Guides, How Tos, and Tips for New Mac Owners

Friday December 18, 2020 2:31 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 (Buy Now)

Related Forums: MacBook Pro, MacBook Air

Apple Says Three More Products Are Now 'Vintage' or 'Obsolete'

Tuesday March 31, 2026 10:36 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple today added the MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) to its "vintage" products list, meaning the device is now only eligible for repairs at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers if parts remain available. The MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) was the final MacBook Air model released before Apple redesigned the laptop and gave it a Retina display in 2018. Apple also added all iPad...

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Apples Biggest Week of 2026 Details on Every New Product Announced Feature Sans Text

Apple Now Selling Parts for Seven New Devices Unveiled Last Month

Wednesday April 8, 2026 6:40 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Launched in 2022, Apple's self-service repair program provides customers with access to genuine parts, tools, and manuals to repair select iPhones, iPads, Macs, Studio Displays, and Beats Pill speakers. Apple says the program is "intended for individuals who are experienced with the complexities of repairing electronic devices." Apple today started selling parts and tools for seven new...

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Apple Discontinued More Than Just the Mac Pro This Month

Monday March 30, 2026 9:35 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

While it felt inevitable, it was still big news last week when Apple announced that the Mac Pro was discontinued after a nearly 20-year run. Apple discontinued a lot more than just the Mac Pro this month, though, as outlined below. Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM Apple no longer allows customers to configure the Mac Studio with 512GB of RAM, with the maximum amount of unified memory now...

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Top Rated Comments

Joniz

82 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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