The Macbook Pro is a very powerful laptop; one that can increase your productivity many times over. But it can also be a bit complicated, especially if you’re used to working in a Windows environment. In this article, we’ve put together 10 useful tips that will accelerate your familiarity with this sleek, state-of-the-art block of aluminum. Here are 10 tips and tricks for things that you may not have known your Mac could do. You should also check out some of the Mac's best hidden features you may not know about, and how to set up a. These tips and tricks are designed to help you perform various tasks at an optimal level. Even if you’re a Mac user for quite some time, you probably don’t know all of the amazing tips and tricks that is why listed down the top 10 best tips and tricks that might come handy. Keyboard Shortcuts. The mouse or your Mac’s Trackpad can. Safari is one of the best choices for Mac users since it is highly optimized for Apple hardware. You’ll get longer battery life on a MacBook and snappier performance on most machines compared to Chrome or Firefox, both of which are notorious memory hogs.
For most Mac owners, Safari is the gateway to the World Wide Web. Given that it’s probably your most used application, knowing tips, tricks and new features is the best way to get the most out of it. While Safari does not have the extension libraries of Chrome, it still has a few tricks up its sleeve for Mac owners. Keep reading for the best.
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If there’s one type of game where computers blow consoles out of the water, it’s strategy games.
And the Mac is just as capable as Windows PCs on that front.
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With a few exceptions, the Mac has all the best games the genre has ever delivered.
These include not only all the major series such as Civilization, XCOM and Total War, but also some excellent indies:
| Game | Name | Genre | Requirements | PC Metascore | Price range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Civilization 6 | Civilization 6 | Strategy | ⚠️️ Medium | 90 | |
| XCOM 2 | XCOM 2 | Strategy | High | 88 | |
| Company of Heroes 2 | Company of Heroes 2 | Strategy | ⚠️️ Medium | 80 | |
| Homeworld Remastered | Homeworld Remastered | Strategy | ⚠️️ Medium | 86 | |
| Total War: Shogun 2 | Total War: Shogun 2 | Strategy | ⚠️️ Medium | 90 | |
| StarCraft 2 | StarCraft 2: Legacy of the Void | Strategy | ⚠️️ Medium | 88 | |
| FTL: Faster than Light | FTL: Faster than Light | Strategy | ✅ Low | 84 | |
| Hearthstone | Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft | Strategy | ✅ Low | 88 | Free |
| Europa Universalis 4 | Europa Universalis 4 | Strategy | ⚠️️ Medium | 87 | |
| Cities: Skylines | Cities: Skylines | Simulation | ⚠️️ Medium | 85 |
Want even more good games for Mac? These are the 100 Top Mac games you can play today.
Civilization 6
We might as well start with my personal favorite and go-to game of the moment.
Civilization 6 is the latest entry in the series and aims to perfect the formula Civilization 5 nailed many years ago. It felt like Civ 5 was the best strategy game developer Firaxis could pull off, but man, were we wrong.
Civ 6 has everything that made Civ 5 great and more. As always, you take control of a civilization and lead it through the course of history. You get to research technologies, create a religion, build trade routes, an army, and more. Without going too much into detail, let me just say that you’ll start a gaming session expecting to play for an hour but will end up playing for three. “One last turn” anyone?
Civilization 6 also introduces complex city-planning for the first time. You can now build districts and special buildings within cities and choosing the right placement will grant bonuses.
Among the hundreds of other improvements, Civ 6 also sports improved graphics. This is the best looking turn-based strategy game ever created and Aspyr did a great job with Civilization 6’s Mac port. You will need a modern Mac to run this game, though, especially when lots of units and cities fill the screen.
⚡A recent Mac with a powerful graphics card.
Worthy Alternative: Endless: Legend, a 4X fantasy-strategy game, is the only turn-based game that can be compared to Civ 6.
XCOM 2
XCOM 2 is a turn-based strategy game that continues the story of the original XCOM. Humans lost the war against the aliens and the remaining survivors have to live under their rule. The future is grim and the only hope is the tiny resistance army, which you’ll have to lead.
