Which $699 laptop should you buy: the new Dell XPS 13 (2026) or the MacBook Neo? That’s the big question right now, as Dell’s affordable XPS is a true rival to Apple’s popular laptop. This might have been an easier choice before Apple’s price hikes pushed the Neo’s price up by $100, but now you really have to weigh your options more carefully.

These notebooks are designed for budget-conscious folks who need a reliable machine for everyday work. Their ultraportable designs are also ideal for anyone who works on the go. Additionally, they have better displays and sturdier builds than most laptops in this price range.

While you won’t go wrong with either the Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Neo, one could be better for you than the other. Below, I’ll detail everything you need to know about these laptops to help you decide which is worth your money.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Specs

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Design

One of the standout features of these laptops is their respective designs. Instead of being bulky and plasticky like typical budget laptops, the XPS 13 and MacBook Neo are thin and light machines with sturdy aluminum casings. They might be affordable, but they definitely look as elegant as their more premium counterparts.

The XPS 13 is the lighter of the two, weighing 2.2 pounds compared to the MacBook Neo’s 2.7 pounds. Neither laptop will be a burden to travel with, but the XPS 13 is easier to take on the road or around your home. Both are also easy to open with one hand, thanks to the lips on their respective lids.

One design area where the Neo wins is with its wider choice of colors. While the XPS 13 comes in Sky and Storm colors, the Neo comes in more vibrant hues: Silver, Indigo, Blush, and Citrus. Dell’s notebook is all business, while Apple’s Neo knows how to have some fun.

Both laptops have sturdy and roomy keyboard decks, with satisfying spacing between the keys for a comfortable typing experience. The MacBook Neo has slightly larger and thicker keycaps than the XPS 13, and they’re color-coded to the laptop. Their respective touchpads are roughly the same size, and each is very smooth and responsive. The main difference here is that the XPS 13 has a backlit keyboard, whereas the Neo doesn’t.

The laptops each have a pair of USB-C ports, but while both of the XPS 13’s ports are USB 3.2 Gen 2, the Neo has only one such port — with the other being a slower USB 2 port. So when it comes to faster charging and data speeds, the XPS 13 has the edge. But unlike Dell’s notebook, the Neo has a 3.5mm jack.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Display

The XPS 13 and MacBook Neo each have excellent displays for this price point, since budget laptops usually have dim, dull panels. You won’t have a bad viewing experience with either, but each has its strengths and weaknesses.

For starters, the MacBook Neo has a 13-inch 2408 x 1506 Liquid Retina display, while the XPS 13 has a 13.4-inch 2560 x 1600 InfinityEdge touch screen. The panel on Dell’s laptop is larger, with a higher resolution and touch screen support. The XPS 13 has some strengths here, but as we’ll see next, the Neo has its own advantages.

As you can see from our lab tests, the XPS 13 has good color representation (sRGB and DCI-P3) and color accuracy (Delta-E). The MacBook Neo delivers slightly oversaturated hues compared to the XPS 13, and its display can get much brighter with both SDR and HDR content.

Overall, the MacBook Neo delivers a more vibrant image compared to the XPS 13, despite the latter having a larger display and higher resolution. Unless you’re a fan of touchscreens, the MacBook Neo’s display takes the lead here, though the XPS 13 isn’t far behind.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Performance

Given their $699 asking price, neither the XPS 13 nor MacBook Neo is designed to be a powerful workstation. Instead, they’re built for everyday work, web browsing, and video streaming. That said, one offers stronger overall performance than the other.

On the Geekbench 6 CPU benchmark, the MacBook Neo scored higher in both the single- and multi-core testing. This is impressive considering how the MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro processor was originally an iPhone chip, whereas the Intel Wildcat Lake processor is made for laptops, albeit budget machines.

Moving over to the Handbrake test, which involves transcoding a 4K video to 1080p, the XPS 13 took almost ten minutes to complete the task, which is 40 seconds faster than the MacBook Neo. However, on the Blackmagic SSD test, the Neo completely outperformed the XPS 13 with faster write/read speeds.

In the 3DMark Wildlife test, which measures a machine’s graphical performance, the XPS 13 scored 2455 and averaged 14 frames per second. The MacBook Neo did better, with a 3661 score and 21 fps.

Using its built-in benchmark tool, Borderlands 3 ran at an unplayable 8.7 fps at 1080p, just one frame lower than the MacBook Neo’s 9.6 fps. In short, neither is suited for high-end gaming.

The XPS 13 handles the basics without a problem, but if you need more performance, the MacBook Neo is the clear winner.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Battery life

The XPS 13 and MacBook Neo both have stellar, more-than-all-day battery life. While you won’t have to worry too much about either dying on you at an inopportune time, one will last longer than the other.

In our battery life test, which involves continuous Wi-Fi web surfing with the display set to 150 nits, the Dell XPS 13 lasted 14 hours and 29 minutes.

Conversely, the MacBook Neo lasted for 13 hours and 26 minutes on the same test. That’s still great, but the XPS 13 can last for an hour longer.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Webcam

Lastly, let’s discuss the webcam quality of these laptops. Here, we’re comparing the MacBook Neo’s 1080p FaceTime HD camera to the Dell XPS 13’s 1080p webcam.

The photo above is from the XPS 13’s camera. Although my background and I are clearly visible, the image is somewhat blurry despite the relatively good lighting.

This next photo is from the MacBook Neo. Here, the image has a more natural color tone and is decidedly sharper.

Though you won’t look horrible in video calls with either webcam, the MacBook Neo does a better job of capturing images.

Dell XPS 13 vs. MacBook Neo: Bottom line

If you’re already married to macOS or Windows 11, then choose the laptop for that ecosystem. However, if you’re platform-agnostic, one laptop might be better for you than the other.

The Dell XPS 13 is perfect for anyone who wants an extremely lightweight laptop with touchscreen support and faster USB-C ports. It also has stellar battery life. Conversely, the MacBook Neo has more fun color options, stronger performance, a more vivid display, and a sharper webcam.

Personal preferences aside, the Dell XPS 13 and MacBook Neo are easily the best $699 laptops you can buy right now, so don’t hesitate to buy either, as it will be money well spent if you’re on a budget and in need of an upgrade.

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Over a decade ago, when we first made the transition to USB-C, cable manufacturers promised things would be different. Sure, we no longer had to worry about which side of our cables we plugged in, but now we’re facing a completely different problem: there’s no easy way to know how fast (and capable) our cables really are.

At least with USB-A to USB-C cables, the larger end often gives us some insights. For instance, USB 2.0 cables are black, USB 3.0 ones are blue, and the less aptly named USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 ones are red. With USB-C to USB-C cables, though, it’s a different story entirely.

While some manufacturers label the ends of their cables with their respective specs, this isn’t always the case. And depending on where you buy your cables, those labels might not even be accurate. For this reason, some people end up buying dedicated cable testers to see whether that high-speed USB-C cable is actually as fast as it claims to be.

Just when I was considering buying one of these devices to test my own cables, I stumbled upon an open-source Mac app that can do the exact same thing for free. Here’s what I learned after testing 10 of my own USB-C to USB-C cables, and why I ended up paying the full $13 for the pro version of the WhatCable app.

Branded, but untested

Although I’ll occasionally order several cables at a time online, for the most part, I’ve amassed a huge collection just by keeping the ones that come with the various devices I review. I have a few generic, rubber ones I use in more complex desk setups — mainly behind monitors and tucked under my desk — but over the years, I’ve really come to appreciate braided cables a whole lot more.

Braided cables not only look better, but they also feel more premium. They’re easier to manage too, since they tend to hold their shape when laid flat across a desk. However, they do have one major downside: a total lack of information.

With rubber cables, manufacturers will often print their specs directly on the cord itself, where there is more room for text. You see this a lot with HDMI 2.1 cables, which are frequently labeled “Ultra High Speed” to signify they can handle the high bandwidth needed for VRR and 4K/120Hz gaming. Some companies even go the extra mile and include extra details on these labels, like whether or not the cable supports Ethernet, or even the brand name.

When it comes to braided cables, though, you’re lucky to get a brand name stamped on either connector end. Even if they do list specs, it’s usually just a brief note like “5A” for 5 amps or “10 Gbps” for 10 gigabits per second. Then again, this kind of labeling is few and far between; only my cables from Fasgear actually have it.

So what’s a tech nerd to do? Well, test them, of course. Dedicated USB cable testers can be found for under $10 if you don’t mind a bare PCB, but they can easily run over $100 for premium models with a proper case and a built-in display.

I was honestly considering picking one up until I saw a few news stories about WhatCable. Given that it's open-source and completely free to use, I decided to test it out for myself before investing in yet another gadget for my home office.

After downloading and installing the app on my MacBook, I grabbed a few of my favorite braided USB-C to USB-C cables — some labeled and some completely blank — and decided to see what they were actually capable of.

Plug it in, plug it in

When I first booted up WhatCable, I was greeted with four sections in the app which correlate with the three Thunderbolt 5 ports and the MagSafe charging port on the MacBook Pro 16-inch M5 Pro I’m currently using.

Of course, depending on which of the best MacBooks you have, the sections that show up will vary. I haven’t installed WhatCable on my Mac mini M4 yet, but I’m curious to know whether or not the extra USB-C and USB-A ports on the Ugreen Mac Mini M4 Dock & Stand I’m currently using will show up in the app. If you’re as curious as I am about this, let me know in the comments below.

It’s worth noting that even with cables plugged into your Mac, those sections will be blank until you plug in another device on the other end. Since I’m in the process of testing out the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro smartphone, I decided to plug that in first and see what WhatCable had to say about the cable connecting the two.

Before the app can give you all the details on the cable you’re currently using, you will have to “Allow” the accessory in question — in this case the smartphone — to connect first.

With that taken care of, I learned that the retractable, 100W Ugreen USB-C to USB-C cable I had connected is only rated at USB 2.0. It can carry 100W of power just like the circular case the cable retracts into says on the side though.

From the get-go with WhatCable, I was very impressed by all the details the app managed to glean from this cable and how it explained them to me. For instance, this USB 2.0 only cable has a max data transfer rate of 480 Mbps and isn’t capable of “high-speed data” transfer.

Since the NXTPAPER 70 Pro is a budget phone after all, for my next test, I decided to bump up the capabilities of the device on the other end. For this, I plugged in my Lenovo Legion Tab 3 which I know features USB 3.2 as well as DisplayPort Alt Mode over USB-C since I was able to use it seamlessly with a pair of the best smart glasses from Xreal. The untested variable here was one of Apple’s own white braided USB-C to USB-C cables that I can’t remember which device it came with.

With the two connected, WhatCable correctly identified the cable as a USB 2.0 one and it even identified my tablet by its model name, the Legion Tab Y700. One term I hadn’t heard before trying out this app, despite being about as immersed in tech as you can be, is E-marker.

Apparently, this is a tiny, 1mm² microchip that’s embedded directly into the plastic or metal housing of a USB-C connector. Like a digital passport, these E-marker chips allow the USB-C Power Delivery controllers inside the ports of your laptop and other devices to know exactly what a particular cable is capable of. That way, they send the correct amount of power or data and don’t overload the device on the other end.

Even with the free version of WhatCable, you can actually drill down further into each section to learn more about the cable you’re testing. By clicking “Show technical details” you can see all of the supported protocols and standards the current connection can handle.

For instance here, while the cable itself is bottlenecked at USB 2.0 speeds, the underlying port architecture supports USB2, USB3, power delivery, and video out over DisplayPort. So not only can you use this app to test your cables, but you can also get a clear picture of exactly what your Mac's ports are capable of at the same time.

Cables may be faster than they appear

For my next round of cable testing, I decided to completely switch up devices. I started with a 1TB M.2 drive I’m using inside this SSD enclosure from Ugreen. Given its rated for speeds up to 10 Gbps, I figured it would be an ideal companion for cable testing and it absolutely was.

In the WhatCable app, that Fasgear cable — remember the one with 5A, 10Gbps written on the connector? — actually turned out to be as fast as the company claimed. Surprisingly though, according to the app, the E-marker inside it didn’t have a vendor ID, though apparently this is common with genuine cables. Or maybe Fasgear was too humble to take credit for it, I guess we'll never know.

Next up, I decided to test a cable that wasn’t labeled, but I did know its full capabilities based on the description on the box. Alongside its Vagabond mobile game controller, Elo recently sent over all of the accessories to go with it, including the company’s Link Thunderbolt 4 cable which can deliver up to 240W of power and 40 Gbps of data.

I’ve tried it out with other devices and it definitely works as advertised. However, when I used it to connect a Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller to my MacBook, it only reached USB 2.0 speeds in WhatCable.

You see, in this case, it was the controller and not the cable that was the bottleneck. While the console hardware itself handles modern high-speed connections, the Switch 2 Pro Controller internally relies on basic USB 2.0 protocols to process your inputs. Since game controllers prioritize low latency over raw bandwidth, the hardware only needs a tiny data pipe to pass along button presses to your console.

If you decide to download WhatCable and run into a similar situation where you know you have a high-speed cable but you’re seeing slower speeds while testing, I’d recommend connecting a different device. After I swapped out that controller for my Legion tablet, the app instantly registered the Elo Link cable as a high-speed one.

I learned so much testing the power delivery and data transfer speeds of those 10 cables that I decided to spend the $13 on the pro version of WhatCable and I’m glad I did.

Not only do you get additional insights like live power monitoring but you can also add the various cables you test to the app and give them names. This way, you get a timeline of when that cable was last used, what it was connected to and whether or not you ran into any issues while using it.

No more second guessing

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a massive collection of cables. From USB-A to USB-C, HDMI to DisplayPort and even some less common ones like USB Type-B and Micro-USB B, I have a lot of cables — and while I try to get rid of the slower and less full-featured ones when I can, I still have too many.

A few years ago, I decided to repurpose a hanging, over-the-door shoe rack to house them all and before I started adding Thunderbolt ones and longer, braided DisplayPort cables to the mix, it worked quite well. Now though, I’m due for a cable audit.

While I plan on coming up with a solution that’s a bit more elegant than hanging them in various compartments over the back of my closet door, I also want to separate the wheat from the chaff and only keep the best of the best cables. To do that, I need to test them all.

Although I’ll probably end up buying a standalone tester for some of those more obscure cables and the video ones, WhatCable has done a lot of the groundwork for me. At the same time, it’s made me realize that testing cables isn’t nearly as difficult or time consuming as I thought it would be back when I first looked into getting a dedicated cable tester.

If you’ve ever plugged in your smartphone, tablet or laptop and seen less than ideal charging or data transfer speeds and you have a Mac, you owe it to yourself to give this open-source app a try. I’m glad I did because when it comes to USB-C to USB-C cables, I’ll never have to doubt their capabilities again.

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Even with one of the best MacBooks, you can never be too careful when downloading new apps. Case in point: a new malicious Mac app is posing as a legitimate Apple tool to steal passwords, keychain data and more from vulnerable systems.

As reported by BleepingComputer, the app in question serves as a means to infect vulnerable Apple computers with a new Mac info-stealer. While security researchers at Jamf first observed it back in May when it was still in development, this malware is now being actively used by cybercriminals in their attacks.

Dubbed CrashStealer, what makes this Mac malware strain so dangerous is the way in which it perfectly mimics Apple’s own macOS crash reports. Although something might seem off to more discerning users, others could easily fall for this attack given how much care and attention has gone into impersonating this legitimate tool.

Here’s everything you need to know about this new Mac malware and how you can keep your own MacBook and all the sensitive data it contains safe from hackers.

Impersonating a legitimate Apple utility

In their report, Jamf’s security researchers explain how the malware hides in plain sight by posing as a meeting platform called Werkbit. While they don’t go into details about the malware’s initial distribution method, a malicious app like this could be distributed via fake ads or on a developer-focused site like GitHub.

After downloading the app, it’s mounted on your desktop just like with any new software you download for your Mac. Surprisingly, though, the hackers behind this campaign are using a signed and Apple-notarized installer to distribute their fake app. Not only does this add a sense of legitimacy to the app but it also allows it to bypass Apple’s built-in Gatekeeper security feature without any warnings whatsoever.

When launched for the first time, the app displays a fake macOS password prompt that looks strikingly similar to what you’d see when downloading new software manually as opposed to through the Mac App Store. Once a victim puts in the password for their Mac, the hackers then have everything they need to unlock their Apple Keychain which acts as macOS’ encrypted password vault and contains all sorts of sensitive info like saved credentials in Safari, app passwords, Wi-Fi passwords and more.

The CrashStealer malware isn’t just limited to stealing from your Keychain though. It can also steal browser credentials and cookies from Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers as well as Firefox. Likewise, it can steal data from 80 different crypto wallet extensions and 14 of the best password managers including 1Password, LastPass, Dashlane and more.

To get all of this stolen data off your Mac, the malware encrypts it before packaging it into hidden ZIP archives and uploading it to a hacker-controlled C&C server.

