Windows user to Mac - Tips, Suggestions & Apps

Nimz

Nimz

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As per the title, after using Windows for many years I finally decided to try Mac OS

Coming from a Dell XPS 13 (i7 - 16GB RAM - 1TB SSD - 4K Touch Display), I purchased the new MacBook Air M1 (base model) on Sunday and thus far i'm quite surprised in how well it performs.

Please share all your tips & suggestions for a former Windows user to adjust as well as any other useful apps or software one should get.

P.S. I've never used Mac OS prior to this so it was a significant change.

I currently have the following installed:
Tiles
Alfred
Scroll Reverser (for external mice)


The battery life on this machine is INSANE
 
Also switched to macOS from Win. a few months ago, here are some thoughts and things I picked up so far
  • Rectangle/Magnet is pretty neat. I see Tile does the same thing.
  • Set up hot corners (mine is bottom left: show desktop, bottom right: mission control)
  • Get to know gestures, helps a ton with window management as well (example: four fingers down focuses all windows for current app, four fingers swipe left/right goes to next desktop [love this when using Remote Desktop!])
  • Use Finder tabs
  • Apps can be uninstalled simply by moving the container to the bin. But sometimes there can be config files and links left behind. I use AppCleaner to remove apps:1621502390347.png
  • Use stacks for a cleaner desktop
  • Sometimes persistent apps need to be disabled at multiple places to stop them from starting on logon
  • MindNode is great a great app for mindmaps and to gather thoughts/actions, also works with Alfred integration
  • TextSniper is another useful app (extracts text from a screenshot)
Edit: Check out SetApp as well, pay one sub for many apps. Many of the great apps on macOS are sadly subscription based
 
Last edited:
I would advise to take a kind of "native" window period before just installing every "make it like Windows" app to just get your head around the actual MacOS way of doing things.

Skip crap like AppCleaner, if you are a power user you'll know exactly what to go murder where but even if you don't there is nothing to lose.

I use very little third party stuff, but looking at my Applications folders....

CopyClip - Think I bought this way back when but basically just caches your clipboard entries and is quite useful.

Tincta - Pretty good text editor if Text Edit doesn't do the job for you.

Also good link here for new movers - https://support.apple.com/en-za/HT201236
 
@Nimz

Congrats man! I bought the same machine and was also a Windows-only user prior to that. I'm really digging macOS for my work stuff. Whizzing around with gestures, as well as the apps I can now run, is awesome. And yes, battery life is absurdly good.

I found that a big help was Setapp. It's a subscription that provides a metric ton of premium apps for $10 pm. It covers me for everything I can think of:
  • Archiver, a better archive extractor
  • Commander One, FTP client
  • Permute, format conversion tool
  • BetterTouchTool, sorts out input device sensitivity and customises regular mice without affecting Magic devices
  • Mosaic, same thing as Magnet
  • Numi, the coolest calculator I've yet seen, accessed via the menu bar
  • Sip, a colour picker in the menu bar
  • CleanMyMac X, clears up a ton of storage space
  • Focused, very nice pad for writing temp notes in before copying into an email or whatever
  • WaitingList, counts down my deadlines from a menu bar dropdown
  • Unite, turns any page into a desktop app.
  • AdGuard, the only solid ad blocking solution for Safari imo
  • Sizzy, epic browser for web development testing
  • Luminar, image editing
There are so many more. Video editing, a bunch of dev tools, live wallpapers, a tool for managing fonts, another one for managing icons etc. If you can think of it, there's a good chance Setapp has it covered. It's saved me a lot of money vs. buying so much stuff from the App Store.

There's a free 7 day trial if you're interested: https://setapp.com

If you use an affiliate link, the free trial is 30 days:
go.setapp.com

Setapp | Ultimate suite of 200+ Mac and iOS apps

Get more done with Setapp membership. Free for 7 days.
go.setapp.com go.setapp.com
 
Very nice, chaps. I am in the same boat, coming from AMD/Windows to Mac.

I use a lot of what has been mentioned already, and these are the ones that I use in addition:
  • Aldente, to limit battery charge to 80
  • Amphetamine, to keep the screen awake if need be (Successor to Caffeine)
  • Lightshot Screenshot
 
PhireSide said:
Very nice, chaps. I am in the same boat, coming from AMD/Windows to Mac.

I use a lot of what has been mentioned already, and these are the ones that I use in addition:
  • Aldente, to limit battery charge to 80
  • Amphetamine, to keep the screen awake if need be (Successor to Caffeine)
  • Lightshot Screenshot
Click to expand...
Presumably to make it last longer? The built-in optimisation should take care of that now.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Presumably to make it last longer? The built-in optimisation should take care of that now.
Click to expand...
I have a funny schedule with no set time so macOS hasn't managed to figure out 'how' I use my MBA just yet.

Aldente is pretty nifty as it still gives me enough runtime to do what I need to. What drained my previous laptop from 100 - 0% in three hours tops only drops the MBA down 15 or 20% in the same timespan.
 
PhireSide said:
I have a funny schedule with no set time so macOS hasn't managed to figure out 'how' I use my MBA just yet.

Aldente is pretty nifty as it still gives me enough runtime to do what I need to. What drained my previous laptop from 100 - 0% in three hours tops only drops the MBA down 15 or 20% in the same timespan.
Click to expand...

Yeah but if you are running Aldente it's never going to learn properly.

Batteries are really not something to be this concerned about, I would highly recommend not ****ing with third party tools claiming to know better.

Especially on an M1 you really don't need it.
 
PhireSide said:
I have a funny schedule with no set time so macOS hasn't managed to figure out 'how' I use my MBA just yet.

Aldente is pretty nifty as it still gives me enough runtime to do what I need to. What drained my previous laptop from 100 - 0% in three hours tops only drops the MBA down 15 or 20% in the same timespan.
Click to expand...
I no longer have to take my charger to work
Leave it to charge while I do my nightly activities, take it off charge before going to bed (100%)

It's 13:22pm now and the battery is only on 70% - absolutely brilliant!

I'm at work by 8am with the MBA on from then
 
Nimz said:
I no longer have to take my charger to work
Leave it to charge while I do my nightly activities, take it off charge before going to bed (100%)

It's 13:22pm now and the battery is only on 70% - absolutely brilliant!

I'm at work by 8am with the MBA on from then
Click to expand...

Same.

On a Pro and don’t ever need my charger in a normal day.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Presumably to make it last longer? The built-in optimisation should take care of that now.
Click to expand...
Built-in optimisations do nothing of the sort?

SauRoNZA said:
Yeah but if you are running Aldente it's never going to learn properly.

Batteries are really not something to be this concerned about, I would highly recommend not ****ing with third party tools claiming to know better.

Especially on an M1 you really don't need it.
Click to expand...
I don't see how a Mac can 'learn' to not overcharge your battery. It charges straight to 100% if you plug it in. The iStore staff and the internet at large strongly recommends MacBook owners to not leave the device plugged in and always at 100% or long-term battery health can take a serious knock.

As someone who uses their MBA docked over 90% of the time, AlDente Pro is a godsend.

Edit: I see the option you're referring to. Had forgotten about that. I'm sceptical that it works for my use case at all, because my Mac has never done a single thing other than charge to 100% with the option enabled in battery settings. And considering how I use my Mac, I'm not sure there's anything Apple could do to intelligently delay or slow down charging. Only something like AlDente works great because it imposes a charge limit and can let the battery drain and recharge in its 'sail' mode.
 
Last edited:
Bryn said:
@Nimz

Congrats man! I bought the same machine and was also a Windows-only user prior to that. I'm really digging macOS for my work stuff. Whizzing around with gestures, as well as the apps I can now run, is awesome. And yes, battery life is absurdly good.

