Apple at Work: Mac Employee Starter Guide

Using a Mac at Work

With its reliable hardware and intuitive software, Mac enables you to manage all your business workflows more seamlessly. User-friendly macOS provides powerful ways to collaborate across apps fluidly, analyze data faster, stay connected with colleagues, and more. Every Mac comes with built-in accessibility features designed to empower everyone.

In this guide, you'll learn how to navigate and customize your Mac, use built-in macOS productivity features, find additional support resources, and get tips if you're switching from Windows. If you already use an iPhone or iPad, you'll see many of the same apps and controls on your Mac, allowing you to use familiar tools and work smoothly across all your Apple devices.

An image displays various Mac models, including iMac, MacBook Pro, and Mac Pro, showcasing Apple's hardware lineup.

Getting started with Mac basics

You can set up and start using your new Mac in no time. To get started on your corporate network, you or your IT team will need to enroll your Mac into corporate services to access your organization's Wi-Fi, mail, and calendar. Then, adjust common settings, start using apps, organize your files, and more. If you have any questions, contact your IT administrator for more information.

Hardware overview

Your Mac is ready to help you do amazing things right out of the box. To quickly set up and start using your Mac, check out your device's guide to get familiar with the hardware, features, and more.

• MacBook Air Getting Started Guide
• MacBook Pro Getting Started Guide
• iMac Getting Started Guide
• Mac mini Getting Started Guide
• Mac Studio Getting Started Guide
• Mac Pro Getting Started Guide

A detailed view of a MacBook's keyboard and screen, highlighting features like the FaceTime HD camera, Magic Keyboard, Touch ID (power button), MagSafe 3 port, Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports, and Force Touch trackpad. Also visible are media controls, Do Not Disturb, Mute, and Volume settings.

Tip: Find helpful hints in the Tips app.

In the Tips app, you can access full user guides for your Mac, other Apple devices, and apps. To get the most out of your Mac, explore curated tips, including "Welcome to Mac," "Essentials," and "What's new," as well as guidance on using your Apple devices together.

Learn about the software

macOS is the operating system that powers every Mac. The first thing you see when you turn on your Mac is the desktop, where you'll do most of your work. The desktop is the space between the menu bar at the top of the screen and the Dock at the bottom.

Get to know the Mac desktop

• Explore the menu bar
• Read the macOS User Guide

Find files and folders

The Finder is home base for your Mac. Click Finder in the Dock to access all your files, folders, and apps. You can choose your preferred view and organize your files. To create a new folder, click File in the menu bar, then choose New Folder.

• Organize files and folders
• Choose your view

Access apps in the Dock

Keep your favorite apps in the Dock at the bottom of your screen. To open an app, click its icon. To see all your apps, click Launchpad.

To close an app, click the close button in the top-left corner of its window. To quit the app, choose [App Name] > Quit [App Name] in the menu bar.

A screenshot of the macOS desktop, illustrating the menu bar (including Apple menu, File, Edit, View, Go, Window, Help), the Finder app window showing files and folders, and the Dock with applications like Safari, Launchpad, Finder, System Settings, and Trash. Spotlight Search, Wi-Fi, Control Center, and Notification Center are also indicated.

Configure your settings

Manage your accounts, set up Wi-Fi, update your password, and more in System Settings. Some settings may already be configured by your company, so check with your IT administrator for more details.

• Customize the settings on your Mac
• Connect to a Wi-Fi network
• Change your password or user picture
• Use a screen saver for extra privacy
• Set a password to wake your Mac

Navigate app windows

There are several ways to manage open app windows. You can manually move, align, maximize, or minimize windows. When you have multiple app windows open, only one window is active at a time. To make a different app or Finder window active, simply click it. Use Mission Control to see all open windows on your desktop, arranged in a single layer.

Work with an app in full screen, or use Split View to view two apps open side by side. Or you can organize your apps and windows into a single view with Stage Manager, so you can stay focused on your work and easily move between tasks.

Use Touch ID

With Touch ID, you can unlock your Mac, open password-protected items, and sign in to some third-party apps. Set up Touch ID in System Settings.

Right-click

To right-click, click with two fingers on your trackpad or click the right corner of your mouse. In System Settings, you can also customize your Mouse settings and Trackpad settings, including scroll direction, swipe gestures, and button assignments.

See your notifications

Notifications alert you to new messages, upcoming calendar events, and more. To open Notification Center, click the date and time in the menu bar. You can also adjust your Notifications settings based on your preferences. If you need to stay on task and minimize distractions, use Focus to pause or silence certain notifications.