By using a signed and notarized dropper and a re-signed payload, CrashStealer is a sophisticated Mac malware that’s especially good at avoiding detection.

How to stay safe from Mac malware

If you’re worried about CrashStealer and other Mac malware, the first thing you should do is to avoid sideloading apps, or in this case, installing new apps from anywhere besides the Mac App Store.

Just like on one of the best Android smartphones, when you download new apps from websites instead of an official app store, you’re putting your devices and the data they contain at risk. Apps submitted to the Mac App Store go through rigorous security checks while those you download from a random website don’t.

Normally when you download an unverified app from the web, macOS’s built-in Gatekeeper security feature will block it or warn you before you install it. In this case, though, that doesn’t happen since the installer used in this campaign is signed and appears to be legitimate. Well, at least in Gatekeeper’s eyes.

While Gatekeeper can keep you safe from most threats, there are ones like this that manage to bypass its defenses. For this reason, you might want to consider using one of the best Mac antivirus software solutions alongside Apple’s built-in ones. That way, if something slips past Apple, your third-party antivirus software will be able to stop the threat before it can do serious damage.

Since CrashStealer is still a relatively new Mac malware, this likely won’t be the last time we see it. This is why you always need to be extra careful when downloading and installing new software onto your Apple computer.

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The macOS Golden Gate public beta is now live, giving you a chance to check out all the new features coming to the best MacBooks.

Expected to launch this Fall, macOS Golden Gate primarily focuses on updating Apple Intelligence and Siri, with the latter now officially called Siri AI. You don’t get many new features, but improvements to Liquid Glass’s readability, easier customization, and smoother performance make for an overall better experience.

While Apple’s public betas are generally more stable than the developer builds, it might still be buggy and could cause issues for your Mac. I’ve never experienced serious issues using any of these betas over the years, but it’s worth being cautious. With that said, here’s how to download the macOS Golden Gate public beta.

How to download the macOS Golden Gate developer beta

Downloading the macOS Golden Gate public beta is pretty simple. First, enroll your Apple ID in Apple's Beta Program and make sure your Mac is compatible. Here's the full list of Macs that can install and run macOS Golden Gate:

• MacBook Neo (2026)
• MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
• Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
• Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)

That’s all that’s required to download the macOS Golden Gate public beta. Your Mac will restart once the download finishes. After that, you can start trying out all the new features. Depending on your connection speed, the download might take a few minutes, so be patient.

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It’s official — the macOS 27 Golden Gate public beta has just launched, and with it we’re getting a slew of new features! Not that you’d know, because back at WWDC, Apple couldn’t stop talking about the new Siri AI that’s deeply integrated into everything here.

So while I’ll leave the hands-on impressions of the OS and its big features to my boy Tony, I want to tell you about the lesser known additions that you should definitely be trying out first. Because this new version is about a lot more than just AI.

Refining Liquid Glass - improving the UI

Let’s be real. Liquid Glass had a rough start. Personally, I thought it was kind of cool, but I can totally understand how it impacted readability and consistency of design across the OS. Apple’s addressed this with some small but impactful changes that bring it all together nicely.

First, there’s now a Liquid Glass slider to adjust how see-through the glassy elements are — great for improving legibility. Then there’s uniformity across macOS toolbars for more logical use, and the rounded corners of all the app windows match up now.

Like I said, it’s all small tweaks. But put them all together (as well as smoother animations for Mission Control and Spaces), and the end result is a nicer-feeling UI to get around.

Faster AirDrop

There’s been general performance upgrades across the board, as it seems Apple has gone all “Snow Leopard” on this version by looking under the hood and tweaking the efficiency of tasks.

But the real feature here is that AirDrop is going to get a turboboost. How much faster? I don’t know — but by optimizing the underlying network protocols, wireless file transfers are speedier. For someone who has a Final Cut Pro workload between my iPhone and MacBook Pro, this is huge for high capacity files.

Beyond this, Apple says you can look forward to faster app opens and JavaScript improvements to make Safari browsing a whole lot smoother. Speaking of Safari…

Safari’s big upgrade

Safari is catching up with the likes of Chrome and Opera with some AI-powered features like automatic tab organization, but Apple’s browser facelift goes deeper than that.

First up is probably a significant one for those who has gig tickets to buy or want to wait for a price drop. With Notify Me, you can set some conditions to get a notification whenever the content on a webpage changes.

Second, with a little help from Apple Intelligence, you can use natural language to describe a browser extension, and Safari will build it. So whether it’s a Recipe Keeper like in Apple’s example or maybe a Tom’s Guide story feed, you’re not limited to the developer range of extensions.

Oh, and shout-out to one of the underrated game changers here — swipe down to refresh. Just like in iOS, you can scroll up on a webpage to trigger a page refresh, and bringing that intuitive piece of UI design to the desktop experience feels so natural in a “why didn’t they think of that before” kind of way.

Drawing in Messages, Notes and Freeform

On iPhone and iPad, you can draw directly into Notes and Freeform, and this feature is now (finally) coming to Mac too. Using the touchpad as a canvas, you can sketch out your mini masterpiece — plus this drawing app is also being added directly into iMessage too for a huge upgrade over the handwriting feature you used to get.

Now, this is definitely an understated feature that you may only use once or twice (depending on what your use cases are of course), but I see this as something different. Apple has snuck in a couple of things that I think may be setting the stage for some new devices coming in.

Having expanded drawing capabilities in your OS? To me, that feels like something more purpose-built for a touchscreen device…maybe the MacBook Ultra?

iPhone mirroring that teases a foldable

And this is the other feature that I believe is teasing a new device. iPhone mirroring has been one of the biggest features since its debut for me — giving me rapid access to my phone’s apps without needing to break my focus on my MacBook screen to pull out another device (and inevitably go down a TikTok wormhole).

With Golden Gate, you can watch DRM-protected video on your big screen now (Netflix content for example), and you can get into your iPhone’s Control Center.

But biggest of all, you can resize the app’s screen to be bigger and see more content on the screen.

Now again, this seems to be a weird addition. Why put that demand for responsive app design in iPhone mirroring? Well, you may have heard about this new foldable iPhone Ultra coming up…this seems too convenient to me.

Outlook

All-in-all, this isn’t necessarily the most feature-packed macOS update, but Golden Gate does sharpen some things up while also giving us what I feel are some future hardware teases.

These alongside a complete rebuild in the way search works across Spotlight, Photos and Mail, the tweaks here will be felt throughout by both casual and pro users alike.

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The public beta for macOS 27, also known as macOS Golden Gate, is here! While this update isn’t as monumental as macOS Sequoia, it delivers a slew of AI features and smoother overall performance, making the best MacBooks more personal and streamlined.

I’ve had the developer beta of macOS Golden Gate installed for a month, with the latest version close to what the public beta is offering. While the beta is still very much a work in progress, I’ve had a smooth time using it and testing out its new features.

If you’re signed into the (free) Apple beta software program, you can try the public beta of macOS Golden Gate right now. Here are my thoughts on the beta and the key features worth checking out.

macOS Golden Gate public beta hands-on: Supported Macs

The Intel era is over, as macOS Golden Gate doesn’t run on those older machines. Here is a complete list of Macs that support Golden Gate.

• MacBook Neo (2026)
• MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
• Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
• Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)

macOS Golden Gate public beta hands-on: Features

Most of macOS Golden Gate’s new features center around updated versions of Siri and Apple Intelligence. These are the ones that have stood out the most during my testing.

Siri AI

There is now a dedicated Siri AI app for macOS Golden Gate that functions similarly to chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. This app is also available on iPadOS 27 and iOS 27, and is arguably the biggest new feature for the Apple devices that support it.

You can access the Siri AI app either by clicking it in the Dock or in the Menu bar. You can also bring it up by pulling up Spotlight. Doing this brings up a dedicated chat window where you can ask Siri AI questions or just talk to it about whatever’s on your mind. Again, this functions exactly like the chatbots you’re already familiar with.

And since Siri AI is now baked into the operating system, it can do more than just chat. For example, if you’re looking at a schedule, you’ll see an “add to calendar” button appear. I’ve even had this happen when I suggest a date/time to meet with friends. When you right-click on folders, files, or apps, you’ll often see an “Ask Siri” option at the very top, where you can begin asking questions about whatever you’re highlighting.

You can even create Shortcuts by typing or speaking what you want instead of manually building complications. While I wouldn’t call this vibe coding, it can feel that way since you’re using natural language.

For those in the Apple ecosystem, Siri AI can be more useful than other chatbots because it’s integrated into the system. However, third-party integrations are still a work in progress, so Siri AI’s usability for you might be limited if you use Google apps like Gmail, since Siri AI doesn’t work with them (yet).

Liquid Glass slider

If you’re not a fan of the Liquid Glass UI, you’ll be happy to know there’s now a slider to adjust its opacity. It lets you dial the effect up or down to your liking, and I’m surprised it took this long to implement it this way.

Beyond the slider, you’ll notice that more complex background visuals appear more diffused, which improves text readability (which was a big issue for some). The edges of icons are also more pronounced, so they stand out more from the background. All app windows now have a uniform corner radius to help them pop out as well.

I've never had a problem with Liquid Glass because I think it’s an interesting visual effect. That said, I’m glad that folks can now fine-tune it to their liking. The slider is especially neat because it’s easy to use and makes it clear how much of a difference there is when you go from one extreme to the other.

Spatial Reframing

Spatial Reframing isn’t exclusive to macOS Golden Gate, but since the Reframe tool stole the show at WWDC, it’s a feature worth spotlighting if you take a lot of photos.

As its name suggests, Reframe lets you reframe existing photos and adjust the perspective to your liking. This can be especially handy if you need to take photos in a hurry, as you can come back to them later to fix them.

After you select Reframe in the new Tools option in Photos’ editing mode, Apple Intelligence scans the photo you’ve selected. After that, you can pull your finger across the touchpad to change the perspective. Sliders on the side also give you more precise control over the angle, orientation, or size. When you’re done, the AI shifts things around to fill in any blanks.

This isn’t a feature I use often since I like photos in their original form, even if they’re not perfect. That said, I can’t knock the results, as Reframe does an excellent job of living up to its name. And to be fair, the changes made don’t radically alter the image — you just get a better version of what you’ve already snapped.

macOS Golden Gate public beta hands-on: Outlook

Apple Intelligence didn’t live up to the hype after it was first announced, but it’s now living up to its potential on Macs and the other Apple devices it can run on. If you’re a big AI user already, then macOS Golden Gate could arguably be a significant update. I imagine Siri AI will only improve between now and the OS’ expected fall launch.

Other features such as the more customizable Liquid Glass UI and Spatial Reframing might not be monumental game-changers, but they’re nice additions regardless. Apple also said there’s improved performance on devices using the upcoming operating systems, but during my time with macOS Golden Gate, I haven’t seen any noticeable improvements or hiccups on that front.

Apple’s new operating systems are still being worked on, so things could change before the official launch. I’ll have a full review for you then, but based on my experience with macOS Golden Gate, I’ll say that the new features are a step in the right direction.

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I recently had the pleasure (read: displeasure) of helping my sister pick out a new laptop. Not only was there pressure on me to find the perfect machine for her, but I also had to make sure every small detail was taken care of.

After days of searching, I finally landed on a laptop that ticked all her boxes: specs, battery life, thinness, a great display, and solid speakers. It was only two days into using it that I actually got to hear her real complaint, and it wasn't any of the things she'd originally mentioned.

She said the trackpad on her new laptop just wasn't as good as the one on her old machine. And that got me thinking about how these small things end up making a huge difference whenever you buy a new laptop.

The trackpad is one of the things we use every single day without ever really paying attention to it. It's easily the most used part of a laptop for everyday use, unless you've got one of the best touchscreen laptops.

So it got me wondering: how different are mechanical and haptic trackpads on these laptops, really? After testing both across a range of scenarios, I've got a pretty clear favorite. And one of those experiences almost made me want to throw my laptop off the fourth floor.

Before we begin

Now, before we get into it, there are, of course, more scientific ways of testing which trackpad is better. But we put a Lenovo IdeaPad and a MacBook Air side by side and ran through a handful of real-world tests to see which one comes out on top.

While they're not the most scientific, they are definitely rigorous (and a little goofy) and they do mimic how people actually use their laptops. So you'll come away with a pretty good idea of which one works better for you.

It's also worth noting that both laptops were kept on their default out-of-the-box settings. Nothing related to trackpad tracking, speed, or any other setting has been changed.

The sweaty gaming test

For the first test, we put both laptops through a real-world scenario that almost all of us go through: using a laptop while eating and watching something. For this test, I ate a full bag of buttery popcorn to get my fingers properly greasy, then played a game of Minesweeper on both the MacBook and the IdeaPad.

This is a good precision test, in my opinion, since the touch targets are pretty small. It gives us a solid idea of how each trackpad handles when there's something between your fingers and the surface.

As expected, the MacBook Air's haptic trackpad had no trouble at all maintaining pointer precision. I could easily play the game even within that small area, whereas the IdeaPad's mechanical trackpad kept misplacing the cursor by a few pixels every time I moved my finger.

It wasn't a huge difference, and I wouldn't recommend using your trackpad with grease on your fingers regardless. But if that's something you end up doing often, a haptic trackpad handles it far better.

Winner: Haptic trackpad

The commute simulator

For the second test, we needed to simulate the one thing every laptop user eventually deals with: trying to get work done while commuting.

So I got into my car's backseat and had a friend drive me around the block while I tried to highlight the same sentence in a document with the font set to just 6pt. And mind you, my block has plenty of speed bumps, which makes this even better. I think this is a great test for misclicks, since the tiny font leaves no margin for error.

After running the test three or four times on both laptops, I found that both trackpads were equally bad, just for different reasons.

The haptic trackpad is quite sensitive, so even small bumps or sudden movements in the car would cause a completely different line to be selected. The mechanical trackpad wasn't any better, though.

You basically need two hands to reliably select a line on it. Sure, you can do it with one finger, but it just works better with two. And even then, the slightest movement would select more lines than the one I was actually going for.

Winner: Draw

The Drag-and-drop deathmatch

For the final test, I wanted to see how each trackpad holds up under sustained work involving a lot of gestures. Clicking and selecting is one thing, but working with gestures continuously, especially on modern operating systems, is something all of us do daily.

So I set up a few test files arranged in a straight vertical line down my desktop and tried dragging them into a specific folder to see how far I could get. It sounds silly, but moving files between desktops or folders is something I genuinely dread on modern trackpads. This felt like a great test of whether the old mechanical setup could keep up.

It's worth noting that on haptic trackpads, you can simply click and drag, or long-press and drag the icon over to the folder. This functionality has made its way to modern mechanical trackpads, too, where you can now drag and drop while holding. Even so, it still feels easier when you hold down the left click button and drag the icon over the folder with your other finger.

And as expected, the haptic trackpad made dragging and dropping files pretty effortless, since you can do the whole thing in one continuous click. Sure, the mechanical trackpad can technically do the same. It just feels different because the click isn't quite clicky enough. There's always that hollow feeling, and the icon tends to unpress itself halfway through. Dragging with just one finger is noticeably harder.

Of course, a lot of this comes down to trackpad size as well, but the Windows and macOS machines I was using had roughly the same size trackpad.

Winner: Haptic trackpad

Verdict

It's pretty clear that haptic trackpads are generally far more useful than the older mechanical ones. I'm not entirely sure why Windows laptops still stick with the mechanical mechanism (I know, it's the lower manufacturing cost), but I really hope more manufacturers make the switch to haptics sooner rather than later.

I'm hoping the upcoming RTX Spark laptops, set to debut in the second half of the year, make that jump, so we don't just get a performance boost, but a genuine overall experience upgrade as well.

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Security researchers who focus on Apple devices have discovered a new macOS malware that appears to be surprisingly clever while it harvests data and login credentials.

According to the IT firm Jamf (via ArsTechnica), the new malware, dubbed PamStealer, can get on your Mac in two stages. First, it disguises itself as Maccy, a clipboard manager.

Apparently, PamStealer is compiled as AppleScript written in Rust that uses the Pluggable Authentication Modules interface that is built into macOS to target the device's login password, which is then sent to an attacker-controlled server.

What makes PamStealer unique is that it combines AppleScript and disk images to stealthily enter your computer. When you click the AppleScript, it opens the macOS Script Editor where the malware is buried in the file.

"Rather than relying on shell commands such as curl or zsh, the AppleScript executes a self-contained JavaScript for Automation (JXA) downloader that retrieves and stages the payload using native Objective-C APIs," the Jamf team wrote. "Combined with a Rust-based second stage and a password capture workflow that validates credentials locally through PAM, the result is a quieter execution chain than we typically observe in commodity macOS stealers."

How PamStealer works

When someone installs the false Maccy and opens the disk image, they're prompted to enter Command-R immediately. Doing so executes the malicious code inside AppleScript. This allows it to bypass com.apple.quarantine, a normal macOS feature that offers warnings and restrictions when you're opening executable files from the internet.

