Congratulations on getting your first MacBook - it’s an amazing piece of technology. You’ll soon be swiping effortlessly through its clean interface and trying it out all the handy pre-installed apps. And you’ll never get tired of looking at that crystal-clear Retina display.
If you’ve never owned a MacBook before, we’ve come up with a handy setup guide to get you up and running. In no time at all, you’ll be using your Apple Mac like a pro.
Step 1: Plug in, turn on
As soon as you unbox your MacBook, plug it in to a power supply. Most MacBooks are delivered with some charge in them but even so, you won’t want to run out of power while you’re half-way through setting it up. So plug your MacBook in, switch it on, and let’s get it set up.
Step 2: Let Setup Assistant be your guide
When you turn on a MacBook for the first time, the Setup Assistant will be launched automatically. It’s a setup wizard that’ll take you through every stage of getting your Mac up and running. There are twelve screens to navigate (but you can skip some and do them later, if you prefer):
1. Select your country. This makes sure the time on your MacBook is always correct.
2. Now set up your keyboard. It’s worth checking that it’s already set to British, and not US
3. Connect to your home Wi-Fi network. If you’re not sure of your Wi-Fi password or any other details, it should be on your router somewhere.
4. Upgrading from an older device? Then you can transfer information from it to your new MacBook, with Migration Assistant. This is one of the steps you can skip and come back to later, if you’re keen to crack on.
5. We recommend you now go ahead and tick Enable Location Services. This lets your apps know exactly what you are, and the likes of ‘Maps’ and ‘Find My Friends’ won’t work as well without it. It helps Siri answer any location-based questions you might throw at her too – she won’t be able to tell you what the weather’s like if she doesn’t know where you are.
6. A Data & Privacy pop-up window now appears. Click ‘Continue’.
7. Now sign-in with your Apple ID and password. If you don’t have one, click ‘Create a Free Apple ID’ and enter your details. You’ll need to enter your credit card details too, so that you can download stuff from the App Store. If you haven’t got your credit card handy don’t worry, this is another step you can skip.
8. If you’ve got two factor authentication set up as a security feature, you’ll now receive a code on your other iOS devices. Enter the code into your new MacBook, and continue.
9. You can now enable Siri, Apple’s famous voice activated assistant that helps you answer questions and complete all sorts of tasks. Or if you don’t want to say hi to Siri right now, skip ahead.
10. You’re almost done. If you’ve signed in with your Apple ID, you can now set up iCloud. This syncs all your stored Apple information such as contacts, reminders, notes and calendar information. iCloud also gives you space to store documents that you can access anytime, anywhere, with a compatible iOS device.
11. You can now set up Touch ID, if your MacBook has it.
12. And finally, choose if you want a light or dark interface.
That’s it. The Setup Assistant has done its work and you’ll see a ‘Thank You!’ screen. Now click Continue to complete a couple more quick steps…
Step 3: Update your apps
Your pre-installed apps might have had some new software updates added while your MacBook was sitting patiently in its box waiting for you to buy it. So click the App Store icon, and ‘Update All’. This will make sure that everything’s right up to date.
Step 4: How to turn on Bluetooth on your MacBook
Here’s how to turn on Bluetooth on your Mac, and pair it up with a nearby keyboard, mouse, trackpad, headset or other Bluetooth device:
1. Make sure your other Bluetooth device is turned on and can be discovered by your MacBook.
2. Select the Apple menu icon on your MacBook, go to System Preferences, then click ‘Bluetooth’.
3. You’ll now see the name of your other Bluetooth device listed. Click on ‘Connect’ beside it, then ‘Accept’.
Job done! Your MacBook is now connected to your other Bluetooth device, and you won’t have to go through this process again. Next time you switch both on, they’ll automatically connect.
And that’s all there is to it. Your MacBook is now set up, so you can get straight to work - or play.
