Obtained a brand new Mac for the vacations? Congratulations! If it’s changing an older Mac with an older working system, you now have a brand new machine operating macOS Sonoma, the newest model of macOS.
Whereas the look, really feel, and common interface of macOS are the identical from technology to technology, every model introduces new options. When you’ve been utilizing an older model, you could not know concerning the issues that Sonoma introduces. When you’re new to Sonoma, welcome! Let’s get you began proper by exhibiting you a number of the issues you are able to do with Sonoma that you simply couldn’t do earlier than. It will enable you to get probably the most out of your Mac, and better of all, they’re all fairly simple to study.
Supplies required: macOS Sonoma
Alter the ‘Reveal Desktop’ setting
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With Sonoma, Apple made one main change to the person interface that may be disorienting to longtime Mac customers. Earlier than Sonoma, if you happen to clicked on the wallpaper, the interface switched to the Desktop, however the app you had been utilizing stayed on display.
Now, if you’re in an app and also you click on away from an app window and onto the wallpaper of your Mac, all the open home windows cover so you may see your Desktop. It is a new function known as “Click on wallpaper to disclose Desktop.” The brand new interplay takes some getting used to–you would possibly discover it annoying, particularly if you happen to mindlessly click on on the wallpaper and your apps bounce off the display.
You may regulate this setting, although. Listed below are full directions on methods to regulate or flip off “Click on wallpaper to disclose Desktop.”
Add widgets to the Desktop
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Sonoma can host widgets on the Desktop–they’re not remoted to the right-side notification shade. This permits customers to get fast entry to much-needed info. Better of all, the obtainable widgets embrace Apple’s personal in addition to third-party apps. When you use widgets in your iPhone, you may deliver them over to your Mac. Listed below are the directions on methods to add widgets to the Sonoma Desktop.
Choose an animated wallpaper
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Sonoma comes with a number of great-looking animated wallpapers that will also be set because the Mac’s screensaver. When you use the Areas function, a unique wallpaper will be set for every desktop Area.
You may see the wallpapers within the Wallpaper part of System Settings. We’ve an article that highlights a few of our favourite Sonoma wallpapers to offer you an thought of what’s obtainable.
Be taught FaceTime’s new reactions and gestures
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To offer FaceTime calls and video conferences a little bit pizazz, Apple launched FaceTime reactions. These are easy gestures you are able to do that may set off a particular impact background in your video window. For instance, if you happen to do two thumbs up whereas on digicam, the background will present a fireworks show. Apple has an inventory of all of the gestures and reactions.
These gestures and reactions aren’t simply in FaceTime; they’re additionally obtainable in Zoom, Webex, and different video conferencing apps. If you wish to flip the function off, you may click on the FaceTime icon that seems within the menu bar while you’re in a video conferencing app, after which click on the Reactions button to show it off. When you go away the function on, you should use this menu to activate reactions with out utilizing gestures.
Inline predictive textual content
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While you’re writing in your Mac–whether or not it’s an electronic mail, textual content, or one thing for work or college–you may make the most of Sonoma’s new inline predictive textual content function, so long as the app you’re utilizing has been up to date for Sonoma.
You’ve most likely seen this function on the iPhone; it’s the place the system suggests what you could wish to kind subsequent. If the suggestion is what you need, all it is advisable do is press the house bar. If it’s not, simply maintain typing.
It’s a time-saving function that may additionally prevent from spelling and grammatical errors. It’s on by default and you may flip it off if you would like. The setting is situated in System Settings > Keyboard, then within the Textual content Enter part, go to the Enter Sources part and click on the Edit button. A set of setting switches seems; search for “Present inline predictive textual content”
Alter Accessibility options
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The Accessibility System Setting is usually missed, however it has a ton of settings which you can regulate to make it extra snug and simpler to make use of in your Mac. For instance, in Sonoma, Apple added an “Auto-play animated photographs” setting (Accessibility > Show) which you can flip off in order that recordsdata similar to gifs in Safari or textual content messages don’t play robotically, in case you discover that annoying.
There are a ton of different settings you may regulate: dim flashing lights, take a look at and pointer dimension, captions, background sounds, Siri, and extra. You may even create a text-to-voice voice that sounds such as you. Dive into the Accessibility settings and tweak these settings to make the Mac really suited to your tastes.
That’s only a small sampling of all the good options hidden in your new Mac. Try our macOS Sonoma superguide to study extra about the whole lot new.