The second stage is a Mach-O file specifically written for Macs running Apple M-series CPUs. Rust is apparently an uncommon code for macOS infostealers. This bundles SQLite and calls it read interface, meaning it opens and reads databases files directly.

PamStealer will pop up a native password prompt that is meant to resemble a system authorization request. It reads, "“Maccy wants to make changes. Enter your password to allow this.”

Once a password is entered, it's validated through the PAM API, meaning its harder for malware defenders to detect. Additionally, it can either give a malicious actor full disk access or inject code designed to access Ethereum accounts.

“Together, these behaviors illustrate how commodity macOS stealers continue to evolve, adopting quieter execution chains and native implementations that reduce traditional detection opportunities while remaining compatible with standard macOS features,” Jamf said.

How to stay safe from PamStealer

First and foremost, Maccy is a real, legitimate app that is quite popular. If you are interested in checking the app, the only real website is maccy.app.

Jamf found the fake Maccy was being hosted at maccyapp.com, a site you should not visit.

Secondly, it's a good reminder to double and triple-check website URLs. Specifically for macOS apps, you can also see if the app in question is available in the Apple App Store. Maccy, for instance, is in the App Store.

Apple is still a pretty closed garden so if you're looking for something and want to be sure it's real, I would recommend starting there before venturing into the hinterlands of the internet.

Beyond that, your Mac does come with built-in security software in the form of XProtect. But if you need some extra protection, it might be worth investing in one of the best Mac antivirus software solutions to run alongside it.

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The macOS 27 or macOS Golden Gate developer beta is now live, and I’ve begun testing out some of the available features that this upcoming (and unfinished) operating system has to offer.

We don’t get a substantial update as we did with last year’s macOS 26. Instead, this year’s update is mostly focused on Siri AI and Apple Intelligence. While I’ve yet to try the former, the latter offers nifty tricks for Mac users to try out.

Keeping in mind that this is a developer beta and features are subject to change, here are my early thoughts on macOS Golden Gate and some features that stand out.

Spatial Reframing

The new Reframe tool stole the show at WWDC, and it’s a lot of fun to use. The feature is self-explanatory: you can take existing photos and adjust the perspective to your liking. Basically, if you’re not happy with a photo’s angle, you can change that.

After selecting Reframe in the new Tools option in Photos’ editing mode, the AI scans your photo. When that’s done, you can pull your finger across the touchpad to change the perspective. There are also sliders on the side if you prefer more precise control over the angle, orientation, or size. Once you’re happy with the result, the AI shifts things around to fill in any blanks.

While you can argue that you’re not seeing the real image after you’ve effectively doctored it, the result isn’t radically different from the original. If you don’t worry about getting a perfect picture the first time around, Reframe can definitely remove that stress since you can always come back to your photo later.

Liquid Glass slider

I didn’t mind the Liquid Glass UI as much as others, but it has certainly been a controversial element introduced to iPhones, iPads, and Macs with their respective updates last year. Now, Apple has updated Liquid Glass so you can tailor it to your liking.

For example, there’s a new preference slider that lets you dial in the exact intensity of the Liquid Glass effect. You can go from highly transparent to more opaque. More complex background visuals are more diffuse, increasing text readability. The edges of icons are more pronounced, so they stand out from the background, and all app windows now have a uniform corner radius.

As before, I don’t mind Liquid Glass, but the relatively subtle updates do help windows, icons, and text pop out more.

Siri AI on Mac

This feature isn’t available in the developer beta yet for me, but Siri AI on macOS 27 should be a pretty big deal. This is especially true if you’re used to using chatbots like ChatGPT or Google Gemini, as Siri AI now functions like them.

As Mark Spoonauer said when he saw the new Siri AI in action on a Mac, you can access it by simply pulling up Spotlight. When you begin typing, Spotlight knows which questions should go to Siri rather than launching apps. Siri will bring up answers in a new window, where you can continue the conversation if you need more in-depth information.

It can even go beyond simple conversations. For example, if you’re looking at a schedule, an “add to calendar” button will appear, letting you do just that. With AI agents being all the rage these days, it makes sense for Siri to function more like one.

If what Apple showed us is anything to go by, Siri AI could be used for more than just asking questions. Of course, I’d have to go hands-on to see whether Siri AI works with other apps outside the Apple ecosystem, since Mark noted it doesn’t work with Gmail at the moment.

Outlook

We should get a better sense of what macOS Golden Gate and the other Apple operating systems can truly do once Siri AI begins rolling out to those who signed up for it.

Beyond that, I like the refinements being made to Liquid Glass, and Spatial Reframing should be a game-changer for folks who love taking photos. These aren't monumental changes, but I like them for what they provide right now.

Again, keep in mind that I’m testing a developer beta of macOS 27, and things are likely to change between now and the full release this fall. I’m going to keep using it and will update you all on any new features it introduces. Stay tuned!

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Apple announced macOS Golden Gate at WWDC 2026, which means developers are already working hard to update their apps for the upcoming operating system. The developer beta is now live, but it’s open to anyone who signs up for Apple’s Beta program and is willing to deal with potential headaches associated with in-development code.

This year, Apple has placed most of its focus on updating Apple Intelligence and Siri, which it now calls Siri AI. macOS 27 doesn’t include many new features, so the development team focused on improving performance, which should make this OS run more smoothly. Improvements have also been made to the Liquid Glass UI, making it more customizable (and readable).

A word of warning: macOS Golden Gate is unfinished, so it might be buggy and could cause issues for your Mac. If you’re willing to take the chance (most of these betas are relatively safe in my experience), then read on to find out how to download the macOS Golden Gate developer beta.

How to download the macOS Golden Gate developer beta

Downloading the macOS Golden Gate developer beta is a relatively simple process. First, enroll your Apple ID in Apple's Beta Program and make sure your Mac is compatible. Here's the full list of Macs that can install and run macOS Golden Gate:

• MacBook Neo (2026)
• MacBook Air with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• MacBook Pro with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• iMac with Apple silicon (2021 and later)
• Mac mini with Apple silicon (2020 and later)
• Mac Studio with Apple silicon (2022 and later)
• Mac Pro with Apple silicon (2023 and later)

And that’s how you download the macOS Golden Gate developer beta. After the download finishes, your Mac will restart, and you’ll get your first taste of the upcoming OS. Depending on your connection speed, the download might take a few minutes, so be patient. Enjoy the new features!

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At WWDC 2026, Apple announced a slew of updates coming to macOS 27, now called macOS Golden Gate. This OS update officially sees the end of the Intel era, but is more future-focused thanks to better AI and smoother performance.

Apple Intelligence and Siri are getting big upgrades for macOS 27, iPadOS 27, and iOS 27. Powered by Google Gemini, Apple's AI is now on par with competitors and is specifically designed to work with the Apple ecosystem.

While most of the updates for macOS Golden Gate are part of the company's greater AI efforts, features like on-device editing and a more conversational Siri should make using Macs more seamless and intuitive.

Here is everything announced for macOS 27 at WWDC.

macOS 27: Quick news

• macOS Golden Gate is the name for macOS 27
• Under-the-hood performance upgrades
• Smarter Siri and better Apple Intelligence
• Liquid Glass UI is more customizable

Siri AI and Apple Intelligence

Powered by Google Gemini, the new AI-infused Siri acts like a proper chatbot. It has features such as contextual awareness, conversational capabilities, improved natural-language support, and more.

You can use Siri AI through Spotlight to easily find files or messages you need. For example, you can ask or type to find a PDF invoice in one of your emails and add its contents to your Numbers budget spreadsheet. This should make Siri a true assistant rather than just an AI that helps you with recipes.

For writers, Siri AI can help you generate drafts from scratch and help proofread your work. And since it's powered by AI, it can learn how you respond to specific people, and even give you suggestions as you write. This should make it a better writing assistant, whether you're working on a big project or just checking in with friends.

Visual Intelligence with Siri is arriving on Macs for the first time. This feature lets you search visually, ask questions, and take actions on your screen. There is a dedicated keyboard shortcut that lets you select something on your Mac's display and type directly to Siri to get answers.

Liquid Glass

Liquid Glass was introduced last year as the big design overhaul for Apple's operating systems, but it didn't go over well with many Mac users. While Liquid Glass isn't going anywhere, it has been fine-tuned for better readability on Macs.

For instance, you now have finer control over its opacity and color. The edges of apps are also more defined, so they stand out more from the background. These updates should alleviate some of the issues users have had since macOS 26.

Smoother performance

Since macOS Golden Gate doesn't introduce major changes from macOS 26, the team was able to make more under-the-hood updates to help everything run more smoothly.

On iPhones, performance has apparently increased by 30%. We don't have exact numbers for macOS, but it should be in that range. This should also lead to better battery life, which would be interesting given how M-series MacBooks already have astonishing battery life.

macOS Golden Gate: Outlook

macOS Golden Gate primarily focuses on the latest updates to Apple Intelligence and Siri. While we didn't hear about any macOS-specific updates, what we're getting should create a more unified ecosystem across Apple's devices. Beyond all the AI updates, the claimed performance boost for Macs and other devices should be especially beneficial.

We'll update this post with the latest macOS Golden Gate news as we hear it, so stay tuned for more.

With WWDC 2026 kicking off on June 8, we’ll soon learn about all the latest updates coming to macOS 27. According to rumors, the Mac-based operating system should receive iterative updates rather than substantial ones. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to look forward to, however.

The biggest thing happening for operating systems like iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 is an upgrade for Apple Intelligence and Siri. Apple launched its AI back in 2024, but it’s lagged behind competitors. Ironically enough, Apple Intelligence should now be more useful since Google Gemini will power it.

The other big thing is the end of support for Intel-based Macs. We knew this was coming since last year, but it’s now happening. Other than that, we expect fixes for Liquid Glass so it works better on Macs, built-in app updates, and perhaps a glimpse (or full reveal) of the first touch-screen MacBook.

Here are some of the macOS announcements we expect to see at WWDC 2026.

End of the Intel era

Apple already announced that macOS 26 would be the last macOS for Intel Macs, so this one doesn’t come as a big surprise. Still, if you’re rocking an older Intel Mac, you won’t be able to run the new operating system. That said, you won’t be completely left adrift.

Apple has confirmed that macOS 26 will continue receiving critical security updates for about the next three years. If you’re not ready to upgrade yet, this is certainly good news. Just keep in mind that while you are getting security updates, you won’t get the fancy new features coming to macOS 27.

Here are the Intel-based Macs that can run macOS 26 but won’t support macOS 27:

• MacBook Pro 13-inch (2020)
• MacBook Pro 16-inch (2019)
• iMac 27-inch (2020)
• Mac Pro (2019)

A smarter Siri (for real this time)

Powered by Google Gemini, the new AI-infused Siri will reportedly be a proper AI chatbot. That means it should include features such as contextual awareness, conversational capabilities, improved natural-language support, and more. Expect Google’s multimodal capabilities and agentic AI to come to Siri as well. In short, Siri should behave much more like ChatGPT or Claude.

Apple will reportedly let you integrate third-party models (such as Claude or ChatGPT) into Siri via a new “Extensions” marketplace in the App Store. You might be able to choose distinct voices for these third-party AI responses so you know which one is answering.

Agentic AI is the latest buzz term, and Siri may have deeper system-level context to execute multi-step tasks across apps. For example, you can ask it to find a PDF invoice in one of your emails and add its contents to your Numbers budget spreadsheet. This would make Siri a true assistant.

Liquid Glass fixes

Liquid Glass was the major design overhaul introduced last year, but some users weren’t exactly happy with it, as it drew criticism for its lack of contrast, harsh transparency, and poor sidebar readability.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, macOS 27 will have a visual tune-up to address these complaints. If true, we could see the sleek, polished look that Apple’s design team originally intended. There are also reports of a Mac-adapted version of the iPhone’s Dynamic Island coming to the menu bar.

Built-in app upgrades

A feature that’s also expected for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 will bring three AI-powered tools to Photos. This includes Extend, Enhance, and Reframe. The first two are self-explanatory, while Reframe is designed to change the perspective in spatial photos seen in 3D.

For fans of the Safari browser, a new AI feature is rumored to automatically categorize and organize browser tabs into clean, contextual groups. If you frequently have dozens of tabs open, this should be a major win.

Since macOS 27 isn’t a huge overhaul from last year, the team has reportedly focused on fixing bugs and improving performance. As with OS X Snow Leopard, a chunk of code is being optimized for raw efficiency, stability, and better battery life. The latter would be especially interesting given that MacBooks with M-series chips already have epic battery life.

Preparing for touchscreen Macs

WWDC usually focuses on software, but we have seen hardware announcements, such as the M2 MacBook Air at WWDC 2022. Rumors suggest that Apple is working on the first touchscreen MacBook, so it’s possible it could debut at WWDC 2026 — or at least be teased.

To take advantage of a touchscreen, macOS 27 will reportedly have a dynamic user interface that adjusts on the fly. For instance, if you click on an item with the mouse cursor, the UI remains compact. If you tap the screen, menus and controls will automatically expand to be touch-friendly. It should also incorporate iPad-style gestures like fast scrolling and pinch-to-zoom.

Of all the rumors we’ve heard, this one is arguably the most exciting and would bring something substantially new to Macs. I’m curious to see if these touch features will be exclusive to the rumored MacBook Ultra.

macOS 27: Outlook

If rumors are correct, then we shouldn’t see a massive overhaul of macOS 27. That said, an improved Siri could actually be a game-changer if it’s as helpful as intended. The same is true if MacBooks with touchscreens get announced.

Nothing is set in stone, so let’s look forward to WWDC giving us some concrete answers. June 8 is almost here, so it won’t be long. We’ll be live on the ground covering the event as it happens, so keep it locked here for the latest!

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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, returns on June 8, 2026. While Tom’s Guide will be covering the event live, there’s nothing quite like a good wishlist.

I’ve been a fan of Apple for decades, and since I moved into writing as a career, I’ve gone from a hand-me-down iMac to writing on the iPad Pro M5 and covering Apple events for plenty of outlets in the meantime.

With that in mind, here are the three things I’m most excited about at WWDC 26.

iPadOS

For years, I’ve owned an iPad Pro and not really known why, because I basically use it for movies while travelling and reading books and digital magazines.

That all changed with the recent improvements to iPadOS, and while there’s still a way to go, last year’s iPadOS 26 felt like it ticked plenty of boxes for me.

Multitasking got a huge boost (and without Stage Manager, too!), apps got Menu Bar-like interfaces, the Journal app finally arrived, and we got Preview on an iPad at long last. Then there were background tasks and more, all of which coalesced into making the iPad feel fresh again. I loved it so much I picked up the M5 model.

As a result, I’m curious to know what Apple brings this year. Will we finally get multi-user support? Clamshell mode with an external monitor? The addition of small, utility apps? Time will tell.

A new Mac Mini?

Sure, it’s not likely. Apple traditionally goes all-in on software for WWDC, but 2023 was a big year for hardware between M2 chips and Apple Vision Pro.

We’re expecting Apple Watch and iPhone around the usual September slot, but I can’t think of a better place to debut a new Mac Mini model than at WWDC with the devs who will have fallen in love with the prior versions.

Apple’s diminutive desktop is tough to get hold of, partially due to people getting particularly inventive with its AI potential, but it’s also a very capable family or work computer in its own right. With MacBook Neo turning Windows users into Mac newcomers, this could be a great time to showcase the desktop side of the product lineup.

Siri and Gemini

This is the big one, isn’t it? Apple Intelligence and Siri should go hand-in-hand, but it’s been anything but smooth sailing so far. In fact, I’d wager no one would have predicted Apple would be this far behind its peers.

I use Siri less than ever, leaning on just about anything else to get an answer for something, be that a Google Search or Claude, but if Apple can successfully work out a way to power its assistant with Google’s Gemini (which it sounds like it will) it could be like the ChatGPT connection taken to a whole new level.

What kind of additions can we expect? Well, we may be some way off of the screen-reading, context-aware Siri that was infamously confirmed to be vaporware a couple of years back, but we’re getting some big improvements worth the money Apple will have to siphon off to Google.

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Your Mac isn't as fast as it used to be. Apps take longer to open, the spinning wheel appears constantly, and simple tasks feel sluggish. Before assuming you need a new computer or expensive upgrades, try basic maintenance that actually works.

Macs slow down over time not because hardware fails, but because software accumulates. Files pile up, apps run in the background you forgot about, and startup processes multiply until your Mac is struggling under the weight of digital clutter.

I run these three maintenance tasks on my MacBook every month. They take about 15 minutes total and consistently improve performance without costing anything. Here's what keeps my aging Mac running smoothly.

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The Mac mini is a great computer, and we love it here at Tom's Guide, but that doesn't mean we won't criticise Apple's design choices. In fact, in my colleague Anthony's review of the Mac mini M4, he said that, "if only Apple hadn’t put the power button on the bottom of the device, this would be a near perfect upgrade over the Mac mini M2."

