Update: some keyboard characters corrected:
Just got a new Mac for Christmas and feeling a little bewildered?
Fear not - Switch to Mac, brought to you by our colleagues over on MacFormat magazine, shows new Mac users how to move comfortably from the familiarity of Windows.
Below are 20 common tasks that PC owners perform without thinking about, and their equivalents on a Mac - just as easy!
On Windows I used to... Do a right-click
There's a myth that Macs can't right-click. Nonsense! Since before the days of Mac OS X, Macs have had the ability to use two-button mice to bring up the kind of contextual menu you're used to in Windows, and you can happily plug a two-button scrollwheel mouse into a Mac and start using it without installing any drivers. Even without that add-on mouse, it's easy to do a right-click. If you have an iMac that comes with Apple's Mighty Mouse, or add a Mighty Mouse to any other Mac, you can simply use your middle finger to click to the right of the scrollwheel. Check that side is configured for Secondary Click in the Keyboard & Mouse pane of System Preferences. The same pane configures how you right-click on notebooks, and if you have an old Mac that really only does have one button, simply hold down the Control key and do a normal click.
On Windows I used to... Use [control] for keyboard shortcuts
The Command key replaces the [control] key as the main modifier for keyboard shortcuts. [control]+[C] becomes Command+[C], and so on. Hold down Alt and type a number to get special characters. You can either use the Character Palette – enable it from the Input Menu tab of the International pane of System Preferences – or learn the easy-to-remember shortcuts. For accents, type the shortcut for the accent then the letter you want to be accented.
For example, á is Alt+[E], à is Alt +['], â is Alt +[I], ä is Alt +[U], ã is Alt +[N], and ß is Alt +[S].
On Windows I used to... Configure my PC with Control Panel
System Preferences –accessible from the Apple menu at the top left of your Mac's screen –does the same thing.
On Windows I used to... Use the Start menu
There's no direct equivalent to the Start menu when you're on a Mac. You'll find everything you're used to finding there in one of a few places. The Dock, at the bottom of your screen, holds your favourite applications, and most other stuff. Recent documents, applications and servers, system preferences, log off and shut down options are all to be found in the Apple menu. Printers and faxes are in System Preferences. And the Help and Support equivalents are in the Help menu – always the last menu in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
On Windows I used to... Defrag my hard disk
Usually, you don't have to do this on a Mac. See http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1375 for more information.
On Windows I used to... Use [control]+[alt]+[delete] to quit unresponsive programs
Command+Alt+[Esc] calls up the Force Quit window, which lets you pick an application to force to shut down. Those that your Mac knows are misbehaving are usually highlighted in red.
On Windows I used to... Use [control]+[alt]+[delete] to check processes and system resources
The Activity Monitor, found in Applications > Utilities, provides an overview of what resources are being used on your system, and gives you more granular information about which processes are doing what. If you know what you're doing, you can use standard Unix commands in Terminal (Applications > Utilities) to kill specific processes using their PID.
On Windows I used to... Tap [backspace]/[delete]
Full-sized Mac keyboards have [backspace] and [delete] keys in the places you'd expect them. On laptops, or when using the Apple Wireless Keyboard, you can do a forward-delete by holding the [fn] Function key and tapping [backspace].
On Windows I used to... Move files to the Recycle Bin
Move files to the Trash in your Dock, or tap Command+[delete].
On Windows I used to... Make shortcuts
On a Mac, shortcuts are called Aliases. You can create them simply by right-clicking on a file. You'll see the little black Alias arrow appear at your cursor, and you can now drop the Alias wherever you like.
On Windows I used to... Find stuff in Windows Explorer
Instead, use the Finder to navigate through your files and folders.
On Windows I used to... Use Properties to find out about a file
You can get bucketloads of information about a file by selecting it and either right-clicking or going to the File menu and choosing Get Info.
On Windows I used to... Rename files by clicking Rename this file in the File Tasks menu
You rename files in Mac OS X either by selecting a file then tapping [Enter], or by selecting it, pausing, then clicking on the filename. (Do the two clicks too close together, though, and the Mac will think you meant to double-click and open the file!)
