Do you ever get tired of rolling your mouse, fiddling with your trackpad and running through tabs in order to switch between apps, jump into your spotlight search or close a page? How about finding a specific file, locking your computer or any of the other dozens of functions you need your computer to accomplish on any given day?

Completing simple functions on your computer can eat up precious time that should be spent elsewhere. Like on completing the finishing touches for your latest killer game design or hitting tomorrow’s thesis deadline. That’s where keyboard shortcuts come in.

We want to make it easier (and shall we say, more fun?) for you to use your computer and all of the functional magic it offers with a simple click of the keys. Check out our ultimate guide to keyboard shortcuts on Windows and Mac to perfect the shortcuts for some of the most commonly used functions and you’ll be well on your way to getting your work done faster and more easily.

What are keyboard shortcuts?

Keyboard shortcuts are essentially certain key combinations that you can use to perform a function in an application, program or operating system. They help speed up functions that would normally take longer to accomplish using a mouse or trackpad.

One thing to note, though, is not all computer keyboard shortcuts are built the same. Depending on whether you’re a Mac or a PC user will change the way you shortcut and click. But don’t worry. We’ve got you.

Keyboard shortcuts for Windows

If you’re a PC user, chances are you’ve found yourself getting pretty familiar with the left and right clicking of a mouse. But what if you could cut down on click-time and find a more effective way to navigate the apps and programs you use the most within your operating system? Check out these ridiculously useful keyboard shortcuts for Word, Chrome and to help you navigate Windows.

Keyboard shortcuts to Navigate Windows

Windows Key ⊞ + D allows you to access your desktop if you need to quickly grab a file. Quickly click again to return back to where you were.

Windows Key ⊞ + Down Arrow lets you minimise your current window or taskbar app. Then use the Windows Key ⊞ + Up Arrow to maximise once again.

Windows Key ⊞ + S quickly opens your Windows search bar to let you search docs, files, apps and the like.

Windows Key ⊞ + T gives you free range to scroll through your task bar at your open programs and apps, just keep hitting T to move to the next one and see what windows are open in each application or program. If you get to an app/program you want to open, click Windows Key ⊞ + The Number that corresponds to the order of that app/program on your taskbar.

Windows Key ⊞ + ; opens your emoji window.

Windows Key ⊞ + L will lock your computer for you if you’re ready to walk away for a coffee break.

Alt + Tab will allow you to quickly and easily switch between open applications.

Shift + F10 is your keyboard shortcut for the mouse’s right click.

Keyboard shortcuts for Word

Control + N creates a new document for you.

Control + O takes you to the doc screen to open a document.

F12 is your Save As shortcut.

Control + S lets you save your document.

Control + C is your copy shortcut.

Control + V is your paste shortcut.

Control + Z will undo the previous action.

Control + Y will go ahead and redo the action.

Control + P takes you to print a file.

Control + F allows you to find a certain word or phrase in the document.

Keyboard shortcuts for Chrome

Control + N opens up a brand spanking new window in Chrome.

Alt + F opens your Chrome menu to access new tabs, printing, history and the like. But if you’re in Google Docs, it will open your file menu for you.

Control + Shift + N will open a new incognito window if you want a private search.

Control + T lets you open a new tab and go directly to it.

Control + Tab allows you to bounce from one tab to the next.

Control + W closes the tab you’re currently in.

Keyboard shortcuts for Mac

Mac users have their own secret code of keyboard shortcuts for Mac operating systems, with the Command Key ⌘ as a big player in the functionality. Let’s take a look at the shortcuts for MacOS, Word and Chrome.

Keyboard shortcuts to Navigate MacOS

Command ⌘ + Space Bar opens your Spotlight search tool.

Command ⌘ + F3 lets you quickly check out your desktop.

Command ⌘ + Tab lets you cycle through your applications. Each time you hit tab, you’ll head to the next app.

Command ⌘ + M will easily minimise the front window to the Dock.

