Windows 7 support has ended, Windows 10 seems awkward and boring, and increasingly users are watching on a Mac running macOS. How to switch from PC to Mac later in this manual.
#1. In the event of unforeseen circumstances make backup of the entire Windows system, preferably to an external hard drive. To ensure that saved files are fully compatible with macOS, make sure the drive was formatted in FAT32. (The fact that NTFS is a native Windows file system — works with Mac out of the box only in read mode. In other words, on OS X you can open and copy files from flash card, but edit and delete will not work. The workaround is to install a third-party NTFS driver, paying him 600 rubles).
#2. Directly transfer data from one computer to another you will “migration Assistant” is a free utility that comes with every Mac. She copies literally everything from background images and email accounts to music, documents, contacts and bookmarks in the browser. The same utility will need to install on your Windows computer and connect both PCs to the same network (via Wi-Fi, router, or Ethernet). Download “migration Assistant” and you can read the full setup guide, you can on the Apple website.
#3. To install apps on OS X in two ways: from the official Mac App store (the analogue of App Store for the iPhone, which uses the same Apple ID), or by downloading distros from the Internet. If you want to resort to the second, less secure method, keep in mind that “Mac” is disabled by default to download programs from third-party sources. To remove this limitation, go to “Settings” → “Protect the safety” → “General” and check the box next to “anywhere” for “Allow apps downloaded from”.
#4. Most programs will install very easy. As a rule, it is enough to “mount” the image (downloaded from a Network file with a. DMG extension) by clicking on it twice in the Finder (similar to Windows Explorer in Windows), and drag the file .app in the Applications folder. However, when installing the “heavy” applications such as Microsoft Office or Photoshop, the whole process will be about the same as in Windows.
To uninstall the program open Finder, locate .app in the Program folder and clicking on it, right click, select “move to Trash”. For a complete cleaning system it is recommended to use such utilities like CleanMyMac that can help to not only get rid of the program itself, but all associated settings, and other elements.
#5. On macOS there is an alternative to almost every app that exists for Windows. However, if you need any specific software, or you often play games (they are on “OSes” Apple is available to very few), you can use a free utility Boot Camp. It will install on your Mac XP, Windows 7 or 10, creating on hard disk new partition and choose to boot into Windows or macOS. To choose one or the other OS, hold the Option key (Alt) during boot of the computer. If you want Windows (and also Ubuntu, Android, Chrome OS, etc.) worked in parallel with the macOS, and you can freely drag and drop files between applications, your choice will be one of the solutions in virtualization, for example Parallels Desktop.
#6. Growing up in the time of UNIX “OSes” Apple terms of everyday use is no more complicated than Windows — in it you’ll find analogues of familiar programs. For example, “Guide” corresponds to the Finder “control Panel” → “System settings”, Flip 3D → Mission Control, office Office → iWork, Notepad → TextEdit, the menu “start” → Launchpad (you can find in the Dock), the system tray → menu bar in the upper right corner of the “task Manager” → “system Monitoring” task bar → Dock (the row of icons at the bottom of the screen), etc.
#7. Everything related to settings on the macOS is in the application “System settings”. From here you can connect Google accounts, Microsoft Exchange and Twitter, to configure firewall, sound, mouse and keyboard, change settings, network access and electricity, to connect printers and scanners, etc.
#8. To activate the firewall, open “Settings” → “Protection and security” → select the tab “Firewall” and click “Enable firewall”. Since that time, the macOS will block incoming connections which were not authorized by you. Firewall to control outbound connections, no Mac. However, this problem can be solved by installing a special utility, for example Little Snitch.
#9. The composition of the macOS (version 10.5 — Leopard) included a great app Time Machine for system backup. This feature is very simple: if the computer “sees” the connected drive, it will offer to use it as a backup space. Duplicate photos, documents, applications are made automatically every hour. In case of emergency “time machine” allows you to “go back in time” and restore a file into the form in which it was at some point in time. Copies will be made until the until the disk becomes full. If space is no longer there, TM will automatically delete old files and record new ones.
#10. The keyboard layout on the Mac is pretty much similar to Windows, but it will need to get used to. The majority of teams in Microsoft are with holding the CTRL (Control), in macOS, start with Command key (with an icon ⌘). For example, to copy text, press ⌘ + C and paste with ⌘ + V. Also keep in mind that Macs no buttons Alt — a substitute serve Option (option).
Users moving to macOS with Windows there are often problems like “where’s the comma, why on the same number key 6, no I can’t use this horrible uncomfortable OSes”. Actually, to unlearn from the usual Windows keyboard layout punctuation is not necessarily enough to replace the keyboard layout “Russian — Mac” to “Russian — PC”. This is done in “Settings” → “Keyboard” → “input Sources”. Clicking “+” under the list of keyboards in the left part of the window you can add new, using “-” to remove an unnecessary.
#11. Overall, the Mac can connect any keyboard, even with the Windows layout. For convenience, the function keys can be reassigned to: go to “Settings” → “Keyboard” → tab “Keyboard” → “a modifier Key…” and change, for example, pressing CTRL on your Windows keyboard Command.
#12. The Delete key on Mac keyboard, unlike Del in Windows, removes the “back”. To delete forward on a MacBook or wireless Apple keyboards, hold down the FN button and press Delete. Alternatively, you can buy a “big” Pro Apple keyboard with numeric keypad where this key is.
#13. Finally, the Mac keyboards there is a special F-keys to change the sound volume, screen brightness, control playback of music in iTunes, etc. However, connecting a Windows keyboard, you will not be able to use them without installing special software. So we recommend to develop a powerful utility KeyRemap4MacBook, which allows you to reassign any button on any device, or over a simple Keyboard Maestro.
#14. In Windows, scrolling the window using the mouse wheel corresponds to the direction of movement of the finger, however, in macOS (version 10.7) everything is exactly the opposite. If you don’t like the approach “natural scrolling,” Apple, open “Settings” → “Mouse” and uncheck “scroll Direction”: normal”. On the other periphery issues should arise: your printers, scanners and audio systems are likely to be compatible with “Mac”. However, in some cases, to macOS “learned” the device will need to install special drivers. You can download on the website of the manufacturer.
#15. As mentioned in the beginning, Mac is able to read and record on hard disks and flash card formatted under FAT 32 (but not NTFS) for Windows. This applies to all connection types — USB, FireWire or Thunderbolt. But even in this case can be transferred, not all information (e.g., metadata). Thus, if you no longer plan to use an external drive with a Windows computer, we recommend you to format it under macOS. This can be done using “Disk utility” that is included with the Mac.
