Batch rename a group of files

If you have a group of files you want to rename, it's very easy to do on Mac, as long as you are running macOS Yosemite or later. To batch rename files, you'll first need to select the group of files you want to rename. You can click on one and then hold shift to highlight more.

Once you have your highlighted group, right click and select 'Rename'. You can also tap on the circle with the three dots in the middle from the Finder menu.

You'll then be able to Replace Text, Add Text or Format the names.

Take full page screenshots

Taking a screenshot on a Mac is super simple. You can either take a screenshot of your entire screen or you can take a screenshot of a partial area of your screen. Both will automatically save to your desktop and they will appear in the bottom right corner after you take them, which you can then click on to mark up.

To take a screenshot of your entire screen, press Shift + Command + 3.

To take a screenshot of part of your screen, press Shift + Command + 4, then draw the box around what you want to take the screenshot of.

Sign a PDF from Mail

While you might think you have to print out a document, physically sign it, scan it and send it back, thankfully there is an easier way. It's possible to sign PDFs directly from the Mail app so there's no need to waste any paper.

You'll need to drag the PDF you need to sign into a new email in Mail first. You'll then need to hover over it to see a small arrow button appear in the top right corner. From here, you can select 'Mark Up'. The PDF will then open and you'll see a signature option at the top - it's the icon with a squiggle that looks like a signature with a cross to the left.

You can either select a signature you have used in the past, or you can create a new signature. If you choose to create a new signature, you can either use the trackpad on your Mac to draw one, your iPhone, or you can write your signature on a piece of paper and then hold it up to the webcam on your Mac.

Copy and paste without formatting

If you want to copy and paste from a website or document but you don't want to bring the formatting - such as font and font size - you can copy and paste without formatting. This is handy if you are writing an email for example, and you're copying something from a website.

Select the text you want to copy and hit Command + C. Open up where you want to paste the text, whether that’s Mail, Pages or elsewhere, press Command + Option + Shift + V.

Use AirDrop to share files and photos

AirDrop is absolutely excellent - when it works. It can be a little glitchy at times, but it's a very quick and easy way to share files and photos between your iPhone or iPad and your Mac. You'll want to find the sharing icon, which is traditionally a rectangle with an arrow coming out from the top, or select 'Share' from the option menu. You'll then want to select AirDrop and select the device you want to share to.

If the device you want to share to doesn't appear, open Finder on Mac and tap on AirDrop at the top - you may need to select to be discovered by Contacts Only or Everyone. On iOS, open up Settings, then AirDrop and then choose Contacts Only or Everyone.

If you want to quickly copy a link in Safari, just press Command + L, followed by Command + C. It will highlight the entire link straight away, which is much quicker than manually dragging your cursor to the end.

Switch between apps

We love this one. It's so simple but so effective when it comes to moving between apps. Just hit Command + Tab and you'll see the App Switcher appear. You'll need to hold down Command and then you can switch between apps using the Tab key. Once the app you want t open is highlighted, let go of Command and Tab and it will open.

Use Universal Clipboard to copy and paste between devices

Universal Clipboard lets you copy text, images, photos and videos on one Apple device, like your iPhone for example, and then paste it on another Apple device, like your Mac. Both devices need to be signed in with the same Apple ID, have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on and have Handoff turned on. Once that's covered, you just copy on the first device and paste as you normally would on your Mac.

Snap Back to Your Safari Search Results

Say you want to look up a topic online, so you type a search word or phrase into Safari's address bar. The first link in the returned results looks promising, so you click it. On the site you're sent to, you see another link about a related topic, so you click that, too. Then another link grabs your attention, and you decide to check it out. Soon you're distracted by some other tangential subject, and before you know it you've fallen down a rabbit hole of clicks and links without finding out much about what you were actually looking for in the first place.

If that sounds familiar, Safari SnapBack can help. It saves having to tediously click the previous page button multiple times to return to your original search results, or start rooting through your web history to locate where your latest online meander began. You can find it in Safari's menu bar, under History -> Search Results SnapBack, or even better, use its Command-Option-S keyboard shortcut.

Access the emojis

You have a really cool collection of emojis, along with special characters, on your Mac. And without jumping through hoops, you can open them with a keyboard shortcut. Press Control + Command + Space, and the window will pop open.