home.
6. Assign your accessory to a Room.
7. Tap Continue.

8. Type in a Name for your accessory, then tap Continue.
9. Select suggested automation if desired, then tap Continue.
   • Depending on your accessory, you may see additional options during setup, such as setting camera notifications and recording options.
10. Tap Done.

To get your HomeKit accessories in the Home app on Mac, you'll need to sign in to your Apple ID, have iCloud Keychain and Two-Factor Authentication on, and Home enabled in iCloud Settings. Both iOS and your Mac should also be running the latest software version.

It's a bit disappointing that you can't add new accessories directly on the Mac, but you can still get most of the Home app's other features.

Getting started with Home on macOS

Controlling your HomeKit accessories via the Mac works just like it does on iOS and iPadOS, with clicks and right-clicks taking the place of taps and long presses. The macOS Home app also includes the sidebar navigation view like the iPad, making it easy to jump to a specific room instead of swiping through each individually.

To turn a device ON/OFF or view a HomeKit camera's live feed, click on it. Grayed-out icons mean that the device is currently OFF, while white means it's ON.

Right-click on an accessory, and you'll get two options: Show Controls or View Camera and Settings. The Settings menu allows you to rename your devices, which is useful when moving stuff around the house.

Settings will allow you to see the device name and room. From here, you can make it a favorite, include it in your home's status, group accessories, adjust HomeKit Secure Video camera options, and see details like the firmware version.

When you click on Show Controls, you'll have access to things such as dimming the lights, adjusting temperature, and more, depending on your devices. For those who use compatible light bulbs, Show Controls will also give you the option to change the color of your lights and enable Adaptive Lighting.

HomeKit notifications are also available on macOS, with banners appearing on the top right-hand side of your screen and in Control Center. Like on iOS, you can set notifications up to inform you if a door or window opens or for motion events caught by one of your HomeKit cameras — complete with thumbnail images.

Control your home with a click

Even though it seems that Home for macOS is a little half-baked without the ability to add accessories, it's still a valuable tool with convenient controls and notifications. With the Home app on your desk, you can secure your HomeKit door locks with a click, and you can peek into your camera feeds at any time — perfect for working at home or the office.

Updated June 2022: Updated for iOS 15.

Apple's built-in backup program for the Mac on macOS, Time Machine, makes it incredibly easy to back up all of your important data so you can restore your computer if something should happen. You can even recover deleted files if you accidentally lose them.

On MacBooks, Time Machine includes the added feature of creating local snapshots so that if you disconnect your MacBook from its external hard drive, you'll still have backups stored on your internal hard drive so you can recover data if you need to.

Local snapshots are invaluable for situations when you're out and about and need to recover data but don't have your backup hard drive. Unfortunately, they also start taking up noticeable space on your hard drive. To free up space on Mac, keep reading.

Why do I have 100 GB of backups on my hard drive?

You need an external hard drive to set up and use Time Machine because that's where your backups are stored. So why do you have many backups taking up space on your MacBook's internal hard drive? Because of local snapshots.

Local snapshots are created automatically when you set up Time Machine on your Mac laptop. Time Machine makes one daily snapshot every 24 hours when you start up your MacBook on macOS Monterey or later. It also stores weekly snapshots. It keeps those weekly snapshots on your internal hard drive until you start to get low on storage. So, if you've been backing up your Mac for years with Time Machine, you could potentially have 100 GB of backups stored in your internal hard drive, as long as you have space for them.

How do I get rid of all these backups?

First, let me preface this by saying that you shouldn't worry about those backups and the space they are taking up. If everything is working correctly, Time Machine will automatically delete the oldest snapshot backups as soon as your internal hard drive has less than 20% of storage space left. If you then, say, download some large program and your internal hard drive plummets to below 10% (or less than 5GB of internal storage), Time Machine will delete all local snapshots except the most recent. The program will then continue to replace the old snapshot with a new one until you free up space on your Mac's internal storage, at which point it will go back to saving weekly snapshots as long as space permits.

That being said, everything doesn't always work correctly, and you may find yourself out of storage space on your internal hard drive, and those snapshot backups won't go away. However, if you really need to delete those snapshots (which I don't recommend unless you desperately need that space), there is a way to purge local snapshots from your internal hard drive. You can use a Terminal command to disable Time Machine's local snapshot feature, which will delete all of the local snapshots on your internal hard drive. It will also stop Time Machine from creating new snapshots.

To disable local snapshots in Time Machine and remove them from your internal storage:

1. Open Time Machine Preferences from the Time Machine menu in the menu bar on your Mac.
2. Uncheck Back Up Automatically.
3. Wait a few minutes for the local snapshots to delete.
4. Check Back Up Automatically again.

Looking for a new Mac?

When the time comes to replace your computer, consider our lists of the best MacBook and Mac desktop models.

Just be careful

Before you purge your local snapshots, be sure you need to do this. Time Machine should work automatically to remove older backups as you need the storage space on your internal hard drive. If you delete old backups, you can never retrieve data from them if something were to go wrong while you aren't connected to your backup hard drive.

Updated June 2022: Updated for latest macOS version.

The MacBook Air is Apple's best-selling Mac, and our favorite Mac. When a new version arrives, it's big news. The 2022 MacBook Air is a significant update vs. the previous model, the MacBook Air (2020). Besides offering a more powerful chip, the 2022 model comes in a new design with a bigger and better display. The MacBook Air (2022) also sees the return of the MagSafe charging port and more, like an updated FaceTime camera. None of this means you shouldn't consider the older model. In some cases, the 2020 version might be the laptop for you. Let's take a look at the differences so you can decide.

MacBook Air (2022) vs. MacBook Air (2020): Key differences

Although there are clear differences between the MacBook Air (2022) and MacBook Air (2020), it's amazing how similar they are in key areas such as storage capacity and battery life. The older model could be a better choice depending on your most important preferences. Take a look:

Despite the impressive specs of the latest MacBook Air, you can see here that the older version still has a lot to offer — starting with a less expensive price. So the question here is, how many bells and whistles do you need?

MacBook Air (2022) vs. MacBook Air (2020) A game-changing design

The latest MacBook Air introduces a flat design and looks similar to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models from 2021. The older MacBook Air offers a wedge design that sets it apart from other MacBooks. In addition, the new design enabled Apple to add a MagSafe charging port and a slightly bigger and better display. This time, the MacBook Air has a 13.6-inch (diagonal) Liquid Retina display versus the 13.3-inch (diagonal) Retina display found on the older model. The Liquid Retina display offers 2560 by 1664 pixels with 500 nits brightness vs. the 2560 by 1600 pixels and 400 nits found on the 2020 version. The newer display also comes with a better 1080p FaceTime HD camera and screen notch, featured on the two largest MacBook Pro models as well.

Design-wise, the MacBook Air (2022) also includes two new colors: Midnight and Starlight, which replaced the Gold colorway found on the 2020 model. Both models are also offered in traditional Space Gray and silver.

MacBook Air (2022) vs. MacBook Air (2020) M2 performance better all around

One of the biggest reasons to choose the latest MacBook Air over the previous model is the transition from the Apple M1 chip to the Apple M2 chip. The next-generation silicon means more speed and power efficiency thanks to a more powerful 8-core CPU and up to a 10-core GPU. As a result, Apple says the M2 is up to 1.4 times faster than the M1 model, although battery life remains the same, up to 18 hours between charges for both.

Specifically, Apple claims the M2 offers 1.4x faster video editing performance, 1.2 times speedier image filters and effects performance, 1.3 times faster gaming, 1.6 times faster scene edit detection, 1.4 times speedier photo stitching, three times faster video transcode performance, and 1.2 times faster image upscaling. However, these numbers assume you purchase a MacBook Air (2022) with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, and 24GB of RAM. In tests, Apple compared that model with a MacBook Air (2020) with an 8-core CPU, 8-core GPU, and 16GB of RAM. Both had a maximum of 2TB of storage.

MacBook Air (2022) vs. MacBook Air (2020): Price changes

The MacBook Air (2022) still represents the least expensive MacBook around. Unfortunately, the starting price has increased by $200, with the entry-level version clocking in at $1,199 vs. $999 for the older model. This means the all-new 13-inch MacBook Pro (2022), still starting at $1,299, is now just $100 more than the least expensive MacBook Air. The price differences on both sides are nothing to scoff at and could make it harder to make a decision on which MacBook is the one right for you. Throw in the likely discounts we'll soon be seeing on the MacBook Air (2020), and the choice could prove even more difficult to make.

Another point: Continued worldwide shortages could mean there's limited supply for the MacBook Air (2022) — at least for a few weeks or months.

MacBook Air (2022) vs. MacBook Air (2020): Which one should you get?

The MacBook Air (2022) is the better choice for most folks, even at a higher price than the previous model. This laptop offers a fresh design, a better Apple M2 chip, a larger display, MagSafe, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, and more. However, if you're less concerned about speed and performance updates, don't understand why MagSafe is oh-so-cool, need a MacBook now, and don't want to wait, or want to simply save some cash, there's absolutely nothing wrong with selecting the older model. This also applies if you're considering upgrading to the new Air (2022). If the 2020 MacBook Air still works for you, you should stick with it — after all, it still contains Apple silicon, offers the same battery life and storage availability, and comes with a well-received wedge design.

Apple's native Notes app for Mac tends to improve each year. Tags is one of the newest features. The function has two primary purposes: to categorize notes and create custom Smart Folders to organize your content better.

Here's how to use tags in Notes on all the best Macs.

Creating tags

To begin using tags in Notes on Mac:

1. Open the Notes app on your Mac.
2. Create a new note or open an existing one.
3. Type the number sign (#) followed by a word to create a new tag. For example, #cruise or #grocery. Tags can be created anywhere in a note. Once you have tags in Notes, you'll see suggested tags appear. Tags must be a single word, but you can use hyphens and underscores such as #cruise-trip or #grocery-list.

4. Click the return key or spacebar to create the tag.
5. See tags in the Tag Browser in the Notes app sidebar.

As Apple explains, if you add a tag to a shared note, it appears as dimmed text to other participants who don't have the tag in their Tag Browser. They can Control-click the tag, then choose to Add to Tags.

To search for which notes contain which tags:

• Click the tag in the Tag Browser in the sidebar or
• Select multiple tags at the same time in the Tag Browser.

Renaming tags

You can rename a tag at any time by following these directions:

1. Open the Notes app on your Mac.
2. Control-click a tag in the Tag Browser on the sidebar.
3. Select Rename Tag.

4. Rename the tag.
5. Click Rename to confirm.

The altered tag is changed everywhere within Notes.

As Apple explains, if you rename a tag in a shared note, it appears as dimmed text to other participants who don't have the tag in their Tag Browser. They can Control-click the tag, then choose to Add to Tags.

Deleting tags

If you no longer want a tag in Notes, you can delete it by following these directions:

1. Open the Notes app on your Mac.
2. Control-click a tag in the Tag Browser on the sidebar.
3. Select Delete Tag.

4. Click Delete to confirm. Your tag has been deleted from the Tag Browser. However, the text will remain in the notes; it just won't serve as a tag any longer.

Creating Smart Folders

Another new option in the Notes app on Mac is Smart Folders. Use these folders to organize your notes with one or more tags. Keep in mind that Smart Folders don't contain notes in this case. Instead, they have references to notes in other folders. Smart Folders can't be locked, turned into subfolders, or shared.

After opening the Notes app, to create a Smart Folder:

1. Click New Folder in the sidebar.
2. Choose Smart Folder from the pull-down menu.

3. Change the name of the Smart Folder in the pop-up menu.
4. Add the tag(s) you wish to include for the Smart Folder. You can create new tags or select from the list of existing ones. More than one tag is allowed. When you have more than one tag, all the tags must be included in a note for it to show up on the Smart Folder.
5. Click OK.

Edit Smart Folders

You can adjust the rules for Smart Folders by opening the Notes app on Mac then:

1. Right-click on a Smart Folder on the sidebar.
2. Choose Edit Smart Folder from the pull-down menu.

3. Make changes. For example, you can adjust the name or tags included in the Smart Folder.
4. Click OK.

Delete Smart Folders

If you no longer want a Smart Folder, you can delete it after opening the Notes app on Mac:

1. Right-click on a Smart Folder on the sidebar.
2. Choose Delete Smart Folder from the pull-down menu.
3. Select Delete to confirm.

Convert folders to Smart Folders

Folders in the Notes app on Mac can easily be converted into Smart Folders. The notes are moved to the general Notes folder when a folder gets converted and tagged with "#Name." This process can't be undone.

After opening the Notes app:

1. Right-click on a regular folder in the Notes apps.
2. Select Convert to Smart Folder from the pull-down menu.

Make your life easier

Though Quick Notes is the primary new Notes feature in macOS Monterey, there's also the addition of tags.

Tags and Smart Folders in the Notes app on Mac make it easier to organize and find your content. The steps involved are intuitive and don't take much time to set up and complete. Use both tools to improve your workflow.

Updated June 2022: With slight changes.

In macOS Monterey 12.1, Apple finally brought SharePlay to the Mac. The feature was first introduced at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. It allows you to share video and audio content through FaceTime. You can also share your screen using SharePlay.

To get started with SharePlay on Mac, you must have already begun a FaceTime call on your computer. From there, here are the steps.

How to watch together with SharePlay

TV shows and movies through the Apple TV app are shareable through FaceTime on macOS Monterey and later. Everyone on the call must have access to the video content, however. For example, each person needs to subscribe to Apple TV+, ShowTime, or HBO Max through the Apple TV app. Then, with the video started, everyone on the call can see the same video moments and access the playback controls to press Play or Pause. It works on all of the best Macs with the latest version of macOS installed.

To begin sharing content:

1. Open the Apple TV app on your Mac.
2. Press the Play button for the video you wish to share. If this is the first time you attempt to use SharePlay with Apple TV on your Mac, you'll see a pop-up menu asking you to confirm that you want to use it. In subsequent sessions, SharePlay starts automatically. Otherwise, if you select Start Only for Me in the pop-up box, you'll be prompted the next time you want to use SharePlay with the Apple TV app.
3. Click SharePlay.

How to listen together with SharePlay

Using SharePlay with audio requires performing similar steps to those above. Once again, be sure a FaceTime session has already started. From there:

1. Open the Apple Music app, Spotify, or any other supported music service on your Mac.
2. Move the pointer over any song or album.
3. Click the Play button to start the music. Once again, if this is the first time you attempt to use SharePlay with music on your Mac, you'll see a pop-up menu asking you to confirm that you want to use it. In subsequent sessions, SharePlay starts automatically. Otherwise, if you select Start Only for Me in the pop-up box, you'll be prompted the next time you want to use SharePlay with any music app.
4. Select SharePlay.

How to share your screen with SharePlay

To share what's happening on your Mac screen with SharePlay in FaceTime:

1. Click the FaceTime button in the active FaceTime app in the menu bar.
2. Choose the Screen Share button.
3. Select Window to share the app window or click Screen to share the entire screen.

4. Click the FaceTime button in the menu bar then click the Stop Sharing button to stop sharing.

It's share time

You can share lots of content using SharePlay on FaceTime on Mac. Remember, SharePlay also works on iPhone and iPad! The new tool provides a unique way to stay in touch and spend time with family and friends remotely.

Updated June 2022: With minor changes.