Control + Command ⌘ + Space opens your character viewers to access emojis.

Command ⌘ + Control + Q immediately locks your screen.

Keyboard shortcuts for Word

Command ⌘ + N creates a new document.

Command ⌘ + O lets you open a document.

Command ⌘ + Shift + S lets you Save As.

Command ⌘ + S lets you save your Word doc.

Command ⌘ + C is your copy shortcut.

Command ⌘ + V is your paste shortcut.

Command ⌘ + Z will undo the previous action.

Command ⌘ + Y will redo the action.

Command ⌘ + P takes you to print a file.

Command ⌘ + F allows you to find a certain word or phrase in the document.

Keyboard shortcuts for Chrome

Command ⌘ + N opens up a new window in Chrome.

Command ⌘ + F opens your find bar in Chrome.

Command ⌘ + Shift + N will open a new incognito window.

Command ⌘ + T lets you open a new tab and jump in.

Command ⌘ + Option + Right Arrow lets you go to the next open tab.

Command ⌘ + Option + Left Arrow lets you go to the previous open tab.

Command ⌘ + W closes the tab you’re in.

Need A Shortcut Tutorial? The Geeks Are Here!

This is only a taste of the keyboard shortcuts that are out there for both Mac and Windows users, so if you’re ready to deep dive further give us a call! In time, you’ll be amazed at how easy these shortcuts become. Just remember, practice makes perfect!

Up until now, that is, as Apple recently launched an entirely new line of Apple iMacs in a wide array of colours. You can still get a basic Silver 24 inch M1 iMac if you want, but there’s also options for Blue, Green and Pink across all models, and Yellow, Orange or Purple if you opt for the higher-specification models.

Colour isn’t the only new thing in the iMac space, however. Apple’s shifted to using its own “Apple Silicon” processor for the iMac. This is the exact same chip that runs on the existing 13 inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, as well the Mac Mini and Apple’s new iPad Pro models.

That shift to M1, which crams processor, graphics and even RAM into a single system on a chip (SOC) design has allowed Apple to make some pretty radical changes to the physical design of the iMac as well. For a desktop all-in-one, it’s almost ludicrously thin. Being Apple, it’s also kind of attractive in a décor sense, which isn’t something you can say all that often about home computing gear.

Also, on the impressive list is the sharp 4.5K 24 inch display, although it’s offset by a rather thick bezel at the top that features a paler shade of whichever colour iMac you opt for rolling through it. While Apple’s laptops have had relatively mediocre 720p webcams for some time now, the M1 iMac gets a much better 1080p capable model. Given the increased focus for many of us around working from home, that’s a great little upgrade option if you’re coming from an older iMac.

The M1 processor is very powerful, and for most small business and just about every home use it’s more than powerful enough, although it is well worth considering if that all-in-one iMac form factor is worth extra money to you.

The reason I say that is because the M1 chip in the iMac is the exact same part as found in the cheaper MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Mini. While Apple doesn’t have to worry about batteries running out on its desktop lines, and it can manage wider heat dissipation on a larger unit like an iMac, it hasn’t really juiced up the performance relative to any other M1-based Mac model.

If you’re considering the M1 iMac – or indeed, any M1 based system – the other important detail to remember is that any SOC-based computer is inherently non-upgradeable. The storage, RAM, everything sits on a single chip, and so you can’t boost its RAM or internal storage after the fact at all. Right now there’s a few different internal storage and RAM options for these systems, but whatever you buy is all they’ll ever be in terms of internal components.

The iMac is light enough to move around when needed, with just a single cable for power to worry about, but the similar performance does mean that for many, the MacBook Pro or Air might be a better bet. For sure, you can lug the iMac around the house, but it’s got nothing on the slender form of the MacBook Air, even though both run apps at almost exactly the same speed.

There’s also a pretty sharp difference between the entry level iMac and the higher-spec models, with the higher-end models getting an ethernet port on the power brick, four rear ports and more colour choices, while the baseline model makes do with just two rear ports and fewer colour options.