XCOM 2 is a special game and the story of Captain Harris is a perfect example. Harris was a rookie when I first recruited him. Smart lad, although a little nervous (literally “panicking” during missions). He eventually became an accomplished sharpshooter with many alien kills to his name. Until one day a Sectoid appeared out of nowhere and blew his brains out. And then he was gone forever.
Because that’s XCOM 2: if a soldier dies, it’s permanent. This gives a sense of gravity and tension to every mission. The key is to take cover and use the different classes and abilities right. After all, it is your squad, and you can customize it to suit your style.
In between missions, you get to manage the resistance’s headquarters. You can decide what technologies to research, how to use your limited resources and where to go next.
Mac gaming wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for Feral Interactive. No one pumps out as many AAA Mac ports and XCOM 2 is one of the best strategy games for Mac they’ve done so far. XCOM 2’s Mac version is still demanding, but only because the graphics look great:
⚡A recent Mac with a powerful graphics card.
Worthy Alternative: If you have an older Mac, XCOM: Enemy Unknown is an excellent choice with more forgiving system requirements.
Company of Heroes 2
Company of Heroes (CoH) was revolutionary when it first came out in 2006. The graphics, the destructible environments. My jaw dropped the first time I saw a Panzer tank drive through a wall and kill my soldiers. Company of Heroes 2 is all that and more.
Just like the original CoH, the game is all about collecting resources, building an army and crushing the enemy. But instead of cutting wood and mining iron, you’ll need to control strategic points that then give you resources. This will force you to face the enemy early on.
Other than that, Company of Heroes 2 has destructible environments, cover mechanics, buildings that can be occupied (and destroyed, so be careful) and impressive units, such as Sherman tanks and snipers.
Company of Heroes 2 is another of Feral’s best Mac strategy games on this list. The game plays smoothly and without bugs, but you will still need a modern Mac to run it at medium settings or better:
⚠️️ A recent Mac with average specs.
Worthy Alternative: Dawn of War 2 is an excellent RTS that plays just like CoH2 but takes place within the Warhammer universe and includes orcs and space marines!
Homeworld Remastered
Ever wanted to be captain of a ship and sail out to conquer the universe? Homeworld may be your way out.
Released in the 1990s, Homeworld 1 and 2 turned the strategy genre on its head with huge Star Wars-like space battles at a scale never seen before. Over a decade later, no game managed to match the excitement Homeworld created.
But now that Aspyr remastered the game and brought it to modern times, Homeworld looks just as good as any other modern strategy game. The Remastered Collection includes updated graphics, high-res textures, better lighting effects, and a new UI. This, combined with a great story and atmosphere, makes this collection a must for space fans.
For a long time, players debated whether this was one of the best Mac strategy games of all time. Now that Homeworld has been modernized, the debate can continue. And as an added bonus, Homeworld Remastered’s Mac version is not a demanding game:
⚠️️ A recent Mac with average specs.
Worthy Alternative: EVE Online is an MMORPG and not a strategy game, but if you want to command a space fleet, it’s still a great alternative.
Total War: Shogun 2
Shogun 2 may not be the latest Total War game, but it certainly is the best Total War experience on Mac right now. At least until Feral Interactive finally releases Total War: Warhammer for Mac.
During your campaign to become the ruler of Japan, you’ll get to discover the game’s two unique sides: turn-based strategy and real-time combat.
Shogun 2 feels like two different games. When it’s time to manage your land, economy, and armies, you get to do it turn by turn, like you would during a Civilization game. But as soon as a battle takes place, you get to control your army in real-time.
I could compare this side of the game with Company of Heroes 2, except Shogun 2 puts you in charge of thousands of soldiers at once.
For those keeping track at home, you’re probably thinking that newer Total War games exist on Mac. And you’re right, Creative Assembly ported both Attila and Rome 2. It’s usually great when developers handle their own Mac version, but it’s undeniable that Feral Interactive is better at it. In fact, Shogun 2’s Mac version is so well optimized, you can easily enjoy it on a MacBook:
⚠️️ A recent Mac with average specs.
Worthy Alternative: When it comes to huge battles, only Planetary Annihilation can match Total War games.