It wasn't that long ago when the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) felt more like the iOS show. Sure the company also announced updates to macOS (once called OS X) at the annual developer event, but for the most part, most of the sizzle was left for iPhone. That began to change at WWDC 2019 when Cupertino revealed the new software-development tool, Catalyst, then went into overdrive a year later with the arrival of macOS 11 Big Sur and Apple silicon.

The recently announced macOS 13 Ventura update, like its predecessor, macOS 12 Monterey, isn't as groundbreaking as Big Sur. It doesn't need as so much of what has reenergized Mac is happening on the hardware side. The recently released Mac Studio, alongside last year's MacBook Pro lineup, has made huge splashes. That positive wave should continue once the refresh of Apple's top-selling Mac, the MacBook Air, begins arriving in stores.

More discovered about Ventura

Circling back around to Ventura, I've already highlighted the update's most prominent new features and the ones many might have missed after this week's keynote address. After spending a few days with the first Ventura developers beta, I've made even more discoveries worth mentioning about the update. These findings, perhaps, aren't as sexy as earlier ones. And yet, they continue to add to the picture that Ventura is much more substantial than many of us initially believed.

If you've read any of my articles in recent years about Safari, you already know I've been less than impressed with the many changes Apple has brought to the native web browser for Mac. Fortunately, things have become much more stable in Ventura, and the company has elected not to introduce that many new features this time. However, of the changes Apple did make, a few stand out.

In Ventura, Apple's adding Shared Tab Groups, which makes it possible to share a set of tabs with friends. In addition, these Tab Groups offer different start pages, which you can customize with a fresh background image and favorites. Safari has also picked up extensions syncing, so you can automatically install the same extensions across all your supported devices.

Stage Manager has fast become my favorite feature on Mac and iPad. It provides a new way to organize open apps and windows. However, one Stage Manager feature that hasn't been well reported is the grouping option. With drag and drop, you can easily create app sets to work on multiple apps simultaneously.

A feature exclusive to M1/M2 Macs can automatically generate transcriptions for deaf or hard-of-hearing attendees. The Live Captions tool work with conversations, audio, and video.

It took a co-worker to tell me Apple has finally brought the iOS/iPad Clock App to macOS. The news surprised me as I thought it was already available on Mac. Regardless, the gorgeous Clock we've grown to love looks fantastic here and offers many great features. These include setting world clocks, timers, and alarms, extending Clock functionality for shortcuts, and Ask Siri integration.

Apple's search function, Spotlight, is picking up a lot of advanced features across its many platforms, including Mac, iPhone, and iPad. One I recently discovered on Ventura is Quick Actions. The tools make it possible to type into Spotlight something that will initiate an action. So, for example, you might use the tool to open an app, play a song in the Music, run a shortcut, and more.

Since the WWDC keynote, I've heard from many people who are thrilled to see the native Weather app finally arrive on iPad. Less advertised is that this has also happened on macOS. The app is beautifully designed even in the first Ventura developers beta. It doesn't contain the smirk long-associated with the Carrot Weather app, but that's fine since this one is free.

There are a lot of new sharing features worth discussing at another time in the native Photos app in Ventura, iOS 16, and iPadOS 16. The updates also include a duplicate detection tool, which should make it easier to control the size of the Photos database. Other photo apps have long offered duplicate detection, and it's great to see Apple finally join the parade. Apple's tool could prove to be much better since it combines the highest quality and relevant data from both duplicates when one of the photos gets deleted. You can remove all duplicates with one button push for the quickest solution. With iCloud Photos, changes get recorded across all of your devices. If you made a mistake, copies are kept in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days.

So much to see

The macOS Ventura update should be available in September or October. Currently, it's only available through a developer beta. Apple should release the first public beta in the coming weeks. The update will run on all the best Macs and older models.

I've been digging around the first macOS 13 Ventura developer beta and am generally impressed with the update, which launches for everyone this fall. Like macOS 12 Monterey, which it will eventually replace, macOS 13 Ventura is an incremental update and not one on the scale of macOS 11 Big Sur. And yet, there's plenty to like here, including some significant tentpole features that will make it much easier for users to perform tasks.

In the coming weeks and months, the iMore team will look at the new macOS 13 Ventura features in-depth and provide screenshots when possible. But, for now, read on for an overview of the best new features or tools and some others I can't stand.

Apple occasionally offers updates to iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS as closed developer previews or public betas. While the betas contain new features, they also contain pre-release bugs that can prevent the normal use of your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, or Mac, and are not intended for everyday use on a primary device. That's why we strongly recommend staying away from developer previews unless you need them for software development, and using the public betas with caution. If you depend on your devices, wait for the final release.

Stage Manager

No matter how large the display is, I can't seem to have enough room to keep track of my open apps and windows on Mac. It seems I'm not the only one. With Stage Manager (which is also coming to iPads this fall with iPadOS 16), open windows are kept on the left side of the screen (as tiny screenshots), while the current window is prominently displayed in the center. If you often work with two active apps simultaneously (Safari with Slack, for example), you can group two or more apps with ease.

This isn't the first time Apple has attempted to make it easier for users to control apps and windows on Mac. Mission Control, which remains with macOS 13 Ventura, was designed for this purpose. Though many like it, Mission Control always felt too clunky to me, and perhaps that's one of the reasons Stage Manager was born.

If there's one reason to become a macOS 13 Ventura public beta tester, it's Stage Manager. Yes, it's that good and helpful.

Continuity Camera

If there's one new feature in macOS 13 Ventura that's best described as "something you didn't know you needed," it's Continuity Camera. The feature makes it possible to essentially replace your built-in Mac camera automatically with your supported iPhone. With this support, you can use lighting effects, Center Stage, and other features you aren't able to with the Mac camera system. There's definitely a cool factor here, and I can't wait to try out one of the third-party stands for my iPhone that will make this possible.

Mail and Messages enhancements

Have you ever sent an email or iMessage and immediately regretted doing so? Of course, you have — we all have. Across macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, Apple's adding an assist by introducing the ability to "Undo send" in both Mail and Messages.

The Undo send feature isn't that impressive on Mac since you only get 10 seconds to do so. (On iPhone and iPad, you get 15 minutes to unsend a message and 30 minutes to edit one.) With Mail, however, you can also (finally) schedule emails so they can go out at a time of your choosing and not immediately. That's a huge feature and one that other email systems have offered for some time. So I won't criticize Apple for being late to the game!

Goodbye, passwords

In 2022, passwords are out, and Passkeys are in, or that's at least what Apple hopes. Passkeys, which will arrive across all Apple platforms this fall, including Mac, is a new sign-in method that offers end-to-end encryption that's supposedly stronger than two-factor authentication. If this is correct, and I'm assuming it is, this is big news for all different types of users, including those on non-Apple devices. Passkeys are designed to lower the risk of phishing and data leaks. I can't wait to see them in action on all the best Macs.

Apple News App, more sports, no more content you don't want

The most prominent new feature with Apple's native News App across all platforms is the arrival of "My Sports." The feature allows users to follow their favorite teams, leagues, and athletics from the Apple News app.

Another feature that isn't getting nearly the same coverage is also good. Up until now, you could block content from certain news providers in the Apple News App. And yet, when content from those providers popped up on the Today page, you'd still see a nasty blank box indicating that you blocked the content it wants to present on the screen. In macOS 13 Ventura (and other platforms), you can restrict stories on the Today page so that only content from providers you follow will appear.

This is a tiny new feature, but one that makes the Apple News App feel much more personal. The fact this wasn't how the blocking of content worked in the first place is unfortunate.

Spotlight

It would be best if you never questioned the absolute joy that is Apple's Spotlight. Don't believe me? Spend a few minutes with Windows 11 and start searching; there's no comparison! In macOS 13 Ventura, Spotlight is getting even better with the introduction of enhanced image search in macOS 13 Ventura. The update will make it easier to find photos across multiple apps, including Photos, Messages, Notes, the Finder, and the web. Spotlight's search design has also been updated to include much more information about a given result. For example, when you search for "Shining Girls," you'll see a textual preview of the popular Apple TV series and photos.

It will be exciting to see the Spotlight changes across Mac, iPhone, and iPad, beginning this fall.

Not everything is about Ventura is groovy

There are a few things about macOS 13 Ventura that I'm not loving, at least for now, including:

In macOS 13 Ventura, Apple has made significant changes to System Preferences starting with a name change. The comprehensive tool is now called System Settings to match the naming conventions of iPhone and iPad. Beyond this, the tool offers fresh navigation with a sidebar and organization based on categories.

The navigational changes are jarring, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Apple rethink it before macOS 13 Ventura is released to the public. Last summer, during the macOS 12 Monterey beta process, Apple did just that with Safari after people quickly became annoyed at the initial proposed changes. I'll keep an eye on this throughout the beta process to see if there are System Settings changes in the same direction.

One of the most publicized new features on last year's software updates for Mac, iPhone, and iPad was SharePlay for FaceTime. The feature, which lets you watch and listen to content with others, is now coming to Messages. This is a terrific move on Apple's part since I can probably guess that more people use Messages than FaceTime. And yet, I'm still not sold on the entire SharePlay concept.

Don't get me wrong; I am fully aware I'm not in the age group Apple is targeting for SharePlay. But regardless, I don't think vast numbers of people sit around on their iPhones and listen to Apple Music with their friends on the other side of the country. So maybe I'm wrong, and I'm willing to give SharePlay another try, this time through Messages, to see if my feelings change.

One of the most promising new features for Mac, iPhone, and iPad is Freeform, a collaborative tool for creatives. Unfortunately, soon after announcing Freeform, the Apple website refreshed to note the feature wouldn't be arriving until "later this year." With macOS 13 Ventura not launching until September or October, this probably means we won't see Freeform until November or December. Or, if it follows Universal Control's lead with macOS 12 Monterey, its release could spill over into 2023.

I understand the benefits of announcing lots of new software features at the heavily publicized Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) each June. And yet, this "later this year" approach with some features seems dumb. A better solution would be to hold off and announce it separately after Apple's fall event.

The iMore team can't wait to dig into macOS 13 Ventura, and all of Apple's software updates announced at WWDC. Stay tuned for exciting articles in the coming days and months!

What you need to know

• Grid Legends is coming to macOS.
• It will arrive as an Apple silicon exclusive later this year.
• It will deliver a massive career mode and the series' Driven to Glory mode.

Feral Interactive has today announced that Grid Legends is coming to macOS and Apple silicon later this year.

The company stated in a press release:

Grid Legends will include hundreds of events in the series' largest-ever Career Mode across a wide variety of motor racing disciplines. There's also Grid's Driven to Glory story mode.

Legends will be exclusive to Apple silicon, so devices like the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1, the MacBook Pro (2021), Mac Studio, and the new M2 MacBook Air.

You can see the full trailer below:

Apple announced some big updates for gaming on the Mac at WWDC 2022, unlocking triple-A titles like Grid Legends using Metal 3 and Apple's new MetalFX Upscaling. From Apple:

The Mac Studio is a beast of a computer, so much so that it effectively killed off the 27-inch iMac, which most didn't see coming. The Mac Studio introduced yet another M1 processor, the M1 Ultra, which was also unexpected.

Looking for the new 2023 model? Read our new Mac Studio M2 Ultra review .

Many quickly began to ask whether the Mac Studio was a suitable replacement for the Intel-based Mac Pro or whether creatives should wait for an Apple silicon version of that machine before buying something new. We'll save you some time right now: if you can afford the price of admission, this is a best-in-class tool for professional creatives and power users. It's certainly one of the best Macs around. Dilettantes and hobbyists, however, are probably better off with something cheaper, as they're unlikely to make full use of, and get enough value from, the Mac Studio's impressive capabilities

Mac Studio: Price and availability

The Mac Studio has a price range of $1,999 to $7,999 depending on whether you select an Apple M1 Max or M1 Ultra processor, plus the amount of unified memory and SSD storage. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with the black Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad ($199), Magic Mouse ($99), Magic Trackpad ($149), or the Studio Pro monitor (starting at $1,599), which were all announced on the same day as the Mac Studio.

Base Mac Studio models are available at various retailers, including Apple, B&H, and others. However, the current availability drops once you get into the higher-priced ranges. At the moment, the standard Mac Studio is available immediately but depending on your configuration choice, there can be a lag time of up to four weeks. Typically, the more customization, the longer the time between ordering and delivery.

Mac Studio: Hardware and design

Yes, technically, the Mac Studio is a new product. However, its creative team post-Jony Ive didn't go that far to find some design inspiration. The Mac Studio looks like two stacked Mac mini units and measures 3.7-by-7.7-by-7.7 inches. The silver machine weighs 5.9 pounds for the M1 Max models and 7.9 pounds for the M1 Ultra models. Although the weight difference is significant, it doesn't mean much since the Mac Studio isn't meant to be carried. If it's that big a deal, purchase a Mac Studio carrying case (yes, they are now on the market).

Regardless, the Mac Studio is ideally suited to sit below a monitor or on either side. Not surprisingly, it looks fantastic underneath the gorgeous Mac Studio display.

The back of the Mac Studio offers four Thunderbolt 4 ports with support for Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40GB/s), DisplayPort, and USB 4 (up to 40GB/s), plus an HDMI port, 10GB Ethernet, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack that supports high-impedance headphones or speakers. The power button is also on the back of the device, as is the power plug. On the front is an SDXC card slot (UHS-II) and two USB-C ports, which depending on the model you buy varies. If you go with the M1 Max, these ports support USB 3 (up to 10Gb/s). On the M1 Ultra, you'll receive support for Thunderbolt 4 (up to 40Gb/s).

Finally, there are grills on the back and bottom of the Mac Studio for cooling. As a bonus, the circular base underneath is tapered to improve airflow. It also says "Mac Studio" in big letters on the bottom for a nice touch.

The Mac Studio's look won't turn many heads like previous professional-based Macs, such as the cylinder-based second-generation Mac Pro. And yet, it works and was undoubtedly designed to fade into the background.

Three things bother me about the Mac Studio from a design perspective, and only one of these has to do with the actual box. First, the tiny USB-C ports on the machine's front are very difficult to find in a darkened room. Unfortunately, this can lead to scratches being made on the Mac Studio by cords as they struggle to fit into the holes. Adding a thin strip of rubber around each port might have gone a long way in fixing this minor problem.

The other two issues have to do with the matching Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse. Although neither accessory ships with the Mac Studio, it's nearly certain many buyers will add these to their cart at the time of purchase. Given its price point, it's peculiar that the keyboard lacks a backlight, which makes little sense. And the newest Magic Mouse retains the most prominent design flaw of all current Magic Mouse models: the Lightning port is at the bottom of the accessory, which means you can't use it while charging. Stupid, no?

Mac Studio: Software and performance

Undoubtedly, the Mac Studio will mostly get judged by its software and performance, not by whether it looks spectacular sitting on a desk. Apple sent me a souped-up Mac Studio model that includes an M1 Ultra system-on-a-chip that offers a 20-core CPU, 48-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine. The review unit also contained a maximum of 128GB of uniform RAM.

The M1 Ultra is the fastest chip Apple has ever made, and after a series of tests, I can confirm its billing as being able to "power through workflows on an unprecedented scale." However, I can also attest to what other Mac Studio reviewers have said: It's not as speedy as a handful of Windows-based machines.