As a desktop computer then, it’s an interesting device; it’s very powerful, it’s at least luggable if not quite portable, but it’s definitely worth considering your budget and needs, even if you’re already in the Mac camp.

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Be warned however that when Apple says it’s in beta, it’s not kidding; it’s not really a good idea to install this on your work Mac, or a personal one if it’s the only machine you’ve got, because as early software it can be a little buggy at times. In all cases you absolutely must back up your personal files before switching to Big Sur, and that’s advice that will be true once the final version arrives as well.

Formally, it is called macOS Big Sur, but also Mac OS 11, the first numerical update to Mac operating systems in more than a decade. Apple’s been rolling out annual updates over that time, but they were all Mac OS X.1, X.2 and so on.

It won’t take you long once it’s installed to see why Apple’s decided that this release deserves the full numerical point release, though, because it’s both a major visual overhaul of the way the Mac looks, as well as a pretty big revision under the hood.

In terms of the user interface, everything is a lot more reminiscent of Apple’s iOS in terms of the way icons are laid out, as well as the use of colour — and a lot of white space — around application menus. Elements that you might not need are popped out of view until you mouse over them, and design ideas like the control center from iOS are now present for quick checking of WiFi, Bluetooth, volume and battery status on laptop Macs.

It’s a design that’s meant to make you focus more on the apps you’re running, although long term Mac users may find it a bit disorienting at first because it feels like all the menus are missing. Although if you are a long term Mac user, you might be pleased to find out that the classic Mac startup chime is back when you first fire up your Mac running MacOS Big Sur.

There’s a raft of new changes to the core Mac apps such as Safari, Mail, Photos and Calendar of course, and because it’s still in beta there’s some small scope for further changes to appear there.

Under the hood there’s a slew of software upgrades, with a strong focus on security. Apps that run on Big Sur are meant to tell you more about the information they’re sharing online, especially when surfing the web. What you do with that information is up to you, and there may be some balancing required for some sites that rely on tracking cookies for matters like simple sign-in to consider.

Apple’s MacOS Big Sur also looks forward to the next generation of Mac hardware that will run on Apple’s own ARM processors. Current Intel-based Macs will run macOS Big Sur now, but it’s also the software foundation for the Macs that Apple will release in years to come.

The full upgrade to MacOS Big Sur is scheduled to appear as a full non-beta upgrade later this year; Apple typically releases it around the same time we see new iPhones hit the market, but there’s a lot of indications that the pandemic issues of 2020 may see that schedule disrupted a little. It will run on most Macs from around 2014 or later, but 2012 and some 2013 models will not be able to install it when it becomes fully available.

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What is a backup anyway? It’s simply a 2nd copy of the original file. If the original file disappears you get the copy of the file you made earlier and put it back where it belongs. If you want to a proper backup however, you need to become familiar with the 3-2-1 rule: three copies of the data, two of which are local but on different devices and one copy off-site. The 3-2-1 rule should be your mantra if you want a backup you can trust.

Both Windows and Mac include built in backup software. On Mac it’s called Time Machine and in Windows 10 it is File History. Both require the use of an external hard drive or network drive to store data on. There are also 3rd party software options that provide more advanced options. Carbon Copy Cloner, Arq and Super Duper are popular on the Mac. Acronis, Veeam and EaseUS are useful for Windows users.

External hard drives are cheap and easy, but for laptop users in particular, it’s worth investigating network attached storage, also known as a NAS. These little boxes sit on your home network and act as a hard drive that you don’t need to plug in to your computer as they’re always available. This avoids the scenario where you forget to connect your backup drive at the same time you realise you deleted a file or your computer breaks!

By enabling Time Machine or File History, you now have two copies of the data, but the data is still on-site (no good if your house burns down!) and because it’s connected to your computer, technically are not on difference devices. The easiest way to fill in the gap in your 3-2-1 quest is to use cloud storage services.

