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Turn Mac screen sharing on or off
Screen sharing allows users of other computers on your network to remotely connect to your Mac to view your desktop and control your Mac. When screen sharing is turned on, your Mac desktop can be viewed from another computer on your network. While your screen is being shared, the user of the other computer sees what’s on your screen and can open, move, and close files and windows; open apps; and even restart your Mac.
Control your iPhone from your Mac
You can use iPhone Mirroring to control your iPhone from your nearby Mac. When iPhone Mirroring is turned on, you can also receive iPhone notifications on your Mac and keep track of Live Activities, so you don’t miss a thing. Note: Some iPhone features such as the camera and microphone aren’t compatible with iPhone Mirroring. Also, some Continuity features, like Continuity Camera and AirPlay, aren’t available on your Mac when using iPhone Mirroring.
Sync contacts and calendars onto your Mac and iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
You can sync the contacts and calendars from your Mac onto your device. Your Mac also syncs this information from your device to your Mac—for example, if you add contacts on your iPad, syncing adds those contacts to Contacts on your Mac. See Intro to syncing your Mac and your devices. Sync your contacts and calendar to your device When you sync, your Mac determines whether your device or your Mac contains the most recent information and syncs new or changed information.
Protect data on your Mac with FileVault
If you have a Mac with Apple silicon or an Apple T2 Security Chip, your data is encrypted automatically. Turning on FileVault provides an extra layer of security by keeping someone from decrypting or getting access to your data without entering your login password. If you use a Mac that doesn’t have Apple silicon or the T2 chip, you need to turn on FileVault to encrypt your data. To set up FileVault, you must be an administrator.
Change Appearance settings on Mac
On your Mac, use Appearance settings to change the overall look of macOS and choose how you use scroll bars. Learn how to use a light or dark appearance. To change these settings, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then click Appearance in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.) Open Appearance settings for me Option Description Appearance Choose the appearance for buttons, menus and windows on your Mac. Light provides a light appearance that doesn’t change.
Use your iPhone as a webcam on Mac
With Continuity Camera, you can use your iPhone as your Mac webcam or microphone and take advantage of the powerful iPhone camera and additional video effects. You can connect wirelessly or with a USB cable for a wired connection. Before you begin Before you can use the Continuity Camera feature, you need to do the following: Make sure your Mac has macOS 13 or later and your iPhone has iOS 16 or later.
Use your iPhone as a webcam on Mac
With Continuity Camera, you can use your iPhone as your Mac webcam or microphone, and take advantage of the powerful iPhone camera and additional video effects. You can connect wirelessly, or with a USB cable for a wired connection. Before you begin Before you can use the Continuity Camera feature, you need to do the following: Make sure your Mac has macOS 13 or later and your iPhone has iOS 16 or later.
Use a light or dark appearance on your Mac
You can use a light or dark appearance for the menu bar, Dock, windows, and built-in apps on your Mac, or automatically adjust the appearance from light to dark during the day. In Appearance settings, you can also choose an accent color for buttons, pop-up menus, and other UI controls, and a highlight color to use for highlighting selected text. Some dynamic desktop pictures may provide still images so the desktop picture doesn’t distract from the light or dark appearance.
Apple can’t check app for malicious software
Using an app that can’t be checked for malicious software might harm your Mac or compromise your privacy. If you’re certain that the app you want to use is from a trustworthy source, you can override your Mac security settings to open it. Note: You can also grant an exception for a blocked app by clicking the Open Anyway button in Privacy & Security settings. This button is available for about an hour after you try to open the app.
Take screenshots or screen recordings on Mac
You can take pictures (called screenshots) or recordings of the screen on your Mac using Screenshot or keyboard shortcuts. Screenshot provides a panel of tools that let you easily take screenshots and screen recordings, with options to control what you capture—for example, you can set a timer delay or include the pointer or clicks. Take pictures or screen recordings using Screenshot On your Mac, press Shift-Command-5 (or use Launchpad) to open Screenshot and display the tools.