My hands-on tests have included using the Mac Studio as my primary computer, then kicking things into a higher gear by opening multiple projects in resource-hungry apps. I finished my tests by running standard third-party benchmark tests on the machine, including Blackmagic, Cinebench, and Geekbench 5.

I opened 25 tabs on Microsoft Edge for my everyday use test while also starting Final Cut Pro and Adobe Photoshop. The machine worked as expected and never once did I hear the fan — and CPU use barely registered.

For the Blackmagic disk speed test, the average read speed clocked in at 5,718.0 MB/s, while the average write speed registered at 6,393.70 MB/s. These are impressive numbers. The Blackmagic disk speed test has been designed to see how well machines can handle different video files.

Cinebench is a synthetic benchmark used to test a computer's raw CPU horsepower. In the Cinebench R23 test, the Apple M1 Ultra registered a 23564 for multi-core, putting it behind the 32-core AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX (30054) and Intel Xeon W-3265M (24243). The Apple M1 Ultra (1497) bested every box except the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 (1532) on the single-core side.

Geekbench 5 is one of the best tools to measure CPU performance and memory speeds. On the Geekbench 5.4.2 test, the M1 Ultra saw an impressive multi-core score of 22748, significantly besting all other Macs. The score shows the M1 Ultra is terrific at handling multi-threaded workflows.

On the single-core front, where it scored 1736, comparisons to other Macs were less impressive. It scored nearly the same as a Mac Studio with an M1 Max and a 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) that also has an M1 Max.

The Mac Studio is not intended for hardcore gaming, mainly because most of the best computer games aren't even made for Mac. If you're looking for a powerful computer that can load plenty of games and load them fast, you're better off looking elsewhere, as there are tons of options, like the best gaming laptops, that are made with gaming in mind. That being said, although the Mac Studio is nowhere near being labeled a "gaming machine," casual gamers will likely be satisfied with its performance when playing light titles on Apple Arcade, the Mac App Store, and even Steam. But to reiterate, if your main purpose in buying a new computer is solely for gaming, look elsewhere.

There are a lot of Mac Studio benchmark tests publicized online. Most of these go into greater depth than what's mentioned in this review. I've limited the tests performed because those other tests exist, and I strongly suggest looking at a few of those published tests before purchasing. The best starting point is on the GeekBench website, which provides fresh content and allows you to compare different computers with relative ease.

Available accessories

It's up to you whether to purchase the new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic TrackPad that complements the Mac Studio. These accessories haven't been upgraded, as the only difference between these and the older models is the choice of black as a color. Apple sent me all three along with my Mac Studio review unit; but if I were making the big purchase, I'd get the keyboard and trackpad, and pass on the mouse.

Whether or not to purchase the all-new Studio Display for your Mac Studio would be a more difficult decision to make. However, I'm very close to calling this a must-have purchase for any Mac Studio buyer if you can look past the price. The 27-inch 5K display is gorgeous, and the six-speaker array comes as a beautiful surprise. Its 12MP ultrawide camera is also a nice touch. On the negative side, while Apple deserves kudos for offering three types of stands for the Studio Display, it's a shame you need to pay an additional $400 just to get one that provides a height adjustment. It's also unfortunate the monitor doesn't offer HDR, although that won't be a big deal for most buyers.

The Studio Display review unit will be greatly missed in the Wolfe household once it goes back to Apple. I liked the Studio Display so much I'm already thinking of buying my own.

Mac Studio: Competition

If you're a computer user who needs the most power and speed a Mac can provide, the Mac Studio is the one to purchase, and honestly, it has no equals at this time. Some creatives, however, will probably want to wait until an Apple silicon version of the Mac Pro gets released, perhaps by the end of the year. This model will provide more hardware customization than Mac Studio, although you'll pay for this with significantly higher price points.

From a Mac standpoint, the closest you can come to a Mac Studio at this time is a completely maxed-out 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023). However, that's probably not an appropriate comparison because the machines are so different in their designs. Contrastingly, if you're looking for a similar form factor to the Mac Studio, the Mac mini may be a fair alternative. As stated earlier, the Studio looks like two minis stacked on top of each other, but it's important to note that you shouldn't expect nearly as much fire power as the Mac Studio; it's only being suggested because of its similar design.

What about Windows? Imagine you're a creative who uses a Mac Pro and needs a new machine. Do you get the Mac Studio or look for a Windows-based machine? This largely depends on whether the apps you require are available on Windows and you have no day-to-day use for Mac vs. Windows. For most folks in that scenario, I'd say stick around for a next-generation Mac Pro in the future or, if the budget allows it, get a Mac Studio with M1 Ultra and run it through a series of tests using your required software. In many respects, only you will be able to determine whether it's ideal, given your unique situation.

Mac Studio: Should you buy it?

You want the best Mac on the market right now

If you're looking for a professional-grade machine with awesome processing performance, the Mac Studio is what you're after. It's one of the best devices in Apple's stable right now and is likely to remain so for a while. Editors, creative professionals, and 'prosumer' hobbyists will love it. Grab one of the best 4k monitors and away you go.

You have a large budget

If money is no object, this is the Mac for you. It's awesome, but even if you love to create in your free time, it's hard to justify this purchase. As a business expense, or a lavish purchase, it's hard to beat. 

Money is tight

It seems obvious to state, but if you're on a budget, this isn't the product for you. Chances are, most people looking to buy a computer to do creative work won't be able to make full use of the Mac Studio's processing power anyway, and would be better off with something cheaper. 

Hardcore gaming is most important

Sure, you can game on a Mac Studio. But for something with such impressive processing, it's not specially designed for gaming per se. As mentioned above, serious gamers are better off with a dedicated gaming laptop. 

Final thoughts

The current Mac lineup is an interesting one with the introduction of the Mac Studio, the retirement of the 27-inch iMac, and the continued offering of the 2019 Intel-based Mac Pro. The Mac Studio should be easy to recommend to anyone who would have previously purchased the 27-inch iMac, although the 24-inch iMac could suit some purposes. Unfortunately, because the Mac Studio ships with zero peripherals, that recommendation is more challenging to give, especially to anyone looking for an entry-level Mac desktop who thinks the 24-inch iMac is too small. For these users, it might be best to purchase a Mac mini and get a display that matches your needs.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Mac Studio currently bests the Mac Pro in performance. Unfortunately, because the Mac Studio isn't customizable, it probably won't be a suitable option for the typical Mac Pro buyer, who instead might choose to play the waiting game.

So, who should purchase a Mac Studio? The Mac Studio is ideally suited for most creatives who need a machine for intensive photo and video editing, illustrating, and other artistic adventures. And yet, you will undoubtedly find some creatives who have decided that even a maxed-out Mac Studio isn't enough for them, and they have no choice but to get a Windows PC with maximum hardware. 

What you need to know

• Bionic Reading is a new way of consuming content that is taking the internet by storm.
• It highlights small portions of words to make them easier to read.
• The tool is now available as a Chrome extension right in your web browser!

A viral 'Bionic Reading' tool that is taking the internet by storm is now available as a Chrome Extension for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Bionic Reading announced the Chrome rollout on Twitter, and the extension is now available to download on Chrome. Of course, that means you can also use it on Microsoft Edge, which are both good browser options on macOS Monterey and Apple's best MacBooks and desktop computers.

Bionic Reading is a tool that highlights small portions of words to make them easier to read so that your brain can digest sentences more easily. These "fixations" can be tweaked so you can choose how much of a word shows up in bold, and the contrast levels between this and the rest of the text.

From our original story last week:

The Chrome extension, once downloaded, can be used to convert any website into a Bionic Reading page for your consumption. Clicking the BR button in your browser will pull up a special page similar to the Reader view in most browsers, including settings at the top to adjust all of the aforementioned parameters, font sizes, and more.

Early testing indicates this is a work in progress, the tool seems to work well on iMore, for instance, but not BBC News. You can check it out here.

What you need to know

• Psychonauts 2 from Double Fine Productions is available for download in the Mac App Store now.
• The title comes in at 32GB and requires macOS 10.14 or later in order to run.

Double Fine Productions has brought Psychonauts 2 to the Mac for the first time — all 32GB of it.

The new game, which is available for download from the App Store, requires macOS 10.14 or later, was announced a via press release which also includes the news that the same game is also now available for gamers running Linux, too.

Those looking forward to taking in the Psychonauts 2 experience will have to hand over $59.99 for the privilege, but in exchange, they're going to get a wonderful game that combines "quirky missions and mysterious conspiracies" in a way only Double Fine can create.

There's no indication that the title is on its way to iPhone or iPad, nor Apple TV. But those who'd rather play on a big screen can take the game in on various Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

Psychonauts 2 has already been on the receiving end of multiple game awards and if you've been waiting for it to come to the Apple side of gaming, now is your time to get in on the action. You can download Psychonauts 2 from the Mac App Store right now. Just make sure you've got enough space on that SSD first!

If you want to upgrade your gaming experience, check out our list of the best game controllers for the Mac and mobile.

On Launchpad on Mac, you can find all of your apps, regardless of where they are installed. While you can expect few problems on Launchpad with apps installed in the Applications folder, the same can't be said for titles downloaded and stored elsewhere. Occasionally, installed apps aren't showing up under Launchpad. Conversely, you might see icons for apps that are no longer on your computer. In times like these, the Launchpad database gets corrupted.

Luckily, there's a quick fix for it! Here's how to reset Launchpad on macOS Monterey on all the best Macs!

How to reset Launchpad on your Mac

1. Go to the Finder on your Mac.
2. Hold down the Option key and click on the Go menu.
3. Select Library.
4. Open the Application Support folder.

5. Click on the Dock folder.
6. Delete all the files ending in ".db."

7. Empty the Trash on your Mac.
8. Restart your Mac.

Once your Mac has restarted, it will automatically rebuild the Launchpad database and repopulate it with an accurate count of the apps you have on your Mac.

Easy fix

As you can see, it's relatively simple to reset Launchpad on your Mac when there is a problem. Follow the steps, and be on your way!

May 2022: Updated for the latest version of macOS.

Did you just get a brand new Mac? Congrats! It's an excellent machine that you've picked out and it will certainly last you at least the next five years or so, if not more. But how do you get everything set up, especially if you choose not to restore from an old backup? Don't worry, thanks to services like iCloud, the Mac App Store, and other cloud-based storage providers, such as Dropbox, setting up a new Mac is not as tedious as you think.

Here are the steps for setting up and customizing your best new Mac from scratch, whether it's a great MacBook like the new MacBook Pros, or even an iMac.

Step 1: Set up your Mac

Before you can get to the fun of customizing your Mac, you should probably unpack it and set up the new Mac first. Logging into iCloud here will start the process of syncing your keychain, internet accounts, and Desktop & Documents folders (if you have them active), so it's good to do right off the bat.

Step 2: Reauthorize your internet accounts

iCloud will sync all your internet accounts from another Mac, but any non-Apple account will have to be reauthorized (read: password re-entered) before you can use them again. As such, doing this first on a new machine is ideal.

1. Open System Preferences.
2. Select the Internet Accounts icon.
3. Click on the Account you wish to activate and check the appropriate boxes (Mail, Messages, Notes, and the like).

Repeat for each account you wish to reauthorize.

Step 3: Customize your System Preferences

While you're in System Preferences, you might as well customize some other aspects of your system. This includes, but isn't limited to:

• Whether you want Dark Mode for your toolbars (General)
• Changing your desktop picture and screensaver (Desktop & Screen Saver)
• Your Dock size and preferences (Dock)
• FileVault and Gatekeeper (Security & Privacy)
• Notification preferences (Notifications & Focus)
• How long you want the display to stay on before sleeping (Energy Saver or Battery)
• Touch Bar customization (Keyboard)
• Enable Dictation (Keyboard)
• Multitouch gesture customization (Trackpad)
• Alert sounds (Sound)
• Turn on Back to My Mac (iCloud, Sharing)
• Add other cards to Apple Pay (Wallet & Apple Pay)
• Add VPNs if necessary (Network)
• Pair any Bluetooth accessories like headphones (Bluetooth)
• Add any other fingerprints (Touch ID)
• Add additional user IDs (Users & Groups)
• Add any restrictions (Parental Controls)
• Change Siri preferences (Siri)
• Set up Time Machine (Time Machine)
• Add any Accessibility preferences (Accessibility)

Step 4: Check for Software Updates

New Macs should ship with the latest and greatest software, but on the off-chance that you're not on the latest version, check for new updates:

1. Go to the Apple menu in the top left corner.
2. Select App Store.
3. Click on the Updates tab.
4. Install all necessary updates.

Step 5: Redownload Mac App Store apps

Next, you should redownload Mac App Store apps that you need on the new computer.

1. Go to the Apple menu in the top left corner.
2. Select App Store.
3. From any tab in the Store, click on your Profile at the bottom left of the screen. (You may have to sign in to iCloud again.)
4. Download any previously purchased apps you wish to install on your Mac. Look for the download symbol.

Step 6: Redownload non-Mac App Store apps

If you use any Adobe products or other non-Mac App Store items, you won't be able to re-download them from the App Store: Instead, open Safari and download them from their respective websites. A big one here is Dropbox — not only is it good to get your folders synced, but if you use Dropbox for syncing your information (say, 1Password), you'll want it installed so that your passwords are easily accessible.

Step 7: Set up your password manager

Before you get into customizing Safari and your other apps, make sure you can sign in to all of them by setting up your password manager. (You do have a password manager, right? If not, now is a great time to think about getting one, so you don't have to scrounge for passwords any time you need to set up a device from scratch.)

If you don't have a password manager, make sure to check out our recommendations for the best password manager apps for Mac right now.

Step 8: Customize the Finder, Safari, and other app views

The View menu allows most app windows to be pretty thoroughly changed, depending on your preference; a must-customize list includes Finder, Safari, and Mail, but pick the apps you use most often to fix first!

This is also the time you might want to customize the Touch Bar for each app if you have a compatible Mac, and or add Favorites to Mail's toolbar (which don't sync via iCloud, for some reason).

Step 9: Add Safari extensions

Most of us use at least one Safari extension on our Macs, whether that's a Pinterest pinner, Buffer socialer, or even just an ad blocker. After you've customized Safari, it's a great time to configure your Safari extensions. Make sure to check Apple's Standout Safari Extensions to see some great Safari extensions that you can grab right now.

Step 10: Log in to common websites

Whether your internet addiction includes Facebook, Quora, Twitter, Google, or Reddit, chances are there's a web service you can't live without. Go ahead and log into those now, so you don't have to worry about scrounging around for two-factor codes. (You do have two-step authentication set up for those other accounts, right?)

Step 11: Make sure Messages is sending from the right iCloud address

When you set up a computer from scratch, you miss out on a critical part of your history: your iMessage archive, which is encrypted and only synced as part of an iCloud backup. As such, you'll need to re-customize your Messages settings, including which address you send from by default. Otherwise, people may not understand why "terribledadjokeslol@icloud.com" is suddenly sending them iMessages.

For step-by-step instructions, make sure to check our How to set up iMessage on Mac guide.

Step 12: Sign in to Music and Photos

Want to use Apple Music and iCloud Photo Library? You'll need to open Music and Photos before doing so and likely log in with your Apple ID and password.

