Best 26 Free Apps & Utilities for Mac OS X

 

HiddenMe:

We frequently store files and folders on the Mac desktop for convenience, and it ultimately becomes congested. However, a clean desktop is always pleasing to the eye. HiddenMe is a free programme that helps you keep your desktop clutter-free by hiding all of your desktop icons with a single click.

Hider:

Want to password-protect your Mac files and folders? You should give Hider a go. Apps that safeguard your data on your Mac typically need you to manually move the necessary files into a secure encrypted storage location. Hider performs the same thing, but in a different method.

When you upload a file to the Hider app, you may change its visibility in real time. When visibility is off, Hider transfers the file from its present location to an encrypted vault. When visibility is restored, Hider returns the file to its original location. The programme supports external hard drives and protects data and folders within its vault with AES-256 encryption. Hider is offered as a free trial, or the full version may be purchased for $19.99. (Single License).

ImageOptim:

ImageOptim is a free image compression programme that shrinks pictures without sacrificing quality. It improves compression parameters and eliminates extraneous colour profiles and information. Simply drag an image file or folder into the ImageOptim programme window, and it will be optimised in-place.

Infinit:

AirDrop is a wonderful tool for transferring material, but it's not very effective when there are non-Apple devices nearby. Infinit is a cross-platform file sharing tool that allows you to exchange files of any size between devices connected to the same WiFi network, even if you don't have an Internet connection. The software is available for the Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android operating systems.

Although file sharing using the Infinit app does not require an Internet connection via WiFi, you must first authenticate to the app, which eventually requires Internet access. DropCopy is a better option if you require an app to transfer files without an Internet connection. It can transmit files directly across devices linked to the same WiFi network.

InvisibliX:

On Mac, there is no simple way to access hidden files. InvisibliX is a little Mac software that allows you to control the visibility of hidden files and folders on OS X. Furthermore, by dragging individual files and folders into the programme window, you may modify the Hidden and Protected properties. InvisibliX is a free app that can be downloaded from the official website.

Little Snitch:

Little Snitch is a network monitoring tool that lives in the menu bar and allows you to examine and control all of your Mac's incoming and outgoing connections. Applications have the ability to transfer data from your computer to their own servers. Little Snitch intercepts unauthorised connection attempts and gives you the option of how to continue.

 

Mac App Blocker:

Mac Software Blocker is an excellent programme for blocking illegal app access. It can password-protect every apps separately, allowing you to choose which apps to disable. You may also schedule restricted applications to be unblocked on specified days or hours.

Mac App Blocker is offered for a free 15-day trial before charging $9.95 for a single licence.

Mac Downloaders:

IDM is a robust download manager that is exclusively available for Windows. It's difficult to find a solid IDM replacement on Mac. However, there are a few programmes that might assist you in obtaining functionality comparable to IDM. Download Shuttle is one such tool that helps speed up downloads by using multithreaded downloading. You may find more similar programmes in this article.

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MacDropAny:

Cloud services such as Google Drive or Dropbox often sync a specific folder on your Mac to the cloud. However, there may be situations when you need to sync data from different places on your Mac. MacDropAny is a simple software that allows you to associate multiple places on your computer with the corresponding service-specific folder in the cloud. As a result, you may sync several locations with various cloud services. Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, Box, Copy, OneDrive, MediaFire, Mega, Hightail, Creative Cloud, and hubiC are all supported.

MacID:

If you have an iPhone (or other iOS device) in addition to your Mac, MacID can let you remotely lock and unlock it. The software is divided into two sections: a Mac client and an iOS client. Aside from locking your Mac, you may use your iOS smartphone to conduct additional tasks such as media playing, volume control, and so on. This page can help you learn more about MacID and other related programmes.

Mailbox:

Mailbox, which was first released for iOS, is a third-party email client for OS X with a clean and straightforward user interface and some useful mail management capabilities. If you dislike the native Mail app, this is the only option you should consider. Mailbox for Mac is currently in beta and requires OS X Mavericks or later.

MuteMyMic:

The volume of your Mac's microphone's input may normally be adjusted via System Preferences. MuteMyMic, on the other hand, places the microphone volume settings on the Mac menu bar, where they are easily accessible. You may also use keyboard shortcuts to regulate or mute the microphone volume. This function might be quite handy for holding conference calls.

NameChanger:

NameChanger is a free mass renaming software for Mac that offers a number of renaming possibilities. You may pick several files to rename and then apply a renaming rule to them (replace the appearance of a certain text in the file name, create a sequence in file names, use date in file names, etc.).

