Kitsmith / Guides / New Mac setup kit
The new Mac setup kit
Ten setup tasks, not ten apps we picked for you. Each one links to a live, hand-verified section of the catalog — 78 listings across all ten — so you compare real options instead of taking a stranger’s single recommendation on faith.
Worth doing on most new Macs
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Pick a browser on purpose
Safari is already installed and it’s genuinely fine for most people. Only switch if you want one specific thing it doesn’t do — vertical tabs, a built-in ad blocker, a different tab-management model — not switching for its own sake.
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Something that can edit a PDF, not just open one
Preview opens a PDF and lets you sign it. It won’t cleanly fill a multi-page form, merge files, or shrink one under an email attachment limit — usually the first "I need an app for that" moment on a new Mac.
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A screen recorder better than QuickTime
QuickTime records your screen; it doesn’t do region capture with system audio, a cursor highlight, or a direct export you can drop straight into a message. Worth it the first time you’d rather send a 30-second clip than schedule a call.
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A VPN, if you’re ever on a network you don’t control
Skip this if your Mac only ever touches your own home network. Worth having the moment you’re regularly on café, airport, or hotel wifi and want a dropped connection to fail closed instead of quietly leaking.
Browse all 8 verified VPNs → 2 free
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A meeting alert you can’t swat away by habit
macOS’s default calendar notification is a banner most people have trained themselves to ignore. This category replaces it with a persistent countdown and a one-click join link, so being late stops being a noticing problem.
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A focus timer, once the new-Mac calm wears off
A fresh install doesn’t stay distraction-free — the same browser tabs come back eventually. Cheap insurance against that if it’s a real pattern for you; skip it if it isn’t.
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If your Mac has a camera notch, give it a job
On a MacBook Pro (14"/16", 2021 or later) or MacBook Air (2022 or later), these turn the black strip at the top of the screen into a live surface for now-playing, file drops, and alerts. No physical notch — an Intel Mac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, iMac, or older MacBook — isn’t an automatic dealbreaker either: several listings in this section also run as a floating capsule or simulated notch, worth checking per app before ruling the category out.
Flagged as a starting point: Alcove , NotchNook , boring.notch
Pick what actually applies
These three are genuinely situational — set up because a specific thing about how you work calls for it, not because a setup guide said ten is a round number.
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AI meeting notes, if your calendar is mostly calls Situational
Only worth setting up if you’re regularly in meetings you need a written record of. These join the call, transcribe it, and summarize the outcome — a real time-saver for some jobs and unnecessary overhead for everyone else.
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A virtual machine, for one specific reason Situational
For running a Windows-only tool, testing across operating systems, or spinning up a disposable Linux box — not for general use. If nothing on this page describes something you actually need to do, skip it.
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Something to enjoy the machine with, not just work on it Situational
Not a productivity pick, and this guide isn’t going to pretend it is. A new Mac is also just a new Mac.
See every listing in the full catalog →
New Mac setup — questions people ask
Do I need everything on this list?
No. The first seven cover things most people end up wanting on any new Mac. The last three — AI meeting notes, a virtual machine, a game — are only worth it if the specific situation actually applies to you; skip whatever doesn’t.
Why isn’t there one "best" app for each task?
Because most of these ten sections don’t have a catalog-verified top pick to name — we only call out a specific app inline when it’s hand-flagged as a starting point (notch apps, today). Otherwise the honest answer is the section itself: browse the verified list and pick what fits, not one arbitrary app we singled out for this page.