Your comments (14) Click to add a new comment
michaelb
January 2nd 2009
14. This is a good set of tips. I've got an article I wrote that covers additional things new users might want to know. It also covers some of the same ground but from a different perspective. I hope it is helpful.
http://easeintotheswitch.com/mac/ease-into-the-switch/
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galewis
December 28th 2008
13. @sol: 2 outta 3 ain't bad.
To repeat myself: there is no shortcut key that will initiate the MOVING of one file to another location in the Mac OS. Copying, yes; moving, no.
Don't believe me? Try it.
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sol
December 28th 2008
12. galewis: the mac equivalent is COMMAND-X or COMMAND-C and COMMAND-V
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galewis
December 27th 2008
11. @typicaldigguser: I wasn't asking how to move a file. I was pointing out that a keyboard shortcut I frequently used on Windows is unavailable in the Mac OS.
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nicolasmerritt
December 26th 2008
10. The non standard keyboard characters were a result of a file conversion from PDF. I've updated; hopefully OK now! Apologies.
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typicaldigguser
December 26th 2008
9. @galewis: to 'move' a file like cutting/pasting on windows you drag your file while holding the COMMAND key.
@plufi: you've gotta let go of this propaganda theory. the reason why macs are selling more than they ever have is because people are 'choosing' it. they aren't getting manipulated into doing anything. if that was the case and so many people realized that macs weren't good machines - then sales would've slowed from when they first rose a few years ago. let it go. people can choose what they want.
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ckerins
December 26th 2008
8. Nice intro for new users. I agree that using C doesn't help in the article. Usual convention is ctrl and cmd if you don't want to spell them out.
There is the complete list of keyboard equivalents here: <a href="http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/articles/ultimate-switcher-guide-windows-pc-to-mac-keyboard-shortcuts">Windows PC to Mac Keyboard Shortcuts</a>
and more to at My First Mac.
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anon5678
December 26th 2008
7. I registered just to post this:
Who wrote this? You have to actually spell out "Control" and "Option" and "Command", otherwise most new users will hit the alpha keys. I've had a mac for years and I was confused for a few seconds. Please revise the article.
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galewis
December 26th 2008
6. Long time PC user who now owns two Macs: one glaring omission on Apple's part is the lack of a keyboard shortcut to move a file from one location to another. On Windows it's CTRL-X, CTRL-V. There is no equivalent for Macs. :(
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rainorshine
December 26th 2008
5. To right-click without a two button mouse, you hold the CTRL key while you're clicking (not the COMMAND key).
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plufi
December 26th 2008
4. This is Macintosh Propaganda, there is no reason a mac is better than a pc... it only costs more.. Instead of paying 2k you can easily make a pc for 1000$ that would be much better than what you would get from Apple. IMacs don't even have their own chip sets they use Intels, which makes their competator... and they use nvidia chipsets for graphics, which are all accessible to the PC market. And if you happen to build your self one for 1k you can install your beloved Mac os X if you wish. But there is nothing better in the OS itself... since windows still dominates the world, and rightfully it should for the product is worth every penny.
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gymbrall
December 26th 2008
3. I've got to agree jc5680, please, please if you really want someone who is using a Mac for the first time to read this article go back and make it clear what the C key and the O key are!!! If I was picking up a Mac for the first time (or heaven forbid, my mother was) I would so confused trying to figure out how to type C+[C] or what to make of "Hold down O and type a number to get special characters"
Thanks for the article though, there are some good tips here.
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jc5680
December 26th 2008
2. Great tips. One suggestion though. The O and C keys don't really exist. I assume the C key is the apple key or command key. (two names for one key) Which means O must be the option key...which is still labeled as alt as well on my mac book pro. I don't mean to nitpick but it just I had to read it a few times myself to understand what was being said and I have been a mac user for years.
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macfriend
December 25th 2008
1. Just let the machine do what you want to do, don't try and think for it. Your MAC will perform better if you don't meddle with it, thinking that you're doing it a favour!
Open the box and enjoy it. Don't think "Windows".
Ask "Why (did I have to do it that way)?"
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