23 useful Mac settings hiding in plain sight

MacOS system hidden settings: 24 practical tips to help you customize your computer experience

macOS prides itself on the sophistication and fluency of its software, and on the surface it is an intuitive and easy-to-use operating system. However, dig deeper and you will find a lot of useful settings and options that will allow you to customize your computing experience. Here are 24 of our favorite tips.

1. Silent Siri

Siri does not need to read her responses aloud - she can silently display them on the screen. If you prefer this option, click the Apple menu, then click System Preferences and Siri. Finally, next to the Voice Feedback title, select Close . In the same dialog, you can adjust other aspects of Siri: try changing the voice, and if you prefer a less cluttered interface, try hiding the icon from the menu bar or the Dock.

2. Simplify your web browsing experience

Safari web browser can hide ads and other distractions, allowing you to focus on the text on a specific page. To enable this minimal view reader mode permanently, first open the browser. Next, click the Safari menu in the top bar of the screen and select Preferences . In this window, open the Reader tab, find the drop-down list when visiting other websites, and select to enable .

3. File Sharing

If you have an iCloud account, you can easily share your files with your contacts from within macOS. Open Finder and select the desired file. At the top of the Finder window, click the

Share button (looks like an arrow pointing outside the box), and select Add people . You can then use the next dialog box to select how you share, who the file is to, and whether they can change the file.

4. Free hard disk space

If you have insufficient hard disk space, macOS can help. Click the

Apple menu at the top of the screen and select About this unit. In the window that appears, open the Storage Space tab, and then click Manage. To automatically delete cloud-based files that do not require local storage—such as iTunes TV shows, iTunes movies, and email attachments—select Optimization. If you prefer manual control, select View files to view the largest files in the system and decide whether you want to delete them.

5. Cleaning system preferences

The System Preferences app acts as a control panel for all Mac settings, so it contains dozens of sub-sections. However, if you rarely use some of these items, you can hide them. Open the System Preferences, which can be opened by launching the application or by clicking the Apple menu at the top of the screen and selecting System Preferences. From the bar at the top of the screen, select to view and then click Custom to bring up the shortcut list. Now you can uncheck the menu you don't need to access, or restore the items you'd rather see in the main view of the app.

6. Flip scrolling direction

By default, if you move two fingers down to the trackpad of your Apple laptop, your view will move down to the open document or website. However, you can flip these directions so moving your fingers down will move the view upwards. Open the System Preferences and go to the Touchpad menu. Under the Scroll and Zoom title, select the check box marked Scroll Direction: Natural .

7. Check settings faster

Because you have been accessing many of these options through system preferences, easier launching the application will speed up your setup tuning process. So, continue to keep it in the Dock: Open System Preferences , click and hold the icon in the Dock, then select the option , and then select to stay in the Dock. Now you can quickly launch the app by tapping the icon, or – before you even open the app – hold the icon to bring up a list of its various settings screens.

8. Combining the application window into the tab

Just like you open multiple tabs in your browser, macOS allows you to arrange windows for other applications in the same way. This only applies to certain programs, including all Apple-developed apps, such as Apple Maps. In any application that supports tabs, select

window from the bar at the top of the page. Then click Merge all windows to combine multiple windows in a series of tabs.

9. Change the appearance of Finder

When you browse files in Finder, you do not have to accept the default view. Open a new window, go to the

at the top of the page to view the menu, and select Show view option . The next dialog box allows you to set icon size, grid spacing, text label size and position, and more. Once you have identified these new settings, macOS will apply it to any Finder window you open in the future.

10. Permanently delete the file

Deleted items won't simply disappear from your computer - instead, they will remain in the Trash folder until you clear it. If you're tired of your trash being filled, or you're worried that someone will recover your deleted documents, you can erase the files completely. In Finder, select the file you want to permanently delete. Then press and hold the Option key to open the File menu, then click Delete now, and then click Delete . The project will skip the trash completely and disappear.

11. Add events from email

When someone notifies you of a party via email, macOS can automatically add the event to your calendar. To enable this feature, open the Mail app and click Mail in the top bar of the screen. Select Preferences and under the General tab, open Automatically add invitations to calendar option. Now, an email with time and date will show a calendar banner at the top asking if you want to add events to your schedule.

12. Automatically start the program

It can automatically start certain programs every time macOS starts. While this is convenient, if too many applications take advantage of it, they can damage the overall performance of the system. To check the auto-start application and edit the list, open System Preferences and select Users and Groups. Under the Login Project title, you can use the minus button to delete the application, or use the plus button to add a new application.

13. Sync folders to the cloud

As the cloud storage app iCloud matures, Apple has given it new features—such as syncing desktop folders to the network (if you have enough storage space). Open System Preferences and go to iCloud. In this menu, view the option next to iCloud Drive, where you can select the folders and applications you want to automatically sync to your cloud storage account.

14. Stop automatically playing content

Autoplay ads and videos can make the internet noisy. To stop them, open Apple's web browser, click Safari from the bar at the top of the page, click Preferences, and go to the Website tab. Here, click to automatically play and then open the drop-down menu at the bottom to stop the audio and video from automatically playing in the future, or block video with sound.

15. Fine-tuning brightness

To adjust the brightness of your Mac screen, you can press the shortcut keys on the keyboard. However, this adjusts the brightness up or down in discrete steps. To fine-tune it in smaller increments, hold down the Shift and Option keys when clicking the brightness button. You can also adjust the light level in the display menu of System Preferences .

16. Select your favorite Wi-Fi network

When you connect to a Wi-Fi network, macOS remembers it so that you can join it more easily in the future. However, when you rely on a laptop, you can accumulate a large list of saved networks, which makes it harder to find the network you need. Instead, adjust the settings to push your favorite network to the top of the list and forget about the network you will never access. In

System Preferences, click Network, and then select Advanced to edit the network list.

17. Unlock Mac with Apple Watch

If you own an Apple Watch, you can access your Mac using your wearable: When you wear a watch, your password-protected computer will allow you to boot the system while bypassing the login screen. Put on and unlock the smartwatch. Then turn to your computer, open

System Preferences and select Security & Privacy. Under General, select the check box marked to allow your Apple Watch to unlock your Mac. The watch should vibrate to confirm the changes, and you don't need to enter your password next time you turn on your computer.

18. Select the location of Spotlight search

Spotlight Search Tool (you can use

Cmd Space to boot) allows you to find anything on your Mac. But sometimes its search parameters are too wide, so it is difficult for you to pick out the search objects. To limit its breadth slightly, open Station Preferences and select Spotlight and select Search results. Uncheck any less relevant categories that you want Spotlight to exclude from search results, such as presentations or spreadsheet .

19. Turn the screen corner into a shortcut

By hovering the cursor over different corners of the screen, you can start operations such as displaying the desktop, launching a screen saver, hibernating the monitor, or opening Mission Control (providing views of all open windows). But first, you have to set these shortcuts. Open the System Preferences

, select Desktop & Screen Saver, go to the Screen Saver tab, and then click Hot Angle. Now you can decide which function to which angle to associate.

20. Save battery power

One of the biggest battery consumption on laptops such as MacBooks is the monitor. To save power, you can let the computer sleep quickly after a period of inactivity, or tell the screen to get a little dimmed when powered on the battery. Open the System Preferences and go to Energy Saver to adjust these settings and extend battery life.

21. Hide your location

Services such as maps and weather require access to your location to help you navigate and prepare you for rainy days. But they aren't the only apps that can view your location. To find out which applications can access this information—and prevent applications you distrust from tracking your location—please open

System Preferences and go to Security & Privacy. In this menu, open Privacy and select Location Service to view the application list. Then uncheck any checkboxes that you do not want to track your program.

22. Clean your message history

By default, your instant messages will always be retained on macOS, which is convenient if you have a bad memory, but can waste disk space and potentially endanger your security. To have Apple trim your message history automatically, open the Message app, click

Message in the top bar of the screen, and select Preferences . Under the General Tab, open the Keep Message drop-down menu to limit your archive size. You can save messages from the past 30 days, or keep your conversation for a year.

Mute notification

If you keep your computer running while working, notifications may be distracting. So tell macOS to set the "Do Not Disturb" time when muting these alerts. Open the

System Preferences

, click Notifications, and then go to the Do not disturb tab. Here, you can specify the time when you don't want to see any notifications. You can also disable alerts for these time periods when the monitor is turned off or mirrored to another screen.

Prevent others from installing apps
Even if you share a computer with others, you may not want them to install software on it. After opening the App Store, go to the bar at the top of the screen and select

App Store

and select Preferences. Under the Password Settings title, set the two drop-down menus to Always require and password required respectively. Now, no one can install new apps without entering your password.

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