For more information, take a look at our iCloud Music Library and How to set up iCloud Photo Library on Mac guides.

Step 13: Enjoy your new Mac!

After all of that customization, take some time to enjoy using it! It's new and shiny, after all.

Don't forget to make a Time Machine backup of your Mac this time around, so you don't have to set everything up from scratch again.

Looking for a new Mac?

If you're still in the market for a new Mac, make sure to check out what we think are the best Mac desktops and MacBooks for 2022.

A fresh start for all!

While everyone uses their computer differently, these are the most important and basic things to consider setting up first before fully diving in to your brand new Mac. Honestly, these are what we do first when we get a brand new Mac and choose to not restore from an old backup. After all, sometimes it's good to start fresh!

Updated May 2022: Updated for the latest version of macOS.

Apple replaced the iTunes app with three new ones, Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple TV, beginning with macOS Catalina. So if you still use iTunes on your Mac to sync your iPhone and iPad, don't worry. You can still use your computer to perform this task. It's just different than it was previously.

Where to sync your iPhone or iPad

Instead of using iTunes to sync your mobile device on macOS as you did previously, you now use Finder.

1. Attach your device to your computer.
2. Click on the Finder app on the Mac Dock.
3. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.

Once you do, you'll see a familiar interface. You can restore your device, manage backups, and sync content between your computer and mobile device(s). From this screen, you can also handle file transfers between devices.

How to sync music to your iPhone or iPad

If you're using the iCloud Music Library sync on your iPhone or iPad, you cannot sync music using your Mac.

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the Music tab on the right-hand side.

4. Check the box Sync Music onto your device to activate Music syncing.
5. Under Sync, you can select Entire music library or Selected artists, albums, genres, and playlists.
6. Under Options, you can choose to include Include videos and automatically fill free space with songs.

7. Select playlists, artists, albums, and genres, where applicable.
8. Click Apply.
9. Click Sync to sync music files between your Mac and mobile device.

How to sync movies between your iPhone or iPad

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the Movies tab on the right-hand side.

4. Check the box Sync Movies onto your device to activate Movies syncing.
5. Under Sync, click the Automatically include box.
6. Use the pull-down menu to select all content or make another choice from those listed.

7. Click Apply.
8. Click Sync to sync movies between your Mac and mobile device.

How to sync TV shows to your iPhone or iPad

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the TV shows tab on the right-hand side.

4. Check the box Sync TV Shows onto your device to activate TV Show syncing.
5. Check the box to Automatically include.
6. In the pull-down menu, select all unwatched or make another choice from those listed.
7. In the next pull-down menu, select all shows or selected shows.

8. If selected shows were chosen, check the boxes next to the shows you want to sync.
9. Click Apply.
10. Click Sync to sync TV shows between your Mac and mobile device.

How to sync podcasts to your iPhone or iPad

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the Podcasts tab on the right-hand side.

4. Check the box Sync Podcasts onto your device to activate podcast syncing.
5. Check the box to Automatically copy.
6. In the pull-down menu, select all unplayed or make another choice from those listed.
7. In the next pull-down menu, select all podcasts or selected shows.

8. If podcasts were chosen, check the boxes next to the podcasts you want to sync.
9. Click Apply.
10. Click Sync to sync podcasts between your Mac and mobile device.

How to sync audiobooks to your iPhone or iPad

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the Audiobooks tab on the right-hand side.

4. Check the box Sync Audiobooks onto your device to activate audiobooks syncing.
5. Check to sync All audiobooks or Selected audiobooks.
6. Select your audiobooks to sync, when applicable.

7. Click Apply.
8. Click Sync to sync audiobooks between your Mac and mobile device.

How to sync books to your iPhone or iPad

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the Books tab on the right-hand side.

4. Check the box Sync Books onto your device to activate books syncing.
5. Check to sync All books or Selected books.

6. Select your books to sync, when applicable.
7. Click Apply.
8. Click Sync to sync audiobooks between your Mac and mobile device.

How to sync photos to your iPhone or iPad

If you're using the iCloud Photo Library sync on your iPhone or iPad, you cannot sync photos using your Mac.

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the Photos tab on the right-hand side.

4. Determine the files to sync.

How to sync files to your iPhone or iPad

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the Files tab on the right-hand side.

4. Click the files you wish to sync using the pull-down menus for each applicable app.
5. Select Apply.
6. Click Sync to sync your Mac and mobile device files.

How to backup your iPhone or iPad

You can manually backup your iPhone or iPad on your Mac:

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the General tab on the right-hand side.
4. Click Back-Up Now next to the Backup and Restore section.

How to restore your iPhone or iPad

You can manually restore your iPhone or iPad on your Mac:

1. Click on the Finder app in the Mac Dock.
2. Select your device on the left side of the screen under Devices.
3. Click on the General tab on the right-hand side.
4. Click Restore Backup next to the Backup and Restore section.If you haven't yet backed up an iPhone or iPad on your Mac, the Restore Backup option will be grayed out.

Much you can still do

Yes, iTunes is no longer a part of Mac and macOS. And yet, the things you could do with iTunes remain; there are just different steps you need to follow. Happy syncing!

Updated May 2022: Updated for macOS Monterey.

In recent years, Apple has really leaned into its pro-privacy stance, and it is always looking to make its hardware and software safer and more secure for its users. One thing it can't control, though, is the privacy practices of third-party apps.

Thankfully, Apple has made it much easier to figure out which apps are best at protecting your privacy with the addition of Mac App Store privacy labels. These privacy labels are designed to help users understand how apps handle their data to decide which ones work for you. Displayed on an app's listing in the App Store, both on iOS and macOS, privacy labels enable you to make an informed assessment before you hit the download button.

Here's how to view and read privacy labels in the Mac App Store.

How to find app privacy labels in the Mac App Store

It's easy to find out more about a Mac app's privacy practices if you know where to look. Here's how to find app privacy labels in the Mac App Store.

1. Launch the App Store on your Mac.
2. Tap on the app which you'd like to check the privacy labels for.

3. Scroll the App Store listing for the app beyond the user ratings and reviews.

Here you'll see the App Privacy section, which displays Data Used to Track You, Data Linked to You, and Data Not Linked to You.

How to read more details about an app's privacy labels in the Mac App Store

Depending on an app's purpose, the App Privacy section could show relatively little information or a ton of entries. However, if you want to know more about what each line item means, you can see more detail easily with the below steps.

1. Follow the above guidance to locate an app's privacy labels.
2. Select See Details to show a more detailed breakdown of the privacy labels.

This page provides a little more information about what each privacy label means for the app you are viewing, which should help you decide if it's the right app for you.

An informed decision

If you want the best Mac experience possible, you're likely going to want to install some third-party apps on your machine.

Mac App Store privacy labels help to inform your decision-making process when choosing your next favorite app. If you value your privacy, you can easily see which apps gather the least information via their privacy labels.

Primarily use your iPhone to download apps? Find out how to view app privacy reports for even more control of your privacy.

Updated May 2022: Updated for macOS Monterey.

What you need to know

• Apple has announced the transition from the 'iCloud Documents and data' feature into iCloud Drive is complete.
• iCloud Drive was announced in 2014.
• Those who don't already have iCloud Drive enabled will need to do so in order to see their files and data.

Apple has confirmed that the process of merging the previous 'iCloud Documents and data' feature into iCloud Drive has now been completed. The transition was announced a year ago.

The move to iCloud Drive was previously announced to take place in May 2022 and sure enough, here we are. Apple confirmed the completion of the migration via an updated support document that was first spotted by MacRumors.

Apple notes that those who previously used 'iCloud Documents and data' will now need to enable iCloud Drive if they want to be able to access their files.

The iCloud Drive storage system is among the best iPhone options for storing data in the cloud while having it automatically sync between devices. It's also where a ton of apps keep their information including settings and saved documents.

Apple announced iCloud Drive in 2014 alongside iOS 8 and Mac OSX Yosemite. The full transition away from the previous 'iCloud Documents and data' feature has taken almost eight years to complete.

What you need to know

• Overall PC shipments declined by seven percent in the first quarter of 2022.
• Mac shipments grew by four percent, reaching a ten percent market share.

Apple's M1 lineup continues to outperform the majority of the PC market.

According to a new report from data analytics firm Strategy Analytics, notebook shipments sank seven percent in the first quarter of 2022 when compared to the same quarter last year. The firm points to people returning to the office and education budgets moving away from IT spending for explanations for the drop.

Eric Smith, Director of Connected Computing at Strategy Analytics, said that overall commercial laptop sales remained strong because of the demand for Apple's M1 lineup of computers.

According to the report, most PC makers saw declining shipments year over year. However, both Dell and Apple experienced increased shipments and achieved higher market share.

• Lenovo shipped (sell-in) 14.4 million units in Q4 2021 (calendar year), representing -12% growth decline while keeping the number one rank at 23%
• HP took the biggest hit during the first quarter as notebook PC shipments were down -20% year-over-year in Q1 2022 to 12.5 million units; market share also dropped below 20.0% first time since Q1 2016
• Dell was the only top vendor to have registered over 5% growth year-over-year, as 10.5 million units shipped during the first quarter, gaining nearly two percentage points of market share over the last year's quarter to reach 16.5%
• Apple MacOS carried the momentum from last two quarters as shipments reached 6.1 million MacBooks during the first quarter, a 4% growth from Q1 2021
• Acer maintained the 5th spot globally in Q1 2022 with 4.7 million notebook PCs shipped, a -5% decline year-over-year

Apple isn't done with the M1 lineup, either. The company still has to announce a redesigned MacBook Air and Mac Pro that are both expected to be launched by the end of this year.

If you've learned how to use Optimized Storage on the Mac, you know it can help reduce the amount of space that data takes up on your hard drive. However, what you may not know is that it also takes up iCloud storage space.

The good news is macOS Monterey you can learn how to customize Optimized Storage on the Mac to choose what gets stored in iCloud and what doesn't so you can maximize your storage solutions. Striking a good balance between the hard drive and iCloud storage will make even your best Mac even more tailored to your liking. You can adjust some of the settings for what is stored in iCloud to save some space in your iCloud storage.

How to stop syncing Desktop and Documents folders in iCloud on your Mac

If you've tried out Desktop and Documents folder syncing in iCloud but decided you don't like it, you can stop syncing. If you disable syncing, Desktop files will no longer appear on a secondary Mac computer's desktop, but they will still be in a file in iCloud Drive, which you can move them out of. Your Documents folder will also still be visible in iCloud Drive, which you can also move.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Click System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.

5. Click on Options next to iCloud Drive.
6. Click to uncheck the checkbox for Desktop & Documents Folders.

How to disable Optimized Storage on your Mac

Optimized Storage automatically removes iTunes movies and TV shows that you've already watched from your Mac. It also keeps recent email attachments on your Mac when your hard drive starts running out of room. If you want to keep your movies and TV shows on your hard drive, so you don't have to re-download them every time you want to watch them, you can disable the feature.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.
5. Click to uncheck the checkbox at the bottom of the window for Optimize Mac Storage.

How to disable Empty Trash Automatically on your Mac

I can't see any reason not to use the Empty Trash Automatically feature. Still, if you worry that you will delete something from your Mac and need it back more than 30 days later, you can disable the feature and go back to manually emptying the trash.

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Click on Finder in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
3. Click Preferences in the drop-down menu.

4. Click on Advanced in the Finder Preferences window.
5. Click to uncheck the checkbox for Remove items from the Trash after 30 days.

How to customize what apps are stored in iCloud on your Mac

If your iCloud storage is starting to get full, you can select which apps and programs store data, clearing out space for more important data that you need to access all of the time.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Click System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.

5. Click on Options next to iCloud Drive.
6. Click to uncheck the checkbox for each app whose data you do not wish to store in iCloud.

Note: Since the apps will no longer sync with iCloud, some features will be disabled, so make sure you want to remove their access to iCloud.

How to manage files and folders stored in iCloud on the Mac

You may want to keep some or all of your apps synced with iCloud, but you don't need to keep all of the files and folders saved in them. You can reduce some of the storage used up by removing unneeded data.

1. Open a Finder window.
2. Select iCloud Drive from the sidebar.

3. Double-click a folder to view its contents.
4. Select a file that you want to delete. You can select multiple files at once.
5. Right-click or Control-click on the files.
6. Select Move to trash to delete them.

You can also move files out of iCloud Drive and into another folder. Just make sure the folder you move files to isn't also being stored in iCloud.

How to stop using iCloud Photo Library on the Mac

For some, the Photo library is the biggest space hog in iCloud. It is incredibly convenient to store your pictures in the cloud and be able to access them from any device without having to use up hard drive space (or, in the case of the iPhone and iPad, device storage space). Still, it is also a burden on your iCloud storage limit. You can turn off iCloud Photo Library on all of your devices, which is inconvenient but frees up a lot of space in iCloud.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click on iCloud.

5. Click on Manage in the bottom right corner of the iCloud window.
6. Click on Photo Library from the sidebar.
7. Click on Turn off and Delete.

You'll have to manually download content that you previously stored in the iCloud Photo Library. You will have 30 days to download all of your photos and videos from iCloud Drive onto your Mac (you can also download them directly onto your iPhone or iPad, but I don't suggest doing that since they take up so much space).

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Click on Photos in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.

3. Click Preferences in the drop down menu.
4. Click on Download Originals to this Mac.

How to delete iPhone and iPad iCloud backups on the Mac

When you back up your iPhone or iPad in iCloud, the most recent backups are stored there. Backups take up a few GB of space each, which can add up if you have multiple iOS devices. You can, instead, backup your device to your computer using iTunes. If you choose to save your backups on your computer, you can delete them from iCloud.

Note: When you delete a backup from iCloud, you will also be turning off the ability to use iCloud to back up your device. You will have to switch back to iCloud backups if you change your mind later.

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Click System Preferences in the drop-down menu.

3. Click on Apple ID.
4. Click iCloud.

5. Click Manage in the bottom right corner of the iCloud window.
6. Click Backups from the sidebar.
7. Select a backup to delete.
8. Click Delete.
9. Click Delete when prompted to confirm that you wish to delete the backup and turn off iCloud back ups.

How to free up space used by the Mail app on the Mac

If you use the built-in Mail app on your Mac, you might be clogging up your iCloud storage with useless junk and deleted mail. You can quickly clear out some space by erasing the old stuff.

1. Launch the Mail app on your Mac.
2. Click on Mailbox in the upper left side of your Mac's screen.

3. Select Erase Deleted Items from the drop down menu.
4. Select iCloud.
5. Click on Erase when prompted to confirm that you want to erase the deleted items in your iCloud mailbox.

6. Select Erase Junk Mail.
7. Click on Erase when prompted to confirm that you want to erase the junk mailbox.

Optimized storage still needs to be backed up

Optimizing your storage is a great way to make sure that your Mac isn't getting bogged down with files you don't need; however, you never want to lose any important data. Backing up your Mac frequently is the best way to make sure that nothing bad ever happens to all your important data on your Mac. So, make sure you're backing up your Mac often.

Updated March 2022: Updated for macOS Monterey

Focus on Mac is one of the more significant new features that came with macOS Monterey. As the name suggests, the tool has been designed to make it easier for users to concentrate on what they're doing throughout the day by silencing unnecessary notifications and alerts. Thanks to iCloud, Focus syncs across multiple devices, so Focus changes made on iPhone, for example, are immediately reflected on Mac and iPad, when applicable.