Perform trackpad and mouse gestures

With your Multi-Touch trackpad or Magic Mouse, you can use Multi-Touch gestures to zoom in on documents, swipe between pages, rotate photos, and more.

Tip: New to Mac? Check out these resources.

Learn how to perform common tasks with Mac tips for Windows switchers. And if you're not sure what something is called on Mac, here's a list of Windows and Mac terms to help you find what you're looking for.

Use keyboard shortcuts

Mac keyboard shortcuts save time and help you quickly complete tasks that would normally require a mouse, trackpad, or other input device. Many keyboard combinations you may already be familiar with use the Command (⌘) key.

• Use macOS keyboard shortcuts
• Explore symbols used for shortcuts
• Learn common keyboard shortcuts
• Create your own keyboard shortcuts
• Compare Windows keys on a Mac keyboard

Capture screenshots

To take a screenshot or make a screen recording of what's on your screen, press Shift-Command-5 on your keyboard. Then choose to capture the entire screen, an app window, or a specific area. Screenshots and screen recordings are automatically saved to the desktop and can also be organized in folders, attached to emails, and shared with coworkers.

Browse the internet

Safari is the built-in web browser on Mac that lets you research topics, read news articles, and access web apps. View highlights and summaries of web pages, bookmark your favorite websites, pin frequently visited sites for quick access, and save pages to read later -- even when you're offline.

With Safari, you can also create a separate work profile, turn a website into an app, and group sites (tabs) into a single window.

Quickly adjust settings

Control Center gives you access to volume, brightness, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more. To open it, click the icon in the menu bar.

Securely store your passwords in one place

In the Passwords app, find passwords, passkeys, verification codes, Wi-Fi passwords, and Sign in with Apple credentials for websites and apps.

Work the way you want

Accessibility features are included on every Mac to help you work in ways that suit you best. You can make content larger on your screen, use the built-in screen reader VoiceOver, speak commands with Voice Control, and more.

• Get started with accessibility features
• Discover vision, hearing, mobility, and speech features
• Dictate messages and documents
• Get accessibility support

Customize your Mac

Adjust System Settings to fit your preferences and needs, such as the appearance of your desktop and Dock, your highlight color, your language, Focus statuses, and Night Shift.

• Customize with System Settings
• Choose your desktop wallpaper
• Use a screen saver on your Mac
• Change your login picture on Mac
• Change the language your Mac uses

Visuals demonstrating macOS accessibility features. One shows a Mail app with a contact list and a message preview, illustrating features like text magnification, zoom, and display color adjustments for Vision. Another shows a screen with captions enabled, demonstrating features for Hearing. Text describes how to use voice commands and assistive devices for Mobility, and how to create custom voices or use system voices for Speech.

Getting down to business with apps and features

Mac is loaded with powerful apps and tools for the work you do every day, like sending emails, creating documents, accessing web apps, managing projects, and collaborating with colleagues. The productivity features built into macOS can help take your workflows to the next level, so you can continue to meet your daily objectives and exceed your professional goals.

Work with apps

Apps can be accessed and arranged in a variety of ways to help you do your best work. Customize your Dock to display the apps you frequently use. If the app you need isn't in the Dock, search for it using Spotlight or open Launchpad to access any app.

Discover more apps

In the App Store, discover thousands of apps that can help you increase productivity, visualize data, collaborate with colleagues, and support your workflow needs. Ask your IT team about your organization's software distribution settings.

Create and manage documents

Use built-in macOS apps or third-party apps from the App Store or web to create reports, spreadsheets, charts, presentations, and more.

• Open documents on your Mac
• Create and edit documents
• Print your files

And the Microsoft Office apps you use at work are available on Mac.

View, create, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Ask your IT administrator if your organization has a Microsoft 365 subscription.

iWork suite

iWork is a suite of built-in Apple apps. Use Pages for documents, Keynote for presentations, and Numbers for spreadsheets.

• Create and design documents
• Build compelling presentations
• Visualize your data with spreadsheets
• Convert your iWork files to Microsoft Office documents
• Collaborate with coworkers on documents in real time

Create and annotate PDF files

Preview is a built-in app that lets you view and annotate PDFs, fill out and sign forms, and mark up images. When you're done, share your file, export a password-protected PDF, or save images in a variety of file types.

• Annotate a PDF
• Combine files into a PDF
• Combine PDFs
• Use Markup tools to annotate files
• Add, delete, or move PDF pages
• Password-protect a PDF
• Fill out and sign PDF forms
• Export PDFs and images

A screenshot displaying a spreadsheet in Numbers, showing sales data and charts. Below it, an image of the Preview app is shown, with tools for annotating PDFs and images.

