Improve your Mac user experience and boost productivity with these awesome apps

WRITTEN BY PHIL KING

Image rights: Apple Inc, Alexey Rodionov, Noodlesoft LLC, Henrik Ruscon, Hypercritical LLC. Image rights: BinaryNights LLC, Noodlesoft LLC, Ameba Labs LLC, Running with Crayons Ltd, William Gustafson, Applause Group Inc, MacPaw Way Ltd

While macOS offers a solid suite of built–in apps and features, third–party utilities can take your Mac experience to the next level. In this guide, we highlight the best free and paid Mac utilities that can enhance workflow, improve usability, and keep your system organized and safely backed up.

Utility apps might not be the flashiest in the App Store, but they can transform how you use your Mac day to day. We begin with tools that enable you to personalize and streamline your macOS experience; customizing how you use your Mac is akin to organizing your physical workspace, providing a comfortable and efficient environment to help you stay focused. From tidying up a cluttered menu bar to keeping your Mac awake when needed, small tweaks can make a big impact. And even something as simple as an upgraded clipboard manager or handy menu bar–based web browser can make a difference.

We also explore productivity and backup tools. From artificial intelligence (AI) powered note– takers and OCR (optical character recognition) text copiers to document outliners, productivity– boosting apps can help you to improve your workflow.

Data backup and system maintenance is also crucial; a Mac’s storage can soon become cluttered with old and redundant files and apps, so giving it a clean up will also help revitalize your workspace.

Customize & organize

Personalize macOS and keep everything in order

XMenu

> Free

> https://devontechnologies.com

> macOS 10.11 or later A classic example of a simple but useful utility, XMenu adds extra menus to the right–hand section of the menu bar. These items can consist of files, folders, aliases, or even snippets of text. You can use the presets or build your own custom menu, with unlimited hierarchies of submenus present.