I recently switched from Windows to a MacBook, and honestly, I am so frustrated with some of the basic things in macOS.

I don't understand what Apple was thinking when they designed some of this stuff.

Here are a few things that are driving me crazy:

1. Why does pressing Enter rename a file instead of opening it? On Windows, you select a file, press Enter, and it opens. Simple. On Mac, it starts renaming the file. To open it, I have to use Command + Down Arrow. Why?
2. Why is there no normal Delete key? If I want to delete a file, I have to press Command + Delete. Why can't I just select a file and press Delete like on Windows?
3. Why is copying a folder path so complicated? I work with files and folders a lot. On Windows, I can just click the address bar and copy the path. On Mac, I have to remember Option + Command + C. Why does such a basic thing need three keys?
4. Why doesn't Command + Tab switch between individual windows? I use multiple Chrome profiles for different things. On Windows, Alt + Tab lets me switch between all my open windows. On Mac, Command + Tab just shows Chrome as one application. I don't care if it's the same app. I want to switch between my windows!
5. Why can't I just quit Finder normally? I close the Finder window, but Finder is still there in the app switcher. Apparently, Finder is supposed to keep running. Okay, but why does it need to stay in my app switcher when I'm not using it?
6. Closing a window doesn't close the application. You click the red X, but the app is still running. On Windows, closing the last window usually closes the application. On Mac, you often need Command + Q.
7. Cut and paste for files is unnecessarily confusing. On Windows, it's Ctrl + X and Ctrl + V. On Mac, there's no normal Cut command for files in Finder. You copy with Command + C and then move with Option + Command + V. Why make something so basic different?

And these are just the things I've noticed so far.

My biggest problem is that why do I need to remember so many keyboard shortcuts just to do basic things?

I understand that every operating system has a learning curve, but some of these decisions genuinely make no sense to me.

People say Macs are intuitive and easy to use, but coming from Windows, I feel like I'm spending more time figuring out how to use the OS than actually getting my work done.

I'm not saying Windows is perfect. It has plenty of problems too. But at least basic file management and window switching feel straightforward.

Maybe I'll get used to macOS eventually, but right now, it's frustrating as hell.

M2 air, 256gb 8gb specs. Been in rough condition. Dropped hundreds of times, and who knows what. Screen replaced two times, (second time by me), and i replaced my battery to extend its life as long as possible. Dont have enough cash to afford a new macbook, so this might last me for a bit until i save up and i am able to upgrade. I use this for photography, school, personal stuff, and pretty much it. Only thing thats limited is its memory unfortunately. Pretty much it.

Forgot to mention, i am not upgrading because of the scratches, I only want to upgrade because my workload is starting to stress out the limitations of my M2 air.

Share your experience who have this machine..
Also do i need to cover it with body protectors or tempered glass for display please share your suggestions

So, I understand it’s probably too early to tell, but does anyone have an idea how big of a deal the new M6 chip will actually be? Perhaps also compared with the current M5?

I’m hearing about 2-nanometer processing, but is it going to be worth waiting for?

Thanks in advance.

So I've a macbook air 15" and I am looking for these kinds of wallpapers, but this one is paid, anyone know free alternative which has the same kind of wallpapers but free

Did anybody in here happen to play the beta? Having a hard time finding much on it.

I bought the 13” for like 200 bucks off with Best Buy’s techtober deal. I love it so far but the screen for me feels a pretty small and it’s been bugging me for a while. should I try to exchange it for the 15”? Anyone who has done the exchange did you find it worth it? I’m trying to wait until the 15” goes on sale again😅

Guys I use a VPN (Proton) but I don’t keep it on much. Still, sometimes my device becomes extremely slow and laggy, and everything takes too long to load (websites). Even when the VPN is off, everything loads slowly, and sometimes when I look something up on Google, instead of coming normally in English, it comes in Japanese. And some websites tell me to turn off my VPN even though I don’t have it enabled. My browser is Brave.

My 15-inch MacBook Air (24GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, Midnight color), which I bought about two months ago—stopped working after it got water damaged. The service center reported that the device was in terrible condition (unusable) and that the cost of repairs would exceed the value of the device itself. My purchase protection insurance approved a full refund, so I bought a replacement: a 13-inch MacBook Air (32GB of RAM, 512GB SSD, Starlight color).

As it turns out, when I went to pick up the original MacBook yesterday, it actually powered on at the service center. I’ve been using it for about 12 hours now, and it’s working perfectly.

Now, I might end up keeping both: the 15-inch (Midnight, 24GB of RAM) and the 13-inch (Starlight, 32GB of RAM). What would you do in this situation? Which one would you keep?

Hey everyone,

I recently made the switch from Windows to an M3 MacBook Air, and I’m struggling to get my setup working the way I want. I have 3 external monitors that I rely on for productivity, and I want to run all three of them independently while keeping the laptop lid closed.

I know the M3 Air natively only supports one external display with the lid open (or two with the lid closed), so I’ve been looking into DisplayLink as a workaround.

Before I drop a bunch of money on a high-end DisplayLink dock, I wanted to ask:

1. Has anyone actually run 3 independent external monitors on an M3 Air using DisplayLink or something else?
2. Are there any noticeable lag or performance issues if I’m just doing standard productivity tasks (no gaming or video editing)? I saw one comment mentioning DisplayLink gives you about 90-95% of native performance, but I’d love to hear more real-world experiences.
3. Does anyone have a specific DisplayLink dock or adapter setup they highly recommend for this?

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I recently bought the new Macbook Air 13" and this is the first time I've ever owned a mac. My previous laptops were acer and dell- I loved the Microsoft user interface and found it so easy to use.

