Apple macOS: Big Sur has arrived.
Named after the picturesque mountainous section of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise dramatically from the Pacific, the latest macOS promises to elevate one of the world’s most advanced operating systems to a new level of beauty and power.
But how can you get the most out of Big Sur? Find out what version 11 of Apple’s Mac operating system offers by perusing these tips and features.
Updating to Big Sur
Are you just finding out about Big Sur? If you haven’t already updated your Mac, navigate to the Apple icon in the upper-left corner and select About This Mac. At the next window, select Software update. Then click the Update Now button and follow the prompts to install the update.
Big Sur Control Center
Apple now gives you quick access to several settings by bringing the iOS/iPadOS Control Center to Macs. Apple even added a Control Center icon to the Menu Bar in the upper-right hand corner — click the Menu Bar to manage your settings in the control center.
Now you can quickly access different controls for:
- Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- AirDrop
- Do Not Disturb mode
- Keyboard Brightness
- Screen Mirroring
- Display
- Sound
- Music
Click what you’d like to control to expand and edit your settings.
To add more options to the Control Center, go to System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar. On the left pane, scroll down to Other Modules and select options like Accessibility Shortcuts, Battery, Fast User Switching, and check the Show in Control Center box.
Pinning Controls to the Menu Bar
For even quicker access, Big Sur allows you to pin controls to the Menu Bar from the Control Center.
One way to add controls is to click the Control Center icon and drag and drop a specific icon to the Menu Bar. Another way is to go to System Preferences > Dock & Menu Bar. In the left pane, select a particular control and then check the Show in Menu Bar box.
Extra Tip: To hide the Menu Bar, so it only appears when you navigate your cursor to the top of the screen, go to System Settings > Dock & Menu Bar and check the Automatically hide and show the menu bar box.
Viewing Widgets and Notifications
Much like the latest Control Center, Apple borrowed another feature from its mobile and iPad operating systems.
Now displayed in the same section, click the date and time in the Menu Bar to view any notifications and see default widgets like date, weather, World Clock, and Screen Time. Select a widget to open the corresponding application.
Customizing Your Widgets
One of the biggest reasons for Apple finally adding widgets six years ago was the ability to customize its size, details, and more.
To edit or remove from your screen, right-click on any widget. For example, the weather widget allows you to change location or to update based on where you are. You can also reorder your widgets by dragging and dropping them to the appropriate spots on your desktop.
To add more widgets, right-click any widget, and select Edit Widgets. Alternatively, you can click the Edit Widgets button at the bottom of your screen.
You can even download third-party widgets by searching Widgets in the Mac App Store. Now you’ll be able to use third-party widgets in the Notification Center or Menu Bar.
Quieting your Startup
Are you tired of hearing Apple’s built-in chime every time you open your Mac? You can now disable this sound by going to System Preferences > Sound and unchecking Play Sound on Startup box. Now you’ll have a quiet startup until you recheck the box.
More Options for Your Mac’s Battery
Now offering a dedicated system preference for your battery, click the Battery Icon on the Menu Bar to explore your battery preference options.
Big Sur offers more options to either preserve — or get the most out of — your battery. Some examples include tuning options for:
- How long until the display shuts off battery power
- Enabling Power Nap in Battery Mode
- Optimizing Video Streaming on battery power
- Optimized Battery Charging so Big Sur won’t charge your Mac past 80% until you need the extra boost (saving your battery life)
- Managing Battery Longevity — select this option to reduce the rate at which your battery chemically ages.
- Usage History — see your battery level and usage for the last 24 hours or ten days.
Hearing What You Type
Do you have eyesight problems? Apple created this feature for individuals who need to listen to words aloud as they are composed. To set up Speak Typing Feedback, go to System Preferences > Accessibility. In the Spoken Content Section, check the box for speak typing feedback.
Now, any letter typed is read aloud by the speak typing feedback feature. After you’ve typed a word, that word also reads out loud with Spoken Content. If you enter punctuation, space, new paragraph, or other characters — these are read aloud as well.
Color Adjustments
Now you can change which colors appear in buttons, menus, and other elements. Or you can select the multicolor option, which changes the accent color of an app based on the developer’s preferences — each app will have a unique color.
To set up different color options, go to System Preferences > General. For Accent Color, choose the first icon.
Mac’s default setting for wallpaper tinting is annoying to some as it changes the shading of many items in macOS. To change the windows’ display to a more neutral tone, go to System Preferences > General and uncheck allow wallpaper tinting in the windows.
Trying macOS Wallpapers
Mac has always done that little bit extra when it comes to aesthetics, and Big Sur is no different.
Big Sur adds several stunning new images you can set up as your wallpaper. Just like previous versions, you can choose a dynamic wallpaper that changes between light and dark as the day and night progress.
However, Big Sur offers a wider variety of pictures and cool variations on the usual scenic Apple Themes.
Big Sur Mac Rentals with Rentacomputer.com
Are you thinking about renting one of the latest available Macbooks, iMacs, or Mac Pros? Tech Travel Agent Mark Gillaugh specializes in Apple rentals, laptop rentals, hotspot rentals, tablet rentals, and much more. Mark will handle any questions you have about the Apple product rentals featuring Big Sur OS. Contact Mark today at 1-800-736-8772 ext. 249 or fill out a fast, easy online quote form.
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