3 + 1 Mac Utilities every student should have
Studying without these on your Mac is like attending a lecture without a coffee. You’re missing something.
Soon the autumn semester of most universities and colleges will start. With students back to writing term papers and studying PowerPoint slides, these three Mac utilities will make your student life a lot more comfortable.
Nr. 1: Alfred 4
Alfred 4 is a Mac utility that you’ll find on almost any top Mac utility list. And if those appearances alone don’t convince you of the spotlight on steroids, here is why I believe it is a must-have Mac utility.
First of all, what does Alfred 4 do?
Well, a lot. The first thing you’ll notice is that it is an App launcher, similar to Apple’s built-in spotlight. However, it can do much more beyond that. It can also search any kind of file in your document folders, open websites, and even search for something on those websites. Furthermore, it neatly plugs into your computer, even giving you access to your music library without actually waiting for Apple Music to do something. The list of Alfred’s capabilities goes on and on, and if you choose to go for the paid power pack upgrade, you can even add workflows that automize repetitive actions.
In my opinion, Alfred is a must-have for students because of two things. On the one hand, it allows you to quickly open any application you might need during a lecture or make quick google searches without waiting for the safari window to plop up. But, on the other hand, Alfred also has an extremely powerful file search. So the PowerPoint you can’t find anymore, or that version of your term paper you desperately need will be found in an instant by Alfred if you have a vague idea of its name.
Alfred 4 is free in its basic version, and the power pack costs $29 for a single license and $49 for a mega supporter license which gives you lifelong access to updates. In my opinion, the basic version is more than enough for anyone. Still, if you fancy having all the options at your fingertip or want to support the developers, I would go straight for the mega supporter package.
Nr. 2: Magnet
Multitasking with multiple windows open is any student’s bread and butter. Whether juggling the presentation slides and your favorite online shop or Zoom and word to organize your group paper, you’ll find yourself with a desktop cluttered with multiple windows. Unfortunately, while macOS is an operating system that most of the time provides outstanding creature comfort, window management isn’t even close to the options available on Windows.
This is where magnet comes in. Magnet is a paid application that you can download from the Mac App Store, and it allows you to arrange windows on your desktop even better than on windows. There are the standard options like split-screen or quadrants, but there are also other ones like horizontal split-screen or thirds with the option to have one application take up two-thirds of the screen real estate and the other one the remaining third.
While magnet does not even come close to being as powerful as Alfred, it is way easier to harness the magnet’s power. The windows can either be arranged through keyboard shortcuts, click the icon in the menu bar, or by just simply dragging them where you want them to be.
Magnet costs $7.99 in the Mac Appstore. Personally, I believe it is worth that amount, even though it does not seem like it at first sight. The productivity boost this app gives you is not to be underestimated, and in my opinion, it helps every student tremendously.
Nr. 3: Amphetamine
Even though the battery life of most Macs is above average, in order to preserve battery, most Macs tend to enter rest mode quite quickly. While this is very advantageous most of the time, there are times when it is not appreciated.
Amphetamine is a small utility that prevents your Mac from entering sleep mode. This is especially advantageous when downloading big files or just leaving to get a quick snack and don’t want your Mac to sleep. Furthermore, amphetamine provides many customization and utility options like a timer for how long the Mac shouldn’t sleep or staying awake when certain apps are open.
Amphetamine is a free utility available in the Mac AppStore. Contrary to the previously mentioned utilities, it isn’t a must-have in my book, yet I believe each and every student can benefit from the utility it provides. And since it is free, I see no reason not to get it.
The + 1, AirBuddy V2
Almost any student has some kind of headphones. Most Apple users even have some versions of the AirPods, whether they are the AirPods Pro or the regular ones. While they are fantastically integrated, it is not the best experience swapping them between laptops and mobile devices like iPads and iPhones.
AirBuddy aims to change that. It provides a fantastically designed interface when your AirPods are close that easily allows you to connect them without clicking the notification that usually pops up. Furthermore, it also provides you with the current battery percentage of your peripherals, including iPhones, Apple Watch, or iPad. Finally, it allows you to set up different presets for your headphones, for example, for calls.
AirBuddy V2 costs $10.99, and like amphetamine, it is far from being as powerful or productivity-boosting as magnet or Alfred. Nevertheless, it significantly enhances creature comfort when you are using your Mac in connection with AirPods.
No matter if you’re just starting to roam college campuses and Starbucks or if you are a veteran of those places, these utilities will very much enhance your creature comfort while using your Mac. While they won’t help you get better grades, they’ll for sure help you to enjoy studying a bit more.
As always, thank you for taking the time to read my article, and stay safe
Raffael
