I installed a fresh copy of macOS Big Sur today on my MacBook Pro. Why even bother doing this? In my case, I simply wanted to setup my Mac properly from the very beginning and learn some new things along the way.
After I learned how to build my own PC in middle school I have reinstalled windows many many times. I got very familiar with it and knew exactly how I liked to configure things. However, I got my first Mac in 2019 when I graduated high school and haven't bothered doing this, until now.
Since it was my first time on macOS, I suspect I made some mistakes that would not be considered "common practice". For example, I had no idea homebrew existed...
I don't think I will ever automate this process. I prefer making small changes and reminding myself of everything I do each time I start fresh.
System Preferences
Not much is changed. If not specified, I leave it default.
iCloud Settings
- Everything on except Mail.
iCloud Drive Settings
- Everything on except Desktop and Documents Folders
General
- Dark appearance
- Turn "ask to keep changes when closing documents" on
- Set recent items to "none"
- Disable handoff between devices
Dock
- Remove everything from dock except:
- Finder, Safari, Mail, Calendar, Music, System Preferences, Discord, iTerm2, Downloads, Trash
- Keep dock size relatively small
- Minimize windows using the "Scale effect"
- Disable showing recent applications in dock
- Enable dock auto hiding
- Show indicators for open apps
Menu Bar
- Magnet (window management app)
- Wifi
- Bluetooth
- Battery (with percentage)
- Control Center
- Date
Tip - Move icons around by holding CMD while dragging
Spotlight
- Uncheck everything except:
- Applications, Calculator, Definition, System Preferences
Touch ID
- Disable Touch ID for Password Autofill (this is my personal preference but might not be the best idea)
Accessibility
- Turn shake mouse pointer to locate off
Trackpad
- Disable natural scrolling direction
Sharing
- Change computer name to something better
- Make sure everything is unchecked. (unless you need them)
Finder Settings
General
- Uncheck all items to show on desktop
- Set "New Finder windows show" to home folder
- Enable show all filename extensions
- Set all folders to use the list viewing mode
Sidebar
- Uncheck everything except:
- Applications, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Home Folder, iCloud Drive
- Create a "Projects" folder and add to sidebar
Install Tools + Apps
Start this process by installing homebrew
Install iTerm2
brew install --cask iterm2
Install Discord
brew install --cask discord
Install VS Code
brew install --cask visual-studio-code
Install Brave
brew install --cask brave-browser
Install Git
brew install git
Install Node
brew install node
Install Neofetch
brew install neofetch
Install Xcode
On the App Store
Install Magnet
On the App Store
Install Affinity Designer
On the App Store
Install Affinity Photo
On the App Store
Install Fig
Early Access on Website
Configuration
iTerm2
- Import favorite theme. Browse them here.
- Increase font size to 14.
- Hide login message using touch .hushlogin
VS Code
- Install favorite theme
- Enable auto format on save
- Install the following extensions:
Git Settings
git config --global user.name "Name Here"
git config --global user.email foo@gmail.com
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
git config --global core.editor "code -w"
Conclusion
This sums up my current preferences for setting up a fresh macOS install. I like to keep it simple. I still have lots to learn and this will most likely become more complex in the future. But for now this will do.
Here are some other great setup guides that are more involved: