Here’s what we’ve learned going from a Windows-based background to a Mac.
The command key is your friend
For example, unlike Windows, hitting the red X doesn’t actually quit the program you’re using. It just takes it off of your screen. To actually quit the application, you can use the Command+Q shortcut.
Check Apple’s website for a complete list of the Mac’s shortcuts and commands.
Windows touchpads often aren’t very good.
Most laptops we’ve used have some pretty basic scroll and zoom functions, but trying to do anything more will just confuse the system, depending on how basic your driver is. Mac touchpads are slightly more fun to play with.
Clicking with two fingers is how to bring up what would be a right-mouse-button-click on Windows.
Swiping with three fingers is how to switch between open applications.
Also, while both of my computers have scroll+up and scroll+down functions in the trackpad, on Mac they’re the opposite of what they are on the PC.
Macs sometimes seem like PCs from the mirror dimension. For example, their “minimize” and “close window” buttons are on the top left, rather than the right, and the important stuff is at the top, not the bottom.
Get used to going to the top of the screen to manage all of your options, rather than the bottom. Instinctively looking for the start button is going to take some deprogramming, but it’ll be worth it.
Installing things on Macs is either done via the App Store, or through a relatively simple drag-and-drop process.
If you’re used to hitting “next” in a series of Windows install prompts, you might find this whole process refreshing, if not a little foreign.
In order to install software, you download a disk image or a .app file. Then you just drag and drop it into the Applications folder, which you can find via the Finder app.
You can then launch it from the Applications folder, no issue.
And when you really need Windows…
Macs have this little thing known as Boot Camp, which lets you install Windows (or any other OS) onto your Mac.
So if you really need Windows, but all you have is your Macbook, you can still find what you need.
Boot Camp doesn’t come with a Windows ISO — you’ll have to provide one yourself.
When you do, the Boot Camp assistant will help create a partition on your computer.
From there, you can choose to run either Mac OS or Windows whenever you boot up your computer.
Making an OS switch can take some getting used to, but there are enough similarities between the two major ones that it’s not a hard transition.