If you have macOS Monterey, here's how to set up and use a Focus on your best Mac.

What is Focus?

In recent years, Apple has beefed up its sleep tools on mobile and Apple Watch. When activated, the tools let you set sleep and wake-up times and decide which type of alerts are acceptable during your downtime. Focus is an extension of this (and Do Not Disturb) and allows you to establish parts of the day, then assign notification settings for each. These parts of the day can be regularly scheduled (sleep, work) or activated on the fly (gym, dinner).

You can get started on your mobile device or through macOS Monterey on your Mac.

How to set up a Focus in macOS Monterey

Before you can start using Focus on Mac, you need to set it up first. You can do this on macOS Monterey via the System Preferences app.

1. Click System Preferences from your Mac's dock.
2. Select Notifications & Focus.

3. Click on the Focus tab.
4. Choose a preset Focus to set it up, or tap + at the bottom left to create a custom one.

5. With a Focus selected, select + under Allowed Notifications From (People).
6. Add a new person.
7. Click Add.

8. With a Focus selected, select + under Allowed Notifications From (Apps).
9. Add new apps.
10. Click Add.

That's all there is to getting a Focus set up on Mac. If you decide you want to add or remove people and apps from a Focus, you can do so at any time. Now that you have a Focus set up, it's time to dig even further with customizations.

How to turn on Focus in macOS Monterey

You have all of your customizations set up for all of your Focuses; now what? Well, you're going to want to turn them on. Here's how to do that.

1. Select the Control Center on the menu bar on your Mac.
2. Choose the current Focus, when applicable. If no Focus is active, you'll see the word Focus instead.
3. Select the Focus that you want to turn on. You can also tap on the ellipses button (three dots) on a Focus to choose how long you want it on.

Focus may be getting an upgrade in Apple's next software

While Focus is one of Apple's newest features, there are rumors that point to Focus getting a significant upgrade in the upcoming iOS 16 update. The reason for that train of thought? Apparently Focus in iOS 16 will not be compatible with iOS 15, which would seem to indicate that some sort of major update is on the way.

Updated April 2022: Updated for the latest version of macOS Monterey.

Have you ever worked on a document and made too many changes? Have you had that moment of panic where you start feverishly mashing the undo button, desperately trying to get back to the older version of the text you were working on? Relax, we've all been there, and there's an easier solution.

Most programs available on macOS Monterey include a restoration feature, making it possible for you to go back to that moment in time when you thought you did it wrong, but really didn't.

Pro tip: getting yourself an amazing external hard drive for your Mac is a worthwhile investment, so you can save your document in a safe location easily and often. But, we know that even with a hard drive, sometimes accidents happen — here's how to restore older versions of a document on Mac.

How to restore an older version of a file on the Mac

Not every application has the Revert To feature, but the good ones always do. To see if the program you are working with has the feature, look for it in the App menu section of the Menu bar under File. If you see it, you can find an older version of the document you are working on with just a few clicks.

1. With the document selected, click on File in the app menu in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select Revert To from the dropdown menu.
3. Select Browse All Versions.

4. Either click the Arrow next to the document to go backward through the versions, one at a time, or use the Timeline ticker on the far right to browse through your working timeline and select a version from a specifically saved time.
5. Click Restore.

This will automatically exchange the version you were working on with the newly restored version.

How to restore a copy of an older version of a file on the Mac

You may want to keep your current version and make comparisons with an older version. You also have the option to restore a copy of an older version of a document and work on them separately.

1. With the document selected, click on File in the app menu in the upper left corner of your Mac's screen.
2. Select Revert To from the drop-down menu.
3. Select Browse All Versions.

4. Either click the Arrow next to the document to go backward through the versions, one at a time, or use the Timeline ticker on the far right to browse through your working timeline and select a version from a specifically saved time.
5. Hold down the Option key.
6. Click Restore a Copy.

This will open a copy version with an untitled name. You can save it to your Mac if you want to keep both versions.

How to search for an older version of a specific document using Time Machine

If you use Time Machine, you can search for older versions of files, even if an application doesn't have a Revert To feature. You can find it easily thanks to Finder.

1. Launch a Finder window.
2. Search for and then select the document you want to restore an earlier version of.
3. Click on Time Machine in the Menu bar.

4. Either click the Arrow next to the document to go backward through the versions, one at a time, or use the Timeline ticker on the far right to browse through your working timeline and select a version from a specifically saved time.
5. Click Restore.

When you restore a document from Time Machine, it will automatically save it to its original location. If you already have a version saved in the same place, it will ask if you want to delete, replace, or keep both. If you keep them both, the older version will be renamed with the word (original) in the title.

Back up your Mac

Losing an important document is annoying and stressful, and while the steps above can help alleviate some of that discomfort by letting macOS Monterey call up an older version of that document, you should try to avoid ever using the feature if you can.

We can't stress enough how important it is to have backups of all your files and document, be that in cloud storage or an external hard drive. Plus, don't forget, you should also be backing up your entire Mac on a regular basis with Time Machine, or your backing up software of choice.

Updated April 2022: Updated for the most recent version of macOS Monterey

What you need to know

• DuckDuckGo's browser is now available on Mac.
• It can be used in beta, with an emphasis on speed and privacy.
• It has features including password management, tabs, bookmarks, and more.

DuckDuckGo has today announced that its new browser is available on macOS in beta format.

The company stated:

With an emphasis on privacy "by default", DuckDuckGo features a built-in private search engine, tracker blocker, cookie pop-up protection that works on around 50% of sites, a Fire Button to clear data, email protection, and more. It's also fast:

The app also features built-in smarter encryption. Unfortunately, if you're interested there's a private waitlist to get involved:

You can read the full release here.

What you need to know

• The Mac experienced 8.6% year-over-year growth worldwide when comparing Q1 2021 and Q2 2022.
• Growth hit 18.6% when looking at the United States specifically.
• The PC market declined 7.3% and 16.5% as a whole.

Apple seems to be immune to the beating that the PC market has taken between the first quarter of 2021 and 2022.

New data from analytics firm Gartner showed that, when comparing Q1 2021 and Q1 2022, the worldwide PC market saw a decline of 7.3% while the United States market declined 16.5%. Despite the drop in shipments for the market as a whole, which Gartner attributes to a steep decline in Chromebook sales, the Mac continued to grow its shipments and market share in both categories.

According to the report, Apple shipped over seven million Macs worldwide in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of over 500,000 from the previous quarter a growth of over eight percent. The company also jumped from a market share of 7.7% to 9% when comparing quarters.

Apple's performance was even more in contrast to the PC market as a whole in the United States. The company shipped almost three million Macs in the United States, an increase of 18.6% over its first quarter last year. This shot the company from a market share of just over ten percent to almost fifteen percent.

Gartner said that the success of Apple's redesigns to a range of Macs, as well as the continued rollout of its Apple silicon processors, are contributing to the company's success.

Apple is rumored to be announcing two new Macs in the summer or fall of 2022. Most analysts expect the company to unveil a redesign of the MacBook Air, potentially as soon as WWDC in June.

What you need to know

• macOS Monterey has a new network speed test checker.
• You can check the quality of your network connection using the Terminal app and a single command.

If you want to test the speed of your internet you probably fire up a website or use an app, right? But did you know that your Mac already has an app built right in, specially designed for the task? You do now!

I've been using Macs for more years than I care to remember and I've always used various tools to test whether my internet connection is misbehaving or not. But I came across a tweet over the weekend that showed that our Macs already have an app that does the job — you just need to run a simple command via the Terminal app. Simply open a Terminal window, type networkquality and hit the Return key. It's all surprisingly simple and you'll even get some handy stats afterward. Want to know more? append -v for a more verbose output.

Your output won't look as lovely as Luke's because he's done some mock-up magic to get that screenshot, but you'll get the same data. The tool tests for your upload speed, download speed, responsiveness, and more. Pretty cool, right?

Here's what my output looks like to give you an idea of what to expect:

I ran this test running the latest version of macOS Monterey — and it looks like the app was added as part of the Monterey release last year. We probably missed it because we were all so excited about the idea of Universal Control!

Find that your network isn't as fast as you'd have hoped? Check out our list of the best Wi-Fi routers for Apple devices and plan your next upgrade!

What you need to know

• Ukrainian developer MacPaw has unveiled a new anti-spyware tool for macOS.
• SpyBuster is designed to stop apps and websites that communicate with servers in Russia and Belarus.
• It has been designed to help combat cyberattacks and the spread of misinformation.

Ukrainian developer MacPaw has today announced that it has developed a new anti-spyware tool for macOS called SpyBuster.

The company says it has developed a tool that analyses where apps on macOS are taking your data, first spawned from an idea to help Ukrainians protect their online data and information from Russian law enforcement agencies. The group now says that it has decided that "all macOS users worldwide" could use the tool, which filters all of your apps and visited websites so you can see and block any that are connected to Russia or Belarus.

The app uses Static Analysis to show if an app is somehow related to Russia, and Dynamic Analysis to show how these apps and websites are behaving, for example, if they are sending messages to servers or writing files:

The app then gives users to disable the connection. The new app requires macOS 10.15 or better and is completely free to download.

"As a Tech R&D team before the war, we did a lot of research. So I began to check which of them could contribute to the country's informational security," said Sergii Kryvoblotskyi," head of MacPaw's Tech R&D. "One of these researches was about the technical implementation of network filtering on macOS. I've realized it could be well-applied to protecting computers from potentially dangerous apps and adapted to help users in our new reality."

MacPaw is also offering users the chance to donate to humanitarian causes helping on the ground in Ukraine through its MacPaw development fund.

AirPlay is Apple's proprietary wireless streaming protocol that lets you instantly share audio or video between your iPhone, iPad, or Mac and an Apple TV or another AirPlay-enabled device. Apple's HomePod also relies heavily on AirPlay.

Here's your ultimate guide to using AirPlay!

How to AirPlay to Apple TV with iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Your favorite iPhone, iPad, and Mac are the heart of AirPlay. Without them to actually send the audio and video, AirPlay wouldn't be a thing. There's much you can do with AirPlay 2 and Apple TV. You can AirPlay video and AirPlay audio from your iPhone or iPad to Apple TV. AirPlay mirroring is also possible from your Mac to Apple TV.

How to use AirPlay with HomePod

AirPlay is what the HomePod experience is all about if you want your friends to play music from their iPhone on your speaker. There's two HomePod versions. The first, called HomePod, is no longer on sale. There's also the HomePod mini, which remains on the market. You can securely AirPlay on HomePod and also add multi-room audio and a stereo pair.

How to AirPlay content to your Mac

Beginning in 2021, it's finally possible to AirPlay content to your Mac. Previously, it was only possible to use AirPlay to mirror Mac to Apple TV. On your supported device, you can AirPlay audio or video to your Monterey-installed Mac. It works on all of the best Macs!

Easy breezy

There's much you can do with AirPlay 2 across your various Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. So take advantage of the tool and enjoy video and audio in awesome new ways.

Updated February 2022: Updated for latest software.

What you need to know

• An exciting new iPhone feature has been spotted in the latest macOS beta.
• References have been found Ultra Wideband technology, which may indicate future Mac support.
• Apple uses UWB in the iPhone, Apple Watch, HomePod mini, and AirTags to enable speedy AirDrop and Find My.

Apple's latest macOS beta has hinted that a very exciting iPhone feature might soon be coming to its Mac lineup too.

As noted by 9to5Mac the latest macOS Monterey beta includes "the frameworks and daemons (which are parts of the system that runs in the background) needed to support ultra wideband technology", the very same tools Apple features in iOS 15 to provide support on devices like its iPhone 13 using the U1 chip.

So what does this mean? Well, it seems to indicate that one of the best iPhone features introduced in recent years is also coming to Macs, namely UWB support that could enable all sorts of exciting features. Apple currently uses UWB for its AirTags and Find My Network, but also for enabling faster AirDrop and AirPlay transfer of songs to devices like the HomePod mini.

It could mean that one day Apple's best MacBooks and maybe even its desktop Macs will be better equipped with support for Apple's Find My network and data transfers like AirDrop.

There might even be an application case for Apple's brand new Universal Control Feature, announced last year and also included in the 12.3 beta released this week. From that report:

What you need to know

• Apple experienced the highest growth out of every PC brand in 2021.
• The company experienced 28.3% growth and shipped 29 million Macs last year.
• Apple is still in fourth place behind Lenovo, HP, and Dell.

Apple led the growth of the worldwide PC market in 2021.

In a new report from analytics firm Canalys, Apple experienced the highest growth in the full year of 2021 when it came to PC shipments. According to the report, the company experienced Q4 2021 growth of 9.0% and full-year growth of 28.3%. This made it the highest growing brand in the PC market last year. The company shipped 7.8 million Macs in Q4 2021 and 29.0 million Macs for the full year.

Despite its growth, Apple is still in fourth place behind the big three PC brands: Lenovo, HP, and Dell. They are, however, now bigger than Acer.

Ishan Dutt, the Senior Analyst at Canalys, said that the PC market is making its way to new users over the pandemic and that both "young students and older family members" are getting their first PCs. Some people are even adding an additional PC to their home to support remote education and work.

Canalys Principal Analyst Rushabh Doshi said that 2022 will be "the year of digital acceleration." He also said that consumer spending patterns are shifting towards more premium computers and accessories that help us work remotely more effectively.

Apple has released some notable updates to its Mac lineup this year. The company released the redesigned iMac and MacBook Pro while also introducing its M1 Pro and M1 Max processors.

With the year almost in the rear-view mirror, attention on the Mac front now turns to 2022. Like 2020 and 2021 before it, the new year should be huge for all things Mac, thanks to the continued transition to Apple silicon. So here's a look at what I want to see next year — and what we'll probably get.

Refreshed iMac

For months, the tea leaves had suggested Apple would soon replace the 27-inch Mac with something much larger, just like this year's 24-inch model replaced the 21.5-inch iMac. Recently, however, the rumor mill has changed considerably. It now looks like Apple will keep its largest iMac at 27-inches. Additionally, despite earlier rumors, the next iMac won't feature mini-LED, but once again include LCD only. The new model is also expected to feature a few new colors and, of course, feature Apple silicon, which will retire Intel-based iMacs.

One persistent rumor is that Apple will introduce an all-new iMac Pro. The previous version, which started at $5,000, was retired in March 2021. I'm not convinced Apple will go down this road again, although I wouldn't be surprised one way or another.

When to expect it: Most likely, Apple will announce the new iMac in March or April. The biggest question left unanswered is whether the machine will feature the M1 Pro/M1 Max chips found on the 2021 MacBook Pro or be the first to include an "M2". If it's going to happen, a new iMac Pro is likely to be announced at the same time.

Colorful MacBook Air

The best Mac for most people, the MacBook Air, is expected to get replaced in the first half of 2022. The new MacBook Air should come in multiple colors, an updated form factor, and almost certainly an "M2" chip. Like the 2021 MacBook Pro, the new MacBook Air should feature multiple inputs and MagSafe.

When to expect it: Apple should reveal the next MacBook Air alongside the new iMac. And yet, a lot will depend on supply issues. My bet: this is the one product Apple will announce at next year's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

Mac mini

The Mac mini will join the iMac lineup in being revamped to do away with Intel. As a result, we're likely to see a souped-up version of the Mac mini that probably will feature a choice of M1 Pro or M1 Max chips.