Well, there's some good news to share today because with the release of macOS 26.5 Tahoe, Apple has finally delivered a software solution to this hardware headache.

The latest update introduces a new 'Power Control' section within the Energy settings, specifically designed for Mac desktops like the Mac mini, Mac Studio, and iMac. The standout feature as far as a lot of users (and Anthony) are concerned? Support for external switches.

That means you'll be able to use compatible accessories to power off or restart the Mac mini without ever needing to access the physical button on the underside of the chassis. What's more, according to Apple's support document, the new update will also give users the choice to have their Mac mini, Mac Studio, or iMac automatically turn on when connected to power. Nice!

Despite Apple categorizing this as an accessibility feature, I'd argue the addition of switch support is a big quality-of-life upgrade for all users. Especially if you like to tinker with your desk setup. For example, you could mount a compatible third-party switch to the side of your keyboard and have it always within reach.

Apple itself seems to quietly acknowledge the design misstep, noting this new feature is particularly helpful, “when you don't have easy access to the computer's power button.”

How to enable Power Control

If you’ve updated to macOS 26.5, you can find these new options by navigating to System Settings > Energy. From there, a new Power Control menu allows you to pair your external switches.

Additionally, the update includes a toggle to have your Mac automatically boot up as soon as it’s connected to power — a feature previously reserved for server-grade hardware but now available to the Mac mini M4, iMac M4, and the 2025 Mac Studio.

Bottom line

The macOS 26.5 is a relatively small update for Mac, but this particular addition does seem like it'll make a meaningful difference.

Hopefully, this small change means Apple is taking on board feedback that users and reviewers are pointing out — even if it's through software solutions rather than hardware revamps.

Of course, whether or not the next iteration of the Mac mini keeps the power button on the underside remains to be seen. Maybe that's a question for John Ternus to answer when he takes the reins at Apple in September.

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For all the things I (and many others) are wary about in the AI future, there are certainly some obvious uses for the technology.

Running huge calculations in a fraction of the time, translating text, and other “donkey work” is what it should be used for, rather than an excuse to overwrite humankind’s propensity for creativity.

As a writer, one of the most frustrating parts of interviews has long been transcribing voice to text. It’s got much better in recent years, but it’s often required expensive, sometimes demanding software tools.

I stumbled upon TypeWhisper, and it’s a fantastic AI tool for transcription - and it runs locally.

Talking to myself

TypeWhisper is free to use for non-commercial purposes, but you can pay for additional models. I’ve been testing the app with the WhisperKit LLM, installed locally on my MacBook Air.

This means there are multiple sizes to choose from, and I’ve settled on the Large v3 model at 1.5GB - but some models are as small as 40MB.

Out of the box, though, it’s pretty fantastic. I use a hotkey (tied to HyperKey, which I wrote about recently) to trigger voice-to-text, and that allows me to speak and see live transcription at the top of my screen within the Mac’s ‘notch’ - almost like an iPhone’s Dynamic Island.

In my testing, I’ve found it’s a great way to get ideas down so I can copy them into my writing app of choice (usually Drafts or Google Docs). It’s not perfect, but when pointing it at an American Dad episode playing in the room, it did a great job of transcribing its absurdist humor to text.

I can add phrases to the dictionary so that “Eggs Box” becomes “Xbox” more consistently, and more besides.

You talking to me?

That brings us to the real draw, though - file transcription. The majority of interviews I’ve conducted are recorded on messaging platforms and sent over as audio or video files.

What once involved slowly working through with headphones on now needs to be dragged, dropped, and transcribed by TypeWhisper. Naturally, larger models will have more consistent results (particularly if you’re plugging in cloud models like Chat-GPT), but in wanting to keep my environmental footprint to a minimum, I’ve been very pleased with the local model. It can even export to subtitle files with timestamps - ideal for content creation.

There’s a Workflow function to take transcriptions and run automations on them, like dropping them into a specific application.

All in all, what began as a curiosity in my own workflows has become something I can see myself using more and more often.

TypeWhisper is stable in macOS right now, and it’s in beta for Windows and alpha for iOS.

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WWDC 2026 is just around the corner, and so is macOS 27. Will Apple get rid of Liquid Glass? No, but according to the latest Mark Gurman report, the company looks set to address some of the key frustrations about it — all while adding some nifty new features and optimizations to the OS too.

With it being quite the make-or-break year for Apple’s AI ambitions, Safari looks set to get awesome new tech to automate tab grouping (alongside the revamped Gemini-infused Siri), and there is even talk about prepping the desktop OS for touch.

A ‘slight redesign’ to tackle Liquid Glass problems

In his newsletter, Gurman has reported that a “slight redesign” is coming to help address the readability problems that Liquid Glass has caused — namely the “shadows and transparency quirks.”

It’s been one of my biggest pet peeves with macOS over the past few months, but also one I’ve been conflicted about because I do actually like the transparency of Liquid Glass giving me subtle context clues of where my windows are. So if we could get better text visibility, improved scroll bar placement and less shadow effects taking over the screen, that would be a damn good place to start.

Thoughtful AI usage in Safari

Same as what Gurman has been told about test versions of iOS 27, a new “Organize Tabs” button is set to be added to Safari for AI-infused automatic tab grouping in Apple’s Safari.

Taking the manual process out of figuring out all your browser tabs (and catching up with other browsers that have been doing this for a while), Apple is dealing with the groups for you and “you can choose whether you want the grouping to occur automatically or not.”

Touch-ready for MacBook Ultra

This is the big question mark. All rumors are pointing to a touchscreen MacBook Ultra launching later this year — it’s gotten us so excited that we got impatient and created our own touch iMac.

So it stands to reason that with new hardware, the software needs to catch up. macOS may look rather touch-friendly with its iOS stylings, but it’s certainly a bit awkward to use in this way. In another Gurman report, it sounds like this is finally the year where we’ll see it happen.

However, don’t expect it to be out in the wild for you to test in betas. Given it’s potentially connected to new devices, you can expect the Cupertino Crew to keep this one hidden until the Ultra reportedly breaks cover towards the end of this year/beginning of next year.

This needs to be a ‘Snow Leopard’ moment

Remember Snow Leopard? This came after a particularly massive feature-rich version of macOS Leopard — bringing a lot of stuff to the table while introducing some bloat to say the least.

Snow Leopard is easily my favorite version of the OS that Apple has ever launched because it focused simply on everything under the hood. It was a night-and-day difference in speeds and feeds, and everything just felt much more “put together.”

And it’s this feeling that I’ll be looking for in macOS 27. An improved Siri looks ready to potentially bring some agentic capabilities, Liquid Glass needs a tune-up, and while macOS is in a much more power-optimized place now with Apple Silicon, there are still plenty of stability improvements to be made.

If we get this version of Craig Federighi (and his magnificent hair) on stage in June, then you’ll know Apple’s been cooking.

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All things considered, the Mac does a pretty great job of keeping you focused on any given task. Stage Manager isn’t for everyone, but there are a multitude of window management options, Spaces, and those wonderful Focus Modes to help keep you on target.

Still, it’s not always enough, and that’s where Monocle comes in. The app was built with AI, but don’t let that put you off. It essentially locks down your Mac to your specific window of choice, but does so in a way that doesn’t feel overbearing. In fact, it’s so tastefully done that it feels less like you’re being blinkered and more like you’re approaching something close to a flow state.

“What if your screen could stop shouting?”

That’s the question posed by Monocle, and actually, it’s not something I’d necessarily considered before. In my day job, I’m bouncing between Microsoft 365 apps, almost always finding something else to add to my to-do list.

As you flit between windows, it’s so easy to get caught up in the ones in the gaps between what you’re working on. Maybe it’s a notification from your messaging platform of choice, or a tab open with social media. Maybe it’s something as simple as the Spotify window drawing your attention to more playlists to check out.

Monocle essentially blurs out a chunk of your screen behind your active app, letting you focus on what it is you’re actually doing. I’m working on a book right now, and having Drafts open and my research material on the side of it is doing a great job of making me stick to the task at hand.

Stop the world

You can adjust how your background windows are blurred, but the one thing that remains true whether you blur, tint, or even add grain to them, is that it looks great.

Maybe that’s an unexpected byproduct of Apple’s Liquid Glass interface bringing more of its own ‘frosted glass’ ideals to macOS Tahoe, but it feels almost native as a result – as if Apple baked it right into the latest operating system. Even the menu looks like a sort of mini Control Center interface.

Naturally, you can opt to ignore certain apps to keep them visible, but this isn’t a replacement for Focus Modes. In fact, this will, in many ways, be perfect to work in tandem with setting up your notification settings, depending on how you’re working.

I also have my Mac’s dock on the bottom of my screen, and I definitely feel I get more joy out of Monocle when that’s hidden by default. Maybe it’s the kind of thing where I’d prefer it on the side of the screen, but that’s some deep programming I can’t quite unravel just yet. Thankfully, Monocle has an option to hide both the dock and the menu bar.

For now, though, I’m getting a lot more done with Monocle in my corner. The app is free to try for a week, and then it’s $9. If you need it on more than one machine, you can buy three seats for $20.

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Mac users have felt safe behind Gatekeeper — the macOS digital security guard that only lets verified, trusted apps onto your machine. But now, that gate has just developed a massive crack, as hackers have found a way to get around it undetected.

On April 22, the research team at Mosyle Security discovered two forms of malware named “Phoenix Worm” and “ShadeStager.” With them, hackers are now successfully stealing developer keys, which act like a digital passport, and by hijacking them, cybercriminals can disguise malware as Apple-approved apps.

To your MacBook, these viruses don’t look like a threat; they look like trusted guests. And with over 100 million Mac users worldwide, this blind spot means that even the most cautious users could be downloading a disaster in disguise.

How it works

The attack doesn’t start with you, but with the people who make your favorite apps. Hackers target the developers with a tag-team effort between these two new threats. First, the Phoenix Worm is snuck onto a developers system through a range of social engineering attacks — think recruiters with fake job offers or urgent coding tasks from clients.

Once it's there, Phoenix Worm is the inside man, which gives your Mac a secret ID number, waits for instructions, and even keeps watch for security software to hide further away from it.

When the coast is clear, the Phoenix Worm calls in the heavy hitter: ShadeStager. This specialist comes in and takes over developer keys, cloud credentials and secret dev tools. And while this digital heist happens behind the scenes, the fallout lands squarely on your desktop.

With these master keys, hackers can forge Apple’s verified seal of approval on any malicious file they want. By compromising the tools used to build apps, hackers are essentially poisoning the well in the Mac’s walled garden — turning a trusted developer’s reputation into a backdoor onto your private machine.

How to avoid this attack

First off, given Apple’s real focus on security, I would not be surprised if a hotfix update is deployed in the next few days to strengthen its verification process. But ultimately, while these two exploits in tandem are sophisticated, they’re not magic — they still need people to let them in.

So from a developer perspective, it’s going to be all about being extra careful of the emails being received. In fact, Apple added a warning into macOS 26.4 when you’re about to paste potentially malicious code into the Terminal app. Stop immediately if you see it.

As for most of you reading this, if you’re downloading apps outside the Mac App store, it’s about exercising some extra caution and asking yourself a couple of questions:

• Do I really know this company?
• If it’s something I’ve never heard of before, is it worth the risk?

And of course, while the Terminal warning above is more to developers, it’s good general advice for you too. If ever you see a website asking you to open the Terminal at all, that’s an automatic “close tab” moment.

Like any computer, your Mac is only as safe as the things you allow it to do, and by staying vigilant and skeptical, you can keep yourself invisible to even the most sophisticated attacks like this one.

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One of the best things about macOS is the huge array of subtle utility apps that you can use to personalize the experience.

Every now and then, an app arrives that makes you sit back and wonder how nobody had thought of it before, and that’s certainly the case with Hyperkey. This small, totally free app has opened up a whole new world of keyboard shortcuts, and I’m here to recommend it to just about anyone using a Mac in 2026 and beyond.

Feeling the Hype

Hyperkey, by Ryan Hanson, is a lightweight app that allows you to map a series of the Mac’s existing modifiers to a single key. Essentially, it combines Shift, Option, Command, and Control into a single key so that you can set modifiers that would otherwise require some finger gymnastics to reach.

If you’re juggling a number of apps at once that rely on similar keyboard shortcuts, then it can be tough to keep track of what pressing each will do. Swapping these to include all four Mac modifier keys, it makes things a little simpler.

As an example, many apps within macOS support some type of dictation, but I’ve set a shortcut for CMD, Option, Shift, Ctrl, and Space bar to begin recording. That would be super uncomfortable to hit, but Hyperkey means I just hold a single key and press Space to get started.

To Caps Lock or not to Caps Lock

Many Hyperkey users (and the developer) suggest remapping the Caps Lock key to be your Hyperkey. This works, unless you’re super attached to your Caps Lock as I am.

Being a writer, I’ve grown so accustomed to using that specific key that I struggled to integrate Hyperkey into my workflow on earlier attempts, but it’s worth noting that you can delegate whichever key you need. You can even use Caps Lock for your Hyperkey while assigning your Caps Lock to something like Esc.

If you’re happy to use Shift for upper case lettering, then Caps Lock is an ideal candidate, but I’ve begun using the right-sided Command key instead. I very rarely venture to that area of the keyboard, and this gives it a purpose that’s not too easy to hit while in full flow.

So, what to use it for? The possibilities are essentially endless, but I’ve been having a lot of joy using it in tandem with Alfred (my launcher of choice). Alfred gets me to files and apps, but Hyperkey + P opens my password manager, Hyperkey + D takes me to the desktop, and I’ve tied a few handy folders in there, too.

Take it to the next level

Ready to take things up a notch? Here's where things get really interesting, because when you plug Hyperkey into Raycast, you can unlock a whole lot more. Again, this is a free-to-use app (there is a paid Pro version that seems to give you AI features, but you can skip those).

What Raycast does is essentially give you a version of Spotlight search on steroids with a bunch of mappable keyboard shortcuts to not only open apps, but use functions within apps. And in the settings, you'll find an option to map things to the Hyperkey!

And in my time using this combo, it's been a dream. Created a macOS shortcut you want to open with a simple keyboard press? Caps Lock + P gives me my Pomodoro timer. Need to search between all 50+ Chrome tabs? The Google Chrome extension gives you an easy to scroll list of everything you've got open.

Now, I know I've barely scratched the surface here. There are even ways to use Hyperkey + Raycast to execute multiple functions at once, or even individual toolsets in creative apps like Final Cut Pro. But for speeding up the day-to-day, this saves crucial minutes!

Free productivity hack

So I ask you to be honest with yourself — how much do you actually use the Caps Lock key? Most of us have gotten used to holding Shift while angrily typing out an all caps message, and that's a rarity.

It's precious real estate that could be used for something better, and Hyperkey is that something. Truly a breakthrough for my productivity and given its ease of setup with Raycast or Alfred, a bridging gap between following Apple's paths of getting stuff done to unlocking peak performance.

And given the app is absolutely free, I’d recommend giving it a try in macOS Tahoe and beyond.

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Although you certainly can leave your Mac on for days at a time without any issues, a newly discovered macOS bug will certainly make you think twice about doing so.

As reported by Tom’s Hardware, the AI infrastructure and developer tools startup Photon recently discovered a “ticking time bomb” that affects every Mac. Fortunately, though, this isn’t a security bug that can be exploited by hackers. Instead, it’s the kind of bug that could leave you scratching your head if you use one of the best MacBooks and leave your laptop on for over a month at a time.

According to a blog post from Photon, “every Mac has a hidden expiration date.” No, your Mac won’t become unusable, and you won’t have to upgrade to a new machine. However, “after exactly 49 days, 17 hours, 2 minutes and 47 seconds of continuous uptime,” macOS experiences an “integer overflow” that “freezes the internal TCP timestamp clock.”

But what does this mean for the average Mac user? Well, once your machine has been running for exactly this long, existing TCP network connections won’t expire as they normally should. Essentially, this means that your Mac won’t be able to connect to the internet, which is why many of us get a computer in the first place.

Photon likely let Apple know once it discovered this issue, and the firm is currently working on its own solution. However, there’s an easy fix that won’t require an update or bringing your Mac to an Apple Store.

A simple workaround

If you’re worried about your Mac losing internet connectivity, don’t be. The issue itself stems from integer overflow, where your Mac’s TCP timestamp clock keeps counting until it reaches a max value of 4,294,967,295 seconds or 49.7 days.

To get around this, all you have to do is reboot your Mac before the 49-day mark, and everything will be fine. Just like on one of the best iPhones, you should reboot your Mac every week. To make things easier, you can even schedule your Mac to turn off and on.

Besides fixing this specific macOS bug, a reboot also flushes memory leaks, clears system caches and temp files, cools down the machine and resets peripheral controllers, which can help rectify other odd glitches with Bluetooth and USB-C docks.

