System Preferences, Backup, and Security in macOS 11 Big Sur

Name: System Preferences, Backup, and Security in macOS 11 Big Sur
Author: Nizar Dajani

Learn the essential skills to effectively use System Preferences, Backup, and Security in macOS

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 5 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

In this lesson we will learn about system preferences. If you want to customize your Mac machine then these settings are found in system preferences. And system preferences is an app so you can open it like any other app. For example, it can be in your doc as I have it here, or you can go to 'Finder' then 'Applications' and open it from this window. Or you can use 'Spotlight' and then type 'System Preferences' and then hit 'Enter'. So this is system preferences and there's so much to do here. It's best to explore all these settings one by one, and customize them based on your needs, wants, and preferences. This main window is currently divided into sections, or panes. The section at the very bottom contains third party app settings, while the other sections are all MacOS related app settings. And at the very top I have my name and profile picture, which belong to the user account that I'm currently logged into this computer. You can change this picture by clicking on it, and choosing a picture from these options like these default images, or a picture from your computer. I'll cancel out of this since I don't want to change my profile picture right now. Then on the right we have Apple ID, which I will click, and here it shows information about me like my name, phone, email, passwords, payment and shipping info, which are all data associated with my Apple ID. And right under that I have iCloud on the left, and then on the right these are the apps that can store their data in iCloud, so I can check or uncheck them, as I please. And for media and purchases, these give me a few settings if I want to use touch ID to buy and download apps. There's also an option to manage subscriptions like Apple TV+ or something similar. To return to the main window for system preferences, I click on the back button or I can click on this 'show all' icon. Now, one key distinction to understand is that system preferences have settings for your computer in general, like how to control display settings, battery settings, Bluetooth connectivity settings, and much more. However, each app that you open in your MacOS also has another set of preferences that are very specific to that app only. For example, let me open TextEdit and then go to the TextEdit menu, then 'Preferences'. I see many settings which are very particular to this app only. So please be aware of this distinction; system preferences is a system-wide set of preferences that we can customize, and in addition, each app on our Mac also has another set of preferences that are specific to that app. All right, back to system preferences. These settings are for your computer in general, and if I click on the general icon, I can see such settings like making the appearance of my computer as light or dark. It's currently set to light and let me click on dark to show you the difference. Now, me personally, I prefer the light option so I'll revert it back to light. Also, from this window, you can do many other things like control scrolling, which default browser to use, how you want documents to open up, and how many items to show up in the recent items list, and so much more. In summary, you almost have full control on how everything can, and does behave on your computer. And if you're not sure about a particular setting you can always click on the question mark at the bottom right corner, and that will open a window explaining all the different settings and their options. So, since it's not productive for me to show you each and every setting one by one, I do urge you to go through them, see what the different settings are, and customize them as you wish. And if there's something that you want to customize but you don't know where to find it in system preferences, we can use the search field in the top right corner. Let's say I wanna set hot corners for my Mac, and I don't know where to go in system preferences. I'll start by typing the word 'hot' in the search field, and immediately I get some search suggestions. But I also get a spotlight on the settings where I could find this search word. So, I can click on the first spotlighted setting and here I could find hot corners. Or a quicker way is if my search results returned exactly what I want which in this case is hot corners, I will then just click on it, and it opens up the hot corners dialogue box right away for me. So, this is a much more convenient and streamlined approach when searching for a system preferences setting. You also might find some settings are locked, and need an admin user's password to unlock it. For example, if I go to the users and group settings I can see a locked lock icon, and next to it it says that I need to click the lock to make changes, at which point it will ask me for a password. And now I see the lock icon is unlocked so I can make my changes. Therefore, most settings are open and don't require a password to change them, while some sensitive settings do require an admin password to change. So in this lesson, we learned about system preferences. Thanks for watching.

Beginner Provider : Nizar Dajani 5 Lessons · 24m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese

Course Description

System Preferences is full of options and settings to help you customize your Mac. It’s a great place to visit when you first setup your Mac so you can be aware of all the different customization options that are available to you. There are a myriad of tabs, options, settings, and preferences to go through, so please spend some time getting to know System Preferences. For example, you can set your default web browser, you can display certain settings in the menu bar, you can use the four corners of your screen to launch a certain app or perform a certain task. It's a long list of settings, and you are in control of how to make your Mac behave.

One best practice that often is ignored by most computer users is backing up their files. It’s not a matter of “if” my hard drive crashes, but “when”. Computer parts have no specific life span, and can die on us at any moment, even in new computers. So, please take full advantage of the built-in back up options in macOS Big Sur to create a backup plan that routinely backs up your files so you don’t have to worry about your hard drive failing and you losing your files.

Another best practice is securing your files and computer in general. Access to your files should be protected, and off limits to unauthorized users. Big Sur has the built-in features like encrypting your files and running a firewall to protect you from outside intruders. So, please set these app for some peace of mind.

What You'll Learn

Explore System Preferences to discover the customization options available on your Mac, such as setting your default web browser, displaying settings in the menu bar, and using the four corners of your screen to launch an app or perform a task
Customize macOS through System Preferences to control how your Mac behaves
Manage users and configure user preferences on your Mac
Back up your files using the built-in backup options in macOS Big Sur to create a routine backup plan
Secure your computer and files using built-in features like file encryption and a firewall to protect against unauthorized users and outside intruders
Recognize the different settings of System Preferences, Backup options, and Security

Key Takeaways

System Preferences contains many tabs, options, and settings to customize your Mac, and is a great place to visit when first setting up your Mac.
Backing up files is a best practice often ignored by most computer users, because computer parts have no specific life span and can die at any moment, even in new computers.
macOS Big Sur includes built-in backup options that let you create a backup plan that routinely backs up your files.
Securing your files and computer means protecting access so they are off limits to unauthorized users.
Big Sur provides built-in security features such as encrypting your files and running a firewall to protect against outside intruders.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does this course cover?

The course covers System Preferences, Backup, and Security in macOS 11 Big Sur. Its lessons include Explore System Preferences, Customize System Preferences, User Management, Backup Files, and Security.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You will develop skills in Backup Administration, Mac OS, System Configuration, System Preferences, and User Preferences.

What will I learn about backing up my files?

You will learn to take advantage of the built-in backup options in macOS Big Sur to create a backup plan that routinely backs up your files, so you don't have to worry about your hard drive failing and losing your files.

How does this course help me secure my Mac?

The course covers securing your files and computer using Big Sur's built-in features, including encrypting your files and running a firewall to protect you from outside intruders and keep your files off limits to unauthorized users.

What customization options does System Preferences offer?

System Preferences offers a long list of settings, including setting your default web browser, displaying certain settings in the menu bar, and using the four corners of your screen to launch an app or perform a task, putting you in control of how your Mac behaves.