As more premises in Australia get the NBN and have access to fast upload speeds (e.g: 20mbit+), cloud storage is finally feasible for home and small business users. OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box and iCloud Files are popular cloud storage options. Backblaze is also highly recommended due to its low price and comprehensive breadth of backup options.

When selecting an off-site backup location, Anthony Hill reminds us that “depending on the sensitivity of their data small businesses need to be aware of how their data is stored on external servers. For example, privacy regulations and differences between local and overseas jurisdictions”.

Despite how important our data is these days, not everyone has a backup. When a hard drive fails or a super important file is deleted and no backup exists, there are ways to get that data back. This process is called data recovery and depending on the circumstances of the file no longer being accessible, can be relatively routine (e.g: an accidental deletion that’s noticed immediately), expensive (e.g: broken drive) or painstakingly slow, risky and expensive (e.g: fire or flood).

Software like EaseUS and Recuva can restore accidentally deleted data if you’re quick to notice. The software doesn’t cost much and is easy to use, but only if you stop using the computer right away and can connect the disk with the missing file to another computer for retrieval. Broken hard-drives that fail (a very common experience) or damaged drives can be operated on in a clean-room by technicians, but this can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars and the process isn’t guaranteed to retrieve your data.

Smartphones are often forgotten as a device that needs to be backed up, but they hold so much important information like photos, contacts, text messages and notes. For most people, if they lost the data on their smartphone they’d be devastated! Luckily smartphones are also easy to backup.

iPhone users should enable iCloud backups immediately, so all their data is kept safe. It’s just an option in the iPhone settings. Take note, automatic daily iCloud Backups will only occur when your iPhone is on wi-fi and connected to a charger. You’ll also need to pay for extra iCloud storage space, as Apple only gives you 5GB for free. Android users can use Google Drive to back up the contents of their smartphone to the cloud. Google provides 15GB for free (which includes emails stored in Gmail), with the option to purchase more space for a monthly fee should you require it.

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How to backup data

Formatting or resetting a MacBook deletes all your data, so even if you are sure there’s nothing you want to keep on your MacBook, it’s a good idea to do a backup anyway. Better to be safe than sorry.

To create a backup, we will use the built-in Time Machine feature of macOS. Purchase an external hard drive that’s the same or larger capacity of your MacBook, plug it in and macOS will prompt you to use the new hard drive as a Time Machine backup location. The backup process will begin once you click “Use as Backup Disk“.

Depending on the amount of data you have, the backup could take minutes or hours, even days. To check the status of your backup, enter the System Preferences, click on Time Machine and you’ll see an estimate for how long the backup will take. Once it’s complete we can start the reset process.

Sign out of services

If you are selling your MacBook or passing it on a new owner, it’s important to sign out of your various Apple services. If you don’t sign out, the new owner may be able to access them, even after doing a reset or the new owner won’t be able to add the device to their iCloud account.

Sign out of the iTunes & App Store by opening iTunes, and clicking “Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer”. Sign out of iCloud by clicking “Apple menu > System Preferences > iCloud > Sign Out”. Sign out of iMessage by opening the Messages app and selecting “Messages > Preferences” then clicking “iMessage > Sign Out”.

Enter restore mode

To begin the MacBook reset process, turn your MacBook off (click the Apple menu, then Shutdown). Whilst turned off, hold down the Command & R keys simultaneously and while holding those keys down, turn your MacBook back on. Release the keys once you see an Apple logo or spinning globe. After a few minutes you’ll be presented with a macOS Utilities window.

How to format your MacBook

If you’re selling your MacBook or passing it on, you want to format the MacBook’s drive first. This erases all data from the drive, so make sure you have a backup.

In the macOS Utilities Window, select “Disk Utility” and click Continue. Choose “View > Show All Devices” from the menu bar, select the MacBook’s disk drive (for example: “Apple SSD”) then click “Erase”. Give the new drive a name, select the appropriate drive format type (APFS if available, otherwise Mac OS Extended Journaled) and choose the GUID partition map scheme. Click Erase and wait a minute or two while your MacBook’s drive is wiped.

