Tips & Tricks To Be a Pro With The New MacBook Pro

So you’ve brought home a brand new MacBook Pro. Now, what? While Apple’s laptops are known for being user-friendly, there’s a whole host of MacBook Pro tips and tricks waiting to be discovered. We’ve gathered together some of our favorite tips and tricks so you’ll be almost as competent as your favorite TV hacker. No cool music or crime labs required.

Use MacBook Applications More Effectively

One of the best ways to start using your laptop more effectively starts with running applications and special programs to assist you with the basics. MacBook tips are far easier to understand when using the right applications and we've highlighted some of our favorites.

 Siri for Your MacBook

Siri is a great tool if you are trying to find a specific document, google search something peculiar or figure out the weather for tomorrow. While it takes some playing around with to format, it can be a great tool for even the most casual user.

Run Windows on Your MacBook

Have an application that only works on Windows, or just like the irony? Boot Camp will help you do both. With the app installed you can easily switch between Mac and Windows while still running your most important apps.

How-To Geek has highlighted a few of the other applications you can use as well to help you run windows on your Mac.

Monitor MacBook Applications Battery Usage on Activity Monitor

Wondering why your Mac keeps dying? Or why, when you shut it, Spotify is still playing the latest Kanye? Activity Monitor is your best bet for understanding the basic bits and pieces of your MacBook. Clicking on the Energy panel will highlight which apps are doing what in the time since you’ve started up your MacBook. From here you can spot which applications are preventing sleep or slowing draining the battery out of your MacBook. If you share a computer, this is a great way to also check and see which applications are being more commonly used by each party.

Shortcuts To Help You Use Your MacBook

While having a good understanding of the basic applications can certainly enhance your MacBook experience, shortcuts will make it incredibly fast.

Sign and Share on Your MacBook

If you have a PDF or document that needs signing, Apple has utilized their innovative trackpad to help you make things a bit simpler. To do so:

• Open Preview
• Click on the toolbox icon, then the signature icon
• From here you can create a signature by drawing on the trackpad or show the camera a signature on white paper to have it copy over.
• Simply add your signature to your document or PDF from here.
• If you have an iCloud Drive, your signature will be available to pull from the Cloud whenever you may need it.

Keystrokes for MacBook Tips and Tricks

Keystroke shortcuts will offer some of the best options for quickening your computer use. MacBook tips are meant to bring instant ease to multifunctionality. One of our favorite sites has compiled them all  . While they may feel wooden and awkward at first, once you’ve gotten the routine down, you’ll be surprised at how much faster you can work via your MacBook.

Messaging With Your MacBook

With the updates rolling into MacBook, messaging has become a huge success for Apple. You can now easily take calls, texts or Facebook messages via notifications and Messages. While this is nothing new, there are tips and tricks to make the messaging system even easier to use.

While there’s not much to do to receive messages from one iPhone to another on your MacBook, it does take a little more work to receive SMS text messages.

• To start, make sure your iPhone and MacBook are signed into the same Apple ID. If one is not you will need to sign out and sign in to keep them the same.

• Then open the Messages App. Go to Settings on your iPhone and open Messages there as well. Tap the Text Message Forwarding. From here, you should see devices that are linked to your Apple ID. Simply tap the one you would like to receive messages on.

• A six-digit verification code will pop up on your MacBook to be entered into your iPhone. Once you’ve done this, your MacBook and iPhone are linked and you should start receiving SMS texts right away!

Multifunctionality on Your MacBook

While we’ve covered the bulk of shortcuts, keystrokes and application use, multifunctionality is key to success if you want to use your MacBook to it's fullest potential. We've highlighted some of our favorites here.

Split View

Introduced in OS X El Capitan, Split View lets you fill the screen with two applications without having to try and size them yourself. Look for the green button in the top left window corner. Hold this down while dragging the window to the left or right of the screen. Once you release and click on another window, split screen enacts on its own. This makes everything from note-taking during lectures to live-tweeting an Apple announcement, easy as pie.

Sharing Audio and Video

Want to show your family that one really funny video of the puppy falling asleep in its food dish? Airplay has made this easier than trying to explain the iCloud to your grandma at Thanksgiving dinner. Look for the icon that looks like this on your MacBook:

From there, select the Apple TV  you’d like to share with. The screens should share instantly and you can control it all from your MacBook, iPhone or iPad. If your TV has terrible speakers, you can easily change the sound output as well. By selecting the volume button you can choose where audio is output from a drop down menu, finally putting your Bose speakers to good work.

Keep Your MacBook Pro Safe and Sound in a Case from Pad & Quill

While we all know that using your MacBook Pro like an Apple Genius will make your day easier, if your MacBook is broken, dirty or otherwise cracked, none of that will really matter. Pad & Quill offers some of the best protection for your new MacBook via Valet Sleeves and Bags . It's a surefire way to keep your MacBook working for years to come, while also staying stylish like a pro.

MacBook Tips To Make You A Pro

[caption id="attachment_3412" align="aligncenter" width="625"] You're becoming a cool hacker. But no hair dye or leather jackets required.[/caption]

With the advancement of computers, the advancement of unique ways to use them has increased just as quickly. By understanding a few of the best tips and tricks, your Macbook will be able to be used more proficiently and you’ll love the fun insider knowledge you can show off during the holiday season.

The best way to understand your MacBook though? Explore. Take some time to adjust your Settings. Find your favorite Google Chrome extensions. Perfect sharing a presentation or create your own personal cheat sheet. Your MacBook offers more than just an easy way to watch Netflix, and with a little practice, you can become a total pro.