While the Dock is one of the easiest ways to access applications, it’s not the most efficient. If you find this is the case, you can tidy it up with Bartender. Over time, the menu bar can get cluttered and unwieldy, as shown above. macOS also has a healthy number of apps that live in the menu bar. Many applications, like Evernote and Google Drive, place icons here for easy access. This is where you do things like connect to Wi-Fi networks or check your battery percentage. To the right of the menu bar is Apple’s equivalent of the Windows system tray (shown below). You can tell which application is in use because its name will appear in the top-left corner next to the Apple logo. Unlike Windows, where drop-down menus like File and Edit appear docked to the window you’re using, macOS places these at the top of the screen at all times. The Menu BarĪt the top of the screen, you see the Mac menu bar (shown below). Launch System Preferences > Dock to set it up however you like. You can configure the Dock to appear on the bottom, or the left or right edge of the screen. To get rid of something, click and drag it until “Remove” appears, and then release. To pin an item to the Dock, you right-click it (or two-finger click on a trackpad), and then choose Options > Keep in Dock. On the left, you find your applications, and on the right, folders, the Trash, and any minimized windows you have open.
There are two areas on the Dock separated by a partition.
It’s one of the easiest ways to launch and access your applications. This is the Mac equivalent of the Windows taskbar. You can also right-click with a regular mouse or hold the Control key and click.Īt the bottom of the screen, you find the macOS Dock.
Generally speaking, if you have to ask, you don’t really need either of these machines. Professional users are left with the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro. You won’t get iMac-like performance, nor are these machines armed with powerful GPUs, but you can beef up the RAM and processor selection at checkout if you want. This is the most affordable computer Apple manufactures, partly due to the somewhat limited hardware. If you already have a monitor and peripherals, you might be interested in the Mac mini (starting at $799 at this writing). You also get expansion ports to add more RAM, a proper array of ports on the back, Apple’s decent keyboard, and its passable mouse. You get a lot more performance for your money if you opt for the larger, desktop type. It’s great value for the money, even when you compare it to building your own computer. It’s available with a built-in 21.5-inch display up to 4K or 27-inch 5K display (at this writing, starting at $1,099 or $1,799, respectively). Consumer Home Computersįor home and office users, the iMac is a great choice. You customize both models at checkout, but you get more options if you opt for the Pro. It’s fatter, heavier, and packs far more punch than its lightweight sibling. It’s a mobile powerhouse available in both 13- and 15-inch models (at this writing, starting at $1,299 and $2,399, respectively). If you need more power on the go, particularly in the graphics department, the MacBook Pro is the next logical choice.