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Although macOS is somewhat of a minimalist operating system, it still holds many surprises. From asking Siri to tell you jokes to exploring popular landmarks using Maps, there are many fun things you can do on your MacBook Pro when you’re bored.
Hi, I’m Devansh. In this article, I’ll introduce you to eight cool things you can do on your MacBook Pro when you’re bored. These are all native pre-installed features, and any third-party downloads I mention will be optional.
Keep reading if you’re bored and want to find some cool and unique ways to have fun on your MacBook Pro!
Cool Thing #1: Play around with pre-installed apps
There are several pre-installed apps in your MacBook Pro which can be a ton of fun to play around with. Whether that be composing your own track on GarageBand, editing a movie on iMovie, or just playing Chess against an AI opponent.
In addition, one other pre-installed app worth mentioning is Grapher. You’ll love it if you’re into math. You can choose either 2D or 3D graphs and add equations. Then, sit back and watch as they’re displayed on your screen.
If you want some ideas on which equations to input, check out Michael Gottlieb’s website.
Cool Thing #2: Take funny pictures with Photo Booth
If you want to use your MacBook Pro’s camera for capturing a moment with friends, a selfie, or record yourself talking, Photo Booth is there for you. As a fun extra feature, it also includes a variety of filters like Space Alien, Blockhead, Squeeze, and many more!
You can click the arrow buttons at the bottom to browse through all the effects. Once you find one that you like, click on it and use it to take four quick pictures, a still picture, or a video clip.
Cool Thing #3: Talk to Siri
I know we’re not quite there yet with HAL 9000-level of artificial intelligence (thankfully!), but Siri can still be fun to talk to.
Here are some fun and interesting questions you can ask.
- Tell me a joke.
- Are you married?
- Can you sing me a lullaby?
- Do I look good?
- Do you eat vegetables?
- Who let the dogs out?
- What’s the best pick-up line?
- What’s your favorite video game?
- Who’s the best virtual assistant?
- Can you rap?
Beyond just telling funny jokes (and dropping sick bars), Siri can also set up an alarm or meeting for you, open an app, or search the web. So, don’t hesitate to say “Hey Siri” or click on the Siri icon in the Menu Bar and start conversing!
Check out this article on MacBook Pro for gaming by MacBookProSlow.
Cool Thing #4: Personalize your MacBook Pro User Experience
If you have some free time to kill, you should consider personalizing your MacBook Pro. We all know Apple can be strict in this regard, but there are still many options you have to make your Mac align with your personality. First, open System Preferences (System Settings on macOS Ventura and above) and follow these steps:
- Change your default wallpaper and screensaver: Select Desktop & Screensaver. You can choose from a variety of dynamic and still options or use your own photos.
- Add a custom color scheme: Go to General and choose a new Accent and Highlight color scheme.
- Change current user profile picture: Go to Users & Groups. Click on Edit below your current profile picture and choose a new one from the default list or photos.
- Modify the dock: Head to Dock & Menu Bar. You can choose to reposition the dock (left, bottom, or right), resize it, control the magnification level, and much more.
- Change system voice and alert sound: Click on Accessibility, Spoken Content, and then System Voice. To change the default alert sound, open Sound and then Sound Effects.
If you want to go one step further, you can also add custom .ICNS icon packs for native and third-party apps in your MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, this isn’t as easy as the above examples. I’d recommend you check out Flat.icns and macOSicons for more info on this.
Who says you should limit personalization to just the OS? Sticking decals on the back of your MacBook Pro can instantly raise your coolness factor. Three great companies which sell decals, especially for MacBook Pros, are Make It Stick, Kong Decals, and Macmerise. You can also try to make your MacBook aesthetic.
Cool Thing #5: Use Maps to explore popular landmarks
There’s no better way to cure boredom than to explore the world—the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, and even Apple Park—in Flyover and Street View from your MacBook Pro. Not just that, you can also try to explore fun places in your city with Guides and Place Cards.
Cool Thing #6: Play Games from Apple Arcade or App Store
With the release of the M1 chip in 2020, the old stereotype of Macs being bad for gaming doesn’t hold up anymore. There are many fun games you can play on your MacBook Pro.
Besides all the games in the ‘Play’ section of the App Store, you can get access to many other titles like NBA2K22, Angry Birds, and Grindstone if you have an Arcade subscription.
Most of these games also support Game Center for competing with friends.
While in the App Store, you might want to look into productivity and utility apps too. The Discover page has new articles on various topics about lesser-known apps, which you can check out.
Many online game stores have Mac clients, too, like Steam, Epic, and Origin. If your MacBook Pro has the required specs, you can also play more high-quality games like Flight Simulators, Dying Light, Stardew Valley, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
Cool Thing #7: Test the iWork Suite
If you switched from a Windows computer to a Mac, you might have decided to just stick with Microsoft Office and never took the iWork Suite for a test drive. Where Office offers Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, iWork offers Pages, Numbers, and Keynote.
Although they both serve the same purpose, the main difference is cross-compatibility. Whereas Office is available to download on macOS, you can only access iWork on a PC via iCloud.
If you haven’t opened any iWork apps ever before on your MacBook Pro, you’ll be given a quick walkthrough of the features. Just try to go through the UI and create some test documents. You might even decide to switch over or not. But, it can still be good to know.
Cool Thing #8: Take Advantage of the Apple Ecosystem
Do you own one or more Apple devices besides your MacBook Pro? If yes, there are many cool features in the Apple ecosystem that you can get access to.
- Universal Control: Control multiple Macs and iPads with a single trackpad/mouse and keyboard.
- Sidecar: Use an iPad as a second display for your Mac.
- Handoff: Start working on one device and then switch to another one without missing a beat.
- Shared Clipboard: Copy text, image, or a video on one device and then paste it on another one.
- iCloud and Keychain: Sync files and passwords between all your devices.
- AirDrop: Share and receive files with other nearby devices.
Once you’ve got these set up and figured out how to use them, it’s fun to play around with them. Even now, every time I copy a sentence on my iPhone and paste it into my Notes on my iMac, it feels like magic.
Conclusion
There you have it! These are eight cool things you can do on your MacBook Pro when you’re bored. Of course, the Internet provides an endless supply of entertainment, but these features are centered around macOS. I hope this list made you explore your Mac and turn boredom into fun.
What other features do you like to use on your MacBook Pro when you’re bored? Let me know in the comments!
About Devansh Kamdar
