How to adapt to Mac if you are a Windows user
Changing operating systems can be quite difficult for those who have been used to making the same system for a long time, especially because of the different interface and software you have to learn to use. For Windows users who decide to start using Mac, this is even more noticeable, but it is still possible to adapt to the Mac without so much trouble today.
One of the most important things to help with this transition is getting to know the Mac equivalent applications you used in Windows. To help you with this, we've prepared a list of all the most important software you need to know about the Apple system, so check it out below!
1. Task Manager - Activity Monitor
Whenever we have a problem with Windows, it is customary to use Task Manager to find out what went wrong or to see which apps are consuming PC resources.
After all, this panel displays all services running on your computer, as well as a detailed list of running processes, which even allows you to identify the resources used by each of them, such as RAM, video memory, CPU, or disk. .
On the Mac, it's not that different, but the program you use is called Activity Monitor. Unfortunately, there is no simple shortcut for opening Activity Monitor, so you can search it and open it through Spotlight or pin it to your app dock.
2. Command Prompt - Terminal
Another very useful feature of Windows is Command Prompt, which everyone has used to solve a problem, discover their IP, or even look for files faster.
On Mac, you have something similar to Terminal, which can be found in the "Utilities" tab within the "Applications" folder. It just isn't as intuitive as what we have in Windows.
Also, even if your Mac has several of the same commands available for Windows, its syntax will really be different. Therefore, you will need to look at how to use each command through the terminal to be able to adapt to your Mac.
3. Cortana - Siri and Spotlight
If you were using Windows 10 before switching to Mac, you may already have some familiarity with Cortana, Microsoft's virtual system assistant. Basically, it can help you find files, programs, and search, among other things.
On Mac, you can count on Siri if you want to use more voice commands and a custom experience, or Spotlight if you want something more straightforward and conventional. To use Siri, press and hold the "Command" and "Space" keys, while using Spotlight you only need to press these keys quickly.
4. Notepad - TextEdit
Windows Notepad can be very useful for making quick notes or text with very simple formatting. It works more as an alternative to more complete programs, especially if you are out of time.
On Mac, we can say its equivalent is TextEdit, which works very similarly and has a very simple interface to learn how to use. It can be found by simply searching Spotlight.
5. Microsoft Edge - Safari
In the case of internet browsers, we have Microsoft Edge as Windows default and Safari as Mac default. Although both are good, most people end up using Firefox, Google Chrome or other popular browsers regardless of operating system. So it ends up depending more on your preference and what you already used on your old computer.
6. Windows Media Player - iTunes
The default Windows player is Windows Media Player, while on Mac we have iTunes. The truth is that neither is very nice, but you're pretty much forced to use iTunes on your Mac, especially if you have an iPhone and want to sync or update it on your computer.
The advantage, on the other hand, is that syncing with your other devices also has its own benefits, such as the ability to organize your playlists and songs so you can listen on Apple devices.
7. Office - iWork
Finally, in order for you to adapt to mac, it is worth mentioning the text editing programs, spreadsheets and presentations of both systems. On Windows we have Office and on Mac we have iWork.
Both packages have applications for different tasks: Word and Pages for text, Excel and Numbers for spreadsheets, and Powerpoint and Keynote for presentations. The advantage of the Mac is that iWork is completely free while Word has a very high price tag.
If you want to access documents with an interface closer to Office on your Mac, we recommend that you use the cloud version available through Google Drive, such as Google Docs, Sheets, etc.
Did you like the tips?
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