Customize Safari

In Safari, you can personalize your web browsing experience by creating a separate work profile, customizing your start page, sharing tabs with coworkers, translating a web page, and adding Safari extensions. You can also import bookmarks and passwords.

Send email

Mail is the built-in app for email. Add your Exchange or Outlook account and sync your Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, and Notes.

• Add email accounts
• Write, send, and schedule emails
• Create and use email signatures
• Undo sent emails
• Follow up on emails later
• Search for emails

Schedule events

Use Calendar to keep track of your schedule, project timelines, meetings, conferences, and more.

• Create or modify events
• Invite people to events
• Add location and travel time to events
• Set event alerts
• Add a FaceTime video call to events

Manage contacts

Contacts gives you quick access to contact information from the people you interact with most. You can manage relevant contact details and set up a contact card with your own information for easy sharing.

• Add contacts from an internet account
• Group your contacts
• Text, call, or email a contact
• Link duplicate contacts
• Share a contact

Keep in touch with colleagues

FaceTime lets you make video or audio-only calls. It's a great way to have meetings when you're unable to be there in person.

• Set up FaceTime
• Make and receive video calls
• Create a link to start a FaceTime call

Messages lets you send text, images, audio, and video messages -- or nearly any other file type -- to your coworkers.

• Set up Messages
• Send messages to one or more people
• Schedule a message to send later
• Edit or undo sent messages
• Pin important conversations to the top
• Get SMS messages on Mac

A grid of icons representing various built-in macOS applications such as Safari, Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Reminders, Notes, FaceTime, Messages, Maps, Find My, Photo Booth, Photos, Preview, Music, TV, Voice Memos, GarageBand, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Weather, Swift Playground, Stocks, Books, Dictionary, Calculator, Freeform, Clock, and System Settings.

Tip: Take advantage of the apps already included on your Mac.

Your Mac comes with a wide range of apps already installed, so you can get started working on projects, connecting with colleagues, creating documents, organizing notes, and more. Learn more about built-in apps.

Find your way around town

Maps makes planning your business travel a breeze. Navigate the city, check traffic conditions, plan your routes with multiple stops, and easily share your location or destination with others.

• Customize your map view
• Plan a multistop route
• Find your way through airports or malls

Manage your time

Use the Clock app to see the local time in times zones across the world. Set timers and alarms with different alert sounds to work more efficiently.

Share your work

Send files by email or directly to a coworker's device with AirDrop. You can also use AirPlay to wirelessly mirror your Mac screen to an HDTV.

Set reminders

Reminders is the built-in app that helps you keep track of all the things you need to do throughout your workday -- such as scheduling meetings, sending emails, following up on projects, and so much more. Organize your reminders in sections, view them in columns, or plan with simple kanban boards.

The Calendar app displays your scheduled reminders alongside events. You can even create and edit reminders directly in Calendar, and they automatically sync with your Reminders lists.

• Create and organize reminder lists
• Add reminders from other apps
• Add dates or locations
• Add subtasks to reminders
• View reminders from multiple internet accounts
• Use reminder list templates
• Assign shared reminders

A screenshot of the Reminders app, showing a list of tasks and options to add dates, locations, and subtasks. Another visual shows the Freeform app interface, a collaborative whiteboard with various elements like text, shapes, and images.

Whiteboard your ideas

Freeform provides a flexible canvas for diagramming new projects, aggregating important assets, or brainstorming ideas.

Quickly build diagrams and flowcharts by dragging connector handles to connect objects. Handwritten text can be searched, translated, and copied.

Guide collaborators around your board using Follow Along, so they can see what you see as you move around the canvas. With scenes, save different views to make it easier to organize and present your board in sections.

• Create and delete a board
• Search your boards
• Share a board with teammates
• Collaborate on a shared board
• Access boards from all your devices

Take notes

Use the built-in Notes app for jotting down quick thoughts in meetings, creating checklists, sketching ideas, documenting initiatives, and crunching numbers in Notes.

You can format notes to make them more organized, like changing font and paragraph styles, color coding with the highlight feature, and using collapsible sections. You can even record and transcribe audio in Notes on Mac.

• Create and edit notes
• Attach images and files
• Add a table
• Search notes
• Organize your notes with tags
• Sort and pin important notes

Work with apps simultaneously

Window tiling lets you easily arrange app windows by dragging them to the edge of the screen, and macOS automatically suggests a tiled position on your desktop. Quickly place tiles side by side or place them in the four corners to create your ideal arrangement.

Split View lets you use two apps at once in full screen, so you can use both apps side by side without distractions from other apps.

