10 Essential Macbook Apps Everyone Should Have

As the owner of a Macbook, you know that you’re in possession of an incredibly powerful machine, capable of just about anything. It’s a recording studio, a video editor, a notebook, a calculator, and an encyclopedia, all in one.

And that barely scratches the surface!

To get the most out of your device, however, you need to take advantage of some of the countless additional apps available on the built-in app store. 

But with so many options, it can be tough to know which are truly app store essentials. To help with this dilemma, we’ve compiled a list of 10 apps that will take your Mac experience to the next level!

Keep reading to learn more.

1. Alfred

By utilizing hotkeys and keywords, Alfred will help you streamline your productivity and get the most out of your Mac. There’s an online community available where you can download prebuilt workflows, or you can customize your own.

Think of it as an upgraded version of Mac’s Spotlight feature, allowing you to do even more with the touch of a button. 

2. Magnet

One of the few features that are offered on Windows but not on Mac operating systems is window snapping. If you often use your computer to multitask, it can be difficult and time-consuming to try to arrange your windows yourself. 

That’s where Magnet comes in! With this app installed on your Mac, all you have to do is drag and drop your windows where you want them and they will snap in place. Then, scale the windows to the size you want them and they will stay in these positions until you choose to move them again.

3. 1Password

The average computer user has 23 online accounts that require passwords. And to best protect yourself and your information, you should be using different passwords for each.

You can try to remember them all, take a risk writing them all down, or you can use 1Password! 1Password stores all of your passwords and credit card information, allowing you to input one master password to access them all.

4. Evernote

Evernote is the most popular note-taking app and has been for quite some time. And for good reason! Evernote allows you to not only take notes, but save pictures, webpages, and PDFs, all organized in one place.

To make this app even better, all of your saved media is sent to the cloud, where it can be accessed from your account across all of your devices!

5. PDF Expert 6

PDFs are extremely useful but can become frustrating if you’re unable or don’t know how to edit a PDF on Mac. Well, with PDF Expert 6, you’ll be able to edit PDFs just as you would any other type of document. 

PDF Expert 6 enables you to edit both text and images, as well as add and adjust any links included.

6. Fantastical 2

Although Macbooks come with a calendar app, for those of us who can’t get enough organization in our lives, it might not quite cut it. Enter Fantastical 2, the calendar app whose developers claim you won’t be able to live without once you have it.

This is because you can enter appointments and other dates with ease, simply typing what you want to add into the app without any additional clicks or windows. It can also sync with your other calendars and email accounts, giving you a space to view everything at a glance.

7. Google Chrome

Like the built-in calendar app, Macbooks also come with a web browser called Safari. Now, there’s nothing wrong with Safari, but as it isn’t as widely used as some alternatives, not all websites are compatible with it.

Google Chrome is free to use, offers excellent customer service, and is one of the fastest browsers on the market. You can even keep both Chrome and Safari, only using the non-native browser when you need it.

8. Amphetamine

If you find yourself constantly waking your computer from rest mode when you’re trying to work, consider downloading Amphetamine! This app gives you the power to override the energy settings in your Mac with a few clicks. 

You can choose the amount of time you want your Mac to stay awake, or set it to stay awake indefinitely. When you’re ready to go back to normal, you won’t have to go into your computer’s settings or make any changes, simply close the app!

9. VLC Media Player

While your Macbook does come with QuickTime built-in, this app is incapable of playing many media formats. To fill this void, download the free app VLC Media Player. You won’t have to search for any add-ons or codec packages, either. VLC is complete upon download.

10. Unarchiver

In order to be able to open RAR archives, you will need an app like Unarchiver. With the Finder app on your Mac, you can open ZIP and other common archive types, but for full capability, Unarchiver is key.

Unarchiver can unpack just about any extension type you’re working with, along with pulling apart Windows executables and media from flash files.

Improve Your Mac Experience with These App Store Essentials

By downloading a few of these app store essentials, you can turn your Macbook into the ultimate productivity machine. That isn’t to say that Macs aren’t astounding pieces of technology right out of the box, but there’s always room for improvement!

At the end of the day, the purposes for which you use your computer will determine which apps are worth a download for you, but there’s something for everyone in the app store.

Once you have the perfect set of apps for you, take a look at our blog for more tips and tricks on improving your Mac experience!