StarCraft 2
The Starcraft series has a special place in my heart. I spent years trying to master the original Starcraft (with little success) because it felt like the perfect real-time strategy (RTS) game: fast, precise, with a perfect balance between factions.
Yet Blizzard did the impossible and created a worthy successor. Just like the original, Starcraft 2 is a space RTS that tells the story of a war between three races: the Terrans, the Zerg, and the Protoss. But all you need to know is that Starcraft 2 plays fast. The key is to gather resources and build the biggest army you can as soon as possible. Starcraft 2 is definitely easy to grasp and get into, but insanely hard to master. I stopped trying to become “good” at it, but I still enjoy a few matches every now and then.
If you’re not sure this is for you, you can try the Starter Edition, which includes loads of quality free content. And if you want more, you can grab Legacy of the Void, which is the latest expansion and includes a new cooperative mode and a new campaign.
⚠️️ A recent Mac with average specs.
FTL: Faster than Light
“But Ric, I just want a good strategy game that can run on my old Macbook”, you say. And I hear you, some of these games do require a powerful Mac. But there are still some great games that opted out of the graphics race and just focused on the gameplay. FTL: Faster than Light is one of those games.
FTL is a roguelike strategy game that puts you in control of a spacecraft that holds critical information. Problem is, a large rebel fleet is on your tail and you’ll have to move fast. This journey takes you through many planetary systems, each filled with random surprises that could be good or bad. The entire game is full of random events and no two games can be the same.
Besides fighting rebel forces, you will also be in charge of recruiting crew members and upgrading your ship. Last warning: Death is permanent and losing your ship or crew will force you to start all over again.
As I said before, this game is perfect for those who have older Macs. The retro-looking graphics look great, but they are nonetheless forgiving:
✓ Any Mac, even an older one will do.
Worthy Alternative:This War of Mine is another indie gem that will throw random events at you and challenge you every step of the way.
Hearthstone
Blizzard has become an expert at creating free-to-play games. Hearthstone and Heroes of the Storm, one of my personal favorites, are perfect examples of how a free-to-play game should be.
Hearthstone is a digital collectible card game based on the popular Warcraft universe. But before you ignore it because you don’t “like” card games, know that this game is amazing, no matter your past experiences with the genre.
Hearthstone is much simpler than you would imagine. In every match, you pull three or four cards (depending on who goes first) out of your customized deck of 30 cards. There are different card types (weapons, spells and minions), but the goal is clear: empty your opponent’s health.
The best part is that this is a top-notch free-to-play Mac game. This means that you can genuinely spend hours playing it without having to spend a dime. Plus, the cute yet simplistic graphics are perfect for low-powered Macs. Looking for a good free game that can run on your old Macbook? Look no further:
✓ Any Mac, even an older one will do.
Europa Universalis 4
Europa Universalis 4 is a grand strategy game that puts the World’s history at your fingertips. The entire Earth is represented and you can own, conquer, and colonize any part of it.
The game gives you control of a nation and its military, diplomacy, and economy. You’ll have an unprecedented level of control and that makes Europa Universalis so challenging.
That said, the developer did a lot to make this game more accessible. The menus and interface were streamlined and the tutorials beefed up.
Still, this game is hard to get into. If your attention span is as short as mine, you may be overwhelmed early on. But if you’re up to the challenge, and give it some time, it will reward you with a chance to rewrite history.
Among the best strategy games Mac can handle, this is one of the most forgiving games in terms of system requirements. The graphics never try to be fancy, as the purpose is to create an interactive simulation of the World’s history:
⚠️️ A recent Mac with average specs.
Worthy Alternative: Crusader Kings 2 is another excellent grand strategy game from Paradox Interactive. But unlike EU 4, it focuses on medieval times.
Cities: Skylines
There’s something about city-building games that have always appealed to me. Was it destroying my creations with earthquakes and alien invasions on SimCity 2000 (I was 13 or after all)? Or trying to develop clean tech in SimCity 4?
Unfortunately that all changed when Maxis dropped the ball, disappointing lifelong fans with the latest SimCity. But then Cities: Skylines appeared and did something that seemed impossible just a few years ago: replace SimCity as the best city-building game ever.
