macOS Monterey: A cheat sheet

3 years ago 252

Apple's almighty caller macOS was announced astatine WWDC 2021. This usher covers everything you request to cognize astir macOS Monterey, including features, requirements and however to get it.

During the keynote of Apple's WWDC21 conference connected June 7, 2021, the institution announced its long-awaited caller macOS: Monterey (also known arsenic macOS 12). Like WWDC 2020, this year's week-long league aimed astatine developers astir the satellite is virtual and escaped to the nationalist via Apple's website, the Apple Developer app, the Apple TV app and YouTube.

With macOS Monterey, Apple is sticking with the taxable of naming its OSs aft California locales. This mentation of macOS offers galore caller features for users, including Universal Control, Shortcuts and AirPlay for iMac, updated capabilities successful FaceTime, a redesign for Safari (including Tab Groups) and more.

This macOS Monterey cheat expanse details the operating system's main features, lists which devices enactment the OS, explains however to get it and more. We'll update this macOS 12 usher erstwhile caller features are released. (Download the PDF mentation of this macOS Monterey cheat sheet.)

SEE: How to migrate to a caller iPad, iPhone, oregon Mac (TechRepublic Premium)

What is macOS Monterey?

MacOS Monterey is Apple's newest operating system, and it's designed to beryllium wholly seamless crossed each Apple devices. It's adjacent much customizable than erstwhile OSs, and it allows users to stock contented with friends and crossed iPad and iOS similar ne'er before. According to Apple, macOS 12 offers "new ways for users to connect, get much done and enactment much fluidly crossed their Apple devices."

What are the main features of macOS Monterey?

Universal Control
One of the astir absorbing features Apple announced for macOS Monterey is Universal Control. With this feature, users tin utilize a azygous rodent oregon keyboard to enactment betwixt Macs and iPads seamlessly—no setup required. Users tin resistance and driblet files betwixt devices; this is intended to let users to enactment with less interruptions and summation productivity.

Improvements to Safari
Safari is getting a makeover. Now, users tin usage Apple's caller tab plan to spot much of the leafage arsenic they scroll. The caller tab barroom assumes the colour of the webpage and combines tabs, the toolbar and hunt tract into a azygous place.

Apple besides introduced Tab Groups for Safari, which is perfect for readying projects and storing tabs that users sojourn connected a regular basis. Tab Groups syncs crossed Mac, iPhone and iPad to let for casual sharing. Safari volition present connection Privacy Reports and Intelligent Tracking Prevention for a much unafraid browsing experience.

Shortcuts for Mac
Shortcuts volition present beryllium disposable connected Macs arsenic well. With Shortcuts, users tin get much done faster and automate tasks for productivity. As with the iPhone and iPad, Mac users tin rapidly execute tasks with their most-used apps. The Shortcuts Editor connected Mac allows users to customize shortcuts to lucifer workflows. It is disposable via Finder, the paper bar, Spotlight and hands-free with Siri. Automator workflows tin besides beryllium imported, making it easier to get up and moving close away.

SEE: Mobile instrumentality information policy (TechRepublic Premium)

New FaceTime capabilities
FaceTime has caller audio and video features that marque calls consciousness much earthy and lifelike. Using spatial audio and Voice Isolation, voices successful a FaceTime telephone dependable similar they are coming from wherever the idiosyncratic is positioned connected the surface and ensures that the user's dependable is clear. The diagnostic uses machine learning to destruct inheritance sound and Wide Spectrum to let each the dependable successful the country to travel done truthful participants tin perceive everything. Using the Apple Neural Engine successful the M1 chip, the user's inheritance is blurred for a stunning video effect successful Portrait Mode, and the caller Grid View shows participants successful same-sized tiles.

SharePlay
This acceptable of features enables users to person shared experiences portion connected a FaceTime call; they tin stock their favourite music, TV shows, movies, projects and much with friends, household oregon colleagues successful existent clip (collaborating successful apps done surface sharing). SharePlay besides has an API built for casual adoption, meaning third-party developers tin stock their apps successful FaceTime.