Apple isn’t alone here either, as Windows 98 also crashed after 49.7 days of uptime. Likewise, when it comes to running out of digits while counting, this same issue is why we were all so worried about Y2K back in 1999, and it’s also why the year 2038 could lead to similar concerns when Unix is no longer able to measure time for the same reason. But that’s a problem for another day.

I’m sure that Apple is aware of this issue and is taking steps to address it, hopefully in the next big macOS update. In the meantime, though, just remember to give your Mac a reboot every seven days, and you’ll be perfectly fine.

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The Mac can be a wonderful platform, as many of its users will tell you. Developers constantly release apps that take on the first-party selection in macOS Tahoe, and it's easy to get lost in the noise. Chief amongst them is the frustrating Mail app.

So when I saw that a former Apple software engineer, who worked on Mail, had srtuck out on his own, I was immediately curious about how they would go it alone. Turns out Neil Jhaveri’s Mimestream might just be the slickest, swiftest email app on Mac, and you owe it to yourself to give it a try — especially if you use Gmail.

The Inbox In The Room

To Apple's credit, Mail has grown to become much more useful in recent years, and if it’s working for you, then it’s right there for you. But if you’re using Gmail, you’ll want to take a look at Mimestream. Perhaps the greatest compliment I can give the app is that it feels like using an app that Apple itself built, which is perhaps unsurprising given Jhaveri’s history.

I’ve simply never used an email app that’s this quick, because it leans on the Gmail API. That means as you get an email to your Gmail account, you’re not waiting for it to appear in Mimestream - it’s just there. It’s been a godsend for running my business out of, because it’s so reliable - no sync issues, no deep diving into settings, and no forced downloads of messages eating up valuable storage.

Gmail’s API already offers inbox Categories and the option to add labels, and those instantly transfer across to Mimestream, too. Social emails go to the relevant inbox, and you can filter by label. Server-side Gmail filters can be managed within the app, too, meaning it’s rare you’ll need to go to the web version of the app.

I’ve long used email apps like Spark, but Mimestream is just so sleek that it removes all friction. My favorite feature? Gmail’s own search functionality is a cut above the likes of Outlook and others, and it’s replicated here beautifully.

Mimestream is only getting better, too. As an example, the upcoming Snooze functionality will be a big win for night owls like myself who love to work when the family is asleep, saving the inbox from looking cuttered until I’m ready to deal with it.

It’s Great On iPhone, Too

There’s already a well-stacked roadmap for Mimestream, but I’ve been lucky enough to test the iPhone version early.

Not only does it somehow feel more useful than Apple Mail, Spark, Notion Mail and more on mobile, but it’s still got things like search baked in, even at this early stage.

There’s still a long way to go, though - the development team has said it’s considering support for IMAP accounts from the likes of iCloud or Yahoo, but for now it’s essentially just a Gmail app.

Downloading emails is tricky, too, because of the way the Gmail API works, and since Gmail doesn’t include features like scheduled send, these aren’t coming anytime soon.

Still, if you’re looking for an email app for the Mac, the $50 per year for an individual (on up to 5 devices) is well worth it for me.

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Instead of waiting for you to download a bad app or a malicious file, hackers have spent the last two years tricking unsuspecting users into infecting their own computers with malware. Known as ClickFix, this tactic is now widely used by both hackers and scammers but with its new macOS Tahoe 26.4 update, Apple has implemented a way to warn potential victims before it’s too late.

Although it was first used to target Windows devices, this social engineering technique was later tweaked to go after Macs too. Just like with other attacks, it starts with lure and in this case, that’s a fix to a common computer problem. Whether it be a microphone that isn’t working before a video call or a connection error that’s slowing down your internet, everyone wants a quick fix to their problems and that’s exactly what the hackers leveraging this technique gave them, albeit with a twist.

On the fake websites used in ClickFix attacks, a pop-up tells you there is a problem with your computer. A 'Fix It' button magically appears, promising an instant solution. Clicking on it copies a command to your clipboard and from there, you just have to paste it into Terminal (or a Command Prompt on Windows), hit Enter and then everything should be fixed. Right? Well that couldn’t be further from the truth.

You see, that command you copied over is actually malicious and as BleepingComputer points out, once you paste it, any existing security measures on your computer are bypassed. From there, the hackers behind these ClickFix attacks can then infect your Mac or Windows PC with malware.

Fortunately though, Apple has added a new warning to macOS which appears when you try to paste potentially harmful commands in Terminal. To see if this really works, I decided to give it a try on one of the best MacBooks. Here’s what happened.

Putting Apple’s new warning to the test

Since I’m currently testing out the MacBook Pro 16-inch M5 Pro we recently reviewed, I wanted to see if I could get one of Apple’s new warning messages to appear for myself. It took a bit of extra work but I finally managed to see one for myself.

To do so, I first took a look at a blog post from Sophos on how ClickFix attacks have evolved over the past year. From fake sites using OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas browser as a lure to a malvertising campaign that leveraged sponsored links tied to ChatGPT searches to impersonating legitimate Apple sites, hackers continue to come up with new ways to trick Mac users into infecting their own computers with malware.

Since I wanted to try out Apple’s new ClickFix warning for myself, I went to the middle of that blog post where Sophos has a table with all of the malicious domains used in one of these campaigns. I tried putting a few of them into my browser’s address bar but fortunately, they have all since been taken down. What was good news for potential victims was bad news for me since I wanted to find a malicious command to copy and try to paste into Terminal.

From there, I had to get a bit creative and employed the help of Google Gemini. I asked the search giant’s chatbot about whether or not it could come up with a command I could use to trick macOS Tahoe into showing its new warning. It came up with this suspicious looking but harmless string: echo "SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=" | base64 --decode.

Much to my surprise, when I copied that string and tried to paste it into Terminal on my Mac, the warning message instantly appeared, saying:“Possible malware, Paste blocked. Your Mac has not been harmed. Scammers often encourage pasting text into Terminal to try and harm your Mac or compromise your privacy. These instructions are commonly offered via websites, chat agents, apps, files, or a phone call.”

Even though the string Gemini came up with was harmless, I still clicked “Don’t Paste” anyway out of an abundance of caution. And with that, my little test was complete.

While this new warning message will likely keep Mac users safe from falling for ClickFix attacks, oddly enough, Apple doesn’t even mention it in its own macOS Tahoe 26.4 release notes. Still, it’s good to know it’s there keeping you safe from infecting your own computer with Mac malware in the background.

When it comes to Windows, Microsoft has had a multi-line paste warning in Windows Terminal for years now. However, unlike with Apple's new warning, it isn't context-aware. So instead of seeing the warning when copying code from a suspicious website, Windows users see it whenever they try to paste multiple lines of code at the same time.

How to stay safe from ClickFix attacks

Although Apple will now warn you when you try to copy something from your browser and paste it into Terminal, you won’t see this new warning message unless you’re running the latest version of macOS. As such, just like with phishing attacks, you still want to know how to spot a ClickFix attack so that you can avoid them entirely.

Since hackers often try to instill a sense of urgency to get potential victims to do things they ordinarily wouldn’t like copying something and pasting it into a Terminal window or a Command Prompt, you want to slow down and think things over first. You want to be extra cautious whenever a website or app asks you to do something you normally wouldn’t.

At the same time, you should also avoid running code or commands that you’ve copied from a website, email or a message. Since most people won’t be able to make heads or tails of what that line of code or command actually does, it’s best to just avoid copying and pasting anything that doesn’t come from a trusted source. If you do have to enter commands, it’s always better to write them out yourself than to just copy and paste them.

While your Mac comes with built-in security protections in the form of Gatekeeper and XProtect, you can never be too careful. That’s why I recommend running the best Mac antivirus software alongside Apple’s own security software. That way, you’re protected with an extra layer of security.

Likewise, you also want to take some extra time and make sure you’re acquainted with all of the latest malware campaigns and tactics currently being used by hackers and other cybercriminals. Given how rapidly ClickFix attacks have evolved and how successful they’ve been in just two short years, I don’t see them going away anytime soon. That’s why it’s up to you to practice good cyber hygiene and to always be careful where you click or in this case, what you copy and paste.

At least for those running macOS 26.4, Apple has finally provided a 'stop-and-think' moment. It’s a silent guardian that acts as a final safety net if you slip up and try to paste a command that isn’t what it seems."

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The MacBook Neo’s 8GB of unified memory has been a major topic of conversation since Apple announced this new budget-friendly $599 laptop. And that makes sense, given how resource-heavy web pages have become, along with Chrome’s infamous high memory usage. If you’re the kind of student or digital nomad this laptop is aimed at, it’s natural to wonder if the Neo can handle your average workflow.

To that end, we decided to put the MacBook Neo through a stress test that simulates a typical day of use. While you might not ever have so many open tabs and apps running on the Neo, it’s interesting to see what Apple’s entry-level MacBook can and can’t handle. At what point will you hit a bottleneck?

Here, we opened Chrome tabs one by one, loading lighter and more demanding websites, and kept going until we started noticing slowdown. To make the test more demanding, we disabled Chrome’s memory saver feature. This is a RAM-saving feature I recommend enabling when using Chrome on the best laptops and best computers, but for this test, we wanted to see how well the Neo would perform without it.

Without spoiling the results, the MacBook Neo is more capable than you would expect from a machine with 8GB of RAM. You need to have a lot going on before you’ll feel the laptop buckling under the workload. Though capable, it’s important to remember that this is a budget machine, so don’t expect to render 4K videos or run other demanding apps without hitting constraints.

Are you worried about the 8GB RAM limit, or do you think it’s enough for the light work the MacBook Neo was designed for? Share your thoughts in the video and in the comments section below. Also, don’t forget to check out our separate gaming test featuring Cyberpunk 2077 and Resident Evil 4 Remake on the Neo.

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If you’ve been considering upgrading to one of the best MacBooks, you’re in luck: Apple just released the MacBook Neo. Starting at $599 (or $499 for education), this is Cupertino’s most affordable laptop yet and a fantastic entry point into the Mac ecosystem.

Up until now, you had to choose between the $1,099 MacBook Air for portability or the $599 Mac mini M4 if you were willing to stay tethered to a desk. In our MacBook Neo review, we praised the new device as the best budget laptop yet, but there is still another option worth considering.

First launched back in late 2020, the MacBook Air M1 surprisingly still holds up today. Though it initially launched at $999, the release of the M2, M3, M4, and now the MacBook Air M5 has driven the price of the original Air with Apple Silicon down significantly. In fact, you can often find the M1 on sale for $599, putting it in direct competition with the brand-new Neo.

Now that we’ve fully tested the MacBook Neo, we can see how it stacks up against the legend. If you’re deciding between the two, read this before you rush out to buy Apple’s most colorful MacBook yet.

MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1: Specs

MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1: Design

The MacBook Neo and the MacBook Air M1 are both 13-inch laptops, though the Air sports a slightly larger 13.3-inch display. This also gives it a minor edge in resolution, but the real difference is in the look: the Air M1 keeps its "classic" square corners and thicker bottom chin, while the Neo adopts modern, rounded corners.

The biggest design departure is the color. In addition to Silver, the Neo comes in three vibrant shades: Blush (pink), Indigo (deep blue), and Citrus (yellow). We tried out the Citrus model, and its bright greenish-yellow hue definitely pops the most. Another nice touch is that the Neo's keys are color-matched to its shell, making the whole machine feel cohesive.

However, that keyboard comes with a compromise. While you get the same reliable scissor-switches and 1mm of travel found on the Air M1, the Neo doesn't have a backlit keyboard. You also lose out on standard biometric security; while Touch ID is included on every Air M1, getting it on the Neo requires an optional $100 upgrade.

Apple simplified the trackpad to cut costs, too. While the Air M1 features a Force Touch trackpad that uses haptics to mimic a click, the Neo’s trackpad is mechanical. It still feels great, but it’s a physical "diving board" click rather than the high-tech feedback found on more expensive MacBooks.

Physically, these two are close but not identical. The Neo is smaller overall, but the Air M1 still feels like the "sharper" device thanks to its iconic tapered wedge that thins out at the front. The Neo is also the new lightweight champ at 2.7 pounds, beating the Air M1 by a hair.

Port layout is another area where "budget" becomes a factor. Both have two USB-C ports on the left, but only the Air M1 gives you high-speed Thunderbolt 3 on both. On the Neo, the rear port is a faster USB 3, while the front one is a slow USB 2 port mostly meant for charging. The Neo also moves the headphone jack to the left, whereas it sits on the right on the Air M1.

Where the Neo finally pulls ahead is the webcam. Its 1080p camera is a massive upgrade over the Air M1’s grainy 720p sensor, even if both laptops still lack Center Stage.

Finally, the audio vibes are different. The Air M1 hides its speakers under the keyboard for a fuller soundstage, while the Neo uses side-firing speakers. While the Neo supports Dolby Atmos, the Air M1’s three-mic array still gives it the edge for sounding your best on video calls compared to the Neo’s dual-mic setup.

MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1: Performance

The most debated part of the MacBook Neo is its brain. While the Air M1 uses a true M-series computer chip, the Neo runs on the A18 Pro — a powerhouse originally designed for the iPhone 16 Pro.

In our testing, the Neo’s "phone chip" proved it has some serious speed, especially in single-core tasks where it feels much snappier for day-to-day browsing and app-launching. However, it still falls slightly behind the M1 in sustained tasks like our Handbrake video transcoding test. It’s also worth noting that we tested the Neo with the newer Geekbench 6, while our older Air M1 results come from Geekbench 5.

As a daily driver, the Neo held its own with a couple dozen Chrome tabs open while juggling Slack and photo edits in Pixelmator Pro. It’s a responsive machine for the most part, though we did notice some lag when jumping into the Display settings right from Finder while connected to a Studio Display — likely a reminder that this mobile architecture has its limits.

The Air M1, by contrast, feels like it has a bit more "breathing room" during heavy multitasking. Part of that is thanks to its faster SSD, and part is because our review unit was configured with 16GB of RAM, whereas the Neo is strictly capped at 8GB.

Ultimately, both chips are designed for different missions. The M1 was built from the ground up to handle the "heavy lifting" of macOS, while the A18 Pro was optimized for the efficiency of iOS. For web browsing and schoolwork, the Neo is a delight; but if your workload is on the heavier side, the M1’s desktop-class architecture is still the better choice.

MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1: Display

Although the Neo and the Air M1 appear to have almost identical screens at first glance, there are some key differences between the two. They both feature 13-inch LED-backlit panels with Apple’s “Retina” branding but deciding on the better laptop display will come down to your workflow.

Given its more affordable price, the Neo lacks the color depth of the P3 Wide Color gamut found on the Air M1 and uses the sRGB color gamut instead. This is fine for writing emails, watching videos and doing schoolwork but you won’t get the same pop that you will with the Air M1’s screen. Likewise, you don’t get True Tone technology on the Neo which uses sensors to adjust the color temperature of the Air M1’s display to match a room’s ambient lighting.

There’s one last big difference between the two laptops as well and that comes down to brightness. Since it uses an older display, the Air M1 only managed to reach a max brightness of 365 nits in our lab tests. Meanwhile, the newer Neo hit 480 nits in the same tests. If you plan to use either Apple laptop outdoors for extended periods, the Neo will be much more visible in direct sunlight.

MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1: Graphics

You won’t be playing the latest AAA games on either of these more affordable MacBooks, but you will be able to do some light gaming. Given the A18 Pro chip inside the Neo, it naturally handles mobile games designed for iOS well, while the M1 chip in the Air is better suited for actual PC games — albeit older ones.

For instance, when we originally reviewed the Air M1, we were easily able to play older titles like Bioshock 2 Remastered at its native 2560 x 1600 resolution. Rise of the Tomb Raider and Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Gathering Storm were both playable too, though neither hit a steady 60 fps.

It’s worth noting that those were older Intel-based versions running via Rosetta 2; in the years since, many more games have been ported to run natively on Apple Silicon, meaning there is an even larger library of older titles you can enjoy on the Air M1 today.

With the Neo, we tested out Oceanhorn 3 via Apple Arcade for our review and then later, the Resident Evil 4 Remake. While the graphics looked smooth for the most part, we did notice some skipped frames here and there.

The Neo does have one graphical trick up its sleeve, however: hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This allows it to render more realistic lighting and reflections in modern, optimized titles — a feature the M1 lacks entirely. Still, neither MacBook is a gaming powerhouse.

MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1: Battery life

The MacBook Air M1 should technically have the advantage here with its larger 49.9-watt-hour battery, compared to the Neo’s smaller 36.5-watt-hour cell. However, since the Neo is powered by an extremely efficient 3nm chip, the A18 Pro helps this new MacBook come much closer to the Air M1 than you’d expect.

In our Tom’s Guide battery test, which involves continuous web surfing at 150 nits of screen brightness, the results were surprisingly close. As you can see in the table above, you’re essentially getting one hour less with the Neo compared to the Air M1. Still, 13.5 hours of continuous use is quite a lot for an affordable MacBook designed for students and office workers; you can easily make it through a full workday without having to reach for a charger.

