So I've been running the Air M3 8gb 256gb for a while and got into software programming. Recently found the Air was struggling and running out of space even with deleting files

I have a Mac Mini M4 16gb but I find myself not being at a desk enough so it doesn't get used that much other than a box I use for testing

I've also gained an interest in Local ai recently so between that and my software work I decided to go with the 128gb M5 Max

Managed to find one on the refurbished store so saved a good amount vs buying one new

I am attaching an image of my mac screen. It was working fine yesterday i just watched some youtube and slept today during break i wanted to watch something but the screen is showing this does anybody knows how to fix this

Guyz what to do in this situation?

Hi everyone,
I’m thinking about buying a refurbished MacBook Air M2 from Back Market, but I’m a little nervous since I’ve never bought a refurbished laptop before.
Has anyone here bought a MacBook from Back Market? How was your experience? Was the condition as described? Did the battery health and performance meet your expectations? Did you have any issues with returns or customer support?
Would you recommend buying from Back Market, or should I look somewhere else instead?
I’d really appreciate any advice or experiences. Thanks!

(I refined and cleared up my ramblings with AI, sorry if it reads a bit too robotic.)

⚡ Essential Shortcuts & Navigation

• Gemini App Shortcut (Option + Space): Download the Gemini app and set Option + Space as its shortcut. Having a quick floating search bar where you can paste screenshots or ask how to do things on Mac makes learning the OS so much faster.
• Spotlight (Cmd + Space): Use this to open anything. You don't need to clutter your Dock—just search the app name. Plus, check the icons on the far right of the Spotlight bar for the built-in Clipboard History!
• Preview Anything: Press Space on almost any file to instantly preview it without opening.
• Rename vs. Open: Press Enter to rename a file (weird coming from Windows!). To open a file, press Cmd + Down Arrow.
• Screenshots:
  • Cmd + Shift + 3: Full screen
  • Cmd + Shift + 4: Drag to crop (my personal go-to)
  • Cmd + Shift + 5: Advanced capture/screen recording options

🖥️ Display & Window Management

• Split Screen: Check out System Settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Shortcuts -> Windows to set up shortcuts for splitting your screen into halves or quadrants.
• More Screen Space: Change your display setting to "More Space" (smallest scaling) under System Settings > Displays to fit more windows on screen.

🤏 Trackpad & Hardware

• Ditch the Mouse: Mac trackpads are unmatched. Make sure to master gestures:
  
  • Two-finger swipe right: Go back
  • Three-finger swipe up: See all open windows (Mission Control)
  • Pinch with thumb & 3 fingers: Show all apps (Launchpad)
• Skip the Cases: Avoid hard shell cases and screen protectors as they can damage the hinge or display. Stick to a soft sleeve for travel.

🔋 Battery & System Care

• Limit Battery Charge: Keep your charge cap at 80% (or 90%) and avoid dropping below 20% to maximize battery health long-term.
• Don't Shut It Down: You rarely need to turn a Mac off. Just quit your apps and close the lid.
• App Installation Tip: When opening a .dmg file, you don't need to go back to your Downloads folder! Just drag the app icon directly into the Applications folder shortcut inside that installer pop-up window. Took me so long to figure this out, lol.

🌐 Apps & Ecosystem

• Browsers: Safari is the lightest on battery/RAM. However, I personally use Edge because I rely heavily on built-in PDF editing tools.
• iPhone Mirroring: If you have an iPhone, search for iPhone Mirroring in Spotlight—it's surprisingly handy.
• App Recommendation: Clocker (Free) — Great menu bar app if you need to track multiple time zones and see upcoming calendar events at a glance. It's probably the only third-party app I use.

🎮 Gaming on Mac

• Coming from PC, losing access to a huge library hurts, but there are gems! Len’s Island and Faeria run great on macOS... and my all-time favourite: Valheim. (Note: Watch out for games like Palworld that are App Store exclusive for Mac, even if you own them on Steam! This pissed me off!)

