Get Your New Mac up and Running with These Tips

So, you just brought home a shiny new Mac. You’ll find that your new computer is mostly ready to go out of the box. Still, there are a few things you should take care of before getting too settled in. These steps will help make sure you get the most out of your purchase, especially if you’re new to Macs.

If you’re replacing an older Mac, you might want to restore your Time Machine backup first, then look through these tips to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

It’s important to take the time to set up your new Mac right. (Image Credit: Pexels)

Update Your Mac’s Software

When you first power on your Mac and connect to Wi-Fi, you’ll probably be asked to run updates. Once you’ve gotten past that initial set up, it’s a good idea to check again to make sure nothing was missed. Since you’re learning the ropes, Apple makes it easy to find the most important parts of macOS Sierra. Click the Apple menu in the top left corner of the screen, then click App Store. Once there, click the Updates icon to see if there’s anything new to install.

Make sure you install the latest updates for your Mac’s software.

Start Setting Up Your New Mac by Adjusting the Scrolling

Apple has a “natural scrolling” feature on the Mac that is, in my opinion, far from natural. Most of us are used to the scroll bar following your fingers on the trackpad, or the scroll wheel on your mouse. Not so with natural scrolling. Instead, the page follows the scrolling, and it’s the opposite of what you might expect. Fortunately, it’s easy to fix.

To change this feature, you need to visit System Preferences > Trackpad > Scroll & Zoom for a MacBook or a Mac with the Magic Trackpad. If you use a mouse instead, go to System Preferences > Mouse > Point & Click. In either location, you’ll be looking for an option called Scroll direction: Natural. Uncheck it and your trackpad or scroll wheel will behave the way you’re probably used to.

Natural scrolling isn’t so natural.

Next: Time Machine, Trackpad Tweaks, and Security on Your New Mac

Page 2 – Time Machine, Trackpad Tweaks, and Security on Your New Mac

Configure Your Time Machine Backups

This might sound like a hassle, but it really isn’t. It’s also a life saver when you suffer that unfortunate hard drive failure. With macOS Sierra, backups are easy to maintain, as long as you have a place to store them. Time Machine is a fantastic backup solution, so be sure to set it up right away. We’re going to System Preferences again, this time to Time Machine. Make sure Back Up Automatically is enabled and you have the correct disk selected for your Time Machine backups. For redundancy, you should also purchase, install, and configure Carbon Copy Cloner. It comes with a 30-day free trial, and is only $39.99 after that.

Take the time to set up Time Machine

More Changes to the Trackpad May Be In Order

If you purchased a MacBook or the Magic Trackpad, you may want to make additional changes to how it behaves within macOS Sierra. For example, you probably want to enable Force Click and haptic feedback, if you haven’t already. You should also set up how to perform a Secondary Click, the Mac version of right-clicking the mouse. You can also adjust how much force you need to exert to click and how fast the mouse cursor moves when you glide your fingers across the trackpad.

Setting up secondary click on your trackpad is easy.

Mouse users, you aren’t left completely out in the cold here. Go back to System Preferences > Mouse and configure Secondary Click, along with Smart zoom, if you want that feature. You should also investigate More Gestures to set other things to your liking.

If you have a mouse, you should configure the secondary click for it, too.

Locking Down the Fort

Next, you’ll want to set up some basic security features. This way, if someone swipes your Mac, they won’t have free reign over it. Visit System Preferences > Security & Privacy and start off by making sure a login password has been set. Next, select Require password 5 minutes after sleep or screen saver begins. You can also change the length of time, if you want it longer or shorter. Once you set this configuration, you’ll be prompted to enter your password to unlock your Mac.

Setting your Mac to lock automatically is an important security step.

This is also a good time to activate your Firewall, making your Mac even safer against unwanted intrusions.

Next, enable your Mac’s Firewall

Next: Configure Email and Social Media on Your New Mac and Sync with iOS Devices

Page 3 – Configure Email and Social Media on Your New Mac and Sync with iOS Devices

Configure Your Email and Social Media Accounts

Next up, you may want to configure your Mac to connect to your email and other online accounts. For example, if you want Google Calendar to show up in macOS Sierra’s Calendar app, you’ll need to set that up. You can also link with your Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts from here.

Configuring your Internet accounts is the logical next step.

Synchronize With Your iOS Devices

Got an iPhone or iPad? Of course you do, and you’ll want to link them up with your Mac. You can do this via iTunes, or you can choose one of these alternatives. My personal favorite is iMazing, because of all of the advanced features and tricks it offers. If you decide to stick with iTunes, though, you’ll find setting up synchronization to be easy and painless.

Synchronizing your iOS device with iTunes is easy

What Else Should You Do?

Your new Mac is set up and ready to go, but there’s still more you can do. You should visit the App Store and see what’s available. It’s also a good idea to settle on your anti-virus software. You probably already know what apps you want and need, and now’s the time to go get them. Most importantly, though, enjoy your new Mac.

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