Image: Apple
Got a new Mac for the holidays? Congratulations! If it’s replacing an older Mac with an older operating system, you now have a new machine running macOS Sonoma, the latest version of macOS.
While the look, feel, and general interface of macOS are the same from generation to generation, each version introduces new features. If you’ve been using an older version, you may not know about the things that Sonoma introduces. If you’re new to Sonoma, welcome! Let’s get you started right by showing you some of the things you can do with Sonoma that you couldn’t do before. This will help you get the most out of your Mac, and best of all, they’re all pretty easy to learn.
- Materials required: macOS Sonoma
1.
Adjust the ‘Reveal Desktop’ setting
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With Sonoma, Apple made one major change to the user interface that can be disorienting to longtime Mac users. Before Sonoma, if you clicked on the wallpaper, the interface switched to the Desktop, but the app you were using stayed on screen. Now, if you are in an app and you click away from an app window and onto the wallpaper of your Mac, all of the open windows hide so you can see your Desktop. This is a new feature called “Click wallpaper to reveal Desktop.” The new interaction takes some getting used to–you might find it annoying, especially if you mindlessly click on the wallpaper and your apps jump off the screen. You can adjust this setting, though. Here are complete instructions on how to adjust or turn off “Click wallpaper to reveal Desktop.”
2.
Add widgets to the Desktop
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Sonoma can host widgets on the Desktop–they’re no longer isolated to the right-side notification shade. This allows users to get quick access to much-needed information. Best of all, the available widgets include Apple’s own as well as third-party apps. If you use widgets on your iPhone, you can bring them over to your Mac. Here are the instructions on how to add widgets to the Sonoma Desktop.
3.
Pick an animated wallpaper
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Sonoma comes with several great-looking animated wallpapers that can also be set as the Mac’s screensaver. If you use the Spaces feature, a different wallpaper can be set for each desktop Space. You can see the wallpapers in the Wallpaper section of System Settings. We have an article that highlights some of our favorite Sonoma wallpapers to give you an idea of what’s available.
4.
Learn FaceTime’s new reactions and gestures
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To give FaceTime calls and video conferences a little pizazz, Apple introduced FaceTime reactions. These are simple gestures you can do that will trigger a special effect background on your video window.
