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New to a Mac after years on Windows? This is what works differently, the shortcuts to learn first, and what to install so our workflows run on your Mac.

Time: about 30 minutes to work through all of it.

You need: your Mac, your Apple Account password, and your Google account if you used Chrome on Windows.

You finish with: a Mac that's ready for the Set Up Claude guide.

Closing a window doesn't quit the app

On Windows, clicking the X closes the program. On a Mac, the red button in the top-left corner closes that window only. The app keeps running in the background.

To quit an app, press Cmd+Q. Or click the app's name in the menu bar at the top of the screen, then Quit.

To see what's still running, look at the Dock at the bottom of the screen. A small dot under an icon means that app is open, even with no window showing.

App stuck or acting strange? Closing its window won't restart it. Quit it with Cmd+Q, then open it again. If it won't quit, press Cmd+Option+Esc, pick the app and click Force Quit. That's the Mac's version of Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

Cmd does what Ctrl did

Almost every shortcut you know from Windows still works. You press Cmd instead of Ctrl. Cmd is the key right next to the space bar.

So copy is Cmd+C, paste is Cmd+V, undo is Cmd+Z, save is Cmd+S, find is Cmd+F and select all is Cmd+A. Mac menus show these keys as symbols: ⌘ is Cmd, ⌥ is Option, ⌃ is Control and ⇧ is Shift.

Other things that work differently

  • File Explorer is called Finder. It's the smiling face on the far left of the Dock.
  • The Start menu is Spotlight. Press Cmd+Space, type the first letters of an app or file, and press Return.
  • Each app's menu sits at the top of the screen, not inside its window. The menu changes to match whichever app you're using.
  • Right-click is a click with two fingers on the trackpad. Or hold Control and click.
  • Pressing Return on a file renames it. To open a file, double-click it or press Cmd+O.
  • To delete a file, select it and press Cmd+Delete. It goes to the Trash.
  • The key labeled delete works like Backspace on Windows.
  • Home and End in a line of text are Cmd+Left Arrow and Cmd+Right Arrow.
  • Control Panel is System Settings. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner, then System Settings.
  • Installing an app usually means opening the file you downloaded and dragging the app into your Applications folder. To remove an app, drag it from Applications to the Trash.

Put windows side by side

Macs can snap a window to half the screen with no extra app. These shortcuts use the Fn key, bottom-left on the keyboard. On newer keyboards it shows a globe.

  • Left half: Fn+Control+Left Arrow
  • Right half: Fn+Control+Right Arrow
  • Fill the screen: Fn+Control+F. This is the closest thing to Maximize on Windows.
  • Two windows side by side in one go: Fn+Control+Shift+Left Arrow puts your window on the left and the one behind it on the right.

Prefer the mouse? Hold the pointer over the green button in a window's top-left corner and pick a layout from the menu.

The green button opens full screen, which hides the menu bar and puts the app in a space of its own. That surprises most people coming from Windows. To get out, press Cmd+Control+F, or move the pointer to the top of the screen and click the green button again.
Shortcuts not working? They need macOS 15 or newer. Click the Apple logo, then About This Mac, to check your version.

Switch between apps and windows

  • Cmd+Tab works like Alt+Tab. Hold Cmd, tap Tab until the app you want is highlighted, then let go.
  • Cmd+` switches between windows of the same app, for example two Chrome windows. The ` key sits above Tab.
  • Cmd+W closes the window you're in. Cmd+Q quits the whole app.
  • Cmd+H hides an app's windows without closing them. Click its icon in the Dock to bring them back.
Why Cmd+Tab feels wrong at first: it switches between apps, not windows. With three Chrome windows open, Cmd+Tab shows Chrome once. That's what Cmd+` is for.

Take a screenshot or record your screen

  • Whole screen: Cmd+Shift+3
  • Part of the screen: Cmd+Shift+4, then drag a box around what you want
  • One window: Cmd+Shift+4, then press Space, then click the window
  • Record your screen: Cmd+Shift+5. Pick Record Entire Screen or Record Selected Portion, then click Record. To stop, click the stop button in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Add Control to skip the file. Cmd+Control+Shift+4 copies the picture instead of saving it. Then press Cmd+V in Claude to paste it straight into your message. This is the fastest way to show Claude what you're looking at.

