This week, I’d like to highlight a handful of valuable utilities that make using my Mac better, faster, or sleeker. Then I’ll explain what these apps (and over 200 more) have in common and how much you can get out of each one.
The first is App Tamer, which lets me slow down or stop apps that use too much CPU — I’m looking at you Safari and Chrome — before they slow down my Mac. Although Activity Monitor is usually running, I usually don’t notice that I’m running low on CPU until things slow down. But App Tamer notices it and fixes it automatically by slowing down or quitting the recalcitrant app.
Bartender is the app I use to keep my menu bar organized and usable. I have more items than my menu bar will fit, so Bartender lets me determine which ones are visible at all times and hides the others until I need them.
Another app that helps my Mac maintain peak performance is CleanMyMac X, which includes many features to speed up and optimize my Mac’s performance. Its Space Lens feature is the best thing I’ve found for finding large files, even if they’re invisible system files, and its ability to scan my Mac for “large and old files” is almost also useful. I run its entire suite of checks and fixes at least once a month.
Paste is still my favorite clipboard history manager. It saves and recalls every item I copy or paste for a day, a week, a month, or forever. It also allows me to organize items into bulletin boards – folders for saved clipboards. Paste stands out with its smooth user interface and large, easily distinguishable previews. Still, its flagship feature is real-time iCloud syncing, which lets me see and use every item I’ve cut or copied from my Mac to my iDevices and vice versa.
Finally, Screens is the app I use to control my Mac remotely with my iPad, iPhone, or another Mac. Many remote control apps are available, but I find Screens to be the most reliable and easy to use (and I use it often).
So what do these five utilities have in common? The answer is that you can use them all (and over 200 other apps) with a Setapp subscription. Setapp, which I call “the Netflix of Mac apps,” lets you install and use any or all of the 230 included apps for $9.99 a month.
Resources
Tamer app. $14.95. St.Clair software. www.stclairsoft.com
Bartender 4. $15.00. Surtees Studios, Ltd. www.macbartender.com
CleanMyMac X. $34.95. MacPaw. www.macpaw.com
Pastry. $1.99/month. The Coller team. https://pasteapp.io
Screens. $29.99. Edovia, Inc. www.edovia.com
Set app. $9.99/month. MacPaw. www.setapp.com
Bob “Dr. Mac” LeVitus has written over 90 books, including macOS Monterey for Dummies and The iPhone for Dummies.
boblevitus@mac.com
