Switch from Windows to Mac - the best tips

Switch from Windows to Mac: the desktop

As soon as you switch from Windows to Mac, you immediately notice the difference on the desktop. Here are the basic differences:

Programs are started at Apple via the apple icon in the top left or the app dock at the bottom of the screen.
The dock gives you quick access to your frequently used programs. You can also choose which programs are displayed in the Dock.
Open programs can be recognized by the point under the app symbol.
The trash bin and access to the Finder are located at the bottom right of the dock. The Finder is similar to the Explorer on Windows. Here you can call programs and find files.
With the launchpad - the gray rocket in the dock - you have an overview of all programs installed on the Mac.
The Mac search is in the top right. Here you can search for programs as well as files.
On the Mac, you also have so-called active corners. If you steer into an active corner with the mouse pointer, a certain gadget opens. You can determine that yourself.

Once you've opened a program or document on your Mac, you can work with it as follows:

You close the document or the program with the red dot in the top left of your program window.
The program or document is reduced with the yellow dot. To do this, it is placed in the bottom right of the dock next to the trash.
With the green dot you enlarge the program to the largest necessary size.
When working with programs, the menu bar is not in the program window itself as with Windows. Instead, there is a central bar at the top of the screen.
If there are several programs, the menu for the program is shown in the foreground. To the right of the apple you can see which program is currently in the foreground.

You will notice the next difference in the keyboards and the possible gestures of Windows and Mac devices. The basic differences are:

Gesture control is similar to that of Windows.
With two fingers you can scroll up and down on pages. Here, too, you can determine and change individual gestures yourself.
You can switch between all open programs with three fingers.
All shortcuts that are executed with Windows with [CTRL] work with Mac with the key [Command].
Incidentally, you have to search for the @ sign at the letter L. We have summarized the most important shortcuts for you.

To transfer your data from Windows to Mac, you can do the following:

Download and install the Windows Migration Assistant.
Run the migration wizard on your Windows computer and click Continue.
If this is your first time using your Mac, use the Setup Assistant and select "Transfer data to this Mac" and then "From a Windows PC".
A code is now displayed on the Windows PC and the MAC. This should be the same for both devices.
After clicking on "Continue" you can select the files to be transferred. As soon as you select "Transfer", the data is sent from the Windows PC to your Mac.
If you have been using your Mac for a long time, you can play the data on your Mac using the "Migration Assistant". This is available under "Utilities".
The process is the same as for the system assistant.

If you have further questions, you will find many more practical tips on MacOS here.