Welcome to “Getting Started with macOS.” After watching this video, you will be able to: Explain why companies invest in macOS computers. List macOS setup steps. Describe macOS desktop features. Describe how to view users, update user settings, add and remove users, and explain how to use the Finder for folder and file management. So, why do companies invest in MacOS computers? Apple pre-installs macOS, providing users with simplified setup and migration. Built on UNIX, macOS computers can also run Linux in dual mode or as a virtual machine, and Mac users are less likely to need onsite helpdesk support, reducing support costs. Apple’s rigorous application testing process is built for both security and ease of use. macOS applications include business productivity vendors such as Microsoft, Adobe, Slack, and many others, and Apple provides online help and in-person support at the Apple store and designated vendors. Organizations, including IBM, report lower total ownership costs after factoring in hardware, software, security, and support costs. Users reported improved ease of use; and organizations, including IBM, have reported significant worker productivity gains. So let’s get started and explore macOS. The initial Mac setup process provides a guided walkthrough, excluding data migration, This process takes about 15 minutes, but options and timing can change with each new operating system release. First, specify the computer’s displayed language, country, or region. You can optionally configure vision, motor skills, hearing, and cognitive accessibility settings. Then it’s time to configure your network access Next, accept Apple’s mandatory data and privacy terms. When migrating from one Mac to another, you can transfer your apps and data to the new machine. When migrating from a Microsoft Windows machine to a Mac, you can bring your data. You’ll create a new Apple account or log in with an existing Apple account. An Apple account is required for machine setup and email, App store purchases, and cloud backups. Next, opt-in for machine usage analytics. Then, enable Apple’s assistant, Siri. If you didn’t already, set up Apple Pay. Then, set up a touch ID, and create your first user account, which includes administrative machine rights, and finally, allow location services. With the initial setup complete, let’s explore the desktop. The Dock is where you find applications. You can keep frequently used applications attached to the Dock. Next is the contextual menu at the top of the screen, which displays the active application’s menu options. For example, with the Safari web browser open, you’ll see that application’s menu. You'll also see the logged-in user’s name, the battery-level indicator, the Spotlight search, and frequently adjusted options, including screen brightness, speaker volume levels, Siri, and date and time information. The desktop is the area between the menu bar and the Dock. You can locate applications using the Launchpad and open the application for use on the desktop. Next, user management is one of the first post-setup tasks. You need to determine who can use the machine and install software on the computer. Here’s how: Open System Preferences and type “User” in the search bar. Then, select Users & Groups. You can view all computer users at a glance. Click the lock icon and enter your password to open the lock to add or remove users, configure user capabilities, change user passwords and allow users to reset their password using their Apple account ID. When adding a new user, you can create an account with administrator rights or a standard account. Type the user’s full name. Name the user account. Create the password and its hint, and click Create User. Click the key icon to enable automatic password generation. macOS can generate passwords with letters and numbers, numbers only, random characters, and US Federal government-compliant passwords. To remove users, confirm that the lock icon is unlocked. Select the user. Click the minus symbol. Decide whether to keep or remove the user’s data located in the Home folder. Click Delete User and click the lock again to close the lock and prevent unintended changes. Next, let’s learn about macOS file management. You can use the Finder to Locate, Move, Store files locally and in the cloud, and Show and Hide folders. Click the Finder icon displayed in the Dock. The left pane displays available top-level folders and the iCloud remote storage location. You can see your files in the central pane. Within the Finder, you can view files by list, icon, or gallery and provide other options, such as grouping files by kind. macOS supports dragging files from one location to another. If a user asks, “Why can’t I see my files and folders?” try these steps. Click Finder and then click Preferences. Click the Sidebar icon. To display folders on the Sidebar, select the checkboxes. To remove those folders from the sidebar view, clear the checkboxes. Next, check the settings within Preferences and the General icon. These settings also control which storage locations are visible and the location a user sees first when searching for a file. To display data sources on the desktop, select the data source’s checkbox. You can also specify the data storage location displayed when a user opens the Finder, and choose whether to open folders in tabs or new windows. A user might also ask, "Why do I see these warnings before I empty the trash?” or “Why are my files and folders missing?” To help answer these questions, look within the Finder Preferences, and click the Advanced icon. Select checkboxes to receive a warning before: Changing a file extension Removing a file from an iCloud drive, and Emptying the Trash folder. You can also set default folder view options and search locations. In this video, you learned that: Companies appreciate macOS’s easy migration, user satisfaction, and reduced support costs, which result in a lower total cost of ownership. During macOS setup, a user creates an Apple account for email, cloud storage, and purchases and creates a separate user account for computer access and management. You can manage users, their passwords, and machine permissions within Users & Groups, You can see the Finder to access folders and files, and finally if folders or files are not visible, open Finder Preferences and adjust the General, Sidebar, and Advanced settings.
