The first two apps I install on a new Mac are the ones that help me get everything else set up on my computer. LaunchBar is one of the rare apps that has consistently garnered 5-mouse reviews here. Apps for Utilities & Operating Systems. Whether you want to optimize your system's productivity or your own, utilities should be in your toolbox.
Disk Utility User Guide
Mac app store revenue. Disk Utility on Mac supports several file system formats:
- Apple File System (APFS): The file system used by macOS 10.13 or later.
- Mac OS Extended: The file system used by macOS 10.12 or earlier. Best mac ram cleaner app.
- MS-DOS (FAT) and ExFAT: File systems that are compatible with Windows.
Apple File System (APFS)
Apple File System (APFS), the default file system for Mac computers using macOS 10.13 or later, features strong encryption, space sharing, snapshots, fast directory sizing, and improved file system fundamentals. While APFS is optimized for the Flash/SSD storage used in recent Mac computers, it can also be used with older systems with traditional hard disk drives (HDD) and external, direct-attached storage. macOS 10.13 or later supports APFS for both bootable and data volumes.
APFS allocates disk space within a container on demand. The disk’s free space is shared and can be allocated to any of the individual volumes in the container as needed. If desired, you can specify reserve and quota sizes for each volume. Each volume uses only part of the overall container, so the available space is the total size of the container, minus the size of all the volumes in the container.
Choose one of the following APFS formats for Mac computers using macOS 10.13 or later.
- APFS: Uses the APFS format.
- APFS (Encrypted): Uses the APFS format and encrypts the volume.
- APFS (Case-sensitive): Uses the APFS format and is case-sensitive to file and folder names. For example, folders named “Homework” and “HOMEWORK” are two different folders.
- APFS (Case-sensitive, Encrypted): Uses the APFS format, is case-sensitive to file and folder names, and encrypts the volume. For example, folders named “Homework” and “HOMEWORK” are two different folders.
You can easily add or delete volumes in APFS containers. Each volume within an APFS container can have its own APFS format—APFS, APFS (Encrypted), APFS (Case-sensitive), or APFS (Case-sensitive, Encrypted).
Mac OS Extended
Choose one of the following Mac OS Extended file system formats for compatibility with Mac computers using macOS 10.12 or earlier.
- Mac OS Extended (Journaled): Uses the Mac format (Journaled HFS Plus) to protect the integrity of the hierarchical file system. How do i delete magazines from mac life app download.
- Mac OS Extended (Journaled, Encrypted): Uses the Mac format, requires a password, and encrypts the partition.
- Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled): Uses the Mac format and is case-sensitive to folder names. For example, folders named “Homework” and “HOMEWORK” are two different folders.
- Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled, Encrypted): How to get apps on my macbook. Uses the Mac format, is case-sensitive to folder names, requires a password, and encrypts the partition.
Windows-compatible formats
Choose one of the following Windows-compatible file system formats if you are formatting a disk to use with Windows.
- MS-DOS (FAT): Use for Windows volumes that are 32 GB or less.
- ExFAT: Use for Windows volumes that are over 32 GB.
See alsoPartition schemes available in Disk Utility on MacAbout Disk Utility on Mac
Your computer is equipped with a lot of sensors so that the system can keep an eye on the health of the hardware. macOS has a built-in system monitoring utility called Activity Monitor, which may be unfamiliar to most casual Mac users. And even fewer understand how to properly use Activity Monitor to manage memory usage, fix slow apps, and troubleshoot various many other issues.
Activity Monitor's advantage over all third party Mac monitoring apps is its ability to inspect and even kill a process that requires too many hardware resources. This is something no third party app has the permission to do, despite having access to all the sensor information data and displaying it in an easy-to-read design.
iStat Menus
Available as a separate purchase or via Setapp, Bjango's iStat Menus is one of the best Mac monitoring apps available. You may already be familiar with the iStat Pro widget from the same developer, which displays the same data in the dashboard. One of the best things about iStat Menus is that there is a quick view for the essential data right in the menu bar. If you want more data and visuals, just click on the desired item. Customize the data by turning on the monitoring only for what you want it to keep an eye on. That's a nice advantage over the competing apps, even Bjango's own iStat widget which only displays all the information in one window.
iStat Menus, however, lets you monitor only the CPU, GPU, memory, disks, network, sensors, battery, power, time, or any combinations of these. Bjango's iStat Menus can be trialed for 14 days for free, but after that you'll need to purchase a license for $18 or upgrade for $9.99 if you already happen to own version 3 or 4. The Family Pack allows iStat Menus to be used on up to five Macs within the same household.
TG Pro
Short for Temperature Gauge Pro, this tool could become a Mac monitoring utility that you become attached to. While iStat Menus only displays information, TG Pro goes one step further and offers an option to control your Mac's fans, along with offering an overview of the sensor data that macOS gives access to. That's a very important feature if you want the computer to deliver optimal performance. In addition, TG Pro offers a color-coded visual explanation of what is happening with the computer's internals: green means that you can relax, orange that the hardware is approaching its limits, and red represents that it is very close to the thermal limit.
![Pro Pro](/uploads/1/3/4/1/134139924/819643220.jpg)
What TG Pro does is provide control over the fan speed to cool down your Mac's hardware, which is especially useful on hot summer days when Macs tend to overheat. This Mac monitoring app will display quick temperature info in the menu bar, but to gain access to all the information available you’ll need to either click on the TG Pro item to see a quick overview of the data or launch the app and get visual information for the targeted segment. While the TG Pro trial gives 10 days of free testing, it unfortunately limits the data it displays and therefore pushes users to purchase a license for $18.
XRG
Available as an open-source system monitor for Macs, XRG allows you to monitor CPU and GPU activity, memory usage, battery status, machine temperature, network activity, disk I/O, current weather, and stock market data. Just like the iStat Pro widget, it gives users a helpful overview of what is happening on your Mac, peppered with some handy visuals. In terms of the graphical user interface, XRG’s cannot be compared to that of iStat Menus or TG Pro but if you want a free app to have access to such data then XRG is a good option to choose.
Best Mac Utility App 2019 Reviews
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Best Mac Utility Apps
Any one of these above apps will be useful to you if you are looking to optimize your Mac's performance. They each allow you to see – at a glance – the resource hogs that can be eliminated as well as all the data that your Mac’s sensors are collecting. That, combined with the use of Mac optimization apps such as CleanMyMac, CCleaner or MacKeeper, will create a computer that works optimally to perform all the tasks it is given.