If you are a proud Mac owner, you don’t want to miss any feature or functionality. No matter how long you have been using your Mac computer, something is exciting and new to discover you never imagined existing.  

This article helps you discover unexplored Mac features that users generally don’t know about. These handy features will help you keep your Mac in tip-top condition and make the best use of your device.  

Screen Timeout

Screen timeout is a feature all Macs use for power and battery conservation. By default, MacBooks activate screen timeout after 10 minutes when attached to a power source and 2 minutes of battery inactivity. A lower screen timeout saves battery life.

However, increasing screen timeout can shorten your Mac’s life by making battery, screen, and CPU work more. If you are wondering how to increase screen timeout in mac, it’s easy and beneficial when giving a presentation as it wouldn’t switch off midway. 

Virtual Desktops

Do you know that spaces on Macs can be used as virtual desktops? It can assist you in better organizing your currently opened apps and windows into several desktop workspaces. This eventually helps reduce complexity while switching between different apps or windows.

You can create multiple spaces for several tasks. Open Mission Control by tapping the F3 key and take your cursor to the screen top. Hit the plus button to create a new desktop. Drag and drop app windows into the desktop thumbnail and switch between them by tapping thumbnails.

Keyboard Shortcuts

To make the optimum use of your system and improve performance, use keyboard shortcuts. Mac OS offers multiple handy keyboard shortcuts to eliminate the requirement of finding options on-screen with a cursor and save time.

For example, Command and Tab to switch between currently open applications, Command and H to hide a window, and lots more. The best part is that you can personalize keyboard shortcuts on Mac by reaching System Preferences and clicking Keyboard > Shortcuts.

Force Quit Apps

It is quite annoying to wait for the application that takes too much time to respond or is stuck in between. Thankfully, Mac users no longer have to deal with an unresponsive application. They can use a Force Quit feature to quit those apps.

Whenever any app becomes entirely unresponsive and you have no solution, you can force quit an app. To use this feature, tap the Command, Option, and Escape keys. Now, choose the required unresponsive app in the list and pick ‘Force Quit’.

Full-Screen Mode

Are you looking for a solution that can help you avoid distractions while gaming or working on your Mac computer? Make the best use of Mac’s full-screen mode feature. It will assist you in emphasizing one work at a specific time.

As the name suggests, this feature allows a single window or app to take over the whole screen. Other windows and desktops will hide temporarily. To enable this feature, tap the small green button or hover over this button. At last, choose Enter Full Screen.

AirDrop for File Sharing

Sharing files between Mac computers and other Apple devices becomes easier with AirDrop. Rather than the internet, this feature uses Bluetooth connections and a local wireless network. To use this feature, access Finder and tap the AirDrop icon.

You’ll see a window with all the AirDrop-enabled Apple devices within your proximity (30 feet away or less). Drag the required file and drop it onto the AirDrop window. Now, choose the device you wish to share it with. Another person will be prompted for acceptance.         

Speed Up Typing

Do you want to save quality time while typing any document or composing an email? Use the Text Expansion built-in tool in the Mac operating system. It will speed up typing by creating custom text shortcuts for the text you use most often.

For example, setting up a shortcut for an email address i.e., @@. It will reduce the need to type it out all the time. To create shortcuts for the most used phrases, reach System Preferences and select Keyboard. Click Text and then tap the plus (+) button to include abbreviations.    

Wrapping Up

Mac is one of the most admired innovations of Apple that is easy to use and offers a simplified user experience. However, they have plenty of exciting features that are hiding somewhere and you just need to explore them.

If you’ve purchased a new Mac and want to make the best use of it, explore the above mentioned hidden features. If you’re thinking you are not getting the most out of your Mac, try these hidden features and some more. For example, QuickTime video appending, Using the Option key to transfer files, repositioning the spotlight bar, emoji keyboard shortcut, and some more.