People nowadays are madly in love with the MacBook. Also, most of them who own one have become tired of using a laptop. Thus, they want to change their MacBook and turn Macbook into a desktop computer. Well, here we have mentioned some of the ways through which one can turn a MacBook into a desktop computer. In this article, we will brief you on How to Turn a MacBook Into a Desktop Mac.
How to Turn a MacBook Into a Desktop Mac
Here are the ways to turn a MacBook into a Desktop Mac:
Use external monitors with your MacBook
Using an external monitor with your MacBook can be impressively transformative. You can take help of the laptop display, along with an external monitor, or even hook up several monitors and place your Mac laptop out of the way. The macOS software remembers several things like your preferred resolution and window arrangement whenever you try to connect or disconnect an external monitor.
Understanding the limitations of your MacBook is very much important. It’s the age and hardware capabilities that will dictate what you can and can’t do. The best method to find out for sure is to search for your model on the Apple Support website.
You can also use the same method to understand how you can connect any external monitor to your MacBook. If you are using Thunderbolt to connect your monitor, you might be successfully able to daisy-chain displays together. In simple words, you will connect one display to your MacBook, and a second to that of the first display.
Both of the displays will then show up, and you can simply use them independently in macOS. You should ensure that you check that your MacBook and monitor support the necessary technology before you buy.
Choose an external keyboard
If you are using an external monitor as your primary display and thus, putting your Mac laptop elsewhere, you will need a way to type. The obvious choice for you must be Apple’s wireless Magic Keyboard that costs $99. If you want to have a numeric keyboard, you can get the Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad that costs $129 for an extra $30.
Both of these keyboards connect via Bluetooth, are easily rechargeable, and most importantly use Apple’s iPhone and iPad Lightning charging connector. There is a full set of multimedia keys and the usual Mac-specific layout you are used to on your MacBook keyboard. You can even specify the alternative keyboard layouts, for example, British English or Japanese, at the checkout section if you prefer.
While Apple Inc makes a solid keyboard, there are plenty of other options available for you out there. Almost any USB or wireless keyboards like RF or Bluetooth should work perfectly with your Mac. You can also take help of useful apps like Karabiner-Elements to customize your keyboard layout. This also means that you can remap keys like the Windows Alt key to Command so that you can use them on a Mac.
Mechanical keyboards, however, are also a solid choice. Although they are frequently marketed for gamers and are ideal for anyone who spends a lot of their day typing. You should do your research so that you understand how mechanical keyboards differ from the standard membrane design. Each switch design has a different feel and sound, but they can be replaced individually with custom keycaps if that’s your thing.
If you are intent on going above and beyond for your desktop setup, you might want to choose an ergonomic keyboard. They are made of all shapes and sizes, from the concave curves of the Kinesis Advantage2 which costs $349 to the split design of something like the ErgoDox EZ which starts at $270.
Control the mouse pointer
If you are reading this article, you are already familiar with the MacBook’s oversized and multi-touch trackpad. You should not look further than Apple’s Magic Trackpad 2 that starts from $129 if you want to emulate its feel and functionality. There is nothing else available in the market quite like it, so if a touch input is important to you, this is what you require.
Not only is the trackpad huge, rechargeable, and even wireless, but also it provides you with access to the same multi-touch functions you are used to on your MacBook. The functions include a pinch-to-zoom, two-finger scrolling feature, and other macOS features that make getting around your makeshift desktop a relatively painless experience.
Most of the regular mice will also work with your Mac, whether they are wired or wireless. Some of the wireless mice require an RF dongle that you connect via your MacBook’s USB port. Apple’s exclusive Magic Mouse 2 which starts from $79 will do the job, but so will do many cheaper alternatives. Although most of these options will work with your Mac, you must double-check that it’s explicitly stated for any mouse that you buy.
There are also choices if you want to avoid any wrist problems or carpal tunnel syndrome. Ergonomic mice are designed for those people who spend several hours per day at a desk, clicking and dragging. There are many weird and brilliant designs from which you can choose from, including the vertical mice, which stand up sideways, and the trackball mice that your fingers do most of the walking.
You must not forget about storage
If you want to turn your Macbook into a desktop then you must not forget about the storage. One of the biggest limitations of modern-day laptops is its storage capacity. Solid-state drives or the SSDs are fast and durable, but they are still fairly expensive when compared to mechanical hard drives. If you want your Mac laptop to pull double duty as a desktop, you are likely going to need some sort of external storage.
This can be something as simple as a single USB-attached hard drive. The drive can be used to back up your Mac storage with Time Machine and store your data. If you have enough budget then you can opt for an external SSD. It will give you much faster read and write speeds.
If you are looking for something a little more robust, you must consider investing in a proper storage solution. The Purpose-built RAID enclosures sit easily on your desk and provide a huge amount of flexibility. RAID helps you to map several external hard drives in a variety of ways, including a backup of a single volume or mirrored. If you focus more on the data redundancy, you can simply choose to swap out a drive if it fails with minimal hassle.
The Old-fashioned hard drives are ideal for your home use because they are pretty cheap and don’t leave your desk, so they would not be damaged on your commute.
So this was our guide to turn your Macbook into a desktop. We hope you have found answers to your question.
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