Setting up your new Mac
When you first switch on a brand new Mac, there are a few steps to go through before you can get going with it. For starters, you'll need to personalize your Mac, and optionally connect it to the internet and Apple's iCloud service.
The latter of these steps is especially important if you aren't using an Apple keyboard, which is most likely if you've moved to the Mac from a Windows PC and kept your existing mouse and keyboard.
- Check out our Mac help and support guides for more Mac tips and tricks
User accounts
You'll also create an administrator account and assign a password to it during these steps. The password is important because it protects access to your Mac's contents and the ability to make major changes to it – stopping malicious software from the internet from affecting it, for example.
There's nothing to stop you using this account as your own, but it's better for security if you create a second separate account for personal use and set its account type to Standard. This account, and others for your whole family, can be created after you've fi nished the Setup Assistant's steps and reached the desktop.
These options can be altered later, should you go astray or change your mind. You also get an option to register your Mac with Apple, but this isn't compulsory.
Migrating
If you've been using a Windows PC or another Mac, the Setup Assistant gives you an opportunity to transfer data from the old machine. This includes your files, Mac apps, stored email messages and personal settings.
If you use an Apple trackpad or Magic Mouse, the direction in which you move a fi nger to scroll differs from a Windows PC. This can be confusing at first, but it can be reversed after the Setup Assistant completes its job. If you need help with this and other gestures that help you to get around in OS X, check out our guide on how to use multi-touch gestures on your Mac.
2. Connect to a network
You'll next see a list of nearby Wi-Fi networks. Click yours, provide its password and click Continue. If your network isn't listed, perhaps because it's set to not broadcast its name, choose Other to provide its name manually.
3. Migrate from an old computer
The next page asks if you want to transfer information from your old Mac – either directly or from a Time Machine backup of it – or from a Windows PC. Even if you have an old computer, you don't need to do this now.
4. Sign in with your Apple ID
You'll be asked whether to enable Location Services, and then whether to sign in with an Apple ID. This is recommended: it enables data to be synced between your Mac and other devices using iCloud, and to use Find My Mac, which can locate a missing Mac.
6. Register your Mac
The final step is to register your Mac with Apple by providing your address and other contact details. Again, this is optional. When you advance past this, the Setup Assistant might take a few minutes to do some last-minute work behind the scenes.