I found that a big help was Setapp. It's a subscription that provides a metric ton of premium apps for $10 pm. It covers me for everything I can think of:
  • Archiver, a better archive extractor
  • Commander One, FTP client
  • Permute, format conversion tool
  • BetterTouchTool, sorts out input device sensitivity and customises regular mice without affecting Magic devices
  • Mosaic, same thing as Magnet
  • Numi, the coolest calculator I've yet seen, accessed via the menu bar
  • Sip, a colour picker in the menu bar
  • CleanMyMac X, clears up a ton of storage space
  • Focused, very nice pad for writing temp notes in before copying into an email or whatever
  • WaitingList, counts down my deadlines from a menu bar dropdown
  • Unite, turns any page into a desktop app.
  • AdGuard, the only solid ad blocking solution for Safari imo
  • Sizzy, epic browser for web development testing
  • Luminar, image editing
There are so many more. Video editing, a bunch of dev tools, live wallpapers, a tool for managing fonts, another one for managing icons etc. If you can think of it, there's a good chance Setapp has it covered. It's saved me a lot of money vs. buying so much stuff from the App Store.

There's a free 7 day trial if you're interested: https://setapp.com

If you use an affiliate link, the free trial is 30 days:
go.setapp.com

Setapp | Ultimate suite of 200+ Mac and iOS apps

Get more done with Setapp membership. Free for 7 days.
go.setapp.com go.setapp.com
Click to expand...
Actually, instead of CleanMyMac, try out Daisydisk. It's AWESOME and super useful
 
Try to use Apple supplied software as much as possible, the Apple software is not basic bare-bones stuff.
example Preview has a great depth of features .....more than for my needs.
The other thing is via the non Apple apps is where issues happen- Malware and compatibility problems....Mac playing up...remove non Apple software 1st.
Note this is a generalisation as there is good stuff but be careful.
Go work your way through Settings....there are options nowadays that certain apps are redundant.
VLC , Handbrake. good.
 
Last edited:
How can I adjust the time for screen dimming due to inactivity?

The current setting seems like 2 minutes or something crazy.

Surely a third party app isn't needed for this i.e. Amphetamine etc.
 
Bryn said:
Built-in optimisations do nothing of the sort?


I don't see how a Mac can 'learn' to not overcharge your battery. It charges straight to 100% if you plug it in. The iStore staff and the internet at large strongly recommends MacBook owners to not leave the device plugged in and always at 100% or long-term battery health can take a serious knock.

As someone who uses their MBA docked over 90% of the time, AlDente Pro is a godsend.

Edit: I see the option you're referring to. Had forgotten about that. I'm sceptical that it works for my use case at all, because my Mac has never done a single thing other than charge to 100% with the option enabled in battery settings. And considering how I use my Mac, I'm not sure there's anything Apple could do to intelligently delay or slow down charging. Only something like AlDente works great because it imposes a charge limit and can let the battery drain and recharge in its 'sail' mode.
Click to expand...
Guess again.

And you can monitor the graphs and see how it's worked over time and it doesn't always just smash it to 100%.

Also I've had 500 odd MacBooks doing this since it's been a feature and have seen a massive improvement in battery related issues on new machines in the last 2 years or so.

Trust Apple to know what's potting with it's own hardware.

But even before this feature I would have had my MacBooks docked all day as well and 3+ years with little in the way of unexpected battery degradation.

1621513899422.png

It needs some time to work, run it for a week without Aldente and see.

It doesn't try to not hit 100% but rather slow charges it up to 100%.

Also something to consider is that MacBooks have independant charging and power rails. Which means you don't use your MacBook "through" the battery while on the charger but instead directly off the charger so you don't have the problem other laptops have where it's getting overcharged.

Once it's hit 100% it isn't actively being used as the battery is outside of the equation while plugged in.

I would argue not using the 20% above 80% at all is going to be far more prone to early battery failure. Batteries need to be used to stay active.

This is why you can power your MacBook off something like a phone charger running USB-C, but it won't charge at the same time. Or shut it down and then plug it into the phone charger and it will slowly charge the battery.
 
Last edited:
Nimz said:
How can I adjust the time for screen dimming due to inactivity?

The current setting seems like 2 minutes or something crazy.

Surely a third party app isn't needed for this i.e. Amphetamine etc.
Click to expand...
System Preferences/Battery, then check the Battery and Power Adaptor settings
 
Nimz said:
How can I adjust the time for screen dimming due to inactivity?

The current setting seems like 2 minutes or something crazy.

Surely a third party app isn't needed for this i.e. Amphetamine etc.
Click to expand...
Screen dimming is only a thing on battery and don't think you can alter it.

Screen saver handles that kind of thing otherwise.
 
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