How to use Mac’s new privacy features – Guide

As you browse, macOS Monterey’s Safari blocks trackers and malware for you. So you can see how much you’re doing with the built-in privacy report. There are few options in Apple’s Privacy Report feature on macOS Monterey, but there are a lot of details that can help you feel safe while browsing. Apple’s Safari Privacy Report, introduced in macOS Big Sur, is a feature you will use it all the time, but rarely look. When using Safari on macOS Monterey, you can take advantage of this feature and improve your browsing experience. It aims to do this specifically so that companies try to uniquely identify your Mac and thus track your internet usage. Every website you visit asks for some information, but this is to give you an optimized website. You can ignore everything, you can choose to never click on the Privacy Report icon, which is permanently next to Safari’s address bar. However, by viewing it, you can make informed decisions about what to allow. First, open System Preferences and select Mission Control. Now click on Hot Corners in the lower left corner. After that, click on the desired corner dropdown menu and choose Quick Note. Here we go! From now on, to bring up a Quick Note window, all you need to do is drag your cursor to the selected corner of your Mac.

Add a shortcut to the menu bar

As someone who loves using shortcuts on iPhone and iPad, I found the arrival of the Shortcuts app on macOS a welcome move. It has given a big boost to automation on the Mac. Interestingly, you can also add shortcuts to the menu bar for quick access. Go to the Apple Shortcuts app and open the shortcut you want to add to the menu bar. Now click on the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the upper-right corner and choose Details. Then check the box to the left of the Keep in menu bar.

Receive shortcuts directly from people in your contacts

With macOS 12, you can receive shortcuts directly from people in your contacts thanks to private sharing feature. If you are a loyal user of shortcuts, you should take advantage of this new macOS feature. Keep in mind that Apple cannot verify the authenticity of privately shared shortcuts. Therefore, you should opt for private sharing at your own risk. Open the Apple Shortcuts app on your macOS device. After that, click on the Shortcuts menu in the upper left corner of the screen and choose Preferences. Now make sure the General tab is selected. Now, check the box to the left of Private Sharing.

Create Safari Tab Groups

Apple has overhauled Safari tab management in macOS Monterey. For a change, you can now create tab groups to keep all your tabs neatly organized. By creating different groups of tabs based on topics like shopping, movies, and technology, you can keep everything in sync and access multiple tabs faster. Yes, it’s the way to go, especially if you want to keep the chaotic tabs at bay. Launch Safari on your Mac and click the small down arrow next to the sidebar in the upper left corner. After that, click New Empty Tab Group or New Tab Group with X Tabs. Then give the tab group a suitable name and you’re done.

On macOS Monterey, links shared in the Apple Messages app automatically appear in Safari. While “Shared with you” is quite useful feature, not everyone may find it worth enough, especially those who want to keep their browser tidy. If that’s you, stop showing web links up on Safari. Launch Safari on your Mac -> menu button in the bottom right corner (three small lines) -> Uncheck the box to the left of Shared with you.

Enable email privacy protection

Spammers use various means and ways to track how you interact with their emails. They cleverly employ invisible tracking pixels and remote images that are automatically loaded when viewing an email to retrieve certain information, such as whether you checked the email, as well as the time and place the email was opened. To prevent emails from tracking you, Apple has introduced a security system feature called “Mail Privacy Protection (also available in iOS 15) which hides your IP address and loads entire remote images in the background. For added protection, Apple routes your IP address through various proxy services and randomly assigns an IP address. As a result, they can see an IP address that matches the region you are located in. Email Privacy Protection ensures that advertisers and trackers have access to nothing but approximate information that is non-specific and cannot be used to profile your behavior. To enable this security feature, open the Mail app -> Mail menu at the top left -> Preferences -> Privacy tab. Now, check the box next to Email Privacy Protection to protect your email activity. Note that you also have the flexibility to hide the IP address and block all remote content separately, even without enabling Email Privacy Protection.

Hide IP address from trackers in Safari

Trackers use your IP address to determine personal information such as your location, zip code, how you interact with websites, and more. To protect your personal information, Safari may hide your IP address. The best part? You don’t need to upgrade to iCloud+ to be able to hide your IP address from your Mac’s stock browser. To enable this important security feature, open Safari on your Mac -> click the Safari menu in the top left corner -> Preferences. Now make sure the Privacy tab is selected and check the box to the left of the Hide IP address from trackers option.

Use your favorite shortcut as a quick action

Interestingly, you can also use your favorite shortcut as a quick action. For those unfamiliar, quick actions allow you to create workflows that work in the Finder Preview Pane, Services menu, and MacBook Pro Touch Bar. Go to the Apple Shortcuts app -> a specific shortcut -> menu button (three horizontal lines) in the upper right corner -> Details. Now, check the box to the left of Use as quick action. Then you can choose to use it in the Finder or the Services Menu.

Customize AirPlay for Mac Settings

While Apple AirPlay has been around for nearly two decades, allowing users to stream audio and video from one compatible device to another, Macs don’t support receiving content using the wireless communication protocol. But that has changed for the better thanks to the introduction of “AirPlay to Mac” feature on macOS Monterey. With macOS 12 Monterey, you can now AirPlay from iPhone to your Mac as long as they are connected to the same iCloud account and Wi-Fi network. In addition, compatible Macs can also act as an AirPlay speaker or act as a loudspeaker. secondary speaker for multi-room audio. For a more personalized experience, you can even customize AirPlay for Mac settings.

Final note

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