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Course · MacBook

Setting up your MacBook

Start with confidence. Learn the essential macOS features — Finder, Spotlight, Mission Control and shortcuts — to organize files, move faster and shine in your projects.

~45 min 8 chaptersBeginner

Welcome to your Mac 👋

At first, a new Mac can feel a little intimidating — different windows, different icons, different shortcuts. Don't worry. This course is like a guided tour: step by step, you'll discover the tools teachers and creators use every day. By the end, you'll feel right at home.

What you'll learn

Pause, rewind and re-watch any chapter. Go at your own pace.

  1. 00:00Chapter 1

    Meet your Mac

    The menu bar, Dock, Desktop and sidebar. Where everything lives on macOS.

  2. 05:20Chapter 2

    Finder & organizing files

    Create folders, use color tags and keep your Desktop tidy like a clean bedroom.

  3. 11:10Chapter 3

    Spotlight — your magic wand

    ⌘ + Space opens any app, file or calculation in 1 second.

  4. 16:45Chapter 4

    Mission Control & Spaces

    Multiple desktops to separate school, games and projects.

  5. 22:30Chapter 5

    Essential keyboard shortcuts

    ⌘C, ⌘V, ⌘Z, ⌘Tab — the superpowers that save you hours.

  6. 28:15Chapter 6

    Screenshots & screen recording

    Shift + ⌘ + 5 to capture, annotate and record your screen.

  7. 34:00Chapter 7

    iCloud, AirDrop & Continuity

    Send files to your iPhone with a tap and access everything anywhere.

  8. 39:45Chapter 8

    Challenge: build your workstation

    Tidy your Desktop, create a projects folder and customize your Dock.

Challenge

Build your creator workstation

  • Tidy the Desktop — keep only the shortcuts you use every week.
  • Create a folder called Projects with 3 subfolders: School, Code, Games.
  • Customize your Dock: keep only your 6 favorite apps.
  • Take a screenshot (Shift + ⌘ + 4) of your new Desktop.
Pro Tip

Press ⌘ + Space, type the first 2 or 3 letters of any app's name and hit Enter. You'll never hunt for icons in the Dock again. Programmers call this flow — and now you have one too.

Resources for parents