9 macbook features you might not know about

1. Turn your computer folder into emoticons

Make your computer folder icons more distinguishable by turning each folder into an emoticon. Here's how:

1. 1. Create a folder on your computer by clicking File> New folder.
2. 2. Do a Google Image search for the emoticon you want.
3. 3. Drag the image you want to your desktop.
4. 4. Double click the image to open it in Preview.
5. 5. To make the image transparent, click the marker icon, click the background of the image so that the moving border appears around it and click Edit> Cut.
6. 6. Click the tick icon again and click and drag the box around the emoticon.
7. 7. Click edit, select all. Press command + C.
8. 8. Go back to the root directory you created on the desktop and right-click on that folder.
9. 9. Click Get information.
10. 10. In the popup screen, click the blue folder icon and press Command + V. You should see your emoticon appear.

2. Reset your password when locked

Forgot your macbook password? Don't worry - the macbook feature will help you.

Recovery mode:

1. Turn off the macbook.

2. Press and hold Command + R, then press the power button. Hold Command + R until you see a progress bar appear below the Apple logo on the screen. Your device will now be in Recovery Mode.

3. In the menu bar, click Utilities> Terminal. A window will appear. Enter 'reset password' as a word, without quotes and press Return.

4. Close the Terminal window and you will find the Password Reset tool. You will see a list of all user accounts on your macbook - if you reset the password for your account, you will also have to set a new account for every other user.

Apple ID:

1. After entering your user password a few times wrongly, you may be asked if you want to reset your password with your Apple ID. Or you can click the question mark icon in the password text field, followed by the arrival icon, to invoke the same process.

2. Enter your Apple ID email address and password. A pop-up alert will let you know that your new password will be generated. Click OK.

3. Follow the remaining prompts to create a new password for your user account.

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3. Sign documents in the Preview or Mail application

If you've emailed a PDF for signing, you don't need to print, sign, and scan again - your macbook lets you sign documents directly on your device in Preview or Mail client.

You can do a number of different things in different applications and programs, including saving a scanned copy of your signature on a blank sheet of paper and adding it as an image in a given document. However, if you use the Mail app, here's what to do:

1. Drag the PDF file into the email message, hover over the PDF file, click the button with the down arrow at the top right, and click Highlight.

2. Click the box at the top the same as the signature.

3. Click Touchpad to sign your name with your mouse on the trackpad or click Camera to sign your name on white paper and take a picture with the computer's webcam. You can also save signatures for reuse.

4. Enter emoticons from your keyboard

Emoticons are not just for text on your phone. In almost every website or application (including Google Docs and Microsoft Word), go to the menu bar and click Edit> Emoticons & Symbols. An emoticon box will appear and you can add any page to the page you are working on. Or, you can use the keyboard shortcut: Control + Command + Space.

5. Use Split View to view two applications side by side without resizing

With Split View, the macbook feature lets you work in two apps side by side without having to resize them and not be distracted by other apps.

1. In MacOS Catalina, go to the upper left corner of the window and hover over or click and hold the green full screen button.

2. Select Tile Window on the left of the Screen or Tile Window to the Right of the Screen from the menu and the window will fill the other side of the screen. In previous versions of MacOS (you need OS X El Capitan or later to use Split View), click and hold the green full-screen button and drag the window to the left or right of the screen to line it up.

3. To exit split screen, press the Esc key on your keyboard.

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6. Create a shortcut for anything you want

You often know features on macbooks that have Command + C to copy text and Command + V to paste. But you can also create your own shortcuts to access any menu option you want.

1. Go to System Preferences> Keyboard> Shortcuts> Application shortcuts and click the + icon.

2. A box will pop up allowing you to select the application you want, the name of the menu command and the shortcut you choose.

3. Once done, tap Add.

7. Adjust the volume in more detail

Sometimes, the difference between each volume step on your machine is bigger than you think and your music, videos or podcasts change from being too quiet to too loud in one tap. If you want to make the volume up smaller, hold down Options + up arrow when you press the volume up or down key. This will bring up the Sound box, which allows you to adjust the volume in a more detailed way.

8. Rename a group of files at once

You do not have to rename a series of files or photos on your own. Instead, go to Finder and select the group of documents or photos you want to rename by clicking on one, holding down the Shift key and clicking on other documents. Right-click and scroll down the Rename X items option. Or, after selecting them, click the cog icon and click Rename X items from there. You will then be able to add text, replace text or apply formatting like 'Sarah's birthday party' with a number for each photo.

9. Hide or customize the menu bar

Don't want the Menu bar to show up on your macbook unless you need it? Go to System Preferences> General and click Auto Hide and display the menu bar.

If you want to keep your Menu bar and customize it, you can hold Command and drag icons to different locations or delete them all together.