Macs have great applications, no doubt, like Mail, Pages or Safari itself, Apple‘s own web browser. However, many users make the leap to macOS after having used a Windows computer for many years and, therefore, are used to using other applications for basic actions, such as searching the internet or writing an email, therefore, in this post we are going to tell you how you can change the default applications with which your Mac performs some actions.
Work more comfortably and faster with your applications
The Mac is a device that most users use to work or develop projects that demand many hours of use of the device. Each and every one of the users who use the Mac try to be as productive as possible and, therefore, this purpose is to use those applications with which they are most familiar since, having to use other different applications, in sometimes it can lead to learning time that is not normally available.
Therefore, the possibility that each Mac user can choose the applications they want to work with is vital for each to be as productive as possible. That is just what we want to talk to you about in this post, or rather, what we want to tell you about. How can you change the application that your Mac uses by default for certain actions, such as writing an email, opening an image or simply a link to a web page, so that you are the one who decides, and not your Mac, the applications you use on your day by day and in this way, further enhance the magnificent user experience that a device like the Mac offers.
Change the default browser
Let’s start with the browser. By default, in macOS the chosen browser is Safari. This is totally understandable and coherent given that it is Apple’s own browser and, in most situations, the one that will work best within the Mac. However, as we have commented previously, more and more users are coming to the Mac from a Windows device and therefore, in their day to day they are used to using another web browser, such as Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox among others, or simply, for personal reasons, the user prefers to use another browser other than Safari. Obviously and without having to do anything more than install it, the user will be able to use it, however, if you have not modified the “default” browser, every time you click on a link in any other app, the browser that will open it will be Safari. To change it follow the following steps.
- Make sure the other browser is installed on your Mac.
- Choose Apple menu> System Preferences and click General.
- Select a web browser from the “Default web browser” menu.
Choose another default mail application
The same thing happens with the browser, it also happens with the email application. In this case, in macOS the default email application is once again the native Apple, that is, the famous Mail app. In the case of Safari, it has little to envy its competition, however, with Mail it does not We can say the same since there are more complete options on the market than the native Apple.
For this reason, many users opt for apps like Spark, to manage all the email that arrives on their Mac every day, since the amount of options it offers are really fantastic. Therefore, if you want to change the email app that your Mac uses by default and choose Spark or any other, follow the steps below.
- Make sure the other email application is installed on your Mac.
- Open the Mail app.
- Select Mail> Preferences and click General.
- Select the email app you want from the “Default Email App” menu.
Surely, before you can change the default app for your email, you will be asked to add an email account, if you don’t want to do that, check the preferences of the other email app. You may be able to set a default email app from there.
How to choose default apps to open files
Finally, we want to tell you how you can choose the application you want to open a file and, of course, set said application as the default app for that type of files. To do this, follow the following steps:
- Go to the place where you have the file you want to open.
- Right-click on the file, then select Get Info.
- Scroll down to the Open with section and select, first, the app with which you want to open the file.
- Once you have chosen the application in question, then click Change All.
- You will get a pop-up window asking if you are sure you want to change the default application with which these types of files are opened, if so, press Continue.
In this simple way you will make all files of this type open with the default application you have selected.