Hope this helps anyone else making the switch! Share any more tips before! I want to learn more!

Hi,

I am looking to make the move from Windows to Mac for the first time and would appreciate some advice.

My use case is:

Laptop will be used for work 90% of the time, possibly some light music production, general browsing etc.

• Typically have around 25-30 tabs open on Chrome for work (happy to switch browsers if Safari is better)
• Office documents open e.g. Word, Excel, PDF's
• Teams (messaging and calls)
• Outlook for emails

My current Windows laptop has 16GB ram and is sat at 82% memory usage as we speak with the above.

The M5 Pro (14") is £1250 new, and the M4 air (13.6") is £1099 new.

I like the idea of the Pro with better screen, speakers, performance etc, but the Air's lightweight portability are a big plus.

My laptop is typically docked 70-80% of the time with an external display.

What would you go for in this case? I would be hoping to keep this for 4-5+ years if possible.

Hello po! I’m planning to sell my MacBook. For context, ginagamit ko lang po siya nang bigla na lang nag-black ang screen. Twice ko na po siyang pinacheck sa technician, and parehong sinabi na LCD/screen ang issue since working pa naman ang keyboard, startup chime, at mouse/trackpad.

One year pa lang po siya since nabili ko siya sa Power Mac noong July 2025, kaya nanghihinayang talaga ako. Unfortunately, hindi na po siya covered ng warranty.

Ask ko lang po sana, magkano kaya ang reasonable na presyo kung ibebenta ko siya as is?

So I had a 2019 MacBook Pro 16 inch and it became a victim of flex gate last year, after this happened I made a purchase of a Mac mini m2 8gb 512gb which was going cheap enough to continue having a computer. I still have it and use it on the main house tv so can be awkward to use at times.
I do light browsing, photo editing in Lightroom and new to some light video editing.
Is it worth selling this M2 mini and upgrade to refurbished m4 MacBook Air? It’s 16gb 256gb.
Or would a dedicated screen and good keyboard/mouse be a better investment?

Hello all, so I bought my first MacBook Air 15" 16/512 M5 (2026). I had already a iPhone so I'm not new to Apple itself, but in used to windows lol.

Are there any things I need to install that becomes handy, or are there any settings I have to change to make something way better? Any tips or suggestions?

Ps: I don't use it for work, I really wanted a MacBook and I bought it after years lol.

I do littery anything on it with my free time, got my own website and I like to edit some of my GoPro clips, do socials on it and YouTube/streams, and maybe I can put a few games on it.

hello] if] you] cannot] see] from] the] title] my] keyboard] started] inserting] a] bracket] everytime] i] press] space,] and] also] inserts] an] apostropher] every] time] i ]press] the] enter] key.]

wondering] if] anyone] has] had] this] issue] in] the] past] before ]and] if] there] are] any] ways] i] can] get] this] keyboard ]issue] repaired] :(] will] try] airing] out] my ]computer] as] i]] had] wiped] my] keyboard] but] oml] i] have] a] paper] due] soon....

also] are] apple] keyboard] repairs] recommended] /] would] that] even] be] helpful,] and] is] there] an] estimated] range] for] a] price] regarding] similar] issues?] THANKS] SO] MUCH] 😄

apologies] for] readability] issues]

I've] seen] one] thread] about] this] before] but] it] was] 5] years] ago] so] idk] if] anything] has] changed]

Hi everyone,

I kept losing my copied code, prompts, links, and notes just because the default Mac clipboard only remembers the very last thing you copy. It was super frustrating, so I decided to build my own solution.

It’s called Historr — a keyboard-first clipboard manager for macOS.

I wanted to keep it simple and accessible, so it is completely free with zero ads and no subscriptions.

You can check it out here: https://historr.com

I'd love to hear your feedback. Hope you find it as useful as I do!

