You’ve purchased your new MacBook, you’re ready to open it up and get going, but you’re not sure where to start. Understandable. MacBooks have a ton of awesome features and opportunities.
There are many truly great things you can do with your computer, but the best place to start is the App Store. Whether you use your laptop for browsing, work, art, or something else entirely, there’s an app that will enhance your experience.
Even if you’ve had your computer for a long time and the features of a MacBook are nothing new to you, it’s worth checking out the best free MacBook apps.
There’s always something that will make your computer usage more seamless and more enjoyable!
1. F.lux
The bright blue screen of a laptop can disturb your circadian rhythm by restraining melatonin. You might find that if you use your computer close to bedtime, the bright lights mean you’re lying awake for hours afterward.
Is the only solution to stop using your laptop close to bedtime?
While it’s ideal to avoid bright screens before you fall asleep, there is another solution. The f.lux app is a free download that changes your computer lighting to something softer with more yellow hues, essentially mimicking your indoor lighting.
Less blue colors on your screen mean that there’s less chance of your sleep being disturbed.
2. LastPass
LastPass can be downloaded through your browser and is an encrypted app that stores all of your passwords under one master key.
Everyone who uses a computer has many log-ins for every website that are hard to remember if you follow the essential security rule of not re-using the same password.
Fortunately, LastPass means you can log in with one single password and it will automatically generate the password for anything else when you open a website.
It’s important to keep your master password very safe if you use this app, but it can be a life-saver. Especially for those with many accounts.
3. Photos
Apple recently ditched its old iPhoto app in favor of Photos. Many don’t bother to use this default app — after all, photos can be viewed in Finder, so why bother?
There’s a reason it’s one of the best default apps.
Plugging in your iPhone or your iPad to your laptop means your photos can instantly be synced and saved to your laptop. It’s easy to view them too and you can browse by date or media type.
Setting up your iCloud Drive on Mac is another good way to ensure your devices stay connected and everything is backed up.
4. Amphetamine
One of the best free MacBook applications for those who do a lot of downloading is Amphetamine.
Amphetamine will stop your MacBook from going into sleep mode while it’s running, and that’s not all. The app can actually be triggered to stay awake by certain things chosen by the user, such as:
- When a specific app is running
- When a specific app is at the forefront of the screen
- When your computer is connected to a specific WiFi
- When another display is connected
If you download large files or need apps to run without your MacBook abruptly shutting off during an activity, this app is invaluable.
5. Unsplash Wallpapers
One of the best MacBook apps to switch up the aesthetic of your desktop is Unsplash Wallpapers.
This app is filled with high-definition photography from all around the world so that your desktop background will always look breath-taking.
Not only does it provide a big selection of gorgeous photos, but you can also create themes and rotate through the wallpapers in that theme. Perhaps you love animals or cityscapes, or any scenery involving mountains.
Whatever you’re passionate about, your wallpapers can reflect it. There’s no such thing as bad quality on this app.
6. Pocket
Pocket works by saving articles, videos, and much more from webpages to the app. You can then go back and read or watch them later — and the app works offline!
Not only is this awesome for people who might be browsing for recipes or articles without having the time to go through them, but it’s also great for commuters and travelers.
Sitting on a plane for hours with no WiFi? On a train where the signal is spotty?
Download Pocket, and these journies can become much more enjoyable.
7. Spot menu
Spotmenu is a lesser-known app with a pretty nifty feature. If you’re someone who spends every second on their computer listening to music, this is one of the best free apps for MacBook users.
This app creates a menu pinned to your screen for music players such as Spotify and iTunes. No longer do you need to open up your music app to pause a song, skip to the next one, or flick through for a track you like.
You can do it all from whatever window you’re on! A real time-saver.
The Best Free Macbook Apps Are the Ones That Improve Your Experience!
Ultimately, the best free MacBook apps for you will depend on what you use your laptop for. Spotmenu will be ideal for those music-lovers, whereas Pocket is fantastic for those who are always traveling.
Apple has a bunch of awesome apps that can enhance your MacBook experience, as do third-party developers. It’s all about browsing what’s available and seeing what works for you.
These apps are genuinely innovative, and will make your laptop time so much more enjoyable!
For more tech and gaming tips, check out the rest of our blog.
