2016 Most Popular Downloads and Publications for Mac
Apple gave Mac users an updated operating system and a new naming scheme this year with macOS Sierra, but our best Mac posts cover a wide range of topics. Here are some of our best Mac posts of the year.
Always up to date guide to building a hackintosh (macOS Sierra)
Building a hackintosh, that is, installing macOS on third-party hardware, used to require extremely limited hardware choices and a significant amount of know-how. Your options are now vast, and the installation process is pretty straightforward. With that in mind, here’s our always up-to-date hackintosh guide that walks you through buying compatible parts, building a machine, and installing macOS yourself.
Lifehacker Pack for Mac: Our List of Essential Mac Apps
There is no shortage of useful, interesting applications for the Mac, but some of them are simply indispensable. In this year’s Annual Lifehacker Pack for Mac, we highlight the best downloads for productivity, communication, media management, and more.
How Much Money Will You Make Using Apple’s Renewal Program
Apple recently introduced the Apple Renew program, which pays you with Apple Gift Cards and Good Earth vibes to recycle old iPhones, iPads, Macs and more. Here’s what you can expect when you send used items.
50 Free Apps We Are Most Grateful For
This is the time of year that we all give thanks, and among other things, we at Lifehacker are grateful for all the free apps that make our lives better (and the developers who create them!). Here are 50 of our favorite apps.
Run Windows on Mac: VirtualBox vs. VMware Fusion vs. Parallels
If you need to run Windows inside OS X, you have three options: VirtualBox, VMware, and Parallels. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and different use cases where one is better than the other. Let’s figure out when each is best and why.
Stop using iCloud
Apple’s iCloud has a long and troubled past , but the company continues to promote it to iPhone and Mac users with every new operating system update. Don’t be fooled. Service is an inconsistent mess and more hassle than it’s worth.
Everything Apple Announced at WWDC That Really Matters
Apple’s WWDC kicked off today with a regular keynote speech, but this one provided details on Apple’s next set of operating systems: iOS 10, the new tvOS, updates to watchOS, and OS X, now renamed macOS.
Should I upgrade to macOS Sierra?
Dear Lifehacker, Sierra is out today and some of the new features like Siri look pretty cool. Sure, this seems like a small enough update, but that doesn’t mean things won’t go badly. Have you already used it, do you think? Update or wait?
All new macOS Sierra features
Apple just released macOS Sierra , and while it’s a small update, it does include Siri, the universal clipboard, and a few other new features. Let’s take a quick look at all the new items.
How to make a bootable macOS Sierra installation USB drive
If you want to do a clean install of macOS Sierra, or have multiple Macs to install it, then a bootable flash drive is the best choice for an easy installation. Here’s how to do it.
All the standard Mac apps that Apple has gradually made useful
Apple has always packaged a lot of decent software in OS X, but for a long time, users might remember when the built-in options were so poor that you had to install basic alternatives like a PDF reader or image viewer just to get that. something that works well. … Times have changed, and if you haven’t been looking lately, it’s time to try a few of these built-in productivity tools again.
Set Animated GIF as Mac Wallpaper
Mac: Tired of using those boring static images as wallpaper. If you want to spice up the image a bit, GIFPaper app can set any GIF as wallpaper.
MacOS Sierra Screen Review, Your Mac’s Latest Operating System
Apple’s newest operating system, macOS Sierra , won’t be out until fall, but the public beta is open to anyone brave enough to install it now. If you’d rather leave your Mac alone but are still wondering what’s new, don’t worry, we’ll take a look at all the new features.
Clean up a cluttered hard drive with the new macOS Sierra storage manager
One of the handy new features in macOS Sierra takes care of something you probably don’t think much about: cluttered files fill up your hard drive. There is now a built-in utility that replaces these third-party tools and makes it easier to find space-consuming files, old apps, and more.
10 MacBook trackpad gestures that will save you time
If you have a MacBook, you probably know very well how scrolling and right-clicking work on a trackpad, but you might not know how to bring up Quick Look, Action Center, or Exposè. Whether you’re new to macOS or just never bother to learn them, these gestures can make your life a little easier.
That’s all! While Apple hasn’t done too many cool things for the Mac this year, it’s been a good year for Mac software overall. There’s always a lot to learn, though, so be sure to check out our top posts from 2015 , 2014 , 2013 , 2012 , 2011 , 2010 , 2009 and 2008 .