The charging situation is where you'll find the biggest day-to-day difference. While the Air M1 can be charged via either of its identical USB-C ports, the Neo requires a bit more strategy. We recommend using the front port for charging, as its slower USB 2.0 speeds are perfect for power. This leaves the faster rear port free for a high-speed SSD or for connecting to an external monitor.

Finally, there’s the question of charging speed. The Neo ships with a compact 20W charger, while the Air M1 comes with a standard 30W adapter. If you’re in a hurry, the Air M1 has a distinct advantage: you can plug it into a higher-wattage 60W or 100W GaN charger and it will pull up to 45W, cutting your wait time significantly. Unfortunately, the Neo is capped at its lower speeds, so you'll be waiting a bit longer to get back to 100%.

MacBook Neo vs MacBook Air M1: Outlook

Choosing between the new MacBook Neo and the veteran MacBook Air M1 is surprisingly difficult, even with six years of tech evolution between them. While the Neo sports a much more modern design with vibrant colors and a sharper webcam, the Air M1 still feels like a "pro" machine in an older body.

If you want a laptop that feels current and will be supported by Apple for years to come, the Neo is the better choice. It’s snappy enough for daily tasks and serves as a fantastic upgrade for anyone coming from a Chromebook or a budget Windows laptop. For those who spend most of their time in a browser or on FaceTime, the Neo’s modern aesthetic and improved camera are hard to beat.

However, if you aren't willing to sacrifice the premium features Apple cut to hit the Neo’s $599 price point, the Air M1 is the better option. With its backlit keyboard, standard Touch ID, faster SSD, and dual Thunderbolt ports, it remains better suited for users who need to multitask or handle slightly more demanding workloads.

Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with either, but longevity is the tie-breaker. The Neo is likely to receive macOS updates until the early 2030s, whereas the Air M1 is nearing the end of its software support cycle. If you want a machine that is "set and forget" for the next several years, the Neo is Apple’s colorful, affordable answer to the entry-level Mac.

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As with virtually all tech companies these days, Apple has jumped into the AI race with its own Apple Intelligence, with features like AI-powered summaries that can condense a lengthy block of text in seconds. But your Mac can already do that without AI.

With Summarize, an often forgotten 20-year-old tool that's built into your Mac, you can easily highlight long web articles, PDFs or huge chunks of text and get a quick summary of what's important. Get this: it's actually faster than AI, and you can even adjust the size of the summary in real time using a slider.

This nifty tool was around as far back as 2001 in the Mac OS X days, and it's still available to use right now on macOS Tahoe. All you have to do is turn it on. Now, don't get me wrong; AI is far smarter at summarizing articles into short, understandable briefs, but for those who prefer word-for-word summaries and don't want to rely on cloud-based AI tools from ChatGPT, Gemini or even Apple Intelligence itself, give this a try.

How to turn on Summarize on Mac

The built-in Summarize tool on Mac, whether it's a MacBook or Mac mini, is a great way to break down those huge walls of words in documents or articles into sentences or paragraphs, and it's even able to pick up the most relevant information.

Instead of generative AI-based summarization, it analyzes text and removes filler and non-essential info to shorten whatever is highlighted, prioritizing key sentences. This means you'll get a shortened version of exactly what is written, which is great if you're looking for key parts in a long passage of text.

It's been on Mac for years, but it's turned off by default. However, once you turn it on, you can get a quick summary of whatever length in just two clicks. Follow the steps below to get it set up.

How to use Summarize on Mac

Once you've got it working, you can choose whatever text you like to instantly get a shorter version and quickly get the key points. Even better, thanks to the Summary Size slider, you can choose just how long this summary will be.

For example, if I just wanted a "SparkNotes" of sorts version of an article or document, I can put the slider to 10% to get a couple of paragraphs on the most important parts of a piece. If I need more detail, I can simply slide it further up the scale, which will add more paragraphs to offer more context. It goes all the way to 100%, which defeats the purpose of Summarize, but whatever output you need, it offers the full scale.

There are also two options to choose from: Sentences and Paragraphs. I found the latter to be less effective, as it will remove whole chunks of paragraphs that may have relevant sentences within them. Stick with Sentences to get finer details.

As I touched on, you'll find word-for-word summaries of highlighted text, as opposed to newly formed information that AI summaries offer. That's good if you're looking for exactly what an article has stated, but it can also get confusing when whole sentences or paragraphs are skipped, as there's sometimes not enough meaning to fill in the gaps.

Look, AI summaries are still a handy tool to have, and they can do a great job at quickly nailing down important points in an email, document and more. But sometimes, they can be unreliable, and that's when the Summarize tool on Mac can come in handy. It's instant, can work offline and doesn't send any data to the cloud, since it's done locally.

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Apple began rolling out developer beta 1 for macOS Tahoe 26.4 yesterday, and it’s now available for public beta users. Some of these releases can be a bit lean, but this one actually has some useful features to check out.

As 9to5Mac reports, the beta is now available for anyone who’s enrolled in Apple’s free Beta Software Program. If you’ve been holding off on the developer build, this is a good time to dive in, so long as you’re comfortable with potential beta bugs.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s coming to your Mac with version 26.4.

Battery charge limit for MacBooks

This is the most notable update in this build. As you can currently do on iOS 26 and iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe now lets you set a specific Battery Charge Limit. You can choose to cap your maximum charge anywhere between 80% and 100%.

If you’re like me and spend 90% of your time with your MacBook plugged into a wall outlet or dock, this is a good way to maintain long-term battery health. Keeping your battery at a constant 100% can degrade it faster over time, so being able to hard-cap it at 80% while you're at your desk is a feature that has been a long time coming.

The end of Rosetta apps

Apple has added new Rosetta warning popups that appear whenever you launch an app built for Intel processors. The pop-up serves as a reminder that macOS 27 (which will likely release later this year) will officially drop support for Rosetta and Intel-based apps.

As we’ve known for a while, macOS Tahoe is the final stop for Intel Macs. If you’re still using a legacy machine, this beta is essentially the beginning of the end. It’s a clear signal from Apple that it’s officially time to upgrade to a Mac with an M-series chip.

Small fixes and Safari tweaks

For Safari fans, the compact tab bar option has returned to System Settings. It was missing from the initial launch of Tahoe, but it's back for those who prefer a more streamlined browser UI.

Apple also claims to have finally squashed a persistent UI bug regarding window corner radii. Apparently, the window resize pointer wasn't correctly following the curved shape of the windows. That’s a small detail, but one that probably drove some folks crazy.

How to get the macOS Tahoe Public Beta

If you want to try these features yourself, you can head over to beta.apple.com to sign up. Once enrolled, just go to System Settings > General > Software Update and toggle on the Tahoe Public Beta.

Just a word of advice from someone who uses beta builds: Back up your data. While this 26.4 build feels relatively stable, you never want to risk your primary work machine on a beta without a Time Machine backup ready to go.

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Loud laptop fan noise is distracting and often signals your laptop is working harder than it should be. Fans spin faster and louder when you're laptop overheats, struggles with demanding programs, or accumulates dust that blocks airflow. What starts as an occasional noise can escalate into constant whirring that makes working, watching videos, or focusing nearly impossible.

Most loud fan problems stem from fixable issues rather than hardware failure. Before assuming your laptop is on its way out, here's three straightforward adjustments that reduce fan noise significantly. Plus, these fixes work regardless of what brand of laptop you're using, or model.

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We’ve heard for a while that Apple could be looking to move its MacBook lineup to a touchscreen setup, and short of seemingly spelling the end of some high-powered tablet alternatives like the iPad Pro M5, you only have to watch a newer generation prod at your Mac screen to know that it’s only a matter of time.

Fresh from my son poking my MacBook Air M3 with his digits, though, I was thinking: “How could Apple make using touch on the Mac a more pleasant experience?”

After all, the idea of navigating the macOS menu bar with your fingertips sounds, frankly, rough — but is the solution the Apple Pencil, a device that’s been staring us in the face for years?

Minimal fresh UI needed

To start with, I think Apple’s touchscreen laptops are a near certainty in the future. Whether it’ll be limited to a certain product line, like the rumored MacBook Pro M6 with OLED, or a new one entirely, remains to be seen — but I just can’t see Apple wanting to roll out two versions of macOS with different touch targets.

It would require an awful lot of work to adjust just about every part of the OS for a touchscreen, with Mac mainstays like the menu bar, the settings app and Finder likely to need major surgery.

What if, then, Apple leaned into the precision already available in its stylus? The Apple Pencil has been around the block enough times to have multiple hardware revisions, constantly improving and adding new features, culminating in the impressive (but inessential for many) Apple Pencil Pro.

If these touchscreen Macs end up having fresh designs, then we’d get yet another way for Apple to cram magnetic charging à la MagSafe into a device for charging the stylus. Moreover, while it would be a good decade and change since the Microsoft Surface Pen rollout, and other Apple Pen alternatives, Apple silicon could make these styluses much more desirable and capable.

Mac for creatives (again)

A few years ago, the Mac was positioned as the machine for creators, particularly the MacBook. Access to the likes of Final Cut and Logic, as well as being a great place to use Adobe apps, meant Apple laptops were exciting — the kind of machines great ideas sprung from.

In recent years, the move to Apple silicon has undoubtedly made Mac a stronger platform, but it’s lost some of that upstart energy for creatives.

With the reveal and release of its Apple Creator Studio software and services bundle, however, Apple has a chance to show it still has that spark. If it can roll out a touchscreen MacBook that uses the Apple Pencil, it could position the platform as the go-to for artists, note-takers and more, in a way that the iPad (despite its many positives) hasn’t quite achieved for many.

If Apple can bring back some of the creator audience that shifted to alternative platforms in recent years, with Apple Pencil support in Pixelmator and even third-party options like Adobe, it could be onto a winner.

The iPad Pro M2 also introduced "Hover," a way to see what action you’ll take before the Pencil even touches the page. If the company gets that feature on board, it could be a huge boon and way to show how its offering can be just as precise (or even moreso) than its rivals.

Moot point?

Of course, this could all be for nothing. Apple’s next big MacBook refresh could be a while off, and by the time it arrives, it may have put some version of macOS on iPad instead.

In any case, it feels like having an Apple Pencil-centric interface for macOS (while potentially more expensive) could be a great way to foster a second coming of a creator-based community for Apple.

And, judging by Apple's dev relations in recent years, it could probably do with getting more of them on board again.

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Your Mac is a versatile machine, but many of its features aren't always apparent until you start doing some digging. For example, you may not have learned how to show the hidden files in Mac, and you may be performing some tasks such as renaming multiple files the long way around. But, as this guide shows, you can quickly become a power user simply by being pointed in the right direction.

Here are five file and folder features that aren't immediately apparent when you're using your Mac. By working through them, you will speed up your workflow and ensure greater privacy of your documents.

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I've been a MacBook owner for nearly a decade and an iPhone user for more than five years, and it was only recently that I realized I had not been using either one properly.

Everywhere I go, whether it's my home, a friend's place, a party, or even a hotel while traveling, I'm always looking for a better way to play music or mirror content from my iPhone. Before, I took my own Bluetooth speakers along or, when I wanted to play content on a bigger screen, I would even pack my Apple TV. But the perfect solution had been sitting right in front of me the whole time.

You can AirPlay content directly from your iPhone to your Mac

Apple lets you AirPlay music, videos, photos, and even your iPhone's screen directly to your Mac, without any workarounds or third-party apps. That means the AirPlay device you have been looking for all along has been with you the entire time.

Sure, you can stream audio from services like Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Spotify, but it also works with video streaming apps such as Netflix, HBO Max, and others. And the best part is that none of this requires cables. Everything works wirelessly.

This is especially useful for live sports. You might begin watching a game on your iPhone and then switch to your Mac when you want a larger display. The feature also works for AirPlaying photos and even screen sharing your entire iPhone display to your Mac. I personally use this feature quite often to mirror my iPhone screen to my Mac when I'm recording videos and need to double-check framing.

Your MacBook already has some of the best speakers you'll find on a laptop, and if you use a desktop Mac like a Mac mini or Mac Studio, it's likely connected to a solid set of external speakers. The setup is already there, just waiting to be used, and it's surprisingly easy to get started.

How to prepare your Mac for AirPlay streaming

How to AirPlay from your iPhone to your Mac

Alternatively, you can open Control Center and select your Mac as the output device by tapping the small AirPlay icon inside the playback widget.

Once the content is AirPlaying on your Mac, you can control playback from either your iPhone or your Mac. To stop streaming, tap the AirPlay icon again and switch the output back to your iPhone.

How to send photos from iPhone to Mac with AirPlay

How to mirror your iPhone on Mac with AirPlay

Pro tip: if you want to cast to a TV that does not support AirPlay, you can connect your Mac to the TV using an HDMI cable and then AirPlay content to your Mac. Whatever shows up on your Mac will show up on your TV too, and it works surprisingly well.

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Most people unbox a new Mac, breeze through the setup steps, and start using it exactly as Apple intended. The Magic Mouse stays. The built-in display is enough. Default settings remain untouched. That approach works fine for basic tasks, but it leaves a lot of capability on the table.

Power users do things differently. They upgrade their peripherals and expand storage before it becomes a problem. These aren't complicated modifications that require technical know-how — they're straightforward upgrades that make your daily work faster and more comfortable.

The gap between a stock Mac and a power user setup isn't as wide as you'd think. Three key changes cover the crux of it.

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Moving from one operating system to another can be a daunting task. The different ways to simply find and open files, work out keyboard shortcuts, download apps — the list goes on. None says that more than shifting from Windows to macOS.

I know because I've made the transition myself, and it was jarring to even start using "Command" as the usual "Ctrl" I'd gotten used to after years of copying and pasting on my Windows machine. What's worse, if it doesn't gel well, that's a lot of money down the sink after grabbing one of the best MacBooks, or even a Mac mini.

It's the little things that make working on a Mac a comfortable, seamless experience to whizz through, and if you're a Windows user, you may be missing that feel. Fortunately, I've found a few small ways to make the transition easier.

If you think your Mac is missing a few features that only Windows has, not to worry; they're actually hidden in Apple's OS. Here's how to use them.

The 'Cut and Paste' fix

You'd think the incredibly simple action of "Cut and Paste" in File Explorer on Windows would carry over to Mac in Finder, but sadly, that hasn't been the case. Sure, CMD + C for "Copy and Paste" works just fine, but trying to use CMD + X to "Cut" isn't an option.

That means having to copy and paste a file and then having to go back to the original folder to delete the original, and that can be tedious and, what's more, take up more storage. However, there is a simple way to cut and paste instead.

If the lack of "Cut and Paste" is driving you crazy, then you can just use another shortcut to make it happen in macOS' Finder.

• Simply copy (CMD + C) a file as normal
• Head over to the folder you want to paste in
• Press CMD + Option + V

This will perform a "Move" action, rather than just copying the file and pasting it. That means no duplicates, and it mimics the "Cut and Paste" command on Windows.

Window Snapping

Being able to multitask is crucial while working, especially on a machine that's more than capable of juggling several apps at once (looking at you, MacBook Air M4 and MacBook Pro M5). You can spend your hard-earned cash to link up a secondary monitor, or use a feature like the Windows Snap tool.

With Snap Layouts, you can customize the way your windows, apps and folders are shown on your screen, whether that be side-by-side, in quarters, in a set of three and more. For a while, Mac was missing out on this feature, but macOS Sequoia made this available. Now, you can simply drag a window to a corner or edge of your screen and snap it to a layout of your liking.

However, there's another controlled way of doing this. By hovering over the green Traffic Light button in the top-left corner of a window, you can move, resize, fill and arrange the window to a layout of your liking.

From taking up half the screen to laying it out to four corners, the window will "snap" into place. That green button does a whole lot more than just turn your window into a full-sized screen!

Snipping tool in all but name

One of my favorite tools on Windows 11 is the Snipping Tool, as it lets you easily and freely screenshot or record anything shown on your screen. For a long time with macOS, I thought the only way to grab a shot was capturing the whole screen with CMD + Shift + 3.

That's fine, as it's simple to edit, crop or draw on the screenshot after it's taken, but it's not quite as immediately flexible as Windows. That was until I learned I'd been pressing the wrong number on my MacBook's keyboard.

When first getting to grips with my MacBook Air, I searched "how to take a screenshot on my Mac," with the top result stating the usual CMD + Shift + 3. If you're not in the know, you can also use CMD + Shift + 4 to get more options to drag just the shot you want.

However, you can also press CMD + Shift + 5 to get the full screenshot app, allowing you to set timers, screen grab a precise section or window and even screen record. It's incredibly helpful, and acts as smoothly as the Snipping Tool on Windows would.

More like File Explorer

File Explorer on Windows 11 has its problems, but once you get used to how it works and where to look for files, it becomes second nature to use. So, using Finder in macOS can be frustrating to navigate around.

