explained Key features

1 The menu bar

This shows commands for the currently active app, which by default is Finder (August issue,

# 315). The first item is always the Apple menu, where you can access system info, preferences and the Mac App Store, and shut down or restart. You can hide the bar until the pointer is at the screen’s top edge: look in  > System Preferences > General.

2 Dock

To add an app to the Dock, drag its icon to it from a Finder window. To remove an app, just drag its icon out; this doesn’t delete the app from your Mac. To open or switch to an app, click its icon. Open apps have a black dot below.

3 Spotlight

Click here, or press

ç+[ space], to search your Mac, iCloud Drive and online. Confusingly, the search box doesn’t drop down from this icon, but appears where you last positioned it on the screen; to reset that position, click and hold on this menu bar icon.

4 Siri’s icon

Click here to open Siri’s window, or hold

å+[ space] until Siri appears. This shortcut can be changed in  > System Prefs > Siri.

5 Notifications

Click this icon to open Notification Centre on the right. The Today tab shows appointments, weather, and more; drag items to rearrange, or click Edit to alter what’s shown. Notifications shows latest alerts; click the gear (bottom right) to change preferences.