Change the behaviour of the modifier keys on Mac
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Organize your Mac desktop with Stage Manager
On your Mac, use Stage Manager to keep the app you’re working with front and center, and your desktop clutter-free. Your recently used apps are neatly arranged along the left side of the screen for quick access, while the window you’re working with is positioned in the center of the screen. Arrange, resize, and overlap windows in your ideal layout. You can also arrange multiple apps on the screen to work together as a group in Stage Manager.
Use desktop stacks on Mac
Desktop stacks on your Mac neatly organize files on your desktop into groups. When you save a file to the desktop, it’s automatically added to the appropriate stack. Turn on desktop stacks On your Mac, click the desktop, then choose View > Use Stacks or press Control-Command-0. You can also Control-click the desktop, then choose Use Stacks. Browse files in a desktop stack On your Mac, swipe left or right on the stack using two fingers on the trackpad, or one finger on a Magic Mouse.
If your Mac restarts and a message appears
If your Mac restarts unexpectedly, an error known as a kernel panic occurred, and a message indicates that your computer restarted because of a problem. The most likely cause is faulty software. A kernel panic can also be caused by damaged or incompatible hardware, including external devices attached to your Mac. If the suggestions above don’t help, try reinstalling macOS.
Start up your Mac in safe mode
Starting up your Mac in safe mode can help you identify whether issues you’re experiencing are caused by software that loads as your Mac starts up. Before you begin To start up your Mac in safe mode, you need to know what type of Mac you have. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > About This Mac. Look at the information in the window to determine what type of Mac you have: If you see an item labeled Chip, followed by the name of the chip, you have a Mac with Apple silicon.
Allow Apple Remote Desktop to access your Mac
Select version: Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search this guide Use Remote Management in Sharing preferences to allow others to access your computer using Apple Remote Desktop. Apple Remote Desktop is available from the App Store. For help setting up and using Apple Remote Desktop, see the Apple Remote Desktop User Guide. Open App Store for me Helpful? Character limit: 250 Please don’t include any personal information in your comment. Maximum character limit is 250.
Erase and reinstall macOS
You can erase your Mac and use macOS Recovery, the built-in recovery system on your Mac, to reinstall macOS. WARNING: Erasing your Mac removes all the information from it. Before you start, back up your Mac with Time Machine. On a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel-based Mac with the Apple T2 Security Chip Your computer must be connected to the internet. If you’re reinstalling on a Mac notebook computer, plug in the power adapter. Erase your Mac using Erase Assistant. Restart your Mac.
Reduce screen motion on Mac
Select version: Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search this guide You can stop or reduce the movement of some elements on the screen—for example, when you open apps, switch between desktops, or open and close Notification Center. This feature is especially useful for people who experience motion sickness or vertigo. Helpful? Character limit: 250 Please don’t include any personal information in your comment. Maximum character limit is 250. Thanks for your feedback.
Back up and share text replacements on Mac
You can create text replacements to automatically replace certain text with other text or symbols. For example, you can replace (c) with ©. You can export your text replacements as a file to back them up or share them with other Mac users. Note: If you want to use your text replacements on another device (using the same Apple ID), you can use iCloud. Just set up iCloud Drive on your Mac, iOS, and iPadOS devices, and sign in everywhere using the same Apple ID.
Sync music between your Mac and iPhone or iPad
You can sync all or a selection of your music on your Mac to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Important: If you subscribe to Apple Music, your music is transferred automatically to all your devices and no syncing is required. You can’t use the syncing method described here unless you turn off the Sync Library option in Apple Music preferences. See Intro to syncing your Mac and your devices. Sync music to your device Connect your device to your Mac.
Dictate messages and documents on Mac
You can choose a specific dictation keyboard shortcut or create one of your own. Tip: If is available in the row of function keys, you can press it to start dictation or use the keyboard shortcut. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard , then click Dictation. Open the Dictation pane for me Click the Shortcut pop-up menu, then choose a shortcut to start dictation. To create a shortcut that’s not in the list, choose Customize, then press the keys you want to use.
