My Favourite MacOS Utilities

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As someone who moved to macOS after using Windows for years, I was taken aback by the productivty focused features and the sheer performance of M1. However, despite Apple regularly adding new features with each update, it is srely lacking in some features that elevate the macOS experience to a new plane.

This is a collections of apps that I use, actively or passively, to make macOS much easier to use and much more effeicient. (These are apps that I use as utilities to support everything I do on my Mac. I primarily work on Safari, Notion, Notion Calendar and VS Code).

RayCast

Link: https://www.raycast.com

• RayCast is the app I use the most on my MacBook. It is essentially Spotlight on steroids (a lot of steroids).

• The plugins and the integrations that RayCast offer make it an absolute must-have, especially if you love navigating your Mac using the keyboard.

  I set up the Cmd + Space shortcut for RayCast (this is the shortcut for Spotlight search by default) and remap Spotlight Search to Option + Space. I still use Spotlight Search as it is already integrated into the Apple Ecosystem really well, like for iMessage, Contacts and FaceTime.

Rectangle

Link: https://rectangleapp.com

• As is common knowledge, the native macOS window manager leaves much to be desired (to say it nicely). This is where Rectangle comes in.
• Rectangle provides keyboard shortcuts to arrange windows in halves, thirds and quarters. It also has multi-display support as well as a snap-to-edge feature. It is an absolute god-send if you multi-task and juggle multiple windows on one or more monitors.

Command X

Link: https://apps.apple.com/in/app/command-x/id6448461551?mt=12

• This is a very simple app that does exactly what it says, adding the Cmd + X functionality to the macOS UI.

AltTab

Link: https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app

• This app gives you the ability to switch between app windows and not just apps (like MacOS natively supports using Cmd + Tab.
• It’s extremely useful, especially if you have multiple open windows in the same app like Safari or Excel.
• It does ask for Permission to record your screen (which is kind of a 🚩) but it does so to show you previews of your windows. The app is open-source and regularly updated.

AlDente

Link: https://apphousekitchen.com

• I use this app to limit the charge on my MacBook Air. When it is connected to power, the app directly uses the Power Adapter as the power source and hence, not using the battery, potentially increasing the battery life.
• This is especially useful if you keep your laptop docked and connected to power the entire time. If you use an iMac or a Mac mini or Pro that works directly on AC power, then this app is not useful for you.
• They have a paid Pro version that I haven’t tried because the free version is more than enough for my use.

AppCleaner

Link: https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/

• So this app is very useful if you’re constantly trying and deleting apps. Instead of deleting apps by dragging them to the bin, you can use AppCleaner and it will go through your files to find any connected files and delete them too.

Latest

Link: https://max.codes/latest/

• Latest is a free and open-source app that checks if all your apps are up to date.

• This is really useful for the apps that you download from the web and that are not available on the App Store. You can choose to download and install updates from the Latest app, or you can go to the individual apps and update them.

  Latest currently supports apps downloaded from the Mac App Store and apps that use Sparkle for updates, which covers most of the apps on the market.