With that in mind, why not give it a "File Explorer" touch? If Finder is looking a tad too simplistic, you can add more options to offer more information and make it easier to navigate around. To do this, you'll want to enable the "Path Bar" and "Status Bar."

While Finder is open, click on the View menu in the top right corner of your screen. From there, select Show Path Bar and Show Status Bar, and you'll find another two small bars at the bottom of Finder.

Most importantly, you'll see the Path Bar showing a directory of where files are stored like a breadcrumb trail, which is hugely handy to know where exactly a file is. What's more, you can simply pick up a file and drop it in one of the parent folders that's shown along the path bar.

Plus, the Status Bar will finally show you the number of items you've selected, and just how much space you have left on your Mac. That last one was enlightening, as I actually had no idea the amount of storage I had left.

More Wi-Fi details

There's a lot you can find out about your Wi-Fi network on a Windows 11 PC, just by selecting Properties and checking out its settings and the like. On a Mac? Well, clicking on the Wi-Fi icon will show you a list of networks to connect to and...that's it.

The good news is there's a way to get a ton of information on your Wi-Fi network, and it's as easy as pressing a key. Quite literally, as all you need to do is hold Option while clicking on the Wi-Fi icon on the top-right corner of your screen along the menu bar.

From there, you can find out your Wi-Fi network's hardware address, IP address, security protocol and even the RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) that's measured in dBm — with that last one being especially handy so you can check how good your connection is (anywhere from -30 to -60 dBm is good).

You can even enable Wi-Fi logging and create a diagnostics report, giving you far more options to get to know your Wi-Fi network better. That's definitely handier than just seeing what else you can connect to.

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• I review MacBooks for a living — and these are the biggest developments I expect in 2026

Today, there are several reasons you should avoid Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot, from explicit, degrading content to a new strain of malware that infects Apple computers.

A new macOS malware has been identified by Mosyle, an Apple device management and security firm. The company shared details of the SimpleStealth campaign with 9to5Mac.

Simply, the SimpleStealth attack poses as a fake version of xAI's Grok chatbot and tricks users into downloading an infected macOS installer. The installer is hosted on a look-alike website and not the Mac App Store.

According to the Mosyle security research team, the bad actors used the domain xaill.com to mimic the Grok AI app and prompt people to install Grok.dmg.

AI built crypto miner

Mosyle said that the malware went undetected by antivirus programs and appears legitimate while running hidden background processes.

What makes this fake Grok unique is that it may be the first malware built, in part, using generative AI code. Apparently, the code script includes a mixture of English and Brazilian Portuguese, rambling explanations and repetitive logic, common to AI-generated code.

AI or not, the malware stealth deploys a Monero cryptocurrency miner built to hide in the system. Its activity only begins if the Mac has been idle for at least a minute and stops when user activity is detected.

As reported by 9to5Mac, the finding raises concerns that generative AI is speeding up malware development, accelerating the rate at which new threats are deployed.

How to stay safe

As always, when it comes to software, avoid downloading from third-party sites. If it's not in the Mac App Store, it could be a vector for infection.

Stick to the official app store or download directly from reputable companies (currently, not Grok). Even then, make sure to double-check URLs and try to avoid filling out any forms.

While the current antivirus programs were unable to detect the new malware, it's still a good idea to invest in one of the best Mac antivirus software solutions for all of the malicious code it can catch. Plus, Mac comes with built-in security software called XProtect.

Given how quickly malware can be created and deployed, it's a good idea to improve your cyber hygiene and stay up to date on the latest threats. This way, you'll be better prepared to avoid the tricks hackers use to gain access to your devices and your information.

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• How to avoid the nightmare Android malware that can hold your device for ransom or erase it

When you bought your Mac, it would have run like a dream. Apps opened in a flash and navigation was smooth, though good things don’t always last. Macs naturally slow down over time, but don’t consign your computer to the scrap heap just yet. With a few tweaks, you can get your Mac running quickly again.

You can also make a big difference to a Mac’s performance by keeping it up to date. Learn how to download macOS Tahoe, for instance, and make sure you install updates as and when they’re rolled out — this will at least eliminate bugs that could be causing a slowdown. Here's five free ways you can speed up your slow Mac.

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If you just received a new MacBook I have some quick tips on what you should do first to make the most of it. I've been reviewing MacBooks for years here at Tom's Guide so I have a pretty good sense of how to quickly set one up to be an effective laptop that's well-suited to your unique needs.

So whether you inherited an old MacBook Pro from an older sibling or just unwrapped a brand-new MacBook Air M4 for Christmas, I have some advice about how you can make the most of it.

I also wrote our macOS Tahoe review and the last few macOS reviews before that, so I'll quickly highlight the coolest new features of your MacBook's operating system and link you to more guides you can follow when you're ready to master more advanced features.

1. Personalize your desktop

One of the first (and in my opinion, most enjoyable) things you should do upon starting your new MacBook is to customize the desktop so it's just the way you like it.

Modern macOS gives you a lot of options to fine-tune your Mac's desktop to your liking, letting you choose between dozens of dynamic or static wallpapers (you can also upload your own photos) and giving you lots of options to color-code file types and organize them the way you like.

It's all pretty simple to access, too. To customize your wallpaper, screen saver and more just click the Apple button in the top-left corner of your screen and open System Settings, then navigate down to the Wallpaper section.

With macOS Tahoe you can also customize the colors of specific folders on your desktop (or anywhere on your Mac) and even apply individual emoji to specific folders so you can personalize them to your needs.

I really love this feature, and it's easy to play around with: simply hold Ctrl + Click on a folder and select "Customize this folder" to access a menu of colors, icons and emoji you can put on the folder to make it easy to recognize at a glance.

2. Secure your Mac (and make it yours) with Touch ID

Every new MacBook Pro and MacBook Air has come with a Touch ID sensor built right into the power button in the top-right corner of your keyboard. This sensor can read your fingerprint to identify you, and you can use it to ensure that anyone other than you will have an awful hard time accessing your Mac.

Enabling Touch ID on your MacBook is simple: just click the Apple button in the top-left corner of your desktop and navigate to System Settings > Touch ID. From there, click Add Fingerprint to add your fingerprint to your Mac's Touch ID database.

Be prepared: Touch ID requires you to register at least one fingerprint with Apple, and while the company claims your fingerprint data is securely stored on your device, never shared online and cannot be used to match against other prints in fingerprint databases, I understand if some folks are leery of giving their fingerprints to Apple.

But for my money Apple is one of the more trustworthy tech companies on the planet (at least when it comes to preserving user privacy to keep them buying Macs) and I haven't had any concerns about using Touch ID for years. And the bright side is that you don't need to fiddle with a password — you can just press your finger against the sensor and watch your MacBook welcome you back.

3. Fine-tune your Dock

If this is your first Mac, you might be a little surprised to see a big ribbon of icons at the bottom of your desktop. This is called the Dock, and it serves a similar function to the taskbar or Start menu in Windows 11 because you can add and remove programs to the Dock for easy access.

For my money it's a bit drab and busy by default. That's why I clear every app I don't regularly use off the Dock, including Apple apps like Keynote, Numbers and Pages. To remove an app from the Dock, simply right-click (or Control + click) an app and select Options > Remove from Dock.

I also like to add all my favorite apps I use regularly, like Google Chrome. Add an app to the Dock by opening the Launchpad (by either clicking its button on the Dock or opening Spotlight Search and typing Launchpad, then hitting Return) and click and drag the app you want down to where you want it on the Dock.

Personally I prefer a nice clean desktop without a lot of clutter, so I like to set the Dock to auto-hide itself whenever I'm not looking for it. To auto-hide the Dock menu, click the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen and navigate to System Settings > Desktop & Dock, then toggle on the Automatically hide and show the Dock option. There's a few other useful options for customizing your Dock in that menu, including options to change the size and magnification of icons on the Dock, move the Dock to either side of your screen and the like.

4. Use Desktop Widgets to make your Mac your own

I've always loved the concept of "desktop widgets," little panels on your desktop (like a calendar, a photo album or a clock) that auto-update with useful information. I first encountered them in Windows, but in my opinion the Widgets available on your Mac (starting with macOS Sonoma) are far more useful than anything Microsoft offers.

You also have a lot more options of what Widgets to add to your desktop, where to place them and what size they should be than you ever did on Windows.

Customizing the Widgets on your new MacBook is fairly simple: just Ctrl + Click anywhere on your Mac desktop to bring up the context menu, then click the "Edit Widgets" option. Note that you must be running macOS Sonoma or later.

Another way is to simply click on the Notification Center in the top-right corner of your Mac's screen and click "Edit Widgets" to open the Widgets menu as well.

5. Set up those Hot Corners

Another thing I prize about MacBooks over Windows laptops is the option to use Hot Corners, a macOS feature that allows you to set a custom shortcut that launches every time you move your mouse into a corner of your screen.

This can be a little frustrating if you're not prepared for it to happen and something pops up unexpectedly when you're mousing around in the corners of your screen. But once you get the hang of it, Hot Corners can make you feel a lot faster and more productive when you're working on your new MacBook.

To add, remove or change Hot Corner shortcuts navigate to System Settings > Desktop & Dock, scroll all the way down and click the Hot Corners button.

That will take you to the Hot Corners menu, where you can customize what program (if any) launches when you slide your pointer into each corner of your display. Personally I like to put Mission Control in one corner, the Launchpad in another corner and Google Chrome in a third corner for easy access. But play around with the feature and see what fits you best!

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I’m a Mac power user — surrounded by monitors that are compartmentalized by task so I can effectively multitask. But there’s a problem: I’m terrible at multitasking.

It’s so easy to get distracted by many different things, like emails or Slack chats in my peripheral vision, and before you know it, I’m splitting my attention between several different apps rather than actually locking in and completing one thing at a time.

So I did some research to find something to help me with my focus, and that’s when I came across Display Flow + Care: an app that turned out to be a breakthrough for my productivity (and for caring for my OLED displays to boot).

Cursor-based monitor dimming

It’s a simple utility on paper — dimming (or blurring) a monitor when you’re not using it. At first, it felt a little weird to get used to, because you feel blind to your comms.

However, it’s been a breakthrough for getting stuff done by making every action feel all the more intentional. Instead of being distracted by people trying to get my attention (sorry, boss), I can focus on actually getting stuff done (like this article).

On top of that, the two monitors that I use are OLED-based, which is rather susceptible to burn-in if there is static content. This is ultimately the purpose of Display Flow + Care, as dimming your panel will eliminate any risk of that.

But hidden in all the screen care benefits is a true combo breaker for maximizing your focus too. Or if you’re on-the-go, a privacy screen that you can turn on at any point. I’ve tried a whole lot of productivity tools, but this is one of the rare ones that actually feels useful.

Head tracking

Want to take it up to another level? Make sure you’re using one of the best webcams and you can take the mouse cursor out of the equation by enabling Display Flow + Care's head tracking feature. This lets you activate different monitors by turning your head in different directions.

I’ve got mine set to turn on the side monitor on the left when I turn my head to the left, and a swift head turn to the right will activate the main panel for my workload. It just feels so satisfyingly logical — just look at the panel and it springs to life.

I recommend speeding up the unblur time too, so you don't have to wait a couple of seconds before you can see everything you’re doing each time you move displays.

Outlook

I know that we talk a lot about upgrading your life with a beast of a desk setup, but one thing that always gets lost in the weeds of setting up a multi-monitor workstation is the tendency to get distracted by everything going on around you.

But I didn’t realize the fix would be so easy to get and so cheap too. This is easily the most useful app I’ve downloaded this year — both for preserving my monitors and keeping me focused on completing tasks too.

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• MacBook Pro M6 OLED rumors: Everything we know so far
• I'm a clumsy MacBook Pro owner — here are the best MacBook Pro cases I personally recommend

Sure, it's technically Tuesday, but there are loads of Cyber Monday deals still available if you know where to look! And if you happen to own a Mac, there's still a killer sale on a bundle of Mac apps that will make your life a bit easier.

Trust me, I know because I've been using Macs since I was a kid, and I now review them for a living here at Tom's Guide. I also wrote our macOS Tahoe review, and as fond as I am of the latest version of macOS, I think there are still lots of good reasons to buy third-party apps.

That's why I wanted to flag the fact that, for a limited time, you can still take advantage of the Editor's Choice Black Friday Mac apps bundle for 2025. This is a bundle of Mac software offered at a major discount and organized by the developers, led by the folks behind the Unclutter app.

It works like this: you can either buy any of the apps in the bundle for half off while the deal lasts, or you can buy the whole bundle (estimated value: $331) for $76.

There are lots of good apps in the bundle, too, including some that rank among the best Mac apps we regularly recommend. CleanShot X is a killer app for capturing screenshots, for example, while Unclutter helps you keep your desktop organized by giving you new tools to move and store files while you're working. And with Keysmith, you can create custom keyboard shortcuts for all sorts of things, which can be a huge time-saver if you write a lot of emails or code.

I like this bundle because it's led by the software developers themselves and has clear value: you can get half off any of these apps or over 75% off the whole bundle, and the developers are offering a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you don't like what you bought, you can return it!

I like that nice wide return window. I also appreciate that this sale has been running since Black Friday and is slated to last two weeks, so you've got at least a few more days to dig around in the couch for enough spare change to take a flier on one of these apps, which are discounted as low as $5 while the sale lasts!

The iPhone 17 series is out in the wild and seemingly doing well. But over at Apple, change could be afoot, as new reports have emerged claiming that long-time CEO Tim Cook could step down as soon as next year.

There doesn't appear to be an internal issue with Cook's leadership, as the company has seen record-smashing profits under his tenure. However, according to a report from the Financial Times, the 66-year-old leader of Apple may be considering stepping down from his post atop one of the biggest companies in tech.

At Apple's helm for 14 years, Cook has seen his share of success. The company literally generated trillions of dollars in revenue during his time as CEO. Cook took over after Steve Jobs' passing, and he's maintained the role ever since.

However, with talk of Cook stepping down, rumors of who might step up start flooding the internet. There are big potential names who could take over Apple when the Cook era ends, ranging from hardware leads to marketing heads.

Potential Tim Cook Successors

While Apple has not officially announced a succession plan publicly, that hasn't stopped speculation and rumors from circulating. We've heard rumblings of several notable figures within the company.

One name is Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, whom we spoke with at WWDC. In fact, Federighi was long considered the front-runner to take over, but those plans appear to have changed recently (though with his accomplishments in the software and OS space, he could move to the front again).

Then again, not everyone loves iOS 26 and its Liquid Glass interface.

Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer, was also a potential CEO successor. However, he's retiring from his role, which takes him out of the running. At only three years younger than Cook, he may not have been the best fit if Apple is looking to get another long run out of its next CEO.

However, one name has now moved to the front of the list according to the Financial Times report: John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, who sat down with our own Mark Spoonauer for an interview.

Who is John Ternus, the current front-runner?

John Ternus taking the seat would seem to indicate a hardware and engineering innovation-focused direction for Apple, which would be smart, as many have accused the firm of moving toward more incremental upgrades in recent years.

Additionally, Ternus is the youngest top executive at the company at 50 years old, which could give him a long tenure (assuming things go well under his direction).

Ternus started at Apple 24 years ago and rose through the ranks of the company, entering a leadership position in 2013 and assuming his current senior vice president role in 2022.

He also unveiled the M1 chip, Apple's first in-house silicon in 2020, and the iPhone Air in 2025. Clearly, the company already sees Ternus as well-equipped to get on stage and show off Apple's new products — a pivotal part of being Apple's CEO.

In fact, a 2024 Bloomberg report claimed that Cook said Ternus could “give a good presentation.” The report said he's also "very mild-mannered, never puts anything into an email that is controversial and is a very reticent decision-maker."

Of course, this is all assuming that Cook steps down next year. If he decides to head the company for longer, these plans could shift as other executives move through the ranks and make their mark. It's almost like watching a season of "Succession" from the outside.

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We’d hazard a guess that a lot of Mac users haven’t opened the Shortcuts app and, if they have, they’ve done very little other than have a quick look. That’s to be expected. Shortcuts can, at first glance, feel just a tad too complex and it’s not always immediately apparent how useful it can be. But if you spend even a short amount of time playing around with this app, you can certainly reap the benefits.

In this guide, we'll get you up and running with Shortcuts. We'll take a look at the basics of the Shortcuts app, show you how to use the pre-built ones, have you use them in a widget or within an app and, finally, guide you through creating a shortcut of your own. What we're not going to do is go super in-depth and overwhelm you, but we hope you'll be suitably encouraged to explore some more.

What are Mac shortcuts?

To be brief, Shortcuts allows you to automate tasks on your Mac and they’re made up of actions that are strung together and acted out in turn. If you find a particular, daily process to be cumbersome and time-consuming, chances are you’ll be able to create some shortcuts to take the sting out of them.

You can also make use of a host of pre-built shortcuts and even edit them to better suit what you’re looking to do.