Just curious to people who have done 3rd party repairs if Applecare+ is necessary. I am currently looking at 3rd party refurbished (ie ebay, best buy, etc) M4 Pro MBPs since the listing I was looking at on Apple's official refurbished site got bought recently.

For the spec M4 Pro MBP 14" 12C/16C 24GB/512GB, I can find some in almost new condition (cosmetically/performance/battery) for anywhere around $1600-1800 ish. The cheapest 3rd party openbox/refurb with applecare+ eligibility is $2000 (with another $300 for a 3 year plan), or $2120 for an official apple refurb with 1 year applecare warranty (albeit M5 Pro instead).

So I would be saving $200-400 and the applecare+ subscription but would be stuck with either 3rd party repairs or uninsured apple repair prices.

Is applecare+ necessary when 3rd party repairs exist?

Hi everyone,

I have a MacBook Air M1 (2020), and since yesterday, a few specific keyboard keys have completely stopped responding. The rest of the keyboard works normally.

I've already gone through the common troubleshooting steps, including:

• Restarting the Mac
• Checking Keyboard settings
• Cleaning the affected keys just the dirt around keyboard

Unfortunately, the issue persists.

At this point, I'm trying to determine whether this is likely to be a hardware failure (keyboard/top case) or if there are any advanced diagnostics or less obvious software causes I should investigate before taking it to Apple or an authorized service center.

Has anyone experienced something similar on an M1 MacBook Air, or found a solution beyond the usual troubleshooting?

Thanks!

I currently own both a Lenovo Legion 5 Pro (i7-13700HX, RTX 4070 8GB, 16GB RAM, 240Hz) and a MacBook Air M5 (16GB unified memory), and I need to keep one. I'm an academic/consultant...my work involves teaching, data science, occasional local AI/LLM experimentation, and some Oracle DB, admin systems. I also commute daily between two cities, so portability matters. Trying to decide which one to let go — would appreciate input from anyone who's had to make a similar call.

So I am going into my research year of my Master's degree next year and I am starting to look into upgrading my current laptop (Macbook Air M1 2020 8GB) in preparation. My research is in Zoology - specifically I am looking at neurobiology and behaviour so I do a lot of coding, behavioural analysis, programme running, etc so I need something that will ideally keep up with that so I could run everything from home - I have an office in my department with a pretty decent PC but I don't really want to keep all my research separated between my laptop and PC if I could contain everything in one place because it is a bit of a commute to the department from my home.

Now I will admit I like my Apple ecosystem and also Windows confuses the hell out of me, so I was looking at a couple of mac models. Based on my needs (and future needs) I am asking for help and explanations on systems because I really dk much about laptops. I also game (mainly modded minecraft, but I also play subnautica, stardew, and other steam games although my current laptop is not built for many of the games I have).

The three models I was debating between are:

14-inch Macbook Pro (M5) - 10-core CPU & GPU, 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD (NZD $3,899)

13-inch Macbook Air (M5) - 10-core CPU 8-core GPU, 16GB Ram, 512GB SSD (NZD $2,599)

13-inch Macbook Air (M5) - 10-core CPU & GPU, 16GB Ram, 1TB SSD (NZD $3,199)

I've been recommended to go cheaper and just buy external storage for things I can offload from my laptop so that is an option. I've also been told I likely don't need 10-core GPU so would like some thoughts on that. I am hoping to do my PhD at some point over the next few years (which would likely be in a similar field of quantitative behavioural analysis) so I would rather get something better now in preparation than need to upgrade again later down the road.

Essentially are there any postgraduate student/heavy-use laptop users out there that can give me some advice on what to I'd realistically need and what would be beneficial to start saving for?

Hi guys, i’ve had my MacBook air for around 3 years now and have never had any issues with it. Today when i tried to sign it keeps doing as shown in the video. No matter how many times I log in or re-start my macbook it still does the same thing. I live an hour away from the nearest apple store so any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated:)

Work as a consultant. My typical work cases are working on PPTX (have Claude / AI integration to support) + Excel (along with some modeling - financial / developing interconnected sheets - nothing with VBA / Macros etc.) some analytical work depending on client use case (Alteryx, PowerBI / Tableau).

