Setting Up a New MacBook the Right Way
Apple makes setup look effortless, but a few choices in the first 30 minutes determine your next three years.
Before you click anything, decide whether you want to migrate from the old Mac or start fresh. Migration brings everything — including the cruft. A fresh start is faster long-term but requires you to reinstall apps deliberately.
Use a strong, unique Apple ID password and turn on two-factor authentication immediately. Skip iCloud Keychain only if you have a dedicated password manager. Otherwise, embrace it.
Configure FileVault during setup. It's full-disk encryption and it costs you nothing in performance. If your Mac is ever stolen, your data stays private.
Set Time Machine on day one, not after the first crisis. Install only the apps you actually use. And take five minutes in System Settings to turn off the dozen notifications you don't need. A quiet Mac is a productive Mac.
If this all sounds like a lot, it's exactly the kind of house call I do. New MacBook arrives, I come over, two hours later you're up and running with everything moved over and explained.
Need a hand?
Local, on-site Apple help in the foothills.
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