How to do a factory restore

After formatting the MacBook, close the Disk Utility window. You’ll be placed back at the macOS Utilities window where you can reinstall macOS.

Simply follow the instructions presented to place a fresh install of macOS on the newly erased MacBook drive. When the install process is complete, the MacBook will reboot and start the Setup Assistant.

You can simply turn the MacBook off now and give the MacBook to its new owner. This is what’s called a “factory settings” restore, as this is how the MacBook arrives from the factory.

How to reset your MacBook Pro without losing data

If you just want to do a spring clean of your MacBook or do some technical troubleshooting, you can use the Time Machine backup made earlier to place your data back on your freshly factory reset MacBook.

After you’ve completed the factory restore, instead of turning the MacBook off, continue with Setup Assistant. When you get to the Migration Assistant stage, select “From a Mac, Time Machine backup or startup disk” and plug in your Time Machine backup hard drive.

You’ll be presented with a list of information to transfer, such as Applications and your Home Folder. Select what you’d like to bring across and select continue. Depending on how much data you have, this could take several hours. When complete, you’ll be dropped back in to macOS, with your files put back just where you left them.

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Those who disliked how bloated iTunes had become over the years can rejoice, because just like it said it would, iTunes is no longer the one-stop shop for your music, video app and iOS device backup needs. Instead, they’re handled by what are essentially ports of their iOS counterparts, except for device backup and syncing, which is handled directly within the Finder. If you’re an iPhone user on a Windows PC, however, iTunes is still where all of those services reside; it’s only on the Mac side of the fence that Apple’s killed off iTunes.

The general sensible advice on any major update like this is to hold off until the bugs are ironed out. That holds true too for macOS Catalina, because despite a public beta period that undoubtedly quashed a number of software problems, there’s still plenty of reports of unusual app behaviour from early macOS Catalina adopters.

Some of these issues are with Apple’s own included apps, but there’s also the prospect of third-party applications misbehaving, at least until their developers patch around or fix issues with those software packages running smoothly on macOS Catalina.

It’s an issue exacerbated by the fact that macOS Catalina drops support for 32-bit apps entirely. That’s a step Apple underwent some time ago for iOS devices, but the Mac’s history of apps with only 32-bit support stretches back even furhter than iOS. If you do run older apps (and especially if you’re already getting the warning that the app will be “unsupported” on future macOS upgrades, you may find that they don’t work at all once you do upgrade.

To further complicate matters, if they have their own uninstallers, you’ll need to run those before you upgrade, because the odds are pretty good that if the core app itself is only 32-bit, then the uninstaller will be too. You could be left with an app you can’t use or in fact even easily remove from your Mac if you’re not careful!

So how can you know if it’s ever going to be safe to upgrade? Thankfully it’s not too tricky to check your Mac for apps that won’t work under macOS Catalina if you’re using the prior version, macOS Mojave.

Open up Spotlight search by pressing command and the space bar, and type in System Information. Press enter, and it will show you the details of your Mac in a new window. Scroll down to the area headed up with “Software” and there should be an entry labelled “Legacy Software”. These are all the apps you’ve currently got on your Mac that won’t work with macOS Catalina.

If there’s nothing there, you’re at least OK from a direct apps support point of view for upgrading. If there’s lots of applications there that you rely on, the smart move will be to at least check if you can get upgrades to 64-bit versions, or find equivalent applications that will fulfill the same purpose.

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Anthony Hill, Head of Technology at Geeks2U is asked this question often and has an easy way to clarify if you should get a Mac or a PC – “if you’re into gaming and plan to use your laptop to predominately play games on, a PC laptop is the best way to go”. This is due to the vast array of PC laptops available with powerful GPUs and the fact most games aren’t even available on the Mac.