Create multiple workspaces

When you have multiple app windows scattered across your desktop, Mission Control helps you navigate them quickly and efficiently. Create additional desktops and assign apps to different spaces to support your business workflows, like sharing a presentation with coworkers in one desktop space while keeping confidential projects private in another.

Switch between app windows

See all your open windows in Mission Control. Swipe up on the trackpad with four fingers, then click a window to bring it to the front.

Search for anything on your Mac

With Spotlight, you can quickly find apps, documents, photos, and other files on your Mac. Find information about specific topics, perform quick calculations, view scrollable previews of your files in Quick Look, and more.

Click the Spotlight icon in the menu bar or press Command-Space bar to open Spotlight search.

• Search with Spotlight
• Narrow your search results
• Change your Spotlight settings
• Use Spotlight keyboard shortcuts

Tip: Access cloud storage solutions on your Mac.

Customize the Finder sidebar to easily access iCloud Drive or third-party cloud solutions -- such as Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, and Google Drive.

Add widgets to your desktop

See reminders, upcoming events, and more at a glance. Press and hold the Control key, click the desktop, and choose Edit Widgets. Then drag a widget anywhere on the desktop.

• Add and customize widgets on Mac

Stay front and center when presenting

Position yourself in front of your shared content during a video call. Click the video icon in the menu bar, click Screen Share, and choose one of the Presenter Overlay options.

• Use video conferencing features

A screenshot of a macOS desktop displaying various widgets, including reminders and upcoming events. Another visual shows a presentation being shared during a video call with a presenter overlay.

Tip: Preview a file without opening it using Quick Look.

Quick Look provides a fast, full-size preview of nearly any kind of file. To preview a file, simply select it and press the Space bar.

Automate your tasks

Shortcuts let you quickly complete everyday tasks with just a click or by asking Siri. Automate actions like moving text between apps, generating reports, opening apps in Split Screen, and more. In the Shortcuts app, easily add both ready-made and custom shortcuts to your Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

• Learn about shortcuts
• Discover new shortcuts
• Run a shortcut from the Shortcuts app
• Create a custom shortcut

Get help with everyday tasks

Siri is like your own personal assistant, designed to make daily tasks easier. Ask Siri almost anything, and it can help with tasks like finding and opening files, sending a message, or creating a calendar event.

• Explore other ways to use Siri
• Change Siri preferences
• Use Siri on all your Apple devices
• Use Siri to run a shortcut

Use any website like an app

Add a website to the Dock, then open and use it like any app. In Safari, click File in the menu bar, then choose Add to Dock.

• Use Safari web apps on Mac
• Turn a website into an app in Safari

Organize your desktop

Keep the files on your desktop neatly grouped by file type, date, or tags. Press the Control key and click the desktop, then choose Use Stacks. To change how files are grouped, choose Group Stacks By.

• Learn how to organize your desktop
• Use desktop stacks

Tip: Quickly switch between app windows.

Press Command-Tab to switch to your last app. Or press and hold Command then press Tab, and use the arrow keys to scroll through all open apps.

Screenshots showing the Shortcuts app interface with various shortcut categories and examples, and a project planning tool (monday.com) displaying charts and task statuses.

Powering intelligence at work with Apple Intelligence

Introducing Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system that puts powerful generative models at the core of iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It draws on personal context to deliver intelligence that's most helpful and relevant to you. It's deeply integrated into the system experiences and apps employees rely on every day. ChatGPT from OpenAI is also seamlessly integrated with Siri and Writing Tools, so you don't need to jump between tools.

Write with intelligent new tools. Turn sketches into images or use descriptions to create original images that help you visualize your work. And take advantage of the all-new superpowers of Siri. Ask your IT administrator if these features have been enabled for your organization.

Writing Tools

Using Writing Tools, you can rewrite emails, proofread documents, summarize text, and more with just a click -- virtually anywhere.

Rewrite multiple versions of your text while maintaining your tone. Easily swap in preferred options and continue writing or refining, or revert to your original draft.

Proofread to view suggested improvements to your writing, like grammar and language refinements. Quickly accept all suggestions with a click, or review the explanations to better understand the changes and accept only the ones you want.

The text field in Writing Tools lets you describe a specific change you want to make, like simplifying vocabulary or turning it into a formal letter. You can also rewrite your text in new tones, including professional, concise, or friendly.

Generate high-quality summaries of text from content of all kinds -- documents, articles, or emails -- so you can quickly grasp the key points.

And with Compose, ask ChatGPT to create original content from scratch. You can also use its image generation capabilities to add images alongside your writing.

Mail with Apple Intelligence

New intelligent features in Mail help you prioritize your workload, quickly summarize long emails, and more.

Know what to prioritize as soon as you open Mail. You'll see priority messages at the top of your inbox, based on what's most urgent.

