Discover 9 Must-Have macOS Apps You Didn't Know You Needed
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Essential Application Overview
In the realm of macOS, there are applications that can significantly streamline your tasks and enhance productivity. Here’s a look at nine remarkable apps that you might wish you had discovered sooner.
Curiosity
Curiosity stands out as an incredibly useful macOS application I recently stumbled upon, and it has since become a regular part of my workflow. This app serves as a centralized hub for managing and locating files, applications, and emails from various sources, including local storage, cloud services, messaging platforms, project management tools, and social networks.
To start using Curiosity, install it on your Mac and link the services you wish to manage. The app will synchronize your data, allowing you to search for and access your files seamlessly. It offers numerous features to enhance productivity, such as locating emails or calendar events across different platforms, searching social media content, retrieving files by date or sender, and managing clipboard history.
Why should you consider Curiosity? If you juggle multiple accounts across platforms like Google, Microsoft, Notion, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Asana, this app simplifies file management by consolidating everything into one location.
Display Maid
For those who utilize multiple monitor setups, Display Maid is an indispensable tool designed to optimize your workflow. Multi-monitor users are often faced with the hassle of rearranging open windows every time they disconnect and reconnect their laptops. While Windows 11 introduced a solution to retain window positioning, macOS lacks this feature—until now.
Display Maid enables you to save the layout of your open windows, so when you reconnect your laptop to your external monitors, everything appears just as you left it. You can also create profiles to manage specific window arrangements tailored to your tasks.
Why is Display Maid worth your attention? If you find yourself wasting precious time rearranging windows on external displays, this app will help you remember your layout and boost your productivity.
Dock Mate
Dock Mate transforms the often-underutilized dock on your Mac into a more functional tool. This app allows you to see previews of your open application windows by simply hovering over their icons, similar to features found in Windows.
In addition to window previews, Dock Mate offers management options for apps like Music, Podcasts, and Calendar, allowing you to control playback, view events, and join meetings directly from the dock.
Why should you try Dock Mate? If you appreciate Windows-style window management and want to enhance your macOS experience with additional controls for your music and meetings, Dock Mate is a must-try.
Folder Peek
Folder Peek is a nifty application that adds customizable folders to your Mac's menu bar, providing quick access to your files. You can add multiple folders, each of which can be personalized with different names, icons, and sizes. The contents of these folders are also visible directly from the menu bar, including previews of images and files.
Moreover, you can perform actions such as opening files in specific applications, deleting, copying, or sharing them—all from the menu bar. One of my favorite features is the ability to assign keyboard shortcuts to each folder for instant access.
Why should you consider Folder Peek? If you find yourself constantly toggling between Finder and your current application to access files, this app streamlines your workflow by giving you quick access directly from the menu bar.
iPreview
iPreview enhances the built-in preview functionality of macOS by allowing you to view a wide variety of unsupported file types. From source codes with line numbers to markdown documents and 3D render files, iPreview provides a comprehensive previewing experience.
This app also includes customization options that let you modify the preview's theme, font, and even animations for 3D files.
Why is iPreview beneficial? If you frequently work with diverse file types and find the default Preview app limiting, iPreview can significantly improve your file handling experience.
Only Switch
Only Switch is a compact yet powerful app that adds a switch icon to your Mac's menu bar, enabling you to execute quick actions with a single click. This can simplify tasks that usually require multiple steps, such as connecting to AirPods, switching to dark mode, or controlling smart devices.
With Only Switch, you can hide menu bar icons, launch applications, and create custom shortcuts, making it an excellent tool for decluttering your interface and optimizing your workflow.
Why should you try Only Switch? If your menu bar is cluttered and you often perform repetitive actions that could be streamlined, this app will enhance your efficiency.
Picsee
If you find the default Photos app lacking in features, Picsee might be the solution for you. This application offers advanced organizational options and supports various file types, enhancing your media management experience.
Picsee includes a powerful search function that allows you to filter images by color, dimensions, and shape. Additionally, it supports cloud services and browser plugins, enabling easy image saving from the web.
One of my favorite features is the ability to view images in different layouts, such as waterfall and justified views, and resize the preview pane for efficient browsing.
Why should you install Picsee? If you're seeking a feature-rich photo management app that allows for extensive filtering and organization, Picsee is an excellent choice.
SigmaOS
SigmaOS is a unique web browser designed to enhance productivity through better workflow organization. Its sidebar helps you manage your favorite websites, while the split-screen feature allows you to work on multiple tasks simultaneously. The snooze page option lets you temporarily suspend webpages for a break.
Built on the same technology as Safari, SigmaOS prioritizes privacy and security while offering a range of shortcuts and tools to streamline your browsing experience.
Why should you give SigmaOS a shot? If you're looking for an innovative browser that can improve your productivity with features like workspaces and split-screen capabilities, SigmaOS is worth exploring.
UPDF
UPDF is an exceptional PDF editor for macOS that is free to use without any subscription restrictions or ads. Unlike many other PDF applications, UPDF allows you to edit an unlimited number of files, offering a modern and intuitive user interface.
With UPDF, you can extract pages, add or edit images, and manage content in your PDF documents easily. Future updates promise even more features, including PDF conversion, OCR support, and password protection.
Why should you use UPDF? If you require a comprehensive PDF editing solution that is entirely free and ad-free, UPDF is an ideal option.
Conclusion
All of these apps can significantly enhance your macOS experience, and for just $5 a month, you can subscribe to Medium for unlimited access to a wealth of knowledge and entertainment—approximately just $0.16 a day. That's a fantastic deal for the insights you can gain!