5 cool things you probably didn’t know your MacBook could do

Apple does an incredible job with its MacBook designs. Whether you own a Neo, Air, or Pro, these laptops have a unique industrial design that makes them easily recognizable whether you’re at a coffee shop, in the office, or working with friends. Not only is the Apple logo easy to spot, but there’s something special about these computers, the company’s custom silicon, which has revolutionized the computing market by combining excellent performance with great battery life. However, what also makes the MacBook such a great device are the lesser-known features it has, such as Sidecar, iPhone Mirroring, Stage Manager, and more.

With a platform filled with exclusive apps, Apple always tries to ensure that customers have the latest and greatest features, sometimes unique to the platform. One of the reasons many customers choose to pay extra for a Mac is because these computers work so well with their iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, so the features just work.

For example, one of the coolest features available between Mac and other devices is that you can copy a photo, text, or other information on your iPhone and paste it seamlessly onto your Mac. If you’re looking to improve the way you use your MacBook, here are some of the coolest things you can do with your laptop that you probably never realized were waiting for you to discover them.

Released in 2019 with macOS Catalina, this is a feature that every MacBook owner with an iPad should know about. Sidecar essentially turns your tablet into a secondary display, which can help you expand your digital workspace without having to purchase a specific monitor. This feature allows users to extend or mirror a Mac desktop, which can be ideal for multitasking on platforms like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop – or the new Apple Creator Studio – but also for using the Apple Pencil in this environment.

To start using Sidecar, you must have the Mac and iPad signed into the same Apple account with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Handoff enabled. On Mac, go to System Settings, Displays, then click the “+” button or drop-down list to select your iPad. It is also possible to click on the Control Center in the menu bar, choose the Screen Mirroring option and select the tablet. Once connected, users can choose to mirror the screen or use the iPad as a second screen.

Since this feature was introduced in 2019, this means you don’t need to have an Apple Silicon Mac and basically your Mac only needs to have at least macOS Catalina, in addition to an Apple account with two-factor authentication enabled and have both devices within 30 feet of each other with the same Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It’s important to note that the iPad must be running at least iPadOS 13 to offer this feature.

A more recent addition, iPhone Mirroring was introduced alongside the first batch of Apple Intelligence features in 2024 with macOS Sequoia. Since then, Apple has significantly improved this feature, not only making it more reliable, but also expanding the ability to control your iPhone while using the Mac. Basically, iPhone Mirroring allows users to interact with your iPhone directly from the MacBook (provided you first unlock your phone with a passcode only to then receive an annoying message that you need to relock your phone).

This feature allows you to view your iPhone screen, launch apps, respond to notifications, and even copy and paste files without physically touching your phone. This is especially useful when you need to access iOS-only content but don’t want to keep reaching for your iPhone, or you’re in an environment where picking up your phone all the time might be a hassle.

To enable iPhone mirroring, you need a Mac running macOS Sequoia or later with an Apple Silicon chip or Apple’s T2 security chip, found in some of the latest Intel Macs; In addition to that, your iPhone must be running iOS 18 or later and be secured with a passcode. With both in the same Apple account and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, open the iPhone Mirroring app from your Mac Dock, Launchpad, or Spotlight. Follow the instructions on your MacBook and then you can start using iPhone Mirroring.

A true hidden gem, most MacBook users think it’s really cool when they discover Live Text, a feature introduced in 2021 with macOS Monterey and only getting better. Live Text gives users the ability to copy text from any photo or video, meaning they can get information from a utility bill they took a photo of, or even if they’re watching a YouTube video and they want to copy something that’s written in the image but it’s too long for them to type. While I think it’s one of the most interesting tools for journalists and researchers, it’s actually very useful for anyone trying to speed up the way they use their Mac.

To enable Live Text, users must interact with an image or video where text is visible. When you hover over a recognized text, it will automatically turn it into a text selection tool. Users can then click and drag to highlight the text, right-click to copy it to their clipboard, or choose to translate it or search the web for the term. More interestingly, this is also available on iOS and iPadOS.

System requirements for Live Text include a Mac running macOS Monterey or later, meaning this feature is available for Intel Macs with an Apple T2 security chip or one of the aforementioned new Apple Silicon Macs. Essentially, this feature processes everything locally on the device’s neural engine, which makes it so fast and private. However, a relatively modern Mac is required.

While you’ve probably heard of Stage Manager on iPad and how it helps improve multitasking capabilities for iPadOS, this feature was also released in 2022 with macOS Ventura. At that time, Stage Manager was a clever way for Apple to bridge capabilities between the Mac and iPad, showing customers that the platforms can be very similar. Although many users have issues with this feature on iPad, I think Stage Manager is a bit underrated on Mac and becomes especially useful when you have a larger screen.

With this feature enabled, you can automatically arrange your active app in the center of the screen and group recently used secondary apps in the left sidebar. It allows you to quickly switch between different “stages” of work and is an ideal tool for anyone who manages multiple open applications and needs a cleaner, more focused environment.

To use Stage Manager, open the Control Center in the menu bar and click the Stage Manager button. Users can also go to System Settings, then Desktop and Dock, and enable the feature in the “Desktop & Scene Manager” section. Users can customize its behavior to make it much more useful. Most importantly, Stage Manager only requires macOS Ventura or later, which means Intel and Apple Silicon Macs can run this experience, so you don’t have to worry about not having the latest MacBook Pro M5 Max.

Finally, a very cool feature available to MacBook users is the ability to use the iPhone as a camera for the Mac. Although newer models have very good webcams with several features, like Center Stage and Desk View, not every Mac has a very good camera. For example, if you own a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro M1, released in late 2020, you will have a pretty poor photo experience.

That’s why in 2022, with macOS Ventura, Apple began offering users the ability to wirelessly use the iPhone’s advanced camera system as a high-quality webcam for Mac. Not only does it improve video quality, but it also brings Center Stage, Portrait Mode, and Desk View to a wider range of Macs.

To enable this feature, users must have both the iPhone and Mac signed into the same Apple account and enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. By placing the iPhone in a stable landscape-oriented stand near the Mac, with the rear cameras facing you, the Mac will automatically detect the iPhone as an available camera input in apps like FaceTime, Zoom, and Webex. Users can also change the input by selecting the camera on these apps. They can also go to iPhone Settings, General, AirPlay and Continuity, and enable “Continuity Camera”. This feature is available for any Mac running macOS Ventura or later and requires an iPhone running at least iOS 16.