Preview summaries provide you with a brief overview of an email thread so you know the key information before opening it. And when you open an email thread, click to see a detailed thread summary that helps you get the gist of a lengthy email or several emails in the same thread.

Smart Reply suggests smart options based on the email you received, helping you quickly craft a response. It incorporates your selections into the draft so it's ready to send.

A screenshot of the Mail application demonstrating Apple Intelligence writing tools. It shows an email draft with options to rewrite, proofread, and change tone, alongside a preview of a document with a summary of key points.

Image Playground

Apple Intelligence enables new ways to express yourself visually. With Image Playground, you can create new images, access your past creations, remix them, and share your creations with colleagues. Experiment with different concepts, and try out image styles like animation, illustration, and sketch.

When you want to create a more specific image, you can add descriptions to your playground to shape the image.

• Create images inspired by a photo by taking one, selecting one from your photo library, or dragging one into Image Playground.
• To create images based on concepts, choose from a range of concepts -- from categories like themes, costumes, accessories, and places -- and add them to your playground.
• Image Playground offers intelligent suggestions to enhance your image, based on previous concepts you selected or your notes in the Notes app.

And you can generate images directly in apps like Notes, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, and Freeform to elevate your documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with relevant imagery that supports your text and data.

When you create an image, it's saved to your Image Playground library and synced across your devices with iCloud. You can access your library from Messages to easily share your images and revisit and remix them in Image Playground.

All images are created on the device, giving users the freedom to experiment with as many images as they want.

Transcription summaries in Notes

Get an intelligently created summary of key points from your audio recording, so you can review what happened without going through the entire transcript.

Genmoji

Generate unique, emoji-style stickers right from the keyboard with Genmoji, available on Mac in the coming months. In the sticker creator, simply type what you want to create -- like "person analyzing data" or "business handshake" -- and your sticker will appear instantly.

Siri

With the on-device semantic index from Apple Intelligence, Siri understands emails, messages, photos, calendar events, files, and more to provide personalized answers. For example, when you say "What report did Jamie ask me to review?" Siri will pull up last week's email. And when you're filling out a form and say "Add my business license," Siri can extract the number from a photo of your business license and drop it in.

With onscreen awareness, Siri can understand and act on things displayed on your screen. So when a colleague texts you about a new coffee shop nearby, you can simply say "How long would it take to walk there from the office?" and Siri will know exactly what you mean.

Siri remembers your recent requests, so if you ask when your next meeting is and then say "Add that to my calendar," Siri will understand.

You can now type to Siri at any time and ask it the same things by text as you can by voice. Switch fluidly between text and voice to communicate however feels right.

With the ChatGPT integration, Siri can tap into ChatGPT to help with certain requests when it determines that ChatGPT can provide a helpful answer. You can also ask questions about photos and documents, including PDFs and presentations. You'll be asked before any requests or information are sent to ChatGPT. Siri then presents the answer directly.

Siri uses large language models trained on Apple support documentation to answer thousands of questions about your Mac, iPhone, and more, helping you learn how to use Apple device features and settings.

Siri can take hundreds of actions in both Apple and third-party apps. The next time you're working on a presentation, say "Make this slide background brighter" and Siri will adjust it using the Keynote app. Siri can also act across apps. Say "Add this slide to my meeting notes" and Siri will jump from Keynote to the Notes app to update your notes.

Notifications

Priority notifications, based on urgency, appear at the top of your notifications so you can quickly see what requires your immediate attention, like a message about a deliverable due today.

Notification summaries group multiple notifications from a single app in a stack with a glanceable summary on top. For many communication apps, like Mail and Messages, the content of your notifications will be summarized so you can get all the key details without opening the app.

Focus

To reduce interruptions, Focus understands your notifications and surfaces only those that might need immediate attention, like a text about a last-minute leadership meeting.

With Intelligent Breakthrough & Silencing, your Mac will determine if a notification is critical enough to break through. You can turn this on for any Focus mode so you don't miss important updates, like a conference call, while you're in Do Not Disturb.

Apple Intelligence is available in beta on all iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPad mini (A17 Pro), and iPad and Mac models with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to English (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, or U.S.), as part of an iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia software update. Additional features and languages will be available in April, with more languages and platforms coming over the course of the year. Languages supported in 2025 include Chinese, English (India, Singapore), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Some features will become available in software updates in the coming months.

