Handy guide to set up a new machine so everything is as is.

MacOS

  1. Deleted unwanted preinstalled apps
  2. Install all OS updates
  3. From the App Store, install:
    • Toggl Track
    • Messenger
    • OneNote
    • Opal
    • Tailscale
    • WhatsApp
    • XCode
  4. From default browser, install:
    • AlDente https://apphousekitchen.com
    • Chrome
    • Google Drive File Stream
    • iTerm2
    • Karabiner Elements https://karabiner-elements.pqrs.org
    • Notion
    • ollama
    • OneDrive for Mac
    • Raycast
    • Sublime Text
  5. Chrome
    • Sync Gmail and other accounts as separate profiles
    • Plugins should be pulled with the accounts:
      1. BitWarden
      2. DarkReader
      3. Instapaper plugin 1, Vertical Tabs
    • Create Chrome shortcuts for:
      1. Daily Log on Google Docs
      2. Google Keep 1, Food Log on Google Docs
      3. Instapaper (if they still don’t have a good MacOS app)
      4. Feedly (if they still don’t have a good MacOS app)
      5. Toggl Summary view, set to ‘today’
  6. In System Preferences:
    • General
      • Appearance: Dark
      • Show scroll bars: When scrolling
      • Default Web Browser: Chrome
      • Uncheck Close windws when quitting an app
      • Recent items: 20
    • Desktop & Screen Saver
      • Screen Saver > Word of the Day
    • Dock
      • Position on screen: Left
      • Uncheck Minimize windws into application icon
    • Mission Control
      • Uncheck Automatically rearrange Spaces based on most recent use
    • Internet Accounts
      • Add all accounts for email, calendar
    • Touch ID
      • set it up
    • Bluetooth
      • Check Show Bluetooth in menu bar
    • Sound
      • Check Show volume in menu bar
    • Keyboard
      • Keyboard Shortcuts
        • Mission Control Tab -> Mission Control -> turn on all “Switch to Desktop X” from 1 to 10”
        • Keyboard Tab -> Update “Move focus to active or next window” to Cmd + Esc
        • Spotlight Tab -> Show Spotlight Search -> Uncheck (replace with Raycast)
    • Trackpad
      • Point & Click
        • Check Tap to click
        • Click slider set to Light
        • Tracking speed set to Fast
      • More Gestures
        • Check App Expose
    • Displays
      • Display
        • Resolution set to “more space”
        • Uncheck Show mirroring options in the menu bar when available.
      • Night Shift
        • From 3.31 AM to 3.30 AM.
    • (Potentially automate in the future)
  7. More hidden system preferences:
    • Update Screenshot image drop destination from Desktop to Downloads folder:
      • $ defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/Downloads
  8. Get your dotfiles from github.com/snisarg/dotfiles
    • $ cd /tmp && git clone https://github.com/snisarg/dotfiles.git && rm -rf dotfiles/.git && cp dotfiles/.* ~

Application specific preferences

  1. Finder
    • Preferences
      • Sidebar
        • Check your username so /Users/username directory is visible in finder
        • Uncheck iCloud Drive if you’re not using it.
    • Toolbar > View
      • Click on Show Path Bar
  2. iTerm2
    • Open iTerm2
    • Toolbar > iTerm2 >
      • Make iTerm2 Default Term
      • Install Shell Integrations
  3. Raycast Extensions
    • Use to find the extensions you would like https://www.raycast.com/store/popular#list
    • In the past, I have installed the following apps and set them up like:
      • Bitwarden
      • Calendar
        • My Schedule command alias: s
      • Chrome
        • Search Tabs command: ct
      • Format JSON
      • Github
      • Home Assistant
        • All Entities command: ha
      • Notion
      • Quick Event
      • Safari
        • Search Tabs command alias: st
      • Slack
      • Toggl Track
        • Start/Stop Time Entry alias: t
      • Whatsapp
        • Open chat command alias: wo