Guides, How Tos, and Tips for New Mac Owners

Friday December 18, 2020 3:31 PM PST by Juli Clover

MacRumors readers who were lucky enough to receive a new Mac for the holidays will want to check out our collection of Mac how tos and guides to learn the ins and outs of your new machine.

m1 macbook air
Whether you're new to the Mac or are upgrading from an older model, there's likely to be a useful tip or two here for you. These how tos apply to Apple's latest Macs, from desktops to notebooks, and it includes macOS Big Sur tutorials plus some useful info just for the M1 Macs.

Beginner Tips

Just for M1 Macs

Security Tips

Continuity and Other Product Tips

Mac App Features

iCloud

Hidden Tricks

Advanced Features

In-Depth Mac Guides

Mac App Recommendations

Every few months we do a video series where we recommend a useful selection of Mac apps, and these articles are worth checking out if you're looking for great Mac apps for your new Mac.

Mac-Related Videos

More Info

Know other great Mac-related tips and tricks that MacRumors readers should be aware of? Let us know in the comments.

For more details on Apple's newest Macs, check out our roundups: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro.

Related Roundups: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now), MacBook Air (Neutral)

Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Apple Apparently Cancels Plans for Two New MacBooks

Thursday September 3, 2026 7:12 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple has canceled plans for a foldable MacBook and a larger OLED MacBook Pro model, according to research firm Omdia. In a new research note, Omdia said Apple has scrapped development of a large foldable MacBook that would have measured between 16.1 and 18 inches when unfolded. It was previously reported that this device had already slipped out of its original 2026 production window, with...

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MacBook Pro With OLED Touch Screen Running macOS 27.1 Inside Apple

Monday September 14, 2026 2:04 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple's rumored 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with touch-enabled OLED displays are currently being tested with macOS 27.1, which is scheduled for release in late October, according to the latest word from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. While he previously said these high-end MacBook Pro models would be released in either late 2026 or early 2027, Gurman's latest report today has the...

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macOS Golden Gate Seems to Hint at MacBook Pro With OLED Display

Tuesday September 1, 2026 12:34 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

As noted by Broadcasts developer Steven Troughton-Smith, many Liquid Glass interface elements on the macOS Golden Gate beta have an even glassier appearance on certain high-end OLED displays with HDR support than they do on ordinary displays. Apple reportedly plans to release new MacBook Pro or "MacBook Ultra" models with an OLED display by early 2027, so it is likely that macOS Golden Gate...

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Top Rated Comments

Joniz

88 months ago

Where’s the link to: 15 Ways to Get Back at Uncle Colin for Giving You Last Year’s Model MacBook Pro with Butterfly Keyboard?

(I hate Uncle Colin!)

Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Will do good

Great service from MR

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Came here looking for someone to be jaded or complain that Macs were too expensive to be Xmas gifts. Wasn't disappointed.

Came here looking for someone who takes things much too seriously, or willing to attack with an unrelated point. Wasn’t disappointed.

(And I still hate you, Uncle Colin!)

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Shaggymax

Lots of great info, in a condensed, easy to chew package!

macduke

Pro Tip: If you got a base model Mac Pro for Christmas, exhange it for a maxed out (except for RAM) 2019 iMac 5K and 32GB RAM kit from Amazon, and enjoy the couple thousand dollars you pocketed, the extra 8GB of RAM, the faster Vega 48 GPU, the “free” 5K display, the faster i9-9900K CPU, and the much larger SSD. Invest the money you saved and use it to buy another one in four years instead of paying out the butt to upgrade a base model Mac Pro that will still be stuck on old PCI-Express 3.0, Thunderbolt 3, and possibly USB 3.1 unless they allow Thunderbolt 3 USB-C to be upgraded to USB 4.

Otherwise if you got a decently spec’d Mac Pro then grats.

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

panag

Great job , thank you !! This should be Sticky !!!

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