Today, there are around 100 million active Mac users. While this is nowhere close to the number of PC users, there’s still a fair share of people who are hardcore Apple fans.

If you’re one of them, then you might’ve been using solely Apple and Mac products for decades now. But we’ll bet that there are still some secret Mac shortcuts you have no clue about.

Are you now curious if you’ve been using your Mac to its fullest? Then read on for 6 Mac tips and tricks so you can boost productivity!

Text Replacements

You might already be a speed demon when it comes to typing. But with this hack, you’ll leave people wondering if you’re a robot!

macOS has a text replacement feature where you can type in shortcut phrases and it’ll replace them automatically. For example, you can use the abbreviation “omw” and set your Mac to replace it with “on my way” so you don’t have to type out the full words. Or if you use the celebration emoji a lot, you can have the word “celebrationemoji” replaced with the emoji itself so you don’t have to scroll through the numerous emojis, looking for the right one.

To set these text replacements, you’ll want to open System Preferences, then Keyboard and Text. There are some default text replacements, which you can use or delete. You can set custom ones by pressing the plus button, and they’ll be applied to all apps.

Text Dictation

This is another of hidden Mac features that’ll have your text flying at the speed of light! And what’s great is, you can multitask; for example, you can ride your stationary exercise bike while dictating a social media post or article. Just make sure you’re not huffing and puffing too much, or else the words will come out wrong.

To dictate text, you’ll open System Preferences, then Keyboard and Dictation. Set dictation as on, and you can use this feature whenever you want by double-tapping the Fn key. You can also turn it on by selecting Edit and then Start Dictation.

You’ll know the feature is turned on and ready when you see a microphone symbol on your screen. When you’re done speaking the text, then click on Done under the microphone symbol to stop dictation.

Remote Access

Have you ever left the house to work elsewhere, logged onto a different device, then realized you forgot to either email yourself files, or put them on the cloud or a USB stick to bring? This can really ruin your productivity.

The good news is, you can access your Mac remotely! That way, you won’t have to run back home to grab the files you need.

You’ll have to first set up remote login so you can access your Mac elsewhere. You can do this by opening System Preferences then Sharing. Click on Remote Login and you can set up user privileges from there.

If you want to learn more about remote access, this guide has all the details you need.

Night Shift

Are you guilty of working late into the night, when everyone else is in bed? Then you might’ve noticed that your eyes get extra tired during this time. Not only have you been working them hard the whole day, but the blue light coming from your Mac screen can be harsh on your peepers.

Modern mobile devices have night modes on them so you can turn down the blue light and increase warmer orange/red tones. This can reduce eye strain and keep your eyes healthier.

While most people know about this feature on their smartphones, many are surprised to find out their computers have them too! And Macs are no exception.

To turn on Night Shift (or Mac’s night mode), go into the Notification Center and click on Today. Swipe up and you’ll find the Night Shift feature. Toggle it on and your Mac will instantly switch to a warmer hue.

Smart Folders

If you find yourself searching the same topics over and over again, then you’ve probably wasted time trying to find links you accessed months ago. If you don’t want to have overflowing bookmarks, or you want the general search saved, then you can make use of Smart Folders. These are folders where you can save searches and they’ll keep updating on their own.

To use Smart Folders, first search as normal in Finder. Once you’ve set everything up, click on Save and then name your folder.

In the future, when you want to perform the same search, just click on the Sidebar and you can bring it up easily.

Shortcuts

There are certain shortcuts that Mac users all know, especially if they’re long-time users. For example, there’s Cmd+W for closing windows and Cmd+Space to bring up Spotlight.

But did you know that you can set your own custom shortcuts? There’s a world of possibilities out there at your fingertips!

Open up System Preferences, then Keyboard and Shortcuts. You’ll find a list of existing shortcuts, which you can edit. If you ever mess something up, click on Restore Defaults and everything will return to normal.

Try Out These Mac Tips and Tricks

So did you know these Mac tips and tricks? Even if you did, it’s a nice refresher, just in case they’ve been collecting dust.

When you combine these shortcuts, you’ll make the most of both your Mac and your time. With such a large increase in productivity, you’ll finish work faster and you’ll have more time for leisure!

Found these Mac life hacks useful? Then browse the rest of our blog page for more on tech!