MAC GREAT

Tips, tricks & fixes to enhance Catalina

- ADAM BANKS

When Catalina launched last October it came with over 100 changes big and small that altered everything from how you use Split View to the dropping of support for 32-bit apps.

Six months on and the changes have mostly been for the good, but if you're still not sure what's what or how to do things, or how to fix any problems that have popped up, then the next 12 pages will be your guide.

You'll discover fast fixes for common problems; tips and tricks for the Photos, Music, TV, and Podcasts apps; and even a few nips and tucks for Mail, Messages, and Safari.

By the end of our guide you'll be sufficiently levelled up to tackle Catalina with ease. We will even show you how to tame those silly Siri Suggestions. Let's make your Mac great.

General tips, tricks, and fixes for macOS Catalina

The big and small changes that could surprise, delight, or mess up your day

THE FIRST THING to check if you’re having any problems with macOS Catalina is that you have the latest update. This is now handled in System Preferences > Software Update. Many of the bugs initially reported have been fixed since version 15.0: see bit.ly/ applenewcat for a summary.

If you enrolled in the macOS public beta to get Catalina early, make sure you’ve switched from this to the final version or you won’t get updates. This is a two-step process. First, go to System Preferences > Software Update. Below Software Update on the left, look for the words: “This Mac is enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program”. Click Details and agree to “Restore default update settings”. Having done this, you’re still not off the beta. At this point, you need to open the App Store app, search for macOS Catalina, get it, and install it.