Want your voice on a recording? In the Cmd+Shift+5 toolbar, click Options and pick your microphone.

Change these settings on day one

All of these are in System Settings or in Finder. Each one takes under a minute.

  1. Tap to click. System Settings, Trackpad, then turn on Tap to click. A light tap now counts as a click.
  2. Show file endings. Open Finder. In the menu bar, click Finder, Settings, Advanced, then turn on Show all filename extensions. Our workflows use files like CLAUDE.md, and you need to see the .md to know you've got the right one.
  3. Show which folder you're in. In Finder, click View, then Show Path Bar. The full folder path now shows at the bottom of every Finder window. You'll need it when a workflow asks you to pick a folder.
  4. Choose where screenshots go. Press Cmd+Shift+5, click Options, and pick a folder under Save to. I save mine to Downloads, so they're next to everything else I just grabbed.
  5. Tidy the Dock. System Settings, Desktop & Dock. I turn on Automatically hide and show the Dock for more room on screen, and turn off Show suggested and recent apps in Dock so the Dock only shows apps I put there.
Scrolling feels backwards? On a Mac, moving two fingers up on the trackpad moves the page up, like on a phone. You get used to it in a day or two. If you don't, go to System Settings, Trackpad, Scroll & Zoom, and turn off Natural scrolling. I leave mine on.

Install your tools

Do these in order. The first three are general. Four and five are what our Claude workflows need. Six is optional.

  1. Google Chrome. Go to google.com/chrome and download Chrome. Open the file and drag Chrome into Applications.

Download Google Chrome ↗

  1. Your Chrome extensions. Open Chrome and sign in with the Google account you used on Windows. When Chrome asks, turn on sync. Your bookmarks and extensions come over from your old computer. Didn't use Chrome before? You'll add the two extensions you need in steps 3 and 5.
  2. A password manager. I use 1Password. If your company already uses a different one, use that. Download 1Password for Mac and sign in. Add the 1Password extension to Chrome, so it can fill in your passwords on websites.

Download 1Password ↗

  1. The Claude desktop app (required). Our workflows run in the Claude app, not on the Claude website. Step 2 of the Set Up Claude guide walks you through it.

Install the Claude app →

  1. Claude in Chrome (required). This Chrome extension lets Claude use websites you're signed in to. Step 2 of the Set Up Claude guide covers it.

Add Claude to Chrome →

  1. Wispr Flow (recommended). You talk, and Wispr Flow types what you said into whatever app you're in, Claude included. Long instructions come out faster spoken than typed. When it asks for access to your microphone and Accessibility, allow both, or it can't type for you.

Download Wispr Flow ↗

Lock it down

Five settings, all in System Settings.

  1. Protect your files if the Mac is stolen. Privacy & Security, scroll to FileVault, click Turn On. FileVault scrambles everything on the drive, so nobody can read your files without your password. Save the recovery key in your password manager.
  2. Add your fingerprint. Touch ID & Password, then Add Fingerprint. Unlocking takes a second, so you won't be tempted to switch the lock off.
  3. Lock when you walk away. Lock Screen. Next to Require password after screen saver begins or display is turned off, pick Immediately. To lock the screen yourself, press Cmd+Control+Q. That's the Mac's version of Windows+L.
  4. Install updates on their own. General, Software Update, then click the ⓘ next to Automatic updates and turn everything on.
  5. Turn on Find My Mac. Click your name at the top of System Settings, then iCloud, See All, Find My Mac, and Turn On. If your Mac goes missing, you can find it, lock it or erase it from another device.

Check it worked

  • Closing a window and pressing Cmd+Q both feel natural.
  • Fn+Control+Left Arrow snaps a window to the left half.
  • Cmd+Control+Shift+4 copies a screenshot you can paste with Cmd+V.
  • Chrome, your password manager and the Claude app are in Applications.

Next: set up Claude.

Start the Set Up Claude guide