Back up your files with Time Machine on Mac
Select version: Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search this guide With Time Machine, you can back up files on your Mac that weren’t part of the macOS installation, such as apps, music, photos, and documents. When Time Machine is turned on, it automatically backs up your Mac and performs hourly, daily, and weekly backups of your files.
Hear your Mac read documents
In an app on your Mac, do any of the following: Hear an entire document: Choose Edit > Speech > Start Speaking. Hear part of a document: In a document, select the text you want to hear, then choose Edit > Speech > Start Speaking. Stop the speaking: Choose Edit > Speech > Stop Speaking.
Pointers in macOS
Arrow This is the pointer you see the most. It’s used to point to and select items, move scroll bars, resize windows, and more. If you lose track of the pointer on the screen, quickly move your finger on the trackpad or quickly move the mouse—the pointer briefly gets bigger so you can see it. You can turn off this feature. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Accessibility, click Display, then deselect the “Shake mouse pointer to locate” checkbox.
If your Mac battery won’t charge
Reset the SMC: Reset the System Management Controller (SMC), which controls how your Mac manages power. If you have a Mac with Apple Silicon, just restart your computer. For other Mac computers, see the Apple Support article How to reset the SMC of your Mac.
Look up words on Mac
Select version: Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search the user guide You can quickly look up the definitions of words and phrases while working in apps or browsing webpages. Tip: When Siri Suggestions are enabled in Spotlight preferences, some apps—for example, Mail, Messages, and Notes—may outline an item (such as an artist name, a place, or a movie title) in text or make it a link as a hint that more information is available.
Use emoji and symbols on Mac
In an app on your Mac, choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols, or open the Character Viewer from the Input menu (if you set the option in Keyboard preferences). Depending on your Mac model, you can also set an option in the Keyboard pane of Keyboard System Preferences to access the Character Viewer by pressing the Fn key or (if available on the keyboard). To open Keyboard preferences, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Keyboard.
Replace text and punctuation in documents on Mac
Automatically replace certain text with other text or symbols. For example, replace (c) with ©. Note: You don’t have to create a text replacement to be able to quickly end a sentence with a period and a space by pressing the Space bar twice. Instead, just select the “Add period with double-space” checkbox in the Text pane of Keyboard preferences. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Text.
Commands for dictating text on Mac
Select version: Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search the user guide When you dictate text, you can use commands for punctuation, formatting, and capitalization, and symbols for math, currency, emoticons, and intellectual property. The commands listed below are always available while you’re dictating text. If you need additional commands to edit and format text and to control your Mac, use Voice Control.
Enter characters with accent marks on Mac
Use the accent menu In an app on your Mac, press and hold a key on the keyboard—for example, a—to display the accent menu. The menu isn’t shown if a key doesn’t have any possible accent marks. Select a character in the menu—for example, á. You can also press the number key shown for the character, or use the arrow keys to move to the character, then press the Space bar. Accent marks aren’t available in all apps.
Copy and paste between devices from your Mac
Select version: Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search this guide With Universal Clipboard, you can copy text, images, photos, and videos on one Apple device and then paste the content on another Apple device. For example, you can copy a recipe from your Mac and paste it into a note on your nearby iPhone. Or copy a file from one Mac to paste in a folder on another Mac. Note: To use Universal Clipboard, your devices must meet Continuity system requirements.
Use apps in full screen on Mac
Select version: Select version: Modifying this control will update this page automatically Search the user guide Many apps on your Mac support full-screen mode—an app fills the entire screen—so you can take advantage of every inch of the screen and work without desktop distractions. To work in a bigger window without going full screen, maximize (or zoom) the window.
Types of disks you can use with Time Machine on Mac
You can use Time Machine with an AirPort Time Capsule, with a network-attached storage (NAS) device that supports Time Machine over SMB, or with an external storage device connected directly to your Mac (such as a USB or Thunderbolt drive). If a disk has partitions, you can use one of the partitions for your backup disk. Time Machine can’t back up to iPhone, iPad, or iPod or to a disk formatted for Windows.
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