Apple tries to make the macOS experience as straightforward and seamless as possible, but there is still a rich market for Mac apps that fill in the gaps left by first-party offerings. Then, there are also apps that improve existing macOS software and features, too. If you use a new Mac you've just purchased without adding any third-party apps, you're missing out. To help you get started, we