When to expect it: We could see a new Mac mini arrive in June at WWDC, or Apple could wait until the fall, which is when every new Mac mini in the past decade has been announced.

Mac Pro

By the end of the year, Apple should at least announce an Apple silicon version of the Mac Pro. And yet, recent rumors suggest there could be one more Intel-based offering here.

When to expect it: I'll go out on a limb and predict the next Mac Pro will get a WWDC announcement, although its release date might not be until late in the year.

2022 MacBook Pro

A new entry-level MacBook Pro could replace the 2020 13-inch model in fall 2022. This model will probably include a few bells and whistles not on the new MacBook Air to justify its higher price. The new MacBook Pro will likely come with an "M2" chip get priced at around $1,300 like the current model.

When to expect it: October 2022 sounds about right for a new MacBook Pro model.

macOS Monterey successor

The next version of macOS will be announced in June and released to the public in September or October. It's too early to tell how this version will differ from macOS Monterey, but it should bring Mac and mobile ever-closer once again. The 2022 macOS version should be more significant than macOS Monterey, but still nowhere as substantial as macOS Big Sur, which essentially changed the Mac operating system as we knew it.

What won't change

The 2021 24-inch iMac, 14-inch MacBook Pro, and 16-inch MacBook Pro should stick around for another year and not get replaced in 2022. One change that could happen is the introduction of a new color or two for the iMac. Adding new colors is a move Apple often pulled with the iMac two decades ago and one that could be repeated here.

What are your hopes and dreams for Mac in 2022? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments below! Until then, happy computing!

Think about what you do on your computer each day. Are there things that are repeated time and time again? If so, it might be time to consider Quick Actions workflows on macOS. The time-saving solution lets you add automation to tasks you're already performing every day on your Mac. Quick Actions workflows were launched initially with macOS Mojave and are available on macOS Monterey or later on the best Macs.

As the tool's name suggests, Quick Actions workflows are a way you can automate tasks you were going to perform anyway. When created, Quick Actions workflows are accessible from Finder windows, the Services menu, and on MacBook Pros with a Touch Bar.

As I originally described it on TechRadar, macOS Automator is the secret sauce that goes into Quick Actions workflows. You can put together a series of steps or actions to create one automated task using it.

Here's a look at how they work.

How to create a Quick Actions workflow

Here's how to get started with Quick Actions workflows:

1. Open the Automator app on your Mac. It's located in the Applications folder or by searching with Spotlight.
2. Select Quick Action in the Automator box.
3. Click Choose.

4. Choose from the available options to begin building your Quick Actions workflow:
   • Workflow receives current: The type of data used as input to the workflow. If you choose Automatic, Automator guesses the type of input you want to use in your workflow.
   • Application: The app or apps you want to use to process your workflow. Each app must be open for the workflow to be available.
   • Input is: If the workflow receives input from URLs, addresses, phone numbers, dates, or email addresses, you can specify different input options.
   • Output replaces selected text: When the workflow receives input from Text or Rich Text, you can specify that the output replaces the selected text.
   • Image: An image for your Quick Action. You can select an image on your Mac or choose an image from the menu.
   • Color: A color for your Quick Actions (visible in the Touch Bar only).
5. Add actions to your workflow. You'll find actions organized in the library in the first column on the left. Pick from the library, then choose an action in the second column. Finally, drag your action into the third column.
6. Repeat Step 4 to include additional actions.
7. Select File > Save to save your workflow when finished.
8. Type in the name of your project in the pop-up box.
9. Choose Save in the pop-up box.

An often-advertised Quick Actions workflow in Automator is one that automatically converts images into JPG format. In the following example, you'll learn how to create this workflow and use it on your Mac. When finished, the workflow will allow you to easily convert images in one location into JPG files.

1. Open the Automator app on your Mac. It's located in the Applications folder or by searching with Spotlight.
2. Select Quick Action in the Automator box.
3. Choose from any of the options shown above.

4. Choose File & Folders in the first column.
5. Next, select Copy Finder Items in the second column.
6. Drag Copy Finder Items to the third column. You can also double-click.

7. Now, choose Photos in the first column.
8. Select Change Type of Images in the second column.
9. Drag Change Type of Images to the third column. You can also double-click.

Next, we will tell the workflow to perform two steps: Look for images in the Download folder on the Mac, then convert those images to JPG format.

1. Choose Downloads under the To toggle under Copy Finder Items in the third column.
2. Select JPEG under the To Type toggle under Change Type of Images in the third column.

3. Select File > Save.
4. Type a name for your workflow in the box.
5. Click Save.

Your workflow has now been saved.

Choose which Quick Actions appear in the Finder

After creating and saving Quick Actions workflows, you'll want to choose which ones appear in the Finder. It will be easier to find the workflows for use by doing so. All Quick Actions workflows appear in Finder windows, the Services menu, and the Touch Bar by default. However, you can change which Quick Actions appear in the Finder and Touch Bar.

1. Choose the Apple icon at the top left of the menu bar.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Click Extensions.

4. Choose Finder in the left column.
5. Select the checkbox next to each action you want to be available from the Finder.

The checked actions now show on the Finder windows on your Mac.

Make it happen

As you can see, Quick Actions workflows in macOS can save you time and energy by adding automation to tasks you're already performing. Start using them today!

The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro (2021) models are the first Macs to feature a Liquid Retina XDR display. These powerful displays allow customization missing on other Apple products.

Here's a look at how to adjust display settings on Apple's newest laptops, among the best MacBooks on the market.

How to change the resolution

To change the Resolution on your MacBook Pro (2021):

1. Click on the Apple menu at the top left of the display.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Choose Displays.

4. Click Scaled if the Resolution is set to Default for display.
5. To make text larger, click on one of the boxes to the left of Default. To make more space on the screen so you can see more things, click one of the boxes to the right of Default.

Change the refresh rate

The MacBook Pro (2021) and Apple Pro Display XDR include the ability to change the refresh rate. For professional workflows like video editing, you can set your display's refresh rate to align with the frame rate of the video you're using.

Available refresh rates include 60 Hertz, 59.94 Hertz, 50 Hertz, 48 Hertz, and 47.95 Hertz. Additionally, the MacBook Pro (2021) allows you to select ProMotion for an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz.

If you decide to adjust the refresh rate, choose the one that divides evenly into the frame rate of your content. For example, if the content you're viewing is 24 frames per second, select the 48 Hertz refresh rate.

To change the refresh rate:

1. Click on the Apple menu at the top left of the display.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Choose Displays.

4. Click the Refresh Rate pop-up menu and choose a refresh rate.

Adjust reference modes

You can also adjust reference modes on the MacBook Pro (2021). These modes cover typical content creation workflows across several media types.

To adjust reference modes:

1. Click on the Apple menu at the top left of the display.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Choose Displays.

4. Click the Presets pop-up menu and choose a reference mode.

You can also adjust the reference modes by clicking on the AirPlay menu, when applicable, on the menu bar, then clicking Reference Modes.

To choose favorite reference modes:

1. Click on the Apple menu at the top left of the display.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Choose Displays.

4. Click the Presets pop-up menu.
5. Select Customize Presets.
6. Choose the reference modes that you want to use.
7. Click Done.

To create custom reference modes:

Advanced users can also create custom reference modes tailored to unique workflows. In doing so, you can select from several color gamut, white point, luminance, and transfer function options.

1. Click on the Apple menu at the top left of the display.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Choose Displays.

4. Click the Presets pop-up menu.
5. Select Customize Presets.
6. Choose the + icon at the bottom left.

7. Choose a preset name.
8. Make your adjustments.
9. Select Save Preset.

Adjust brightness

To adjust the brightness on your laptop:

1. Click on the Apple menu at the top left of the display.
2. Select System Preferences.
3. Choose Displays.

4. Use the slider to adjust the brightness, if applicable.
5. Check/Uncheck Automatically adjust brightness to match your needs.

All done!

The MacBook Pro (2021) offers one of the best displays ever seen on a laptop. Use the handy built-in tools to adjust the display settings as needed, customizing your Mac experience further.

Hide My Email is one of the most promising new features available across multiple Apple platforms, including macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. The feature is part of iCloud+ and makes it possible to use random email addresses. By using a random email address, you can hide your actual address and details when filling out forms, signing up for free trials, or any other service.

On Mac, you can access the tool through System Preferences or the native Mail app on any of the best Macs. Here's how to do it.

What is iCloud+

Hide My Email is part of iCloud+, a rebrand of the existing paid iCloud service that comes with some new features. Besides Hide My Email, iCloud+ brings to the table for the first time iCloud Private Relay, custom email domains for iCloud Mail, and expanded HomeKit Secure Video support. Like iCloud itself, iCloud+ is available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Using System Preferences

If you want to create various hidden emails simultaneously, your best bet is to make these through System Preferences. Otherwise, you can create them one at a time through the Mail app, which is detailed below.

Using the Mail app

You can also create and use a random email address through the native Mail app on Mac. To do so:

1. Open the Mail app.
2. Start to draft a new message. You can do so by clicking on the New Message icon or choosing File > New Message from the toolbar.

3. Click From to select an email address to use.
4. Choose Hide My Email from the pull-down menu.

5. Compose your email as you normally do.
6. Click the Send button to send the email.

A worthwhile feature

That's it! Your email was just sent using a random email address. Therefore, any responses will come directly to your actual email, which the contact does not have.

As much as our lives are immersed in digital documentation, there are still times when we need to print something, whether it's a document, an application, or a photo. If you're ready to revert to paper documentation, these are the all-around best printers for Mac.

Which printer should you choose?

Our best choice goes to the Epson EcoTank ET-2750 because of its great versatility. Not only do you get a serviceable printer, but you also get one that is efficient with how it handles ink with its unique replacement system. They don't use ink cartridges. Instead, they use low-cost replacement bottles that are easily refillable – this is a huge convenience.

If you don't have the coin to shell out for our top choice, then the budget-friendly HP OfficeJet 3831 is for you. It's good enough to handle day-to-day printing, scanning, and copying. Plus, it can also print from your iPhone without issue, thanks to AirPrint support. We can't forget to mention HP's Instant Ink program that saves you a ton of money when replacing your cartridges.

The Mac has long been regarded as an excellent tool for creative endeavors. Video editing is a natural on the Mac, but you'll need editing software in order to do anything beyond the basics. Here are some of our favorite video editors for your Mac, whether you're working on a desktop or laptop.

Adobe Premiere Pro

The leading video editing software for film, TV, and the web, Adobe Premiere Pro CC is also one of the most expensive. Plus, it's now only available through monthly or yearly subscriptions. Video editing tools powered by Adobe Sensei, Premiere Pro works with other Adobe apps and services, including After Effects, Adobe Audition, Adobe Stock, and hundreds of third-party extensions. Currently, it's our favorite video editing software for Mac.

Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 2022

Considered a less powerful (and cheaper) sibling to Premiere Pro, Premiere Elements is available on both Mac and Windows, and allows you to do basic and intermediate edits. With intelligent editing Adobe Sensei AI technology, Premiere Elements lets you edit, create, organize, and share photos and videos. You can also add motion to your static images, colorize photos, and select a subject with one click. And yes, you only have to pay for it once — until a new version is released, of course.

Apple Final Cut Pro

If you're looking for an option that is not owned by Adobe, you should consider Apple's Final Cut Pro. Ideally suited for professionals, this software combines video editing and media organization. Extend your capabilities by adding third-party workflow extensions.

Apple iMovie

Free in the Mac App Store, Apple's iMovie features classic themes, chroma-keying, audio tools, and a brilliant yet simple interface. You can enhance your iMovie experience by using the mobile version on the iPhone and iPad.

DaVinci Resolve

The free version of DaVinci Resolve 18 offers editing, visual effects, motion graphics, color correction, and audio post-processing. If you love it but want more, you can pay for the studio version, which adds multi-user collaboration, 3D tools, FX, and more. This software is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

Blender

With Blender, you receive a free and open-source 3D creation suite. Tools are available for video editing, modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing and motion tracking, and game creation. If you're looking for something a little bit different that is supported by professionals and hobbyists alike, this is the one to check out.

Camtasia

Camtasia allows you to combine or split clips, trim, and speed up or slow down the footage with both a screen recorder and video editor. From there, you can preview your masterpiece through the video editor and add effects to add polish to your videos. Camtasia is available for Mac and Windows and is available for free through a 30-day trial.

The best video editing software for your Mac

You can't go wrong with any of these titles. They'll all work great on macOS Monterey, and should also work fine on macOS Ventura as well. If you're working on the go, all of the best MacBooks on the market, including the M2 MacBook Air and M2 MacBook Pro really like these titles. Adobe Premiere Pro is top-notch, and just about the most computer editor out there. Of course, you'll have to pay a monthly subscription in order to use it. We also highly recommend Apple's extensive Final Cut Pro, which you can pay for just once, and its free consumer offering, iMovie. Both let you stay in the Apple ecosystem. If you're just starting out, I'd certainly start with iMovie, since it's free and fully integrated into your Mac's operating system. As you advance, you'll have a better idea of what you need and what's worth paying a premium for.

For the fastest, most reliable, and smallest external storage solution possible, solid-state drives or SSD drives are the way to go. This external storage type is generally smaller and quieter; plus, it uses less energy than traditional hard disk or HDD external drives. If this sounds like exactly what you need, then here's a list of the best external SSD for Mac.

Swift-moving storage

With one of the best external SSD for Mac, you'll have the speediest, smallest storage solution around. The hard part is choosing which one to go with! We suggest the Sabrent Rocket Nano because of its sleek, tiny design that's so perfectly portable.

If your needs call for a more robust solution, then the Crucial X6 offers a full 4GB of storage space that you won't see on most other SSD external drives. Despite its large storage capacity, it is packed into a tidy, compact package that won't weigh you down. Most importantly, any of the drives on this list will work beautifully with your Mac.

When it comes to storing data, personal information, and essential documents, you can never be too safe. External hard drives are not only useful for storing data but are an excellent way to transport files from one location to another. When you take into account price, ease of use, and portability, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times.

Best Overall: Seagate Backup Plus Slim (2 TB)

If you want a reliable external hard drive that has a decent amount of storage, is super easy to carry around and has a very affordable price tag, the Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the best option for most people. Formatted for Windows and Mac right out of the box, it's easy to carry all your essential documents from desktop to laptop without missing a beat.

The Seagate Dashboard back up system is a fantastic simple tool that can let you schedule backups to ensure you never miss any critical files you need in case something terrible happens to your computer. You can set automatic backups daily, weekly, or monthly, and change the frequency whenever you want.

Seagate also throws in a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create. This can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool, and a two-month membership to Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan.

Easily plug in the Seagate Backup Plus Slim 2TB formatted for Mac right out of the packaging.

Best USB-C hard drive: Samsung T5 Portable SSD (1 TB)

This small compact SSD drive from Samsung comes with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A, meaning it's perfect to use with your MacBook or Mac.

Its fast 540 MB/s read and write speeds are more than enough to transfer any file. And should be able to store all your photo and video files with ease thanks to its straightforward software. Plus, if you're worried about encryption, the Samsung T5 Portable SSD has you covered with an optional password to launch the drive, and AES 256-bit hardware encryption on all your files.

