Do You Have an Apple in Your Toolbox?

Ok, so "Apple" here is in reference to an "Apple" Device and NOT a delicious fruit.  

I know many of us use Apple devices to write, chat, post, text, and revolve our writing world around such devices. There are many, many apps geared towards writers and some only available for the Mac operating system.

Tech is great, when it works but stops us cold when it doesn't.

I know that no one has time to read a giant tech manual; therefore, today's post is short, sweet, and laser focused on keeping your Apple Device (in this case, computer) running smoothly with some solid best practices. Do not fall into the trap that turning a Mac on for the first time means you are safe. There are many tweaks that you need to do to button up security options.

Apple Laptops and Desktops

• Keep in mind that only MacOS Catalina and higher are receiving updates now. Apple tends to only support OS for the most recent 3 Major Upgrades. Once is a blue moon, an older device will get a core update when it's something uber critical.
• When major or minor updates come out (aka Security Updates,) wait a day or two to ensure the update isn't causing major headaches.
• Keep up with your Time Machine updates so you have a backup plan in place if something goes wrong.
• From time to time, make a copy on a USB of  your most precious files (this is different from a Time Machine backup).
• Find 2 or 3 good sources of info and check those often.
• Apple Insider is one of my key points for updates.
• Bookmark key Apple Support knowledge base documents or reference.
• Make use of the Apple discussion community. Lots of good, free advice.
• The support section really cover a lot of ground, but can be overwhelming. 
• Use one Apple ID for all to keep all your devices in sync.
• If you use one for personal and one for work, be sure to set up Family Sharing to cover both.
• Do I need an Anti-Virus, Malware cleaner, or other Utility?
• This is an age-old question and one of major debate.
• Contrary to belief, Mac's can still have issues. Virus, no. Malware or Adware, yes.
• In some cases, most of the issues are because users mistakenly overide the basic security through mis-informed actions.
• Best Defense is a good offense.
• Use the built in App store.
• Update your security settings to use only App Store and Approved vendors.
• If you purchase a 3rd party app outside of the app store, be sure it is legit.
• If using another browser besides Safari, make sure you keep it up-to-date.
• Chrome defaults to automatic update
• Firefox has controllable settings
• Safari updates via the the mac app store or Software update (depending on your OS).
• There are 2 apps I recommend
• Etrecheck: a utility that can tell you a lot about the health of your machine and can identify real issues.
• Malwarebytes for Mac: one of the only apps suggested by Apple and can be found as references on the Apple Discussion forum. They offer a free passive scanner and a paid active scanner. The free trial gives you everything at first and then reverts to a passive scanner once that is over. Well worth it with little to no stress on your system.
• There are some other reputable apps out there, but most geared towards a specific function. Do your research before you install anything.
• Turn your Firewall ON and don't forget the sub-setting for fine tuning.

Knowing what to do when things go wrong, keeping your tech updated, and knowing WHERE to look for help is 50% of the battle in keeping everything up and running smoothly so you can spend your time writing and NOT rebuilding your Mac from the ground up.

-Darren Kehrer