Working better together with Continuity

When you use Mac with iPad, iPhone, or Apple Watch, you can do incredible things. With iCloud enabled, you can access your documents, apps, photos, videos, and more across all your devices. Use your iPad to extend the workspace of your Mac. Move your cursor seamlessly from your Mac to your iPad or from one Mac to another when the devices are next to each other. Make and receive phone calls without picking up your iPhone. Copy and paste images and text from your iPhone or iPad to your nearby Mac, or vice versa. To learn more, talk to your IT administrator and check out these resources: Use Continuity to work across Apple devices, Continuity features and requirements for Apple devices, Set up iCloud features on Mac, and Sign in to or out of your Apple Account on Mac.

Continue work on a nearby device

With Handoff, start work on your Mac and pick up where you left off on your nearby iPhone or iPad when your devices are all signed in with the same Apple Account. Use Handoff with many Apple apps like Mail, Safari, Notes, and iWork -- and even some third-party apps.

Connect to a Personal Hotspot

With Instant Hotspot, the Personal Hotspot on your iPhone or on your iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular can provide internet access to a nearby Mac signed in with the same Apple Account.

Copy and paste between devices

Universal Clipboard lets you copy content from an app on one Apple device and then paste it into an app on another Apple device when both devices are signed in with the same Apple Account. For example, copy an image in Safari from your iPhone and then paste it into an email on your Mac.

Use iPhone as a webcam

Continuity Camera lets you use your iPhone camera as your Mac webcam. It works wired or wirelessly, and your Mac can automatically switch to using your iPhone camera. You can also choose video effects and mic modes.

Use iPad as a second display

With Sidecar, you can use your iPad as a second display for your Mac. Work in one app while you reference another, or view your work on your Mac while using markup tools on your iPad. You can also mirror the screens so they both display the same content -- perfect for presentations.

• Review Sidecar system requirements
• Learn more about external displays

Unlock Mac with Apple Watch

Auto Unlock gives you instant access to your Mac when wearing your Apple Watch if both devices are signed in with the same Apple Account. Wake up your Mac and you're ready to go -- without typing a password.

Tip: Find an app quickly.

You can use Siri to open an app by saying "Open Calculator" or by clicking Spotlight and entering the app's name.

Control Mac and iPad with a single mouse and keyboard

When your Mac is near another Mac or iPad, use a single keyboard and trackpad or a connected mouse to work across both devices and drag content between them. With Universal Control, you can sketch a drawing with Apple Pencil on iPad and drop it into a Keynote presentation on your Mac.

Illustrations of Continuity features, demonstrating seamless interaction between Mac, iPhone, and iPad for tasks like Handoff, Universal Clipboard, and Sidecar. One visual shows a Mac screen displaying iPhone Mirroring, allowing control of the iPhone from the Mac. Another shows a Mac interacting with Apple Vision Pro via Mac Virtual Display.

Use your iPhone from your Mac with iPhone Mirroring

Access your iPhone anytime using the iPhone Mirroring app in the Dock. Interact wirelessly with your iPhone and its apps using your Mac keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, all while your iPhone stays locked -- ensuring that no one can access it or see what you're doing.

Notifications are forwarded to your Mac, so you won't miss them. You can choose to receive notifications for every app or just the apps you select.

And move files, photos, and videos between your iPhone and Mac as easily as you drag and drop between apps on Mac.

• Access the iPhone Mirroring app guide
• Use your iPhone from your Mac with iPhone Mirroring and notifications
• Explore Continuity features and check requirements

Use Mac Virtual Display on Apple Vision Pro

Mac Virtual Display lets you view your Mac screen on Apple Vision Pro and use your Mac trackpad to share the pointer between the devices. Both must be signed in to the same Apple Account, and your Mac must have macOS Sonoma or later installed.

• Connect to your Mac
• Move, resize, and close app windows
• Take a capture or recording of your view
• Learn basic gestures and controls on Apple Vision Pro
• Use View Mirroring or AirPlay on Apple Vision Pro

Scan documents using iPhone or iPad

With Continuity Camera, scan business documents with your iPhone or iPad and have them appear instantly in documents on your Mac. Sign in to iCloud using the same Apple Account across all your devices and try it with apps like Mail, Notes, Keynote, and more.

• Insert scanned documents
• Review system requirements

Instantly annotate files across devices

Continuity Markup lets you edit a PDF document or image on your Mac, and those updates are instantly reflected on your nearby iPhone or iPad. Sign in with the same Apple Account on all your devices to mark, write, or sketch using Markup tools on one -- or Apple Pencil on iPad -- and see the changes across your devices.

• Mark up files with Continuity
• Review system requirements

Insert sketches into your documents on Mac

Use Continuity Sketch to sketch on your nearby iPhone or iPad and have it instantly appear on your Mac when all your devices are signed in with the same Apple Account. For example, insert a sketch from your iPad directly into an email, message, document, note, or folder on your Mac.