With 540 MB/s read and write speeds it's fast enough for photographers and videographers to transport all their work.

Best Capacity: Western Digital My Book (8 TB)

Compatible with Time Machine right out of the box, the 8 TB storage capacity on the Western Digital My Book is perfect for people looking for a lot of stage at a reasonable price. It's USB 3.0 meaning it's easy to take advantage of its storage speed with fast transfer speeds.

While portability is not the Western Digital My Book's strong suit and it needs a separate power source, it does offer 256-AES encryption when you download its easy-to-use security software. It ensures all your important files and documents stay private.

If you're looking for a drive that has lots of space, os you don't have to have multiple as your storage needs grow, look no further.

256-AES encryption when you download this security software. Rest easy knowing your personal data is safe.

Best Thunderbolt 3 Drive: LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt

LaCie hard drives have always been good for people on the go because of the rugged design. The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt can withstand some dust, dirt, and even a tiny bit of water being splashed on it.

It's 7200 RPM Hard drive keeps things running smoothly. And the included USB-C cable — which supports Thunderbolt 3 — makes it perfect for MacBook and Mac users alike!

The LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt 3 can withstand drops, dust, and even the occasional splash of water, making it easy to carry around!

Best for Legacy Hardware : G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB)

While Apple has been going the way of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 for a while now, some of us still use older hardware and thus don't need hard drives that have USB-C connections. If you're still rocking USB-A or even a Thunderbolt 2 connection from your Mac, the G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 (4TB) is a perfect companion.

Its all-metal design is not only more durable than plastic hard drives, but it also looks stylish! Plus, it's 7200 RPM speed allows the G-Technology G-DRIVE USB 3.0 to achieve 195 MB/s read and write speeds. This makes it fast enough to transfer large video files quickly and efficiently.

With 7200 RPM, this hard drive works to get your files transferred quickly. Plus, it uses USB 3.0, and has a Thunderbolt 2 port.

Best Rugged Drive : CalDigit Tuff

The CalDigit Tuff does the best it can to live up to its name, giving you a hard drive that isn't as delicate as most. Its official IP rating is IP57, meaning it can be submerged in 3-feet of water for 30 mins and come out the other side functional. That's not all; this Thunderbolt 3 compatible drive can also withstand falling from about 4-feet high. We still don't suggest that you purposely abuse the CalDigit Tuff. Still, it's always good to have peace of mind when you're carrying your hard drive around.

Official rated IP57, the CalDigit Tuff can survive an accidental dip into the water and has a great price tag.

Best Fast Drive : Samsung X5 (1TB)

If you're used to dealing with giant file sizes and need a hard drive that can handle transfer data fast, the Samsung X5 is one of the fastest SSD's you'll find. Its read and write speeds are 2,800MB/s and 2,300MB/s respectively, and the entire body is made of metal, making it much harder than plastic drives. Plus, The internal frame on the inside is shock resistant for drops from 2 meters.

This SSD comes with Thunderbolt 3 technology included. This you can take advantage of the fast speeds on your Mac or MacBook Pro, and it doesn't need any formatting, so it's plug and play!

If you need blazing fast speeds for giant files, the Samsung X5 is a monster external SSD that can handle any workload.

Bottom line

The Seagate Backup Plus Slim is the most reliable hard drive you can carry around with you at all times. It is formatted for both Mac and Windows right out of the box, and its easy-to-use software can automatically do backups for you as often or as little as you want.

Seagate also throws in a one-year complimentary subscription to Mylio Create. This program can help you wrangle your photo library if you don't already use some photo managing tool. A two-month membership to Adobe's Creative Cloud Photography Plan means it's perfect for budding photographers as well.

What you need to know

• Apple has renewed its trademark on "Mammoth."
• The action could mean that it is a contender to follow macOS Monterey next year.

"Mammoth" is back in the game as a potential name for the next version of macOS.

As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple has renewed its trademark on the "Mammoth" name, indicating that it could be a contender for the new name of macOS when it releases next year.

Back in June, Apple renewed its trademarks on the names of "Mammoth" and "Monterey." The second obviously went on to become this year's version of macOS when the company announced it at WWDC21.

Since "Mammoth" continues to be renewed, it could mean that it will be the next one to expect. If so, it will hopefully mean we are in for a huge release for the Mac next year.

In macOS Monterey, Shortcuts arrived on Mac for the first time. A long-time popular feature on iPhone and iPad, Shortcuts lets you save time by removing steps when performing essential tasks.

We've already told you how to create Shortcuts on Mac. You can now share your favorites with other Mac users in just a few steps.

Sharing Shortcuts on Mac

Created Shortcuts are shareable like any other file via the Share Sheet in macOS Monterey. To share Shortcuts:

1. Open Shortcuts on your Mac.
2. Right-click on the Shortcut you wish to share.

3. Choose Share from the pull-down menu.
4. Select the way to share your Shortcut.
5. Repeat Steps 1 through Steps 4 to share additional Shortcuts.

Opening shared Shortcuts on Mac

When you receive a Shortcut, you can easily open it on your Mac. The following example assumes you've received the Shortcut via email.

1. Open the email, which includes the Shortcut for Mac.
2. Choose on the Shortcut link.
3. Click Add Shortcut... from the pop-up box.
4. Follow any additional directions.

Mac Shortcuts sent/received that support iPhone and iPad can also be opened on those devices. The steps are similar to those mentioned above.

See what develops

Shortcuts on Mac is a terrific tool and one that should get even better over time. It lets you save time by removing steps when performing everyday tasks on your computer at the highest level. You can select from a list of pre-configured Shortcuts or create new ones using the built-in editor. In addition, you can run installed Shortcuts from the Dock, menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, or Siri.

The new feature runs on all of the best Macs and those others that run macOS Monterey.

If you have an Apple ID and iCloud, you can save passwords synced across various devices, including Mac, iPhone, and iPad. For the former with macOS Monterey, you can easily manage your password using System Preferences or directly from Safari. It works on all of the best Macs.

Password management on Apple devices is handled through the iCloud Keychain, an Apple feature that makes it possible to save account names and passwords you use online securely. In turn, you can safely access that information at any time from the supported devices.

Settings up iCloud Keychain on Mac

Before using it, you must enable the iCloud Keychain on each device. You must allow it separately for use through Safari.

Manage password information on Mac with System Preferences

Thanks to iCloud Keychain, all of your account information is saved and synced across your supported devices. To make changes to existing information via Mac:

1. Click on System Preferences on the Mac Dock.
2. Choose Passwords.

3. Log into iCloud Keychain.
4. Choose the login information you wish to change on the left side of the Passwords screen.

5. Choose the Edit icon at the top right.

You can edit your User Name, Password, and Website information from this screen. Additionally, you can add a Setup Key when needed. You can also delete the record as needed. All changes made on your Mac will sync to your other supported devices.

Manage password information on Mac in Safari

As an alternative, you can make iCloud Keychain changes from the Safari app on your Mac. The only reason to do so is convenience since most of the steps are the same.

To make changes through Safari on your Mac:

1. Open **Safari **on your Mac.
2. Click Safari on the Mac menu bar.
3. Select Preferences from the pull-down menu.

4. Choose Passwords from the Safari Preferences menu.
5. Log into iCloud Keychain.

6. Choose the login information you wish to change on the left side of the Passwords screen.
7. Choose the Edit icon at the top right.

You can edit your User Name, Password, and Website information from this screen. Additionally, you can add a Setup Key when needed. You can also delete the record as needed. All changes made on your Mac will sync to your other supported devices.

Helpful tool

Storing username and password through iCloud Keychain saves a lot of time across all of your Apple devices. Better still, it's safe and secure. To make adjustments on Mac, you can use System Preferences or head over to the Safari app.

Optical drives went the way of the DoDo bird a few years ago on Mac computers due to most software, movies, and music all moving online, but sometimes you still need a good old fashioned CD drive. So, there are still situations when you need an external optical drive. That said, no matter what your needs are, we've saved you the trouble of looking around and grouped some of the best CD drives to compliment your new Mac mini.

Which CD Drive should you choose?

Even though it's 2019, there are still several instances where you might need to use an optical drive with your new Mac mini. Whether you're watching a movie that's not on Netflix, or you want to burn some music to relieve those 90's car rides, or you need to install some older software onto your new Mac mini, we've found some of the best options for you to consider. For most folks, the Nolyth USB-C Superdrive will be the best option because it gets the job done without breaking the bank, but you can't go wrong with anything on this list.

If you don't like the Nolyth USB-C Superdrive, then the next best choice would be the wooden VersionTECH SuperDrive. It's nothing quite like it when you compare it to other alternatives. Its unique design brings a certain distinct personality for such an otherwise boring piece of equipment. Plus, it only costs a few more bucks than our best option.

Suppose you have previously partitioned your Mac's hard drive to download a macOS beta or install Windows, but now you need that storage space back. In that case, you can remove the partition and recapture the much-needed space. Here's how to remove a hard drive partition on your Mac.

Getting rid of a secondary partition on the Mac is a two-step process. After erasing a partition, you can then remove it from your system.

Before you start

The most important thing to do before removing a hard drive partition on your Mac is to back it up. Time Machine has the easiest way to back up your data if you don't already have a system in place. You'll need an external hard drive to start a local backup regimen.

How to erase a partition on your Mac

Make sure to restart your computer in your main partition to erase additional ones.

1. Open Finder from your dock.
2. Select Applications.

3. Scroll down and open the Utilities folder.
4. Double-click to open Disk Utility.

5. Select the partition you wish to erase.
6. Click Erase.
7. Click Erase to confirm you wish to erase the partition.
8. Click Done to continue.

How to remove a hard drive partition on your Mac

After following the steps to remove a hard drive partition on your Mac, you can remove it from your hard drive.

1. Select your main partition, which is the first drive on the list. It might be called "Macintosh HD."
2. Click Partition.

3. Select the partition you wish to remove from the graph.
4. Click the minus (-) button.
5. Click Apply.

Disk Utility will check the disk and make changes. This will take several minutes.

Summary

That's how to remove storage partitions on your Mac. As you can see, the process takes only a few steps to complete. The most important thing to remember is to back up your system before starting the removal process.

Updated November 2021: Includes current information.

The Photos app on Mac is one of the most popular features of macOS Monterey. It's here where your cherished memories are kept in image and video formats. When the time comes, you can move your photos from one Mac to the other. How you do this depends on whether you're using iCloud Photos. The steps below work on all of the best Macs.

Transferring using AirDrop

The quickest way to transfer a small number of photos or videos from the Photos app to another Mac is by using AirDrop. This assumes both machines are close enough together to use Bluetooth LE.

To get started:

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac from either the Applications folder or Mac Dock.
2. Choose the photos you wish to send to a new Mac.

3. Click on the Share Sheet icon at the top right.
4. Select AirDrop from the pull-down menu.
5. Confirm the transfer on the other Mac.

Using Mac Migration Assistant

If you want to transfer your entire Photos library from one Mac to other, you can do so using the Mac Migration Assistant.

Before starting, be sure both machines meet the following requirements:

1. Upgrade both Macs to the latest macOS version.
2. Make sure both machines are on the same Wi-Fi network.
3. On your old Mac, choose the Apple menu at the top left.

4. Select System Preferences from the pull-down menu.
5. Click Sharing.
6. Make sure that a name appears in the Computer Name field.

7. Follow the the Mac Migration Assistant directions.

With iCloud Photos

You will find the easiest way to transfer photos from one Mac to another is when using iCloud Photos. During the Mac setup process, you're asked to sign in to your Apple ID. When you do, the Mac will automatically sync with your iCloud content.

To confirm iCloud Photos are synced:

1. On your new Mac, choose the Apple menu at the top left.
2. Select System Preferences from the pull-down menu.
3. Click Apple ID at the top.

4. Click iCloud on the left side.
5. If necessary, check the Photos box on the right. Once checked, the Mac will begin syncing your photos from iCloud.

It's always a good idea to delete content you no longer need before you move your photos from one Mac to another from the Photos app. Yes, this can be a tedious process, depending on how many images you have. However, it's always nice to start fresh on a new Mac. A smaller Photos library also means it's that much quicker to transfer the content.

Regardless, enjoy your new Mac!

One of the newest features to arrive on Mac with macOS Monterey is Shortcuts. First launched on iPhone and iPad a few years ago, Shortcuts makes it easier to customize and streamline our everyday workflows and get things done quicker and easier.

In macOS Monterey, you can add Shortcuts to Mac's built-in Quick Actions. In turn, you can then find your Shortcuts from Finder windows and the Services menu. Here's how to use Quick Actions in the Shortcuts app on Mac. It works on all the best Macs.

Creating Shortcuts

You can find Shortcuts in the Applications folder on your Mac. In the Shortcuts Gallery, you'll find a growing list of built-in shortcuts that you might find useful. You can also create Shortcuts.

Using Quick Actions with Shortcuts

Once you've created a Shortcut, you can include it in Quick Actions. To do so:

1. Go into the Shortcuts app.
2. Click All Shortcuts under My Shortcuts on the left-hand side of the app.
3. Drag the Shortcut you wish to use into the Quick Actions folder.

That's it! The Shortcut is now useable with Quick Actions.

Choose which Quick Actions appear in the Finder

As we previously noted, Quick Actions appear in Finder windows by default. And yet, it's best to select which ones you want to see. Doing so removes some digital clutter that might pile up over time.

To adjust your Quick Actions:

1. Choose the Apple icon at the top left of the menu bar.
2. Click System Preferences.
3. Select Extensions.

4. Next, choose Finder in the left column.
5. Click on the checkbox next to each action you want to be available from the Finder.

You'll see the checked actions in on the Finder windows on your Mac.

Getting those Quick Actions

Quick Actions have long been a time-saving solution for adding automative tasks to Finder windows and the Services menu. The process has now been extended to the new Shortcuts app for Mac, making Quick Actions an even more useful tool. Better still, moving Shortcuts to Quick Actions takes just a few steps, so why not do it?

What you need to know

• A new report says Mac shipments are up 11% in Q3.
• Apple reportedly shipped 7.3 million units.
• Counterpoint says this is largely down to the M1.

A new report says that the success of Apple's M1 Mac models has driven an 11% rise in Mac shipments in Q3 of 2021.

Counterpoint says that PC shipments as a whole grew again to a total of 84.2 million units despite supply constraints. With Lenovo leading the line ahead of HP, Dell, and then Apple:

An estimated rise of 11%, from 6.6 million units up to 7.3 million in Q3 of this year, helped Apple take an 8.7% market share.

Apple doesn't release Mac sales figures, so these numbers will be based on estimations. However, they could point to encouraging performance of devices like the 13-inch MacBook Pro with M1 and MacBook Air with M1. This week Apple unveiled its new MacBook Pro (2021) with mini-LED display and new Apple silicon. The M1 Pro and M1 Max chips make it the best MacBook Apple has ever made.

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Whether you're streaming video live from your webcam over Zoom, YouTube, Twitch, or just about anywhere else, or prerecording presentations or other videos, Mmhmm lets you easily and intuitively add images, videos, animated GIFs, and presentation slides to your video.

Want to do a faux newscast with graphics over your shoulder? Give a presentation in front of your own slide deck so that you can literally point to key parts of the image? Resize or move your image over that backdrop in real-time, or add effects so that you look like you're coming in via holographic transmission? Mmhmm offers all this and more.