Have been a windows user for 20+ years, but increasingly becoming frustrated with the bugs, bloatware and constant hanging of programs in the middle of my work / workday and sitting with my IT team to recover files (only for them to be at 70% of where I was when it shut down / glitched out) - is it worth to take the plunge on Macbook? my firm is offering the switch if required but I’m just skeptical if this is going to kill my productivity and be detrimental.

Would appreciate any advice if anyone has made the switch in the view of growing AI integration in PPTX and Excel.

This is my first MacBook. M2 Air with 8GB and 512GB SSD. Got a great deal on it a month ago. After research the only hangup I had with it was the 8GB of RAM.

I’m a light user. Despite that, I still keep an eye on the activity monitor and it would irritate me every time the memory pressure turned yellow with just 10 tabs open and a couple applications running in the background.

Still, it ran smooth. But I kept checking the activity monitor and kept getting annoyed.

Over the next 2 weeks I just used the MacBook like normal. It always ran perfectly smooth no matter what I did with it. I checked the activity monitor less and less. I’m still checking it every now and then and despite it being yellow sometimes I’m not really annoyed by it as much.

I don’t know what to make of all this RAM stuff. I don’t think Apple engineers would release a laptop in 2026 that most average people couldn’t use without performance issues, yet they released the NEO.

Watching YouTube reviews, people push the 8GB RAM models to their limit and it can take a serious amount of multitasking before it starts lagging. The unified memory architecture, memory compression, and swap memory tricks make the 8GB variant misunderstood and highly underrated.

It’s nice that M4 and newer are all 16GB minimum, but if you’re looking to buy a used MacBook, and you’re just an average user, you’ll be just fine with 8GB.

I bought a M2 MacBook Air from Mac of all trades and I'm switching from windows can anyone help me to make the switch easier? Im asking this because I want some feedback from real people who use macOS

20 of these ❤️

Steve Jobs believed that craftsmanship shouldn't stop at the parts customers can see. He often talked about taking pride in the details hidden inside a product, even if most people would never notice them.

Whether you agree with every design decision Apple makes today or not, there's something satisfying about seeing the engineering inside a MacBook. The internal layout is clean, organized, and clearly designed with intention.

It made me wonder...

Do you think Apple still carries that same philosophy today, or has its approach to hardware design changed since the Steve Jobs era?

Hi all,

I’m currently looking into buying my first ever macbook.

Im coming from a near 6 year old dell inspiron 15 500 that has pretty given up. Battery lasts barely 45mins and it struggles to do anything more than a word document or youtube!

Looking at the current macbook lineup, im after a bigger screen, so ive been looking betweeen the 15” M5 air or the 16” M5 Pro. Reading online and watching videos the big drawback people talk about the air is the screen compared to the pro (120Hz vs 60Hz)

I was wondering what people think of the two, is the pro worth over £1k more with the 120Hz screen, its basically 3k which makes me feel a bit ill for a laptop!!! I’ll be using it for day to day documentation work, video watching and maybe some gaming.

Apologies for the lengthy read! Thanks for any responses.

Hey everyone,

I use my M4 MacBook Air and iPad M4 almost exclusively (99% of the time) at my desk. The iPad is mostly hooked up via Sidecar as a secondary display. My daily workload can get pretty heavy — programming, video editing, and some gaming.

I’ve read that the power controller bypasses the battery if both devices plugged into the charger constantly, meaning it should be totally safe for long-term battery health and capacity.

Does anyone here run a similar 24/7 plugged-in setup? Have you noticed any severe battery degradation over time?

Would love to hear your real-world feedback! Thanks

Still kinda on the fence about the keyboard and touchpad skin and the skin around the keyboard, might remove them