• Add sketches with Continuity
• Review system requirements

Visuals demonstrating Continuity Camera for scanning documents, Continuity Markup for editing PDFs, and Continuity Sketch for inserting drawings. These show how devices work together seamlessly.

Finding support when you need it

It's important to know where to go for help. Your IT department is a great resource for questions about device setup, software installation, technical support, and more. For additional support, Apple offers tutorials, in-person assistance, and online training programs.

Apple resources

• Mac User Guide
• Mac Support
• Get started with Apple Intelligence
• Mac tips for Windows switchers
• Are you new to Mac?
• What's it called on my Mac?
• Apple Support videos on YouTube
• Apple Support on X (formerly Twitter)

Apple Support websites

• Mac
• iPhone
• iPad
• Apple Watch

Connect with an Apple Support expert

• Attend an Apple Store event
• Ask Apple Support Communities

Glossary

AirDrop: Wirelessly send documents, photos, videos, websites, map locations, and more to a nearby Mac, iPhone, or iPad.

AirPlay mirroring: Wirelessly mirror exactly what's on your screen to an HDTV with Apple TV.

Apple Intelligence: The personal intelligence system built into macOS, combining generative models with an understanding of your personal context to deliver relevant, useful intelligence.

Apple menu: The  menu in the top-left corner of the screen gives you access to settings, recently used apps, and other items.

Application menu: Click any menu item in the Mac menu bar to perform tasks for the app you're using.

Continuity: Use your Mac with your other Apple devices to work more efficiently and move seamlessly between your devices.

Continuity Camera: Use your iPhone as a webcam. Take photos or scan documents with your nearby iPhone or iPad and have them appear instantly on your Mac.

Continuity Markup: Edit a PDF document or image on your Mac, and see the changes instantly on your nearby iPhone or iPad, or vice versa.

Continuity Sketch: Draw a sketch using your nearby iPhone or iPad and have it appear instantly on your Mac.

Control Center: Quickly access features you use often, such as volume control, display brightness, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb, AirPlay, and more.

Tip: Use the built-in help feature to get onscreen help within apps.

The Finder and most apps on your Mac have a Help menu in the menu bar, so you can easily find information about macOS, your Mac, and the apps you use.

To learn how to use an app, open it, then click Help. You can also click a link in this glossary to view the user guide for the app.

Desktop: The background area of your Mac screen where you work, open apps, and save files and folders.

Desktop widgets: Personalize your desktop and see information at a glance. Widgets automatically move to an open spot near your pointer, grouping with others to create a great-looking desktop layout.

Dock: The bar at the bottom of your screen that gives you quick access to apps, folders, and files.

Do Not Disturb: A Focus that silences notifications. You won't see or hear them when they arrive, but you can view them in Notification Center later.

Downloads folder: A folder shortcut in the Dock that lets you easily access items you download from the internet, receive as attachments, or accept through AirDrop.

FaceTime: Make and receive video and audio calls, whether you're having a conversation with one coworker or a group of up to 32.

Finder: The home base for Mac, similar to Windows File Explorer, where you organize and access work apps, files, folders, and more.

Focus: Use Focus to minimize distractions and help you stay on task, pause and silence all notifications, or allow only certain ones.

Freeform: A flexible workspace to visualize concepts and build diagrams, bringing together all the pieces -- photos, shapes, sticky notes, and more. Invite colleagues to your Freeform boards and collaborate in real time.

Genmoji (coming soon to Mac): Apple Intelligence takes emoji to the next level. Simply type a description in the emoji keyboard to create your own original Genmoji that expresses you.

Handoff: Start working on a document, an email, or a message on one device and pick up where you left off on another.

Image Playground: An easy-to-use in-app experience for creating original images that visually bring ideas and concepts to life.

Interactive widgets: Take action directly from a widget on your desktop. Complete to-dos, play or pause media, access home controls, and much more.

iPhone Mirroring: Control and interact with your iPhone by mirroring its screen to your Mac using the new iPhone Mirroring app. Engage fully with your iPhone and its apps, wirelessly. Browse your iPhone Home Screen, open apps, and use them -- as if your phone were in your hand.

Keynote: Create compelling presentations with transitions, images, slide animations, and over 40 eye-catching Apple-designed themes.

Launchpad: A central location to see and open apps on your Mac.

Live Speech: Type what you want to say, and have it spoken aloud during phone calls, FaceTime calls, and in-person conversations.

Live Text: Copy the text from a photo and use it to look up the meaning of words, search the web, and even translate text. You can also use it to make a call, open a website, or address an email.