However, Anthony recommends a Mac if “basic video editing and music production is your thing” because “out of the box, the Mac comes with superior creative software such as Garage Band and iMovie and excellent advanced tools like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro”.

If you’re thinking about a MacBook, here are some pros and cons of Apple’s popular laptop:

Pro: MacBooks, even the cheapest ones, all have excellent displays. They’re factory calibrated, have excellent viewing angles and are “Retina” quality (Apple’s marketing term for high resolution). The similar quality of display on a PC laptop are often available on only high-end laptops that cost way more than Apple’s.

Pro: Apple Watch, iPhone and iPad owners will enjoy a Mac more with iCloud and a familiar design language. Airdrop will “just work” between devices. Apple Pay configured on your phone will show up on your Mac when making a purchase. iMessage will work between devices, as will FaceTime. Living in the Apple ecosystem is a nice place to be.

Con: The much maligned “butterfly” key mechanism on Apple’s current laptop range has been a sore spot for many Apple devotees. While the innovation allows for a slim chassis, people describe using the keyboard like typing on a glass iPad screen and the thin key mechanism is suspectable to failing with any kind of debris ingress like dust, sand or crumbs, requiring repair.

Con: Whatever you plug in to a MacBook will need to be USB-C, as that’s the only ports Apple has included on the MacBook range. If you plan on using anything not USB-C enabled, you’ll need an adaptor, or a dongle to convert the plug. It’s not unusual for many MacBook owners to have a little kit bag full of adapters to plug into projectors (HDMI, VGA) and mini USB hub to insert flash drives and other peripherals.

If you’re thinking about a PC laptop, here are some pros and cons of going with Windows:

Pro: There’s so much choice when it comes to buying a PC laptop. Want something cheap and cheerful to surf the web on? There’s plenty of sub-$500 PCs that’ll do the job. Need a powerful mobile rig to game on the go? The fastest mobile GPUs from Nvidia are only in PC laptops. There’s a PC laptop to suit everyone, at every price point.

Pro: Apple is notorious for using proprietary parts (even screws) and making their devices difficult to open. While there are ways for third party repairers to fix a MacBook, it’s never as quick and cheap as a PC laptop that uses industry standard interchangeable parts that are easy to replace.

Con: One thing Apple excels at is the trackpad and for some reason PC manufacturers just can’t match it. Even on the highest end PC laptops, the trackpads are small and don’t have the same amount of glide, tactile feedback or accuracy as Apple’s most basic trackpad on an entry level MacBook.

Con: Windows can be a bit of a mess sometimes. There are multiple places to change settings, Microsoft has loaded the stock Windows 10 install with bloatware apps and there’s a plethora of tracking and data collection services enabled by default. Apple however keeps macOS lean and doesn’t collect any data on you unless you opt-in to doing so.

Either choice you make, Anthony Hill from Geeks2U says that “there is a misconception out there that Macs don’t get viruses, but that’s not the case. There are viruses and malware specifically targeting the Mac nowadays, so make sure you’ve got anti-virus software on both PC and Mac” – don’t buy your next computer on what is “safer”, but rather what meets your needs. If you require purchasing decision help, Geeks2U is more than happy to assist!

Schedule a professional laptop repair service today and let our skilled technicians restore your device to its optimal performance.

Of course, operating systems could be a little faster, or use fewer system resources so that your PC or Mac runs a little smoother, but by and large, until somebody comes up with a completely new way to interface with our computers, they’re doing just about everything that you might want right now, and have done for some time.

That makes it hard to sell a “new” operating system, although again that’s something that isn’t really done at a consumer level anyway. Apple has long used its operating system, macOS to sell mac hardware, and as for Microsoft, its long-term commitment to iterating on Windows 10 means that it’s essentially a bundled product with your laptop or PC unless you’re a keen self-PC builder anyway.