OnyX:

OnyX is a multi-functional OS X software that lets you run and plan sophisticated system cleaning and maintenance chores. OnyX is a strong utility for expert users, but it is not suitable for everyone. It enables you to configure various secret programme and system parameters, which, if not done correctly, may render the system inoperable. The programme is free to download from the developer's official website.

PushBullet:

Apple's Continuity feature allows you to engage with your iPhone's calls and texts from your Mac, allowing you to keep working without having to glance at your phone. Wouldn't it be fantastic if you could receive iOS alerts on your Mac as well?

PushBullet is a peer-to-peer file sharing tool that can send alerts from your iOS device to your Mac, allowing you to read and dismiss them as needed. It also allows you to exchange and receive files between users. However, unlike DropCopy or AirDrop, it sends data over the Internet rather than the local network. PushBullet is free to download from the Mac App Store.

SelfControl:

SelfControl is a free and open source Mac programme that may restrict your access to particular websites for a set period of time. Set the block time, add your favourite websites to the block list, and then click START. Even if you restart your computer or remove the software, the websites in the list will remain inaccessible until the period ends. You can use it to block out distractions and concentrate on your task. Visit the app's official FAQ site for additional information.

 

Shazam:

Hear a music but don't know what it's about? Shazam can assist. Shazam, which is also available for mobile devices, is a programme for identifying music tracks that are playing on your Mac or in the surrounding vicinity. It can run in the background and identify tunes picked up by the computer's microphone.

 

SimpleNote:

This is a straightforward Mac programme for creating and managing notes. And, like its iOS version, you can organise and sync your notes online, allowing you to view them from any device.

In terms of functionality, SimpleNote is identical to Evernote. However, if you need a text editor for coding, another programme called Sublime Text is more handy.

 

SiteSucker:

SiteSucker is capable of downloading full webpages to your Mac's hard disc for offline use. When you input a website URL, it asynchronously downloads all of the website's components and copies the directory structure. It costs $4.99 to download from the Mac App Store.

Soundflower:

Soundflower is a free audio system extension that allows other third-party programmes to use your Mac's sound card, for example, to capture streaming music that is now playing on your computer. Soundflower emulates an audio device's interface, and any recording programme (such as QuickTime) can use Soundflower as the recording device. The recording programme may so immediately record the sound output from your sound card.

Spectacle:

Spectacle is a simple application that adds helpful window management functionality to Mac OS X. You may move the active programme window to the centre, right half, left half, top half, bottom half, and many more unique places on the screen using keyboard shortcuts.

The Spectacle app is available for free download from the official website.

SyncMate:

Unlike Windows, Mac does not support native MTP device mounting. SyncMate is a Mac desktop client that allows you to sync stuff (such as photos, contacts, music, and videos) between Macs and mobile devices (iOS, Android, Windows Phone or other MTP devices). It also includes a custom MTP driver, which allows you to mount MTP as a disc on OS X. This post will teach you more about it.

The Unarchiver:

The native functionality for unzipping archived files in Unarchiver OS X is limited. The Unarchiver is a straightforward programme for extracting zipped packages of various file formats. Zip, Tar-GZip, Tar-BZip2, RAR, 7-zip, LhA, StuffIt, and many other ancient file formats are supported.

Tuxera NTFS:

By default, Macs do not have read/write access to NTFS-formatted discs. To enable write access to NTFS discs on a Mac, you must install custom NTFS drivers. Tuxera is a commercial application that allows Mac users to write to NTFS discs. It makes use of a reliable NTFS driver that is routinely updated and supported by the team.

This article will teach you how to enable read-write access for NTFS discs on a Mac.

 

The VLC Media Player:

VLC Media Player is a well-known media player that can handle almost any music or video file. It features a large number of installed codecs, making it a versatile media player. If you have a media collection that includes a variety of file types, VLC is worth a try.

 


WALTR:

WALTR is a desktop programme that allows you to drag-and-drop music and films from your Mac to your iOS device without needing iTunes. WALTR not only converts unsupported files to Apple-supported file formats, but it also places music and video files downloaded from your Mac into the native Music and Video applications on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

 

WordService:

WordService is a collection of custom OS X third-party services that brings various Microsoft Word functionality to OS X's Pages programme. WordService allows you to reformat text paragraphs, change letter case, move paragraphs, and more directly in Pages. WordSevice is available for free download from the Mac App Store.

This takes us to the end of our list of must-have Mac applications. Aside from these applications, you may be required to install apps unique to your job. For example, if you're a photographer, you're probably familiar with Photoshop. Tell us in the comments if you found the list useful, and if there are any more noteworthy applications that we may have overlooked.

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