As we write this, some under-development features in Mmhmm -- like the ability to film an entire presentation, then go back and re-record individual slides to fix your flubs or awkward pauses -- show more promise than polish. But the program as a whole makes adding visual verve to your videos easy and fun. Best of all, you can use all its high-end features for up to an hour a day, indefinitely, without paying up for a subscription.

Mmhmm: Price and availability

Mmhmm is available for a free download at mmhmm.app. All its premium features -- mostly including more ways to change the appearance of the presenter or the background behind them -- are available free for seven days, and after that, for a single, consecutive hour every day. To subscribe and unlock all premium features, Mmhmm costs $8.33 a month or $99.99 a year.

Mmhmm: What you'll like

Mmhmm was made for the Mac first, and it feels like a classic Mac app -- approachable, intuitive, and friendly. It squeezes a lot of useful controls into a fairly small space, and it's not too hard to learn which buttons and features do what just by poking around and experimenting. Moving around or resizing yourself or your slides/images/videos in the video frame involves simple clicking and dragging, and you can add different filters or adjust settings and see the results in real-time.

Adding new slides really is as simple as dragging and dropping in image or video files. You can set up those slides to fill the entire background or hover over your shoulder, either through menu controls or simple keyboard shortcuts. Mmhmm has basic tools to create your own slides, but they're just okay: text with a limited array of fonts, a background color, and maybe a few icons. Still, they work in a pinch.

Videos work just as easily as images. Simple contextual-menu controls let you determine whether they loop and when they play or pause. You can make them fill the screen or hover in the background.

If your presentation desperately needs some animated GIFs, Mmhmm has built GIPHY search directly into the app, so finding that ideal loop of a skateboarding kitten or popular meme involves little more than typing in a few keywords and clicking a few buttons.

Mmhmm also offers premium users a host of great-looking still and video backgrounds, plus the ability to quickly add your own. You can even rearrange them in the app's panel of background choices so that you can trigger the ones you want with the keyboard shortcut of your choice. For moving backgrounds, Mmhmm supports GIFs, MOVs, and MP4s.

In earlier versions of the app, switching between settings from one slide to the next took a lot of quick keystrokes and a fair bit of luck. That changed when Mmhmm added Scenes: custom presets that remember how you've arranged yourself and your background imagery within the video frame.

For example, I can set up:

• One preset for myself reading lines against a primary background, with images over my shoulder
• One for presenting pictures, slides, or videos in full screen, without my image
• One in black-and-white with an old-timey film effect
• One where I've shrunk myself into the background of an image
• One where I've layered myself between a background and a transparent PNG in the foreground so that I appear integrated into the photo.

You can move slides into and out of a given scene, and they'll automatically take on the preset properties of that scene.

Copilot mode -- as easy as toggling a switch in Mmhmm's interface and texting a link to another Mmhmm user -- lets you sync up your presentation with another presenter. The program can't blend your video images on the same screen, but it can synchronize your slides and let both presenters control the flow of the presentation while trading off speaking.

I had no trouble getting Mmhmm to work with Zoom, though I did have to turn off Zoom's own virtual background features. Once I selected "Mmhmm Camera" as the camera source for Zoom, my video came through perfectly, even on a video conference call. Mmhmm works seamlessly with lots of other apps that support virtual cameras, and even when some services' desktop apps don't, their web apps do. If all else fails, you can simply share your Mmhmm window. That's not ideal, but it's workable.

Mmhmm's built-in recording tools to let you capture your presentation for others to peruse later. You can dump all the captured video into a file for further editing and uploading; the resulting MP4 files looked great and worked flawlessly with iMovie. Alternately, you can send your presentation to Mmhmm's own site, where users with the right URL will be able to browse through it slide-by-slide at their own pace.

Finally, Mmhmm abounds with whimsy and charm. You can add a digital laser pointer, use a bit of AI to turn your hand into the equivalent of a giant foam finger when it appears onscreen (for when you really want to emphasize something), or alter your video with a host of gleefully goofy presets that can pixelate you out, glitch you with static, or make you look like a holographic transmission from the Galactic Senate. The app's sillier aspects never overwhelm its more serious ones, but they're always there if you want them.

Mmhmm: What you won't like

Technically speaking, you can drag and drop PowerPoint or Keynote files into Mmhmm. But should you? Right now, probably not. Importing a presentation, even one with a relatively modest 30 or so slides, takes ages if it succeeds at all. In my tests, Mmhmm chewed on a PowerPoint file for a good 20 seconds or more -- then turned around and started processing it again -- and then started processing it a third time. Many minutes and the activation of my computer's fan later, it still remained stuck on slide 0 of 32, with no sign of forward motion. Presentations I'd converted into PDFs didn't import any better.

Zoom doesn't yet have a built-in teleprompter feature, though the company's promised that it's working on that for a future update. For now, recording a scripted video means I have to squeeze a teleprompter and Mmhmm's window onto my same screen, then awkwardly juggle the two of them in real-time.

With a green screen, you can easily tweak settings and thresholds to achieve a good-looking picture, providing your lighting's decent. Without one, Mmhmm's own virtual green screen background-hiding technology is just egregiously, embarrassingly bad -- so bad that its own online help files slip in a semi-apologetic promise that the outline around your body will get less wavy in future updates. If Zoom, not exactly a beacon of high-quality coding, can figure this sort of thing out, Mmhmm has no excuse.

Speaking of features that aren't quite ready for prime time, Mmhmm's latest beta release promises to let you go back to a previously recorded file and retake individual slides to fix any inevitable flubs or bloopers you may have made along the way.

That's an amazing and entirely welcome addition ... or would be, if it worked. In my tests as of press time, it didn't quite work. Whether I used Camo Studio to record video through my iPhone SE's camera, or relied on the built-in webcam in my iMac, playback of my recorded takes within Mmhmm suffered from out-of-synch audio. Even when exporting the video to an MP4 file fixed those synch issues, the speed at which my slides progressed ran ahead of my image and sound. I also occasionally, but not consistently, crashed the app just by trying to retake a single slide.

Mmhmm's cheerful, prompt tech support says they're working to fix these bugs, and I believe them. This feature will be wonderful one day, but right now? Not so much. Until Mmhmm fixes this, I recommend avoiding the beta and sticking with regular releases if you plan to record your presentations.

Mmhmm: Alternatives

I'm hard-pressed to find any apps that compete with Mmhmm's unique blend of ease of use, power, and sheer goofiness. The free, open-source OBS Studio, available for Mac, Windows, and Linux and backed by heavy hitters like YouTube and Twitch, comes closest. But its industrial-grade features for full video production, while far more powerful than Mmhmm's, also seem to come with a much steeper learning curve. And while I was able to use Mmhmm to make great-looking YouTube videos for my full-time job, OBS seems like overkill for Mmhmm's intended use case of jazzing up presentations at work or making video calls less deathly dull.

Mmhmm: Should you get it?

With one hour of premium features a day for free users, indefinitely -- enough to create and record a short video, if you plan ahead and manage your time carefully -- there's little reason why curious users shouldn't download Mmhmm and give it a whirl. Professional streamers who make a living from Internet video will likely need a more powerful software package like OBS. But for occasional or even frequent efforts to make your next video conference call less excruciating for all concerned, Mmhmm seems like a smart choice. It caters to users who want something they can easily pick up and learn. And it especially abounds with creative possibilities for students and teachers, for whom Mmhmm offers a free year of premium service. If you find you're using Mmhmm more than an hour a day, you can probably justify springing for a subscription.

Mmhmm: The bottom line

Despite its bugs and shortcomings, I've really enjoyed using Mmhmm. With little more than a green screen, it's enabled me to make creative, professional-looking videos for YouTube and presentations for my job that'll keep their intended viewers alert, learning, and hopefully smiling. You can feel the goodwill and thoughtfulness that the All Turtles team put into Mmhmm, which does a lot to paper over its relatively few rough edges.

With each new macOS release, Apple continues to blur the line between desktop and mobile by offering similar features on both platforms. For the most part, this has worked. And yet, macOS Monterey has convinced me that not everything on mobile works on an iMac, MacBook, or any of the other best Macs.

Until now, I've enjoyed seeing mobile apps and features make their way to Mac from iPhone and iPad, including News, Maps, and redesigned versions of Photos and Messages. However, this time around, I've been much less impressed. From the radical Safari redesign that no one asked for to the introduction of Focus, some of Monterey's most prominent features seem much less useful here than they do on mobile.

The new Safari

My biggest beef with macOS Monterey has been Apple's many changes to Safari. Chief among these are the new Tab Groups, which are anything but user-friendly and can quickly become confusing. Some of the questions that float inside my head are, Why should we use tab groups over traditional bookmarks?, and Who was asking for this add-on?

Back in July, I said if Tab Groups were to catch on and replace bookmarks, I would be on board. But today, I'm starting to see these not as helpful but as a gimmick. If you recall, Apple decided not to wait until the release of macOS Monterey to bring the new Safari to the public. It's available through the Safari 15 update.

Interestingly, another new Safari feature on both Mac and mobile quickly went from a requirement to an option after a public outcry. The new compact tabs look is easy to turn off now, which reestablishes the original separate tabs format.

As the Daring Fireball recently noted: "I despise the new tabs... They don't look like tabs. They look like buttons."

Maybe a future macOS update will also allow us to turn Tab Groups off.

These same Tab groups feel much more helpful on iPhone, perhaps because of the smaller screen where real estate is limited. At least for now, I seem to be using Microsoft Edge much more often on my MacBook Pro. The Chromium-based browser seems faster and more reliable than Safari and much less confusing to travel between websites.

Focus

This brings me to Apple's new Focus tool.

I've tried to fall in love with this new feature, designed to make it easier for users to concentrate on what they're doing throughout the day by silencing unnecessary notifications and alerts. Among the Focus Groups, you can create ones for Work, Sleep, Gaming, Exercise, and anything else you want.

My gripe isn't with the Focus feature itself, which is easy to set up in macOS Monterey. Instead, it's that it feels so unnecessary on desktop. Do we really need different Focus settings for work and sleep? Do our Macs care at all about when we're working out at the gym? Are our lives that busy that we can't read a text from one of our friends in the middle of the day?

Now you're probably thinking, 'Bryan, just turn Focus off on your Mac.' And yes, that's exactly what I'll do when macOS Monterey arrives. Regardless, I'm sticking with the position Focus is nearly perfect on iPhone, but much less necessary on macOS.

Other issues

Safari changes and Focus aren't the only features that don't translate well to macOS. For example, Notification Center, which seems essential on iPhone, is much less so on Mac. I believe this feeling is tied to how Apple has hidden the feature behind the clock on the top right of the menu bar. And yes, I'm still annoyed with how Apple broke up what was once iTunes so that we have separate Music, Podcasts, and Apple TV apps. Again, this makes sense on mobile, but a little bit less so on a desktop.

It's not all bad

I've been using beta versions of macOS Monterey since June and plan on reviewing when it's released to the public. Shared with You and the all-new Quick Note are just two of the new features that work almost flawlessly on desktop and mobile, and are also useful on both platforms.

However, moving forward, Apple would be wise to put on the brakes with its desire to make macOS even more like iOS. With all the obvious low-hanging fruit picked, it's becoming much harder to find features that translate effectively across both platforms.

Otherwise, Apple should merge them all into one universal OS and be done with it. Let's hope that day never comes, however.

Is your Mac suddenly lagging? Is its performance slowing down? Then, you might need to clear the computer's memory cache. Here are some steps you can take to manage memory on your computer. You can follow these steps on all of the best Macs.

What is RAM?

RAM, which stands for random access memory, is one of the most important components in computers. It's designed to provide memory storage for current tasks and processes. When used properly, this memory speeds things up on the machine. Unfortunately, memory is often affected by poorly designed apps and web pages. In turn, this slows things down to unacceptable levels.

Years ago, it was easy to upgrade RAM on Apple devices. Unfortunately, those days are long over. Today, only the 27-inch iMac and Mac Pro allow for RAM upgrades after purchase. With this solution off the table for most users, it's important to maximize the size of the RAM on your machine at the time of purchase.

Regardless, you can take steps on your existing machine to manage memory by clearing up the cache and speed things up.

Find your RAM

To find the amount of RAM on your Mac:

1. Click on the Apple logo at the top left of the device.
2. Choose About This Mac from the pull-down menu.
3. Review the amount of memory on the overview tab.

Signs of trouble

When your Mac uses too much memory, you will know it almost immediately because the machine will begin to slow down unexpectedly. Among the signs there is a problem:

• Performance slows
• You'll see the spinning beach ball
• Apps become unresponsive or freeze
• Both apps and web pages fail to load or take a long time to do so
• You see a "Your system has run out of application memory" message

Steps to follow

There are certain steps you can take to improve memory performance on your Mac, including the following.

As a first step, shut down all of the apps and reboot your computer. It's a simple step but is often the one that fixes memory issues.

Install all Mac software updates and all current firmware updates on your Machine. To do so:

1. Choose the Apple icon at the top left of the computer.
2. Select About This Mac from the pull-down menu.
3. Click Software Update.
4. Follow the on-screen directions.

You should also check for app updates in the Mac App Store.

It could be one pesky app or process that is causing memory issues. To find out, check the Activity Monitor. To do so:

1. Choose Finder on your Mac Dock.
2. Select Go on the menu bar.
3. Click Utilities from the pull-down menu.

4. Select Activity Monitor.
5. Click the Memory tab at the top of the Activity Monitor.

6. Sort the table by Memory, so the processes using the most memory are at the top of the list.
7. Highlight unneeded processes that are using a lot of memory. These could include open apps that you're not currently using. If you don't recognize a running process, it's best to leave it alone.
8. Click the X icon at the top of the Activity Monitor to shut down the highlighted process.
9. Choose Force Shut Down to confirm the shutdown.
10. Repeat Steps 7 through Steps 9 as needed.

Memory issues are sometimes connected to an overheated CPU that's caused by a pesky process. To see if this is the case:

1. Choose Finder on your Mac Dock.
2. Select Go on the menu bar.
3. Click Utilities from the pull-down menu.

4. Select Activity Monitor.
5. Click the CPU at the top of the Activity Monitor. (It's the default.)

6. Sort the table by %CPU so the processes using the most CPU are at the top of the list.
7. Highlight unneeded processes that are using a lot of CPU. These could include open apps that you're not currently using. If you don't recognize a running process, it's best to leave it alone.
8. Click the X icon at the top of the Activity Monitor to shut down the highlighted process.
9. Choose Force Shut Down to confirm the shutdown.
10. Repeat Steps 7 through Steps 9 as needed.

Another possible solution is to stop apps from automatically starting when rebooting the device. To do this:

1. Choose the Apple icon at the top left of the computer.
2. Select System Preferences from the pull-down menu.
3. Click Users & Groups.

4. Select the Current User at the left.
5. Click the Login Items tab on the right.
6. Highlight an app you don't want to startup automatically anymore. This does not remove the app from the computer.
7. Choose the - below the list of apps.
8. Repeat Steps 6 and 7 to remove other apps from starting up.

Thoughts?

Do you have any additional questions about how to manage memory on Mac or about macOS in general? Let us know in the comments below.