Q: Tips for Windows Users That Have Chosen Macintosh

Hello!

If you are reading this discussion, then I infer that you are now the proud owner of an iMac. Congratulations on your choice, and welcome to the Macintosh community! The purpose of this discussion is to create a reference guide those users that have recently acquired a Mac, and are learning how to do many of the basic tasks that one is accustomed to doing in Windows, but on a Macintosh instead. I will do my best to add content to this guide based on community feedback, but for now, here is a list of topics that I find helpful for first time Mac users.

Q: "Does Mac have a right-click?"

A: Right-click functionality is present on your Mac. If you are using a third party mouse with two separate buttons, then right-click is available in the same manner you are accustomed to. If you have opted to use the Magic Mouse, then you may enable "secondary click" by opening up System Preferences (the silver gear icon on your dock), selecting "Mouse", and checking off "secondary click". Now, the right side of your Magic Mouse will offer right-click functionality. Alternatively, you may press the Control key on your keyboard while you press the button on your Magic Mouse to gain access to the same functions. If you are using the Magic Trackpad, you may enable secondary click the same way you would do with the Magic Mouse, but you will instead tap the Magic Trackpad with two fingers in order to access right-click functions.

Q: "Is there a keyboard shortcut that works like Alt+F4 to shut down the Mac?"

A: There is indeed shortcut that allows you to shut down your Mac from your keyboard. Press Control+Eject and you will see a menu that says "Restart, Sleep, Cancel, Shut Down". By default, "Shut Down" is already highlighted, meaning that all you have to do is press the Enter key. Just like that, you have shut down your Macintosh.

Q: "What is the keyboard shortcut for closing an application?"

A: To completely close out of an application that you are using, press Command+Q. Note that pressing red circle (or red x, depending upon which version of OS X you are running) in the upper left corner of your application Window does not exit the application. Pressing the red circle will only exit the current application window, but keep the application itself running in the background.

Q: "Is there are start menu? How do I find my installed applications?"

A: OS X, the advanced operating system that powers your Macintosh, handles application launching, and the user interface, in a manner that is distinct from Windows. First, installed applications may be viewed Launchpad. To access Launchpad, you may click on the silver rocket icon on your dock (the dock is the place where a row of application icons are found on the bottom of your screen). Alternatively, you may press the Launchpad hotkey on the keyboard included with your iMac. The hotkey for Launchpad is F4. Second, you may use Finder to view every application, document or file that is presently on your computer. Finder is the blue smiling icon on your dock, also known as the "Happy Mac" icon. Open Finder, and listed on the Sidebar will be the Applications folder, which will have an alphabetized list of all of your applications.

Q: "How do I install an application?"

A: If you are using the Mac App Store to purchase your software, then all you have to do is click "Install" once you have purchased the application. If you are using an application that is on a DVD-ROM, or that you have downloaded from the Internet, then there are two methods you will encounter. The first method is via an installation wizard, similar to Windows. Simply follow the prompts given by the installation wizard, and the installer will do the rest. The second, and more common method is to mount the .dmg file (.dmg is the file extension for a disc image) by double-clicking it, then dragging the contained application icon into your Applications folder. You can access your Applications folder through Finder.

Q: "How do I uninstall applications?"

A: The process for uninstalling applications on a Macintosh is quite simple, and often does not require the user to deal with an "uninstall wizard". Open Finder, the blue, smiling face icon located on your dock. Select "Applications" from the Sidebar. Locate the icon for the application you wish to install, and then you will click-and-drag the icon to the Trash Can icon found on your dock. Once the application icon is in the Trash Can, you can open the Trash Can and choose "Empty" from the upper right-hand corner. Just like that, your application is removed from your Macintosh.

Q: "How do I search my Mac for applications, and files?"

A: OS X , and its antecedent, Mac OS, introduced the innovation of fully integrated desktop search, first with Sherlock, and now with Spotlight. To access Spotlight, you can click on the magnifying glass icon found in the upper right-hand corner of the toolbar on the top of your screen. Once you have clicked that icon, you will be given a search field to type in. Begin typing the name of the folder, file, document or application that you are looking for, and Spotlight will provide you with a categorized list that matches the query term you have typed out.

Q: "How do I defragment my hard drive?"

A: Unlike Windows, OS X makes use of the HFS+ file system. By default, HFS+ automatically defragments files stored on your hard drive. In other words, you don't have to do anything at all, as OS X is "smart" enough to handle this task on its own. Please note that there are third-party defragmenting tools that are available online. Avoid these tools, not only because they are unnecessary, but also because they run the risk of harming your Macintosh, rather than helping.

Q: "How do I clean the Registry?"

A: OS X does not make use of a Registry to store application parameters. Applications that run in OS X are, for the most part, self-contained. So there is no registry for your to manage.

Q: "What is the Mac equivalent of the Control Panel?"

A: On the Macintosh, "System Preferences" is the tool that allows users to manage things such as wallpaper, devices, user accounts, network settings, and much more. "System Preferences" can be accessed by clicking the silver gear icon on your dock, or by using the Launchpad to choose the "System Preferences" icon, or by opening up Finder, selecting "Applications" from the Sidebar, and clicking the "System Preferences" icon.

Q: "What is the Mac equivalent of MS Paint?"

A: Macintosh is a great computer for creating media rich content, and Apple offers many solutions for producing such content. However, Apple does not yet offer an equivalent software solution for MS Paint. There are however a number of fantastic third-party offerings that provide comparable, and in many ways superior, functionality. I recommend an application called GIMP, which stands for "GNU Image Manipulation Program". GIMP has no monetary cost, and may be acquired from the GIMP project site. Alternatively, you may use the Mac App Store and download a tool such as Supreme Paint, which is a low cost tool ($4.99 at the time of this writing) that also offers functionality comparable to MS Paint and GIMP. Here are links to each

GIMP: https://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Supreme Paint: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/supremepaint-fully-functional/id993977111?mt=12

Q: "What is the Mac equivalent of Windows Movie Maker"

A: Every new Mac is shipped with the iLife suite of software, which includes Garageband, and iMovie. iMovie is a robust application that offers advanced editing features, and effects not found in Windows Movie Maker. If you are interested in a more powerful tool, Apple also offers Final Cut Pro, which provides a studio quality editing solution, with an interface that is familiar to users of iMovie.

Q: "What is the Mac equivalent of Windows Media Player?"

A: Every Mac comes QuickTime Player, a media player that supports a number of media formats, including AIFF, MP3, MP4, WAV, JPEG, MPEG and many more. If you are playing a DVD movie, you will have to use DVD Player, which is a separate application that is also pre-installed on your Mac. Alternatively, you may use iTunes to watch and listen to all of the same file formats that are supported by QuickTime Player. You may also purchase movies from the iTunes store, and watch them from the iTunes application.