How to set up Apple shortcuts on Mac

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The world is going crazy over AI but that’s not to say you must have it baked into your Mac. You may prefer to call upon AI on your own terms by using an app, visiting a website or using a dedicated browser like ChatGPT Atlas, in which case there is an argument for turning off Apple Intelligence in macOS.

It won’t affect the overall running of your computer. You’ll still be able to perform the tasks you’re used to. You just won’t be able to use features such as Writing Tools or Image Playground. You will, however, free up some storage space and be able, to some extent, go back-to-basics. Plus, it's easy enough to turn back on if you change your mind.

How to completely turn off Apple Intelligence on Mac

You can disable Apple Intelligence in its entirety if you simply don’t want to use it at all.

How to stop apps feeding into Apple Intelligence

You don’t have to fully disable Apple Intelligence if you’d still like to make use of some of the features. Instead, you can stop it from working with specific apps.

How to stop using ChatGPT with Apple Intelligence

Sometimes Apple Intelligence needs to call on ChatGPT to assist with your queries and deal with complex tasks. ChatGPT is used to generate images or compose text, for example, and it will answer general knowledge questions. If you don’t want to use these features, turn them off.

How to stop Apple Intelligence email summaries

You can prevent Apple Intelligence from peeking at your emails and providing a summary of them. You do this from within the Mail app.

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• How to reduce Liquid Glass transparency on macOS Tahoe
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It's fair to say that, despite Apple making a big deal of the Liquid Glass design in macOS Tahoe, it's not to everyone's taste. The idea is that it lends a transparent look to various elements of the operating system, one which looks fresh and modern on the surface. However, it can make some items more difficult to see.

Recognizing that it may be a step too far for some users, Apple created an option that allows you to reduce the transparency effects. Doing so can make a big difference — it makes the menu bar easier to see, for instance, and it can even make navigation feel more straightforward. There's also a chance it will reduce eye strain.

To ensure greater control, be sure to install macOS Tahoe 26.1. This adds a Tinted mode that increases opacity of in-app material and Lock Screen notifications, which you may find preferable to the default clear look.

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• iOS 26.1 lets you adjust Liquid Glass on your iPhone — here's how to do it
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• ChatGPT Atlas is here — how to download for macOS now

I don't know about you, but I've been using Macs since the old Apple IIes we had in grade school, so I have some pretty strong feelings about the best Mac apps to install first on a new Apple PC.

If you'd asked me back in fifth grade I'd probably have said The Oregon Trail, but these days there are a few other Mac apps I value more highly when setting up a new MacBook for work and play.

While Apple's default apps (like Mail, Notes and Pages) are pretty good these days, especially if you're making good use of the Apple Intelligence upgrades in macOS Tahoe, I still find myself reliably heading to the same handful of websites every time I set up a new Mac for review.

Since I do that a few times every year, I grab all my favorite macOS apps in one fell swoop via macapps.link, a sort of one-stop shop for customizing and downloading packages of free Mac apps.

This is an optional time-saving step I like to take, but you can skip it if you like since you can also download most (good) Mac apps from Apple's App Store or the app makers' websites.

However, I like to use Macapps because you can quickly pick apps you want from one big list and the website will package them up for you into one a single installer that's easy to download.

Whether you choose to try Macapps for yourself or prefer to access them in your own way, these are the 5 apps I recommend you install first on your new Mac!

Discord

I didn't think much of Discord back when it launched in 2015, but nowadays it's become one of my most-used tools for staying in touch with old friends and colleagues around the world. For that reason, it's one of the first things I install on any new Mac.

Once upon a time it felt like Twitter was the best place to stay in touch with people, but these days I prefer the more comfortable intimacy of a Discord server with pals. The service has evolved significantly over the years, and now you can use it for cross-platform voice chat, so friends on Macs, PCs, and even a PS5 can all hop into the same channel to catch up after work.

While you can get by with the browser version of Discord, I like to download the app because I feel like the quality of my audio sounds better when I'm broadcasting using the app vs. the browser version — but that's entirely subjective, and your mileage may vary.

GIMP

As a working journalist I need to edit images on a regular basis, and the Photos app just doesn't cut it. I like to download GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) on every new MacBook I get my hands on because it's capable, quick to download and most importantly, free.

I've also spent years using it, so I know my way around this image editor in a way I'll never understand Photoshop. And while there are lots of great free image editors available out there, including lots you can access right in your browser, I prefer to have an app downloaded to my Mac hard drive so I can work with images even when I'm on the go and don't have a reliable Internet connection.

Sure, the name is a little silly and the interface could be better, but for the asking price you can't beat GIMP.

Google Chrome

Like I said up top, Safari is fine — in fact, it's better than ever thanks to the upgrades in macOS Sequoia — but I still prefer to use Chrome on my Macs.

Admittedly, partly that's just laziness and habit: I have Google accounts for both work and personal business, so it's convenient to have Chrome because I can stay on top of both with a browser logged into each account.

But I also love Chrome because while it's demanding, it feels faster and more responsive than Safari. I also like how it supports every website and web service I need to use. Plus, it has robust cross-platform support so I can open a link on my phone using Chrome for iOS, then hit a button to send it to my desktop Chrome instance running on my MacBook for easier reading when I'm back at my desk.

Steam

Macs are better gaming platforms than ever thanks to the work Apple's been doing to help developers get their games running well on the company's M-series chips, so Steam is a must-have.

You can get games off the Mac App Store, the Epic Games Store or a few other places, but Steam is the first (and often only) game storefront I download because it simply has more games than anywhere else. And with the power of Apple's top-tier chips in premium Macs like the MacBook Pro 16-inch M3 Max you can enjoy the best Mac games (including my fav, Baldur's Gate 3) at killer framerates.

It's not just about the games either. I also keep in touch with a few friends on my Steam friends list, so it's nice to have it installed and running on my PC to keep abreast of who's playing what.

VLC

Sometimes you need to watch a .wmv (Windows Media Video) on a Mac, and QuickTime Player isn't up to the task. For those moments, you want a capable alternative like VLC media player installed.

I put this media player on basically every laptop I review because I watch a lot of videos while testing display quality and conducting research, and I can't afford to be constrained by the limits of Apple's default software. I recommend VLC because it's lightweight and easy to download, yet supports a broad variety of file formats and codecs.

Plus, it's free!

Bottom line

Every Mac I get my hands on gets these apps installed as soon as possible, because navigating the web in Safari or editing images in Photos feels terrible. And when work is done, I'm ready to fire up Discord and Steam and have some fun with my friends.

I wish Ninite supported Mac because I already regularly use it all the time for Windows 11 PC software, but at least there's macapps.link. I've been using it with my new MacBooks for a while now, and as long as it stays as useful as it is, I think it's a great way to grab all of these apps in one fell swoop.

And of course, you don't have to stick to my suggestions. Macapps offers a wide variety of free software, so have a look around and try out some new finds!

If you’re tired of opening ChatGPT in Google Chrome or Safari, you’re in luck as OpenAI has just released its new Atlas browser and the best part, if you have a Mac, you can download and start testing it out right now.

While we’ve seen plenty of browser extensions for the best AI chatbots, this isn’t a mere plugin. Instead, ChatGPT Atlas is a full-blown browser you can use just like Chrome or Safari for online shopping, research, surfing the web and more.

The big thing that sets Atlas apart though is that you have full access to ChatGPT from within anywhere in your browser. Likewise, OpenAI’s chatbot can see everything you do, from the page you’re on to your open tabs and even your web history if you have that last feature enabled. Once installed, you can use natural language to talk to Atlas just like you would with ChatGPT to do things like clean up your tabs or reopen that recipe you were looking at yesterday.

For those with a paid subscription on ChatGPT’s Plus, Pro, and Business plans, there’s also a new feature currently in preview called agent mode that takes things a step further. With it, you can let ChatGPT take full control of Atlas so that it can complete more complex tasks for you like summarizing webpages, booking travel, planning projects and more.

Regardless of whether you’re a free or paid ChatGPT user (or even if you’re not) and have a Mac, you can try out Atlas right now. Here’s how to download and set up OpenAI’s new browser on your computer.

How to download ChatGPT Atlas on your Mac

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• ChatGPT Atlas browser is live — here's the top 7 features that make it different
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We recently reported that Apple's first OLED touchscreen MacBook Pro may launch in 2026. That’s a long-rumored feature that now seems likely to happen, according to Bloomberg reporter and Apple tipster Mark Gurman. However, in the same report, Gurman also said another long-awaited feature won’t be coming for years: Face ID for Macs.

According to Gurman, Apple plans to go from Touch ID on Macs to Face ID. The kicker is that this feature “remains years away.” If that sounds familiar, it’s because Gurman made the same statement back in 2021.

As MacRumors reports, Gurman claimed the M1 iMac would have Face ID, which is something that never manifested. The following year, in 2022, Gurman said Apple was still working on Face ID for Macs. Three years later, and we still haven’t gotten the feature.

Right now, we’re in the same spot as in 2021 regarding Face ID coming to Macs. That said, if MacBook Pros do indeed get touchscreen functionality, then perhaps we’ll see Face ID before the decade is over. That’s not a guarantee, but given how the current iPad Pro and iPad Air now all have Face ID, perhaps soon-to-come MacBook Pros with touchscreens might also include the feature.

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Surfshark has announced it is removing support for legacy Apple operating systems (OS).

The provider, which sits at number two on our best VPN list, will no longer support older iOS and macOS releases. Surfshark users running these older versions will need to take action to ensure they can continue to use Surfshark VPN.

Surfshark said it has taken this decision because it wants "to encourage everyone to use the safest devices" – something not always possible with older devices and systems.

If you're still running an affected OS and currently using Surfshark's iPhone VPN or Mac VPN apps, there's no need to panic. There are steps you can take to stay protected, and we'll tell you all you need to know.

Older devices are vulnerable

Newer devices and systems receive the latest security updates, meaning they're safer. But it's not just security – newer devices and systems also get access to the latest Surfshark features.

Surfshark said by removing legacy support it can "focus on future updates." These include "new features and technologies" not supported by older systems.

It also means "better quality interface and app performance," plus "a smoother and faster update process."

According to Surfshark, it will only support iOS 15 and above, with iOS 14 and below no longer being officially supported.

For Mac, it will support macOS 12 (Monterey) and above. macOS 11 (Big Sur) and below are no longer officially supported.

Surfshark is now seemingly operating a "one-in, one-out" policy. It said "once a new macOS or iOS version is out, we will drop official support for the oldest and start supporting the freshly released one."

The newly released iOS 26 and macOS 26 (Tahoe) are already included in the support list. We can therefore assume that when the next OS is released, iOS 15 and macOS 12 (Monterey) will be the next to lose support.

What to do if you have an older device and system

If you can update your device to a supported OS, then this is all you need to do. Updating will ensure the best performance and protection possible.

If you can't update your device, Surfshark has shared ways of still using its app.

Legacy Mac users can download older versions of the Surfshark app from its website using these links:

• macOS 11 (Big Sur)
• macOS 10.15 (Catalina)
• macOS 10.14 (Mojave), macOS 10.13 (High Sierra), or macOS 10.12 (Sierra)

You can also connect via manual WireGuard configurations using a third-party app. You can download and connect OpenVPN configurations. Finally, you can try built-in manual IKEv2 connections.

Legacy iOS users can't download older applications from Surfshark's website, and only manual connections and configurations are available:

• Manual WireGuard connections
• Manual OpenVPN configurations
• Built-in IKEv2 connections

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

The Control Center has been a part of macOS since the release of Big Sur in 2020, allowing easy access to important settings such as Wi-Fi, volume and the display brightness. Since then, it has only benefited from minor tweaks but, with the release of macOS Tahoe, that has changed.

Now, the Control Center is similar to the offering on iPhone and iPad and you have a greater say in how it looks and feels. You can add new controls, reconfigure their layout and there's also support for third-party apps. It's certainly worth spending time exploring the options.

To that end, the new Control Center is a powerful upgrade, giving you up to 32 spots to play around with. It also looks splendid thanks to the Liquid Glass design. So join us as we take a look at what you can do.

More from Tom's Guide

• How to customize your folders on macOS Tahoe 26
• The new Spotlight in macOS Tahoe 26 is an absolute game-changer
• You can get more out of Genmoji on macOS Tahoe 26 — here's how

Drowning in digital clutter? Your Mac is probably awash with files and folders, so it makes sense to seek out the best ways to organize them. For some time, Apple has given you a wealth of options, most of them built around Finder and Spotlight, but with macOS Tahoe you now have more methods than ever before.

Although you’ve long been able to change a file or folder icon with your own image (something we cover in detail below), you can now also use a unique color, symbol, or emoji.

Customizing is a much easier way to make your folders instantly recognizable and add some personality to your desktop. Here’s how you can customize your folders on macOS Tahoe 26.

How to change the color of a folder and add symbols or emojis

You can make folders more identifiable by adding color and characters.

How to replace a file or folder icon with your own image

You can use any image you wish as a file or folder icon – be as creative as you can.

More from Tom's Guide

• You can get more out of Genmoji on macOS Tahoe 26 — here's how
• macOS Tahoe is live now: 5 features to try first
• I discovered one of the best hidden macOS Tahoe features

Forget the standard emoji library. Genmoji lets you create completely custom images using Apple Intelligence. Whether it is a simple cartoon version of a person or reflective of a mood, occasion or idea, they're great fun and useful when it comes to visualizing a point.

By playing around with customization options and entering simple text prompts, you are able to quickly produce images that can be saved as stickers and shared with others. What’s more, if you’re using macOS Tahoe, you’re also able to use new options such as hairstyle customizations.

It’s certainly worth trying out or even revisiting if you haven’t used Genmoji in a while. Let’s check out what you can do.

More from Tom's Guide

• macOS Tahoe is live now: 5 features to try first
• I discovered one of the best hidden macOS Tahoe features
• I turned my friends into Genmoji stickers in iOS 18.2 — here's how you can too

Over 100 password managers and software solutions are being impersonated by a new malware campaign targeting macOS users to steal their personal information. As reported by Bleeping Computer, the popular password manager LastPass has already started warning users about this malicious software that is being spread through fake GitHub repositories.

Besides impersonating LastPass, this campaign is also pretending to be other password managers and software solutions including 1Password, Dropbox, Gemini, Audacity, Adobe After Effects, and SentinelOne, among more than 100 others. It's using these fake repositories to spread the Atomic macOS Stealer, also known as AMOS, which is an info-stealing malware often used in ClickFix style attacks. AMOS is a malware-as-a-service offering that can be bought by hackers and other cybercriminals for roughly $1,000/month on the dark web and typically targets the data stored on vulnerable computers.

The developers of this malware also recently added a backdoor component which gives them persistent and stealthy access to compromised systems. A large number of these deceptive GitHub repositories have been created from multiple accounts in order to optimize them to rank high in search results and to evade detection. LastPass has reported the fake repositories to GitHub but since it's easy to recreate new ones through automation from new accounts, even if they're taken down, new fraudulent ones could pop up just as quickly.

As ClickFix style attacks, the repositories feature a ‘download;' button that directs users to a secondary website where they are instructed to paste a command into the terminal to perform an installation of what seems to be legitimate software but is in actuality malware. The “ClickFix’ method takes advantage of a target not fully understanding what the commands are doing on their system; in this case the command is performing a curl request to a base64-encoded URL which then downloads an AMOS payload to the /tmp directory.

How to stay safe from ClickFix malware attacks

In order to stay safe from ClickFix style attacks, the most important thing you need to know is not to run commands on your system, especially when you don't understand them. Additionally, when looking for software online, its recommended to only trust official app stores like the Mac App Store or vendor websites while avoiding offshoots. If there isn’t a macOS version of a particular piece of software available on a company's official site, be extra wary when you find a third-party site or in this case, a GitHub page, suggesting there is one.

If you do come across a macOS port of a program you're interested in, you should ensure that it comes from a reputable source that has been vetted by the community first. Still, you are installing it at your own risk, so when in doubt, it's best to wait for an official port.

It also never hurts to have strong protections when online – one of the best antivirus software solutions can keep your Windows PCs protected while the best Mac antivirus software is specifically designed for your Apple computer. These paid solutions also provide you with plenty of extra useful features like web browsers that warn you about suspicious websites and downloads, ransomware rollback, a VPN, and more.

For those who are really worried about getting hacked or having their bank accounts drained by cybercriminals, you can't go wrong with the best identity theft protection services for even more protection. However, you'll need to sign up before a cyberattack or major security incident to take full advantage of the identity theft insurance and other protections these services offer.

ClickFix style attacks have been quite successful recently and until the general public learns to recognize and avoid them, hackers are going to keep using them in their malware campaigns. That's why it's up to you to practice good cyber hygiene and most importantly, to always be careful where you click and what you download.

More from Tom's Guide

• FBI warns hackers are impersonating crime reporting sites to steal your personal data — here’s how to tell
• Google will let you use passkeys automatically in Chrome - here's how you can switch
• Hackers are now using deepfakes in phishing scams to fool banking apps and steal your money - how to stay safe