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Open the Apple menu

Click Apple menu on the left side of the menu bar to access System Settings and system commands like Sleep, Restart, Shut Down, and Log Out. You can also quickly lock your screen.

Customize Control Center

Click in the menu bar to open Control Center, which gives you instant access to key settings—like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, AirDrop, brightness, and volume. To choose which controls appear here, click Edit Controls, then drag and drop in the controls you want to use, or click  to remove the controls you no longer need.

Take quick actions with Spotlight

Spotlight shows results from your files, apps, and the web, all in one place. You can also use Spotlight to perform quick actions without opening an app. To open Spotlight, press Command–Space bar, then type what you want—like converting a currency, sending an email, checking the weather, or setting a timer. If Siri AI (Beta) is turned on,* you can also ask Siri a question, right in Spotlight.

Customize the Dock

To add an app to the Dock, drag and drop it into the Dock. To remove an app, drag it out until you see Remove. To change the Dock’s size, location, or behavior—like setting it to hide automatically when you’re not using it—go to System Settings, click Desktop & Dock  in the sidebar, then adjust your settings.

Open windows side by side

Move the pointer over in the top-left corner of a window, then choose an option to snap it to one side of your screen. Do the same with a second window to fill the other side. You can also drag a window to the edge of your screen and drop it when the highlight appears.

See all open windows with Mission Control

Press on your keyboard—or swipe up with three fingers on a trackpad—to enter Mission Control. All your open windows spread out across the screen so you can quickly find and switch to the one you need.

Focus on one app with Stage Manager

Stage Manager keeps one app front and center while your other open apps appear as thumbnails on the left side of the screen. To turn on Stage Manager, click in the menu bar, then click . To switch to another app, move your pointer to the left of your screen, then click the app thumbnail when it appears.

Create separate desktop spaces

With desktop spaces, you can organize your work across multiple desktops. For example, keep creative apps on one desktop and Mail, FaceTime, and Phone on another. First, enter Mission Control, then click in the top-right corner to add a new space. To switch between desktop spaces, swipe left or right with four fingers on a trackpad, or enter Mission Control and click the desktop space you want to use.

Customize the Finder sidebar

The Finder sidebar gives you quick access to your most-used folders, locations, recents, and more. To customize what appears there, open Finder Settings, click Sidebar, then choose the items you want to appear.

Tag files and folders

Use tags to color-code and label files so you can find them quickly—even if they’re in different folders. To tag a file, Control-click it in Finder, then choose a color or tag. Tagged files appear in the Finder sidebar, so you can see everything with that tag in one place. 

Take a Quick Look

Select a file in Finder, then press the Space bar to preview it without opening the file. You can mark up or share the file in Quick Look.

Quickly rotate, mark up, and crop a file

In Finder, choose Column or Gallery in the tool bar, click a file, then click  to mark up or  to see Quick Actions like create a PDF, depending on the type of file you’ve selected.