9 Hidden Macbook Tips and Tricks You Need to Know

Apple products are available in more places around the globe than ever before. In fact, you likely own multiple Apple products (or know someone that does) because they are just that popular!

A common Apple product is the Macbook. Macbooks are powerful machines that can let you do anything from gaming to coding to graphic design.

Do you have a Macbook but don’t think you’re using it to its full capabilities?

Learn nine fun and useful tips and tricks that you can try on your Macbook by reading below.

1. Add Permanent Scrolling Bars

As of the Lion update, the scroll bars that you find on the sides of pages disappear unless you’re scrolling the page. If you want to add the scrolling bars back in so that you can see them all the time, there is an easy way to do that.

You should go to your System Preferences first. There, you’ll see the General Category. From that point, you should select “Always” next to the “Show Scroll Bars” selection.

2. Remove Apps From the Launchpad

Some people like to clear away apps that they don’t use from the Launchpad. This makes it easier to find what you want quickly.

To do this, you’ll open your Launchpad like normal and hold down your Option key. This will set the interface into edit mode (which you’ll notice as the apps start to wiggle).

You can click to delete the apps that you don’t want there if they were installed through the Apple App Store.

3. Get Help with Spelling

Like many people, you may struggle to spell words correctly as you type them into your Macbook.

One of the coolest Macbook features that we found is a spelling aid. You can press the Option key + Escape to bring up a menu that will help you auto-complete words as you type in iChat or TextEdit.

This is one of the useful hidden features you can use if you need to type something quickly or if you’re typing a formal document.

4. Create a Signature

To add a signature on your Macbook, you can open the document first in Preview. Once there, select the Annotations toolbar.

You’ll see the option to click “Signature”, and then you can select the “Create Signature from Built-in iSight”.

Follow the prompts as they go through here and add whatever type of signature you’d like! Don’t forget to save it so that you can use it in the future as well.

5. Use Hot Corners

Hot corners are useful to find specific apps quickly. It lets you trigger actions by touching your screen’s corner.

To enable this, you should go to System Preferences, and then select Desktop & Screen Savers. Click Screen Saver Tab and then “Hot Corners” to select your preferences.

You can disable your screensaver here, but you can also set up hot corners to open your most-used apps or launch your notifications.

6. Set Up Dynamic Desktop Wallpapers

If you get tired of looking at the same desktop background all the time, this one is for you.

Open your System Preferences, and select Desktop & Screen Saver. Choose the Apple drop-down, and then pick your preferred desktop pictures.

Your wallpaper will change as time passes. For instance, if the image you selected has a sky, it will show the sunrise, day sun, sunset, and nighttime sky in real-time.

7. Get “Paint” for Your Mac

Do you remember Microsoft Paint? There’s a way to get a similar program on your Macbook.

In your Preview app, you have some of the same capabilities! Since this is already installed on your Mac, you can access it without having to download any new apps or programs.

To access this, right-click on a picture and select “Open With Preview”. Find the marker in the top right corner of the app and click on it. If you want to learn more about this, click for more info!

8. Rename Groups of Files

It can take a lot of time to rename a group of files, but there is a great way to rename them all at the same time.

Open the folder that contains those files (or put them all into the same folder) and select all of them together.

Right-click on this and select “Rename # Files”. The # will be the number of files you’ve selected.

Add the information you want to these boxes, adjust the settings as desired, and click “Rename” to complete this change.

9. Take Better Screenshots

To take a screenshot on a Mac, you should hit your Command + Shift key together and then a number.

Do you want to screenshot the whole screen? That combination would be Command + Shift + 3. If you want to screenshot a small section, that would be Command + Shift + 4.

Another one that is less commonly known is Command + Shift + 5. This will allow you to bring up a toolbar, which gives you total control over what will show up in your screenshot. If you have something really specific you want to capture, this is the way to do it.

Remember These Tips and Tricks for Your Macbook

Now that you have a better idea of some additional things your Macbook can do, you can appreciate the device for all that it is!

Try out some of these tips and tricks on your own Macbook and see which ones might be your favorite. You may end up using one or more of them more often than you think!

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