Mac Utilities You Should Know About for Better Performance

Mac Utilities You Should Know About for Better Performance

In Mac, the Applications folder is a place that can spark your usability experience on the device. You will find a number of utilities that are installed by default on your Mac to make your work easier. Here are great built-in utilities that help you make the most out of your system. So, let’s have a look at these tools.

Activity Monitor

Keeping a consistent track of your computer’s performance is necessary to ensure optimal output. If your system starts acting unusual while you are trying to accomplish a task, it is important to figure out the cause. Sudden slowdown, immense overheating, or strange sounds are alarming signs that indicate something wrong with the system.

If you ever experience any behavioral change in your Mac, it’s time to hit the Activity Monitor to check out the cause. You can check the CPU, Network Activity, Disk, Memory, and other details to determine how much energy and resources each app is consuming. Under the Energy tab, you can find apps that are draining most of the battery so that you can disable them.

XProtect

Having a tool to protect the system from potential threats is bound to ensure the overall performance improvements for your MacBook. For macOS, XProtect is the default application that detects and eliminates malware, viruses, and other threats.

Of course, relying entirely on XProtect might not cut it, given how many different threats there are. According to setapp.com, MacBook owners should also consider investing in third-party applications, such as CleanMyMac X, particularly if they encounter spyware.

Then there is an argument for using VPNs to protect yourself from dangers using public Wi-Fi that lacks security protocols.

Overall, XProtect does its job, but it is still important to build a more solid cybersecurity strategy to feel really safe on your Mac.

Disk Utility

Partition, restore, wipe, repair or copy drives using your own partition manager and drive management tool called Disk Utility. You can even access it from Recovery Mode, so you do not require any other bootable tool to partition your Mac drive. You can create new partitions easily or can reformat any external storage media from the Disk Utility.

It is your go-to utility for performing or managing any disk-related tasks, both for internal and external disk drives. You can use it for managing RAID configurations, First-Aid, etc. If you are new to the Mac, First-Aid is the place you should hit instantly in case of file corruption, damage, or deletion.

AppleScript and Automator

Now this one is a bit technical. AppleScript scripts allow you to interact with co-tasks in the workflow. In comparison, the Automator enables you to create automation without scripting. These utilities can be used to perform repetitive tasks by creating effective scripts and workflows. By developing these scripts, you will cut down the time that you spend completing repetitive tasks.

Using Automator, you can automate digital photo actions, or batch rename images, play iTunes from within any application, send emails in a single click, and more. As a beginner, you might find it challenging to understand how AppleScript and Automator works, but as you start using these utilities regularly, you will get the hang of it and increase your productivity.

DigitalColor Meter

If you are a graphic designer or a digital artist, playing with color is probably one of your favorite pastimes. As a part of your job, you might want to replicate a shade of a color (that you have seen somewhere) to use in your artwork. If you think that you would need a third-party graphic designing application to do the task, let us introduce you to the Mac’s built-in DigitalColor Meter.

Your Mac’s built-in utility allows you to choose a segment of the screen in RGB and change the aperture so that you can adjust the pixels the way you want. You can make the same shade that you have seen on a website or an app and use it anywhere in your artwork.

Terminal

macOS versions bring along a great graphical user interface that offers ease and convenience to the users. However, it also offers a command-line interface to allow users to explore the system.

Linux users know the power of the terminal, and the Mac OS X Terminal utility is a powerful tool that allows users to perform tons of tasks. You can copy files with the original permissions, change the file format of the screenshot, delete stubborn files, or you can use it to show the current path in Finder.

Network Utility

For any sort of network problems, Network Utility is the first place you should visit to figure out the reason. Even if you want to analyze the network devices and the address they are using, Network Utility is the place to go. It accommodates information about your network connections, Ping, Lookup, Finger, Traceroute, Netstat, Whois, etc.

If your Mac is running Mavericks, you will find the Network Utility in System>Library>CoreServices>Applications>Network Utility. In the older versions, you may find it in Finder>Applications>Utilities.

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