Converting to Mac

The Windows Users Guide to Getting Started on the Mac.

With the surge in Mac sales year over year for the last several years and over a third of those being Windows users who are switching to the Mac because of the success and ease of use of the iPhone and now the iPad. I thought I would put together a short guide for those starting out in the wonderful world of Macintosh.

The beauty of the Mac is it is very easy to do basic things but it is also very customizable and with BSD Unix under the hood it is also very powerful. So it is a great choice from novice users like Grandma to serious geeks who like to customize everything like myself.

First we will start with a list of Windows keyboard shortcuts and their Mac equivalents. Thanks to www.myfirstmac.com for compiling the list.

System Shortcuts

Action	Windows	Macintosh
Backwards Delete	Backspace	Delete
Capture Entire Screen to Clipboard	Print Screen	Command + Control + Shift + 3
Capture Frontmost Window	Alt + Print Screen	Command + Shift + 3
Close Current Window	Control + W	Command + W
Copy a File/Folder	Control + drag icon	Option + drag icon
Copy to Clipboard	Control + C	Command + C
Create an alias or shortcut	Right mouse click and select Create Shortcut	Command + L
Cut to Clipboard	Control + X	Command + X
Exit a dialog box without changes	Escape	Escape
Find/Search	Control + F	Command + F
Force quit a frozen application	Control + Alt + Delete	Command + Option + Escape
Forward Delete	Delete	Delete (For Mac notebooks, press the Function (fn) and Delete key)
Get item info or properties	Alt + Enter	Command + I
Logout Current User	Windows + L	Command + Shift + Q
Maximize Window	Control + F10	None
Minimize Windows	Windows + M	Command + M
New Folder	Control + N	Command + Shift + N
Open File	Control + O	Command + O
Paste Clipboard	Control + V	Command + V
Print	Control + P	Command + P
Quit/Close a program	Alt + F4	Command + Q
Rename a file/folder	Select item + F2	Select item + Enter
Save File	Control + S	Command + S
Select all items	Control + A	Command + A
Select more than one item in a list (non contiguous)	Control + click on each item	Command + click on each item
Send items to Trash/Recycle Bin	Delete	Command + Delete
Send/Receive Email	Control + K	Command + K
Shut Down	Windows + U + U	Command + Option + Control + Eject
Switch to Next Window	Control + F6	Command + ~ (tilde)
Switch to Previous Window	Control + Shift + F6	Command + Shift + ~ (tilde)
Toggle through open applications	Alt + Tab	Command + Tab
Type special characters	Alt + key	Option + key
Undo	Control-Z	Command-

 

MS Office / iWork

Action	Windows	Macintosh
All Caps	Control + Shift + A	Command + Shift + A
Bold	Control + B	Command + B
Extend selection word left	Control + Shift + Left	Option + Shift + Left
Extend selection word right	Control + Shift + Right	Option + Shift + Right
Font Menu	Control + D	Command + D (Office); Command + T (iWork)
Italics	Control + I	Command + I
Move to the beginning of current or previous word	Control + Left	Option + Left
Move to the end of current or next word	Control + Right	Option + Right
Move to the end of the current line	Control + End	Option + End
New Document, Email, Etc.	Control + N	Command + N
Underline	Control + U	Command + U

 

Internet Explorer / Safari Shortcuts

Action	Windows	Macintosh
Back	Alt + Left OR Backspace	Command + Left OR Delete
Find A Word/Phrase on a page	Control + F	Command + F
Forward	Alt + Right OR Shift + Backspace	Command + Right OR Shift + Delete
Go To Home Page	Alt + Home	Command + Shift + H
Open a new browser window	Control + N	Command + N
Open New Tab	Control + T	Command + T
Print Page	Control + P	Command + P
Refresh A Web Page	Control + R	Command + R
Switch to Next Tab	Control + Tab	Command + }
Switch to Previous Tab	Control + Shift + Tab	Command + {
Toggle Full Screen	F11	None
Enlarge Text Size	Control + + (plus)	Command + + (plus)
Reduce Text Size	Control + - (minus)	Command + - (minus)

You can find these shortcuts in the menus of any app you are using to the right of the command.

Also for those just starting out on the Mac Apple has several resources available to ease the transition.

http://www.apple.com/support/switch101/

One of the most useful pages of Switch 101 is http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2514 where they discuss what you did in WIndows and how to do it on the Mac.

For those who don’t have a lot of time or are visual learners Apple also has a video section with short clips ranging from 60 seconds to a few minutes that provide some quick over view demos of OS X and other Apple apps. You can find the Apple video tutorials here http://www.apple.com/findouthow/mac/. I can’t stress enough the value of a Windows to Mac switcher to watch PC to Mac: The Basics.

iTunes U also has a few classes relating to Mac technology and the podcast section of iTunes is loaded with Mac Tips and tricks podcasts and the ever popular Don McAllister Series http://www.screencastsonline.com/ where Don walks you through a variety of programs and tips to make your Mac more user friendly.

Many cities also have Mac users groups where people of varying ages and technical backgrounds meet to talk about their Macs and to help other Mac users solve problems and learn more about the platform. In Las Vegas we have LVMug www.lvmug.com and we meet at the College of Southern Nevada West Charleston Campus at 10:00 AM the second saturday of every month. Apple hosts a web page to help you find Mac User Groups in your area http://www.apple.com/usergroups/.

Last but not least all of the Apple Stores across the country offer One on One training sessions. For a fee you get a 1 hour block of time with an Apple Trainer to teach you about the Mac and Apple software. There are a host of training options available for people who are new to the Mac or just want some training on specific software.

Also the help menu can be very useful on the Mac. If you forget where a menu item is located. Say Cut under the edit menu. If you go to help and type the word Cut, the Mac will pull down the edit menu, highlight cut, and place a big blue floating arrow pointing at Cut to show you where it is for the next time you need it. Also Mac help can give you step by step directions for many common tasks.

There is a bit of learning curve when switching from Windows to Mac. In my experience most users adjust well and enjoy being on the Mac and never look back. A few had a hard time adjusting to the differences between the Mac and Windows. Just keep an open mind ask questions of any Mac Geeks out there we are always ready and willing to help out.