Mac Virtual Display: View your Mac screen on Apple Vision Pro and control the pointer across both devices with your trackpad.

Math Notes: Crunch numbers, assign variables, and evaluate expressions with Notes.

Menu bar: A bar at the top of your screen. Menus on the left help you perform tasks in apps, and the icons on the right let you check the status of your Mac.

Messages: Send text, image, audio, or video messages, or nearly any other file type, when communicating with coworkers.

Microsoft 365 for Mac: The Microsoft apps you frequently use at work -- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook -- are also available on Mac.

Mission Control: View all open windows, desktop spaces, and apps in full screen or Split View -- making it easy to switch between them.

Notification Center: Quickly view appointments, notes, weather, top headlines, and more. To open, click the date and time at the right end of the menu bar.

Numbers: Build spreadsheets to organize and present data, adding images, shapes, and tables. Use interactive charts to animate and visualize your data.

PDF intelligent form detection: Fillable documents and forms can be detected automatically across the system, like in Files, Mail, and scanned documents. And with enhanced AutoFill, you can quickly populate information on forms such as names and addresses, as powerful on-device language models identify fillable fields and enable AutoFill.

Pages: Create word processing and page layout documents from scratch, or choose from over 90 beautiful Apple templates and styles.

Passkey: Sign in to an app or a website without needing to create and remember a password. Instead, a passkey uses Touch ID or Face ID to identify you.

Personal Voice: A speech accessibility tool that allows people at risk of losing their voice to create a voice that sounds like them privately and securely on Mac, so they can use it with Live Speech in phone and FaceTime calls.

Tip: Dictate and type.

Switch fluidly between dictating, typing with the keyboard, and more, without needing to stop Dictation. Dictation intelligently pauses the mic while you type with the keyboard and resumes when you stop.

Presenter Overlay: Remain part of the conversation on a video call while sharing your screen. Use a small overlay to place yourself in a movable bubble on top of the presentation, or use a large overlay to stay visible while your shared screen is beautifully framed next to you.

Preview: View and annotate PDFs, fill out and sign forms, and edit images.

Quick Look: Get a full-size preview of nearly any kind of file without opening it. You can even edit files using the Markup tools -- directly in the Quick Look window.

Quick Note: Jot down ideas and add links no matter where you are or what you're doing. Find all your Quick Notes in the Quick Notes folder in the Notes app.

Safari: The built-in web browser that lets you read news articles, research topics, and discover new resources on the web.

Safari Highlights: A summary of helpful info about the web page you're viewing, such as directions and links to additional details.

Safari profiles: Keep your work and personal browsing separate. Each profile has separate histories, cookies, extensions, Tab Groups, and favorites.

Screenshot and screen recording: Capture pictures or recordings of your Mac screen.

Shortcuts: An app that helps you automate everyday tasks on your Mac.

Shortcuts widget: Run shortcuts on Mac with the Shortcuts widget.

Sidecar: Extend your Mac desktop using your iPad in landscape orientation as a second display.

Siri: A built-in intelligent assistant that can do things quickly for you on your Mac, like open files or apps, send messages or emails, make calls, and more.

Split View: Work on two apps side by side with Split View. It automatically fills your screen with two windows so you don't need to manually move and resize them.

Spotlight: Use Spotlight to quickly find anything on your Mac -- apps, documents, emails, and more.

Stacks: Keep files neatly organized in groups on your desktop. When you save a file to the desktop, it's automatically added to the appropriate stack.

Stage Manager: Keep the app you're working with front and center, and your desktop clutter-free. Recently used apps are arranged neatly on the left side of the screen for quick access, and the app window you're working with stays in the center.

System Settings: Change system settings and customize your Mac. This is similar to Control Panel on Windows.

Trash: Store deleted files until permanently removing them by emptying the Trash. This is similar to the Recycle Bin on Windows.

Universal Clipboard: Copy text, images, photos, and videos on one Apple device and paste the content on another Apple device.

Universal Control: Use a single keyboard and mouse or trackpad for both your Mac and iPad -- no setup required. Just put the devices next to each other and move your pointer seamlessly between them.

Voice Memos: Use your Mac as a recording device to create a recording with the built-in mic, a supported headset, or an external mic.

Web apps: Save your favorite websites in the Dock for easy access. The streamlined format simplifies browsing.

Writing Tools: Summarize selected text, proofread your work, and create different versions of the same text to find the right wording and tone. Use Writing Tools virtually anywhere you write, including Mail, Notes, and more.

Tip: Read web articles without distractions.

View web page articles in Safari without distracting ads, navigation, or other items. To enable Safari Reader, choose View > Show Reader in the menu bar or press Shift-Command-R.