New Macbook user, switched from Windows

[LordTerabyte]

Hello everyone! Recently i took a jump from Windows to Mac, I’ve bought a new MacBook Air M2 16/512. For these 2 months I am really impressed with it’s performance:
- battery life is crazy compared to Windows laptop i used before
- portability and product finish
- raw power of Silicon chips
- noninvasive updates opposed the Windows.

There are still some things I am trying to get used to, like:
- snapping windows in macOS
- weird file explorer
- learning all the shortcuts

Overall I am happy with my choice and use of MBA for my workflow! ☺️

 

[galad]

There are many utilities for windows snapping, either install one or wait for three months for the next macOS release that will include it.

 

[LordTerabyte]

@galad already installed Magnet

 

[Ben J.]

- weird file explorer

If by that you mean the Finder, here's a nice Finder guide:

Macmost is a great resource. Has a video on almost anything to do with mac.
Here's one on coming from Windows:

 

[LordTerabyte]

@Ben J. thanks Ben, will check it!

 

[Alameda]

Hello everyone! Recently i took a jump from Windows to Mac, I’ve bought a new MacBook Air M2 16/512. For these 2 months I am really impressed with it’s performance:
- battery life is crazy compared to Windows laptop i used before
- portability and product finish
- raw power of Silicon chips
- noninvasive updates opposed the Windows.

There are still some things I am trying to get used to, like:
- snapping windows in macOS
- weird file explorer
- learning all the shortcuts

Overall I am happy with my choice and use of MBA for my workflow! ☺️

Honestly, I think the Mac Finder is far better than Windows Explorer. It’s been a strength of the Mac since 1984. Give it more time and you’ll learn to love it.

Also, if you have an iPhone, the Mac syncs your calendar, contacts, text messages and more, very seamlessly.

 

[ajr123]

Magnet's great.

Anything in particular weird about Finder?

 

[LordTerabyte]

Honestly, I think the Mac Finder is far better than Windows Explorer. It’s been a strength of the Mac since 1984. Give it more time and you’ll learn to love it.

Also, if you have an iPhone, the Mac syncs your calendar, contacts, text messages and more, very seamlessly.

Yeah i am using 15 pro and ipad pro, ecosystem is something really out of this world. I will learn about macOS over time

 

[LordTerabyte]

Magnet's great.

Anything in particular weird about Finder?

Honestly, everything was weird for maybe half a day, couldn’t figure out path and folders for specific documents as i was used with win 11. My wife showed me an app - Forklift and it looks much cleaner and intuitive. I swipe and use many external SSD, yeah it was a pain 😅

 

[splifingate]

weird file explorer

The strange--and unearthly--'Finder' experience will eventually become normal.

Live with it a handful (or more) of years, and File Explorer will have you scratching your head

 

[Iwavvns]

- weird file explorer
- learning all the shortcuts

Overall I am happy with my choice and use of MBA for my workflow! ☺️

Open the Finder app. Go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click on View. There are likely some toggles in that menu section that will help you get around easier in Finder.

Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts to get you started (you can save as PDF file): Keyboard Shortcuts - Apple Support

 

[LordTerabyte]

The strange--and unearthly--'Finder' experience will eventually become normal.

Live with it a handful (or more) of years, and File Explorer will have you scratching your head

macOS already looks smoother than Win 11, haha. One thing that bothered me with Microsoft were broken drivers each time they update something, and for using it for more than 20 years I was tired of fixing their crap!

 

[LordTerabyte]

Open the Finder app. Go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and click on View. There are likely some toggles in that menu section that will help you get around easier in Finder.

Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts to get you started (you can save as PDF file): Keyboard Shortcuts - Apple Support

@Iwavvns hey thanks for this! It will be handy!

 

[Iwavvns]

macOS already looks smoother than Win 11, haha. One thing that bothered me with Microsoft were broken drivers each time they update something, and for using it for more than 20 years I was tired of fixing their crap!

Same thing happened to me around the year 2000, I dumped Windows 98 SE and moved over to Linux.. then moved to OS X about 12 years after that.

 

[Jay-Jacob]

I find Mac Finder way superior than Windows File Explorer especially when finding files you want and it can even search words inside document too. Something File Explorer doesn't and search function on File Explorer is just awful! I constantly need to find files for work and it does quite lot of times come up saying no such file found when there IS file, very fussy so force me put * at beginning and end of search word to force it to find files for me.

On Mac Finder so much easier search function and never failed me find file.

 

[LordTerabyte]

Same thing happened to me around the year 2000, I dumped Windows 98 SE and moved over to Linux.. then moved to OS X about 12 years after that.

Wil probably replace desktop PC with mac too. Mac mini or studio? Depends on my work flow

 

[LordTerabyte]

I find Mac Finder way superior than Windows File Explorer especially when finding files you want and it can even search words inside document too. Something File Explorer doesn't and search function on File Explorer is just awful! I constantly need to find files for work and it does quite lot of times come up saying no such file found when there IS file, very fussy so force me put * at beginning and end of search word to force it to find files for me.

On Mac Finder so much easier search function and never failed me find file.

It can get stupid from time to time, agree. With mew iterations of windows is just like adding unnecessary things to clog user’s experience.

 

[Iwavvns]

Wil probably replace desktop PC with mac too. Mac mini or studio? Depends on my work flow

The newer Mac minis are getting pretty powerful. I have a friend with an M1 Mac mini who edits videos regularly using DaVinci Resolve and the machine seems to handle it quite well.

 

[LordTerabyte]

The newer Mac minis are getting pretty powerful. I have a friend with an M1 Mac mini who edits videos regularly using DaVinci Resolve and the machine seems to handle it quite well.

iMac was option too,but the screen size is no no…for that price…

 

[AZhappyjack]

Honestly, everything was weird for maybe half a day, couldn’t figure out path and folders for specific documents as i was used with win 11. My wife showed me an app - Forklift and it looks much cleaner and intuitive. I swipe and use many external SSD, yeah it was a pain 😅

There's a whole thread on "finder replacements" where the plethora of (primarily) two-pane file managers are discussed. All of them, more or less, offer something comparable to Norton Commander (MS-DOS) and Total Commander (Windows). The major choices are PathFinder, Forklift and Qspace, though there are many more options, and many comments/opinions/strengths and shortcomings of each.

Best Finder alternative

I've never been that keen on Finder, having been a Windows user for most of my life. I notice there are a few pimped up alternatives to Finder on the market. What is the best Finder alternative? Are they indeed better than Finder?

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