Developed by Colossal Order, Cities: Skylines managed to right most of SimCity’s wrongs. You still get to create a city from scratch, build infrastructures, supply energy and water, control zoning, road placement, taxation, public services, public transportation, and more. Much more in fact. Cities: Skylines goes a step further and adds fun challenges, mini-missions, huge maps, no internet connection requirements and a traffic simulation so smart it’s scary. It may all sound too complicated, but Colossal Order manages to make it all extremely fun.
The graphics are also top-notch, making Skylines the most beautiful city-building game ever created. This, however, means that you will need a recent Mac to play it, although my older 13-inch MacBook Air could handle it at lower settings:
⚠️️ A recent Mac with average specs.
Worthy Alternative: The latest SimCity was disappointing, but the remastered SimCity 4 is still good. Especially if you have an older Mac.
You no longer have an excuse not to try a strategy game on your Mac. With so many options, ranging from fast real-time games to collectible card games, the Mac has something for everyone. So what are your favorite Strategy games Mac can handle? Are you currently playing one? Let me know in the comments section, perhaps you’ll even find fellow Mac users to play with online!
Updated on February 8, 2017: XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Company of Heroes and Civilization 5 and DotA 2 replaced by XCOM 2, Company of Heroes 2, Civilization 6 and Homeworld Remastered Collection.
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If you just bought your first brand-spanking new Mac, you need to get familiarize with different Mac tips and tricks that will help you get the best and most out of your unit. These tips and tricks are designed to help you perform various tasks at an optimal level. Even if you’re a Mac user for quite some time, you probably don’t know all of the amazing tips and tricks that is why listed down the top 10 best tips and tricks that might come handy.
1. Keyboard Shortcuts
The mouse or your Mac’s Trackpad can easily be one of the great parts of your unit but the keyboard is your greatest helper. With command shortcuts that let you do actions and commands as fast and simple, it can reduce your work time in half. Some of the most helpful Mac keyboard shortcuts you need to keep in mind include:
- Command + Q, to quit a program or app.
- Command + Option + Esc, to force-quit an unresponsive or frozen app.
- Command + H, to hide an app or window.
- Command + Tab, to activate the app switcher. Holding down on Command and hitting the Tab key lets you switch from one app to another right to left while pressing Command + ~, lets you switch through apps from left to right.
- Command + M, to minimize a window.
- Command + Spacebar, to launch Spotlight.
- Command + Option + D, to hide and show the Dock.
Remember that these are just a few of the most effective Mac keyboard tricks but you can create your own custom shortcuts, too. Here are the steps:
- Go to System Preferences > Keyboard > Application Shortcuts
- Pick your own combination of keys for specific commands you want to use the shortcuts for.
2. Sync Desktops for Multiple Macs
If you’re one of the many who is used to saving files and folders on the Desktop and use more than one Mac, you will likely find this neat trick to be very beneficial. One of the best features that came with the Sierra is the ability to sync Desktop with iCloud. Simply sync them by going to your iCloud using any of your Mac devices, then you can go ahead and access your Desktop files and folders anywhere you are as long as you are connected to the internet and have access to a Mac or Apple device. This is especially helpful if you have been working on a Mac device and had to switch to another because you need to move. You can also access Documents folder on the iCloud. To activate the feature, follow these steps:
- Go to System Preferences > iCloud.
- Click on Options. Select Desktop & Documents.
Take note that the free iCloud subscription has a storage limit of 5GB. If you are a heavy user, consider subscribing to a bigger storage allowance. An additional 50GB currently cost $0.99 per month. Not bad for a secure and convenient storage, right?
3. Siri-Related Tricks
If you’re fond of Apple’s intuitive AI, Siri, you can actually direct her into doing simple deeds. You can save some of your precious time by asking Siri to quickly change system settings instead of going through the System Preferences options. To use this feature, make sure that Siri is activated on your Mac. To talk to her, simply press Command + Spacebar simultaneously then instruct her what to do. For example:
- “Increase brightness.”
- “Turn on Bluetooth.”
