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ZDNET key takeaways

• MacOS can be made even more efficient.
• These simple configurations can make a big impact.
• Only one option requires the purchase of an app.

I use my MacBook Pro every day. There are several must-use apps I work with when I sit down in my comfiest chair, open it up, and start reading the news and preparing for the words I’m about to write for ZDNET. I also use it to write fiction, so it gets a lot of use.

To that end, every time I purchase a new MacBook (or iMac), there are certain changes I make so it’s even more efficient. Although those things are personal choices, I thought that I’d share them with you in hopes that they might also make your life a bit easier.

Also: How to decide between Linux and MacOS – if you’re ready to ditch Windows

With that said, let’s get to the settings.

1. Custom gestures

Did you know that you can customize the gestures on MacOS? 

Now, before you get too excited, there’s not really much you can customize by default. What you can do is change the gestures for “Swipe between apps,” “Swipe between full-screen applications,” Mission Control, and Exposé. If you don’t like the gestures that are assigned to them, you can change them in System Settings > Trackpad > More Gestures.

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If you do want to really create some custom gestures, you can opt to use a tool like BetterTouchTool, which is the best option for creating custom gestures. With this tool ($15 one-time for a standard license), you can create gestures for almost anything. For instance, I create a one-finger circular gesture to open the app switcher. 

If you’re serious about creating custom gestures, just buy this app and start customizing.

2. Hot corners

Hot corners are simple: you assign something (like showing the app launcher or the notification panel) to a corner, and when you move your cursor to that corner, whatever you’ve assigned to it happens. My hot corners are: top left — Application Windows, bottom left — Mission Control, top right — Apps, bottom right — Notification Center.

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You are somewhat limited to what you can assign to these hot corners, but what you can assign does make the MacOS desktop more efficient. The only caveat to this is that you have to get used to not moving your cursor to one of the corners when you don’t want that action to occur. Other than that, the hot corners feature is a must. 

Hot corners are configured in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Hot Corners.

3. Tap to click

I have no idea why Apple doesn’t enable tap to click by default. 

Everyone uses tap to click, and it’s pretty annoying that you have to enable it out of the box. For me, tap to click is much more efficient than having to actually press on the touchpad. In fact, I find pressing the touchpad to be kind of a challenge, especially when my laptop isn’t on a stable surface (such as my lap). On top of that, press to click doesn’t always work, which can be frustrating.

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To enable tap to click, go to System Settings > Trackpad and enable the feature.

4. Key repeat rate

You might not know this, but if you press and hold a key on your keyboard within a text area, whatever key you’ve pressed starts to repeat. For example, if you simply press the Delete key, it deletes a single character. If you press and hold the Delete key, it will continue deleting characters until you release the key.

You can customize how long you have to hold down a key before the repeated action happens, as well as how fast it repeats.

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By default, the “Key repeat rate” is set almost to the fastest setting, and the “Delay until repeat” is set near the middle. I like the default “Key repeat speed” because if you go too fast, you’ll wind up deleting more than necessary. However, I do like to speed up the delay, simply because I type very quickly and don’t care for delays. 

You should play around with the settings to see what best suits you. You can customize the options in System Settings > Keyboard.

5. Battery percentage displayed in the top bar

The other day, a friend was bemoaning the fact that he had no idea his MacBook Air battery was about to die and had to scramble to find somewhere to charge the device. He was surprised when I told him that he could add the battery percentage indicator to his top bar, which gives you a much better estimate of how much battery is left (old eyes don’t much care for a tiny icon).

I always enable the battery percentage on the top bar for my MacBooks, and one reason I do is that I always like to keep my battery no less than 20% and, when possible, no more than 90%.

Also: I was jealous of MacOS 26 users, until I realized Windows PCs already had these 4 features

To add the battery percentage in the top bar, go to System Settings > Menu Bar > Battery > Battery Options.

6. Clear the dock

I cannot stand a cluttered desktop. I don’t use desktop icons to launch apps or files, I don’t place folders on my desktop, and I don’t like to leave unused launchers on my dock. I’m a minimalist, and that aesthetic holds up on all of my desktops.

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With too many launchers on the dock, it can take me a while to find what I’m looking for. Because of that, I delete all launchers from my dock that I don’t use. Thanks to the app launcher, every app is accessible, but I don’t have to worry about a dock that is overwhelming. To remove a launcher from the dock, right-click it (or two-finger tap it), go to Options, and tap “Remove from dock.”