Shared with You
This diagnostic makes it elemental to find contented that's shared done Messages, including photos, videos, articles and more. Users tin reappraisal shared contented via the Shared with You tab wrong Photos, Safari, Apple Podcasts, Apple News and the Apple TV app.

AirPlay for Mac
Now users tin play, contiguous and stock thing with whomever they take crossed each Apple devices. The high-fidelity dependable strategy connected the Mac tin besides beryllium utilized arsenic an AirPlay speaker, allowing users to play music, podcasts oregon usage the Mac arsenic a secondary talker for multi-room audio.

SEE: All of TechRepublic's cheat sheets and astute person's guides

Updates to Notes
In Notes, users tin enactment done projects with friends oregon colleagues, adhd mentions, spot edits successful the caller Activity View and categorize Notes with tags to rapidly and easy find them successful the caller Tag Browser and successful tag-based Smart Folders.

Quick Note
According to Apple, Quick Note is "a caller mode for users to jot down notes connected immoderate app oregon website systemwide, making it casual to seizure thoughts and ideas wherever inspiration strikes." Links from immoderate app tin besides beryllium added to Quick Notes.

iCloud+
Apple's iCloud+ offers users caller premium features, including Hide My Email, expanded HomeKit Secure Video enactment and an innovative caller net privateness work called iCloud Private Relay (no further cost).

Focus
With the caller Focus feature, users tin automatically filter retired notifications unrelated to their existent enactment and awesome their presumption to fto others cognize erstwhile they are not available. Focus automatically sets crossed different Apple devices and tin beryllium customized based connected existent activity.

Privacy updates
With Mail Privacy Protection, users tin take whether emails tin cod accusation astir their Mail activity. The Mac signaling indicator present besides shows which app whitethorn beryllium accessing the Mac's microphone.

SEE: How to migrate to a caller iPad, iPhone, oregon Mac (TechRepublic Premium)

Accessibility updates
Now anyone tin adhd alternate representation descriptions utilizing Markup. Other updates see improved Full Keyboard Access, and caller cursor customization options let for much flexibility erstwhile navigating Mac.

Updates to Maps
With the caller interactive globe successful Maps, it present has an immersive, elaborate metropolis experience.

Live Text
Using on-device instrumentality learning to observe substance successful photos (phone numbers, websites, addresses, tracking numbers, etc.), Live Text allows users to transcript and paste, marque telephone calls, unfastened websites and find much information. The Visual Lookup diagnostic is intended to assistance users observe and larn astir assorted topics similar animals, art, landmarks, etc. These features enactment crossed macOS, including successful apps similar Photos, Messages and Safari.

AirPods Pro and AirPods Max
AirPods Pro and AirPods Max present usage spatial audio connected Macs with the M1 chip to present a amended listening experience.

SEE: 10 ways to forestall developer burnout (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Which devices enactment macOS Monterey?

MacOS 12 is disposable connected MacBook Pro (2016 and later), MacBook (2016 and later), MacBook Air (2018 and later), iMac (2017 and later), iMac (5K Retina 27-inch, Late 2015), iMac Pro, Mac mini (2018 and later) and Mac Pro (2019). It is besides disposable for iPad Pro, iPad Air (3rd procreation and later), iPad (6th procreation and later) and iPad mini (5th procreation and later).

In bid to update to macOS 12 connected Mac and iPad, some devices indispensable beryllium signed successful to iCloud with the aforesaid Apple ID utilizing two-factor authentication and cannot stock a cellular and net connection. To usage wirelessly, some devices indispensable person Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Handoff turned connected and indispensable beryllium wrong 30 feet of each other. To usage implicit USB, you indispensable spot your Mac connected the iPad.

When tin I get macOS Monterey?

Apple announced connected Oct. 25, 2021 that macOS Monterey is disposable arsenic a escaped bundle update connected Macs with Apple Silicon and Intel-based Macs.