So, you’ve shifted to the macOS platform because of its minimal interface? Congratulations on your latest buy. The Mac computer works well enough right out of the box, and you can follow the on-screen instructions to set up your system. From setting up your Apple ID to choosing the region and language, it is fairly easy to get started.
But getting started might not be enough for you. After your Mac is set up, it is time to explore the different ways you can customize your device to make it your own. Since you are a new Mac user, let’s start with the simple tricks.
Change Desktop Background And Screensaver
The easiest Mac customization trick is to change the desktop background and screensaver. It will instantly refresh your Mac’s appearance.
Here’s how to change background on MacBook:
- Go to System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver > click the Desktop tab to open Apple and then Desktop Pictures > click on any pre-installed pictures to set as your desktop picture. If your Mac runs on the latest macOS Ventura version, go to System Settings > Wallpaper > Desktop Pictures > click on any picture to set it as the background.
If you don’t like the pre-installed wallpapers, you can choose any of your clicked pictures to use as the background.
To change the screensaver, follow the steps mentioned above. But instead of the desktop tab, head to the Screen Saver tab. You’ll find that most screensavers offer further customization options that you can play around with.
Animate The Login Avatar
Generally, Mac users are greeted by a static selfie when their computer boots up. But you can have some fun with the login avatar and animate it. An animated emoji or Memoji is an excellent way to spice up things and enhance your Mac’s appearance.
Memojis respond to whatever you do on the lock screen. For instance, if you have left your computer idle for too long, the character will go to sleep. It may even shake its head in disappointment if you have committed a faux pas like entering the incorrect password.
To animate the login avatar, go to System Preferences (System Settings for macOS Ventura) > Users & Groups > hover the cursor over the login image and click Edit. Next, pick a new animated avatar from the Memoji tab.
Customize The Cursor
The same black cursor is used on all Macs, but you can jazz yours up. Refresh the cursor’s appearance by picking a new color scheme. macOS lets users choose a custom color for their system’s pointer and outline.
Head to System Preferences > Accessibility > go to the Pointer tab in the Display section. Set a new fill color and outline from the available options. While here, you can also shrink or enlarge the cursor’s size.
Activate Hot Corners
When you are in the Desktop & Screen Saver preferences pane (see the steps above), click on the Screen Saver tab to view the options for screensavers. You will find a button called Hot Corners at the bottom right. Activating this feature will allow you to use the four corners of your Mac’s screen to perform certain actions. It could be opening the Notification Center, launching a screensaver, or something else. Simply move the cursor to a defined corner, and the feature will be activated.
On macOS Ventura, the steps for activating Hot Corners are slightly different. Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Desktop & Dock > click Hot Corners by scrolling down.
Change The App icons
If you want to take things up a notch, change the app icons to personalize your Mac’s appearance truly. There are apps to help you with this, but the manual process is also straightforward.
To get started, download an icon from the World Wide Web. You must download .icns files because these files are compatible with Mac. If you have downloaded .png and .jpeg files, open the files with Preview > Edit > Select All > copy the selection. Please note that .png files don’t work because they do not always have a transparent background.
Then, find the application you want to modify and choose it > click Get Info > copy the downloaded picture and paste the new icon.
If you do not like the custom icon, select the Get Info button and press the Delete key on the keyboard.
This technique will work for most applications but may not work for Apple’s apps.
The Bottom Line
You can get started with these customization tips, as these are simple and straightforward. These will help to give your system a refreshed look and make your Mac your own. After you have nailed these hacks, you can graduate to tougher personalization hacks like jazzing up Safari’s homepage, organizing folders on Finder, showing battery percentage on the desktop, etc.
Which customization tips did you fancy? Share them.
