Mac Setup: Favorite Apps and Settings

Mosyle App Management
Recently, I had to reinstall everything on my Mac after IT installed Mosyle to manage our Macs at work. As a result, I had to start from scratch and install all of my preferred apps and customize my settings again. To make the process smoother in the future, I documented the steps I took, including the apps I installed and the customizations I made. In sharing my process, I hope it can help others who may also need to reinstall everything on their Mac.

Last Updated: Feb 18, 2023

Review Setup

If you can review your setup before wiping it clean, there are a few things to check:
  • Check your downloads folder and any other local folders and move any needed files to the cloud
  • Make a list of the Applications you have installed (Finder > Applications) 
  • Take a screenshot of your doc bar so you can set it up the same way after 
  • Back up ~/Library/Spelling/LocalDictionary for any words you’ve added to your custom dictionary. 

Apps to Install

Here are the apps I have installed, by source of install:
  • Company's Mosyle App Store 
    • Microsoft Office (includes Teams) 
    • Dialpad 
    • Chrome 
    • Figma 
    • Slack 
  • Apple App Store 
    • Dato - A calendar for your menu bar 
    • Grammarly - Real-time spelling and writing suggestions
    • Liner - Extension to highlight and save text on webpages
  • Manual Download 

Settings/Preferences 

Here are the settings and customizations that I have made

    System Preferences

    • Add AppleID Screen share permission (after these have been installed) 
      • Teams 
      • Zoom 
      • Dialpad 
      • Chrome 
      • Conectwisecontrol 
    • Display - Reorder external monitors 
    • Dock & menu bar 
      • Dock - Make smaller 
      • Battery - Show Percentage 
      • Clock - Display the time with seconds 
      • Spotlight - remove from menu bar 
    • Notifications 
      • Teams - Turn on Allow Notifications - Banners 
      • Slack - Turn on Allow Notifications - Banners 
      • Games Center - Turned off Allow Notifications 
    • Internet accounts 
    • Add accounts (Gmail & work) 
    • Apple Pay 
      • Add Cards 
    • Touch ID - Add finger 
    • Security & Privacy - Use your Apple Watch to unlock apps and your Mac 
    • Mouse - Uncheck Scroll Direction: Natural 
    • Sharing 
      • Update Computer Name 
    • Printers & Scanners 
      • Add Printer 
    • Keyboard 
      • Shortcuts 
        • App Shortcuts 
          • Tile Right 
            • Application: All Applications 
            • Menu Title: Tile Window to Right of Screen 
            • Keyboard Shortcut: Control + Option + Cmd + Right Arrow 
          • Tile Left 
            • Application: All Applications 
            • Menu Title: Tile Window to Left of Screen 
            • Keyboard Shortcut: Control + Option + Cmd + Left Arrow

    Notification Center Widgets

    • Added Calendar at top 

    Initial Setup / Login Required

    • Teams 
    • Outlook 
    • Word 
    • Excel 
    • PowerPoint 
    • OneNote 
      • Open additional Notebooks 
    • OneDrive 
    • Slack 
    • Dato 
      • Launch Dato at Startup 
      • Show Icon 
      • Move Icon in Menu Bar (Hold Command Key and drag) 
      • Preferences 
        • Calendar > Week Numbers

    Doc Bar

    • Reorder based on screenshot from before 
    • Teams 
      • Options > Keep In Dock & Open at Login 
    • Slack 
      • Options > Keep In Dock & Open at Login 

    App Preferences

    • Outlook 
      • General - Compact 
      • Calendar 
        • Add online meeting to all events: Teams 
        • Show Second Timezone: PST 
      • Signatures 
        • Add/Customize Signatures
          • Work
          • Unsubscribe signature: No thank you. Please unsubscribe me and remove me from any of your lists. 
    • Safari 
      • View > Show Favorites Bar 
      • Preferences > Advanced 
        • Show Full website Address 
        • Show Develop menu in menu bar 
    • Finder > Preferences 
      • General > Hard Disks 
      • Sidebar > username (Add user location to favorites) 

    Restore/Edit Files

    • Custom Dictionary: ~/Library/Spelling/LocalDictionary
    I hope these instructions and settings can save you time!

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