Which is why we’re seeing more features for major operating system updates that interface with other devices, such as mobile phones, or indeed features that are more akin to those you might already use on your smartphone. That’s an area that has plenty of room to showcase “new” features, even if they might not be new computing concepts.

Apple’s already stated that it’s not going to turn macOS into iOS (its mobile device operating system that runs iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices), but that isn’t stopping it from making macOS feel a lot more like iOS along the way.

Still, that left it with not a lot else to say about the upcoming update for macOS, macOS Mojave for the average consumer, beyond the fact that it will offer a new “dark” theme for the operating system.

It’s an interesting move for Apple, given its strong history of very tightly controlling the way its operating systems work, but it won’t be alone in the chase for more night-time themed OS.

Microsoft’s latest point release for Windows 10 — which will, as per Microsoft’s existing statements, stay as a product called “Windows 10” on an ongoing release — includes a new “dark theme” available to those who have signed up for Microsoft’s “Windows Insider” program.

Windows Insider is basically Microsoft’s route to providing a public forum to showcase new innovations on the Windows platform, but also to give it access to thousands of beta testers along the way. If you’re running a Windows 10 PC it’s entirely free to join and you will get access to new features faster than on the regular update cycle, but with the understanding that you’re also getting early release software that might not be all that immediately stable.

Is it worth it just for a dark theme for Windows File Explorer? Probably not by itself, and it’s certainly not advisable if you’re talking your only computer. If you’re keen to see what’s coming up for Windows it’s a neat way to get an early glimpse.

If you’re feeling left out on the Mac side of the fence, Apple has a similar setup for macOS Mojave — and indeed its iOS and tvOS platforms — if you’re keen.

Apple doesn’t run its beta software program all year the way that Microsoft does with Windows Insider, although that’s also to do with its commitment to larger named updates on a yearly basis. Microsoft iterates on Windows 10 a little faster than that, so larger updates are simply more frequent.

As always, though, even if you are willing to put up with a little instability in return for new features, make sure you backup your data on a regular basis, just to be sure. Realistically you should be doing that anyway, because a backup now can save you a lot of headaches later.

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It’s much the same story for your computer. Not that it should pick up stray traces of egg and bacon over time unless you’re doing something drastically wrong with it, but simply that over time, the interaction of your own usage and the way software interacts can lead to a system that’s messy and far less optimised than it used to be.

Old school PC optimisation used to involve some very specific tasks that are far less vital than they used to be.

Once upon a time, it was viewed as essential that you defragment your hard drive on a regular basis. This gave the computer time to shift and sort files in order, so that all the parts of a given file were ordered logically within storage for faster access. These days, with faster SSD drives and operating systems that do a considerably better job of managing storage allocations, it’s largely a relic of the past. Indeed, if you’ve got a computer with an integrated SSD — which includes the vast majority of current laptops — defragging will do you absolutely no good at all.

That doesn’t mean, however, that a spring clean of your PC is something you should ignore, especially if it’s a computer you’ve owned for any significant length of time. Human beings are creatures of convenience, and that almost certainly means that you’ve had some sloppy habits when it comes to organising your PC. Add into that the quirks and bumps of software development and the way that different applications interact with each other, and there’s a good chance your computer isn’t running as well as it could.

In many cases, these aren’t hard tasks to tackle with just a few simple apps to keep your system up and running. If you’re using some kind of malware prevention — and you absolutely should be in this day and age, no matter your computing platform of choice — you may even have tools to hand as part of that software that will manage that for you. Those tools can vary quite a lot, however, both in what they check and how they apply it.

You can even “clean up” a new PC to get the most out of it, because many of them come with plenty of applications pre-installed “for your convenience”. It’s popularly known as bloatware (amongst other less, ahem, polite terms), and while some of it may be useful for some users, for many it’s just wasted space, and often intrusive in the way that they push themselves on you. The equally impolitely named (but free) PC Decrapifier is a software tool that scans Windows PCs for commonly preinstalled apps and makes it easy to remove the apps you don’t really want.