- “Show disk space.”
Remember that Siri is not perfect. There will be times when she will mishear you. The good thing is you can correct what she hears before she performs the task you requested. When talking to Siri, you will be shown transcribed texts. You can correct the words she misheard before hitting Return/Enter.
4. Run Windows on Your Mac
If for some reason you can’t totally let go of your affections to Windows and you need to do something that requires a WindowsOS, you’re in luck, because Apple is nice enough to let their users use Windows on Macs. With the help of virtualization apps like Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or VirtualBox, you can run Windows 7 or 8 alongside your macOS. These are paid apps though and quality of graphics won’t be as great as you want them to be.
If you don’t want to spend money on virtualization, you can partition your disk and install Windows. You can use Mac’s built-in Boot Camp Assistant to run it. Take note that only one operating system can run on your Mac if you use Boot Camp. So if you need to switch from one OS to another, you’ll need to restart and select which OS to use.
5. Reveal Hidden Options
Sometimes, you might find yourself growing impatient while looking for hidden options and locating the correct menu path for the commands you need. Thankfully, Mac offers different ways to make your life easier, for example pressing down the Alt/Option key while clicking the specific menu will reveal the options in the menu bar, as well as the items in the menus.
6. Restrict Usage
If there are others users of your Mac, like friends or probably your kids, it is best to restrict access and determine what other people can do on your Mac and when they can do it. There may be important files and documents in your Mac that can’t simply be accessible to everyone. For example, children might accidentally access websites and install not secure programs and malicious malware that end up compromising your privacy, identity, and other sensitive information. With Mac’s Parental Controls, you can limit Finder functions, set amount or length of computer usage per day, and limit underage access.
If you have children that have been using your Mac before you learned about the existence of Parental Controls, it is in your best interest to scan your Mac for potential problems. Tweakbit MacRepair, a handy Mac cleaning tool, is designed to automatically run a complete scan of your Mac to get rid of problematic files and programs. With this tool, you can make sure that your Mac is free from any malicious files and programs.
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7. Search For Flight Information Using Spotlight
Anyone you know that is traveling by plane? You can get updated on-flight information through Mac’s very own Spotlight. If you know the flight number, you can check if it has already taken off, where the plane currently is, and if it has arrived at its destination. Just press Command + Spacebar to launch Spotlight. Type in the flight number and press Return. This helpful pretty helpful in terms of planning when to move and hop in the car to drive and fetch them at the airport.
8. Sign Documents Using Trackpad
Need to sign documents, electronically, the quickest way possible? If you have a Magic Trackpad, this shouldn’t be a problem. With the handy tool and your fingers, you can sign PDFs right away. To sign a document, follow these steps:
- Open the PDF file you need to sign.
- Click on the toolbox icon found at the top right of the Preview toolbar.
- Choose the signature icon, which looks like a squiggle.
- Choose Create Signature, make sure the Trackpad tab is selected.
- Guide your finger on the Trackpad. Follow the on-screen instructions when prompted.
- Select your signature from the menu and drag it to the document. Resize if needed.
If you sign a lot of electronic documents, you may want to invest in a stylus compatible with your Trackpad.
9. QuicklyType Common Phrases
If you have an iPhone or an iPad, you probably noticed the three suggested words when you type something — this is the magic of QuickType. If you like this feature, you can also use the function on your Mac to make typing on certain apps faster. In TextEdit or Notes, you can press Esc + Alt while you type a word to reveal suggested words. If the word you’re typing is on the list, you can simply select it from there. This is helpful if you’re too tired to type out words, especially hard to spell ones.
10. Pin Important Notes
A lot of us use Notes to avoid forgetting important details or light-bulb type of ideas. You can make Notes a little more useful by pinning important notes. Pinned notes stay on top of the list, allowing you to find them faster and easier. To pin a note, just right-click on the note you want to pin, then choose Pin Note. You can also keep a note secret by locking it. Right-click on the note, and then choose LockNote. A password will be needed to open a locked note.
With these top tips and tricks up your sleeve, you are bound to make the most out of your Mac. Do you know other tricks? Feel free to comment your favorite Mac tips below.
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