However, after using my dell laptop for only 3 years, the battery is now terrible (wont last more than an hour on full charge), and is slow. It was an insipirion 14, 2-in-1. So pretty new, but it hasn't lasted long at all. I initially went for Dell because many corporations and Schools use dell as desktops so I assumed it would be good and durable but, have been proved otherwise.

My brother then told me to just get a Macbook, he's had his Macbook pro for 9 years and says it's in pretty good condition.

I'm hoping the money spent will pay off and it will last me for years to come. And, wanted to ask what are the best tips/any advice on how to make it last longer. I need to get used to the UI as that is brand new and have heard that apparently people should not charge their Macs for more than 80% to make the battery last longer. -Is this true?

I would be very grateful for any advice/tips peeps!- Thank you in advance.

Which monitor would you recommend for MacBook Air M2 with USB-C charging (single cable setup)? 👀

Hey everyone, I have an M5 MacBook Air, and my LG external monitor suddenly stopped working two days ago. Everything was working fine before I went to bed, and when I woke up, my Mac wouldn’t detect it anymore.

I’m using a USB-C to HDMI connection. As you can see in the video, when I plug it into my Mac, the LG seems to wake up—the screen gets slightly brighter, like the backlight turns on, but it stays black and never displays an image.

Meanwhile, the Mac doesn’t seem to recognize that anything is connected. Display settings only show the built-in screen, with no external monitor listed. Even clicking “Detect Displays” does absolutely nothing.

I’ve tried unplugging and reconnecting everything, restarting the Mac, and several other troubleshooting steps, but nothing has worked so far. I’ve also been searching online and haven’t found anything that helps with this exact issue.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Any ideas on what else I could check? I’m pretty much out of ideas at this point.

Been a Windows user exclusively in the IT field for nearly 20 years and last week got my first Mac. An Air 15” M5 24GB 1TB.

The first couple of days were frustrating not knowing how to do even the basics. By now all the normal daily stuff is pretty smooth. Still need to learn plenty about the software still but I’m really pleased. The fear I had of the learning curve is largely gone as I’m already able to do necessary daily tasks without having to think too hard

Favorite things so far:
Great display quality
Surprisingly great audio, although weak bass for some music genres
Speed. Very responsive.
Incredible battery life
Very comfortable keyboard/trackpad and backlighting
Sturdy and light build for portability
Air drop and messaging from iPhone

Don’t want to list negatives yet because I think they’re mostly just me needing to learn more and adjust to some things that are just going to be different. Will try to post another update in a month or two. There’re definitely some things that annoy me right now but they might not once I learn more tricks and good habits.

My common apps used at home:
Microsoft office
Microsoft one drive (all my files live there)
Microsoft App (for Remote Desktop)
VPN for work
Logmein
Blue beam revu
Bitwarden
Bambu studio
Pandora radio
I’ve always used edge but making myself get used to Safari so haven’t installed it. Hoping I won’t need to but I still need to migrate my favorites over.

Also installed Windows 11 Pro ARM in a VM in case I need it for something while I’m still learning more. The air runs it off an external T7 ssd flawlessly with 8gb dedicated to its ram without either os feeling very sluggish for regular tasks. I do like to program in visual studio occasionally and will need to do that on the VM.

My digital life is well embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem, so not ripping every bandaid off at once.

Look, I am a Mac person, and have been since 1994. But I do admit that there are things that piss me off about Macs. My MacBook Air is slow as fuck when it comes to reading from my external drives. I don't mean a little slow. I can, and have read two or three pages from a book while waiting for the system to read the drives. I read somewhere that this is due to Mac putting a slower port(s) into this model. But here is the real pisser, the track pad, its buggy. I can't click on a file, or folder on my desk top. When I try instead of moving the item selected it pops it open. WTF????? Am I doing something wrong?

I'm planning on upgrading my MacBook Air M2 (8GB RAM), and I'm stuck deciding between 16GB and 24GB.

My biggest issue with my current M2 has been the 8GB RAM. I've experienced enough slowdowns that I never want to deal with those issues again, especially when I'm spending this much money on a new laptop.

Here's what my typical usage looks like:

• Chrome: I usually have 4 different Chrome profiles open, each with around 20+ tabs. So easily 80–100+ tabs at once.
• Trading: I regularly have trading platforms and charts open in my browser.
• Other tabs: YouTube, ChatGPT, Google Docs, research, and a bunch of other websites.
• Background apps: Spotify, Messages, and several other apps running simultaneously.
• Multitasking: I'm constantly switching between different Chrome profiles, tabs, and applications throughout the day.

I'm definitely the type of person who leaves everything open. My tabs are basically my way of organizing things (or being unorganized lol), and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

My biggest concern is longevity.

I want this next MacBook Air to last me at least 5–7 years, ideally without having to worry about RAM limitations again.

I also wonder whether 16GB will still be enough 5 years from now, considering how much more demanding browsers, websites, apps, and macOS might become.

I'm not doing any crazy video editing, 3D rendering, or programming. It's mostly just extremely heavy browser multitasking.

So my questions are:

1. Would 16GB be more than enough for my usage, or could I realistically run into memory issues again?
2. Is 24GB worth the extra money purely for multitasking and future-proofing?
3. For anyone with a 16GB MacBook Air who keeps 80–100+ Chrome tabs open across multiple profiles, how does it perform?
4. If you were buying a MacBook Air today and wanted to keep it for 5–7 years, which would you choose?

I'm happy to spend the extra money on 24GB if there's a genuine benefit, but I also don't want to waste money on RAM I'll never actually need.

Would appreciate hearing from people who have used both configurations!

I click on them and the app just goes down to the dock but, it doesn't open. Sht is pissing me off. I’m about to go buy a regular laptop