The longer you use something, the more likely it will become messy, including your Mac. One solution is to upgrade to a new machine, but the more economical move is to make what you already work better. To help your computer feel almost new or at least clean and unconfused, we’ve put this guide together with techniques and useful apps to help you maintain a more civilized computer. I’ve been using these tips ever since I first published this guide in 2021, and it helped me keep my 2018 MacBook Air looking and running (almost) brand new.
How to clean your Mac screen and body
There are many products specially made to help with computer cleaning, but we found that the simplest approach works best. Apple recommends. To get started, you will need water in a spray bottle and a clean microfiber cloth. Normal or distilled water can be used. The advantage of the latter is that it is much less likely to leave residue on your Mac, especially on the display. You can buy distilled water at the grocery store Make it yourself Comes with simple cooking utensils. Either way, it’s more affordable than a dedicated cleaning solution. If you don’t already own microfiber fabric, go to Amazon We sell 24 packs at reasonable prices It’s available for around $11.
Another product that makes work easier is Giotto Rocket Blower. There’s no good enough to say about this little tool. It saves you from buying expensive and wasted cans of compressed air.
When it comes to the process of cleaning your Mac, the most important tip to remember is to start with a clean cloth (that’s part of the reason we recommend buying them in bulk). This way you can save time and frustration. First, start by turning off and unplugging the computer. If you purchased a rocket blower, use it now to remove any dust. If not, go through the computer using a dry microfiber cloth. Be especially careful around the keys, especially if you own an older Mac with a butterfly keyboard.
Next, moisten one side of the cleaning cloth with water. Do not spray liquid directly onto the computer. This method gives you more control and avoids moisture inside your Mac. The last thing I want to do is create more work for myself by transferring dirt from other parts of my computer to the screen.
The final step is to buff and polish the computer with the dry side of the fabric. You don’t want to damage the screen or other parts, so be gentle here. that’s it. Your Mac should look nice again.
How to organize your hard drive
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
One of the most difficult parts of cleaning your Mac hard drive is knowing where to start. After all, most of us have apps on computers that don’t remember to install them in the first place. The good news is that Macos comes with tools to help with that exact problem.
Go to System Settings > General > Storage. Here you will find tools that separate storage into a wide range of categories, such as “applications”, “documents”, “music”, and “photos”. Double-click an item in the list, such as an application, to see when you last used the app and how much space it puts in. You can delete the app from the same window.
The Applications section is especially useful as it allows you to see when you last used the program, and when it is no longer supported by the operating system, or when it is outdated thanks to recent releases.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
You don’t need to tell them to uninstall programs you’re not using, but what you might not know is that there’s a better way to clear them than simply drag them into the trash. Free programs called AppCleaner It helps you track the files and folders left if you just had to delete the application.
After you have deleted any unwanted apps, go to the Documents section. This name is somewhat misleading here, as it is not just a text file or an Excel spreadsheet. In this case, the document turned out to be all the terminology of tools for various files, including files that take up a lot of space. You can also safely delete DMG (disk files using the extension .DMG) with associated apps installed. The other sections of the storage space are trivial. The only other thing I mention is that if you’ve been using an iPhone for a while, there’s a good chance you’ll save an old iOS backup on your computer. You can also safely remove them.
Tips and tricks to maintain a neat desktop and viewfinder
Igor Bonifacic
Let’s start with the menu bar. While technically it may not be part of the desktop, something tidy will go a long way to make sure everything else looks like it’s not messy. My recommendation here is to download the app called bartender. At first glance, this is a simple program, allowing you to hide unnecessary menu bar items behind a 3-dot icon. However, the strength of Bartender is that it gets many customization options. For example, you can set a trigger that automatically moves the battery status icon from hidden when the computer is not connected to the power outlet.
While we are in the menu bar theme, we will navigate to the system immediately setting > General > Login Item Also, look at all the apps that start when you boot your system. You can speed up your system by reducing this list to only frequently used programs.
The best advice about the desktop itself is not that great. Nothing makes your computer look more like a messy mess than a busy desktop. Folders and stacks are useful, but for most people, part of the problem is that they use desktops as a quick and easy way to find files that are important to them.
If you’ve ever had trouble finding a specific file or folder on your computer, try using the tag feature on your Mac instead. Start by opening the Viewfinder Settings menu (Instructions + ,) and click tag tab. You can use the default ones provided by MacOS, or create your own. Drag what you think you’ll most frequently use into your favorite area at the bottom of the Settings window. This makes it easy to access when you want to use it. To add a tag to a file or folder, click the tag while holding the CTRL key and select the required key from the drop-down menu. You can also tag files while working within the app. Note that multiple tags can be applied to a single file or folder. It can also be applied to applications.
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
What makes TAG extremely useful in MACOS is that it appears in the sidebar of the Finder window and allows you to search directly using Finder or Siri. As long as you have a system to organize your files, even simple files will be easier to track them. As an example, I like to apply the Engadget tag to all files related to my work. If that’s what’s important and you want to find it right away, add the “important” tag.
One tool that will help you supercharge your viewfinder experience Alfred. It is effectively a more powerful version of Apple’s spotlight feature. Above all, you can quickly find and launch apps using Alfred. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it, Alfred will change the way you use your Mac for the better.
How to organize Windows and Tabs
Igor Bonifacic / Engadget
If you’re using both MacOS and Windows 10, you’ll notice that Apple’s operating system doesn’t come with the best window management tools. Click and hold the green full screen button and tiles the window to the left or right side of the screen, but that’s about it and I feel that the functionality is always less accurate than the counterpart in Windows.
My suggestion is to download an app that replicates the snap feature in Windows 10. There are several competing options that offer more or less the same functionality. My reliance on is a $5 program magnet. Check it out if you need a free alternative Rectangle. Another option is Bettersnaptoolit offers more features than magnets, but does not clean the interface. All three apps offer far more ways than anything that goes through MacOS’s built-in tools. It also comes with shortcut support, allowing you to quickly set up and work with Windows.
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