If your computer has a few more miles on the clock, it may be worth running a dedicated cleanup program to keep everything as shiny as possible. CCleaner provides both a free and paid tool for monitoring apps that use system resources, cleaning up unwanted files and sorting out any errant registry entries that may be slowing down your Windows PC. There’s even a Mac version for macOS users on systems that may be running at a slug’s pace.

If all else fails, there is always the nuclear option of a complete system reinstall. Make sure you carefully back up everything beforehand, and equally that you’ve got the needed install setup and any registration codes for the operating system and apps. A full system reinstall isn’t as tricky as it used to be, and it’s certainly nothing you should glibly start just for its own sake, but it is a solution that can often deliver you a system that runs faster than you might even remember when it was new.

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Apple recently held its Worldwide Developer Conference (AKA WWDC) in San Jose California, outlining all of its software plans for its mobile and computing operating systems. It unveiled iOS 12, which will launch for iPhones from iPhone 5s or newer later in the year, new versions of watchOS and tvOS, and, as expected, a yearly update for its desktop/laptop operating system, macOS.

This year’s macOS will be known as macOS Mojave, following Apple’s recent trend of using California landmarks as the naming trend, and it’ll appear later in the year as well. If history is any guide, expect it to appear around the same time we see new iPhones in roughly October/November. It’s still in beta right now, however, so there’s always scope for more critical bugs to delay release.

In compatibility terms, macOS Mojave spreads back a reasonable number of years, although owners of much older macs may find themselves stuck on the current macOS High Sierra build when it’s formally available.

Specifically, macOS Mojave will be compatible with:

• MacBook Pro (mid 2012 and newer)
• MacBook Air (mid 2012 and newer)
• MacBook (early 2015 and later)
• iMac (late 2012 or newer)
• iMac Pro (2017 or newer)
• Mac Pro (late 2013 or newer, or mid 2010 and mid 2012 models with Metal capable GPU)
• Mac Mini (late 2012 or newer)

The new version of macOS will have a number of new features, but where Apple surprised many was by talking about future plans for the software beyond macOS Mojave. Apple is famously reluctant to say anything about its future plans, after all.

There’s been a persistent rumour that Apple was working towards merging iOS, the software platform for the iPhone with macOS. Apple sells a lot more iPhones than it does mac computers, so it would seem like a logical step, but it’s one that Apple took time out at WWDC to specifically refute. Well… sort of.

Apple’s Craig Federighi took to the WWDC stage to specifically say that Apple isn’t looking to merge iOS and macOS into one codebase, but it is working right now on a “multi-year” project to bring iOS apps to macOS with a common developer framework. In case you drowsed off there, the simple upshot is that Apple’s looking to make iOS apps run on macOS.

The going will be slow, however, with a number of iOS apps heading to macOS Mojave directly from Apple itself. Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memo and Home apps will be preinstalled as part of macOS Mojave, but they’ll actually be the code used for the iOS versions of those applications. It won’t be until next year that Apple opens up development for third party developers to offer their iOS apps to macOS users.

That opens up a lot of apps to the mac world, although it’s not clear if that means that you’ll be able to simply shift apps you’ve already paid for across to your mac, or if you’ll have to pay again for mac-developed versions. That may well be a decision that sits with each app developer when the time comes.

Right now, if you wanted to play with macOS Mojave, you’d need to be a registered Apple Developer to gain access to the early developer beta. Apple has said that it will launch a public beta of macOS Mojave later in June open to just about anybody, but as always, caution is advised. It’s a beta for a reason. It would be very unwise not to back up all your data before even trying the beta, and equally foolish to run it on your only mac computer if you’re reliant on it.

If you’re happy to wait, it’ll be a free release for qualifying macs later in the year. Indeed, you may even want to hold off a little while once it’s “official” anyway, because complex software like operating systems, always has a few bugs left over in it. Yes, even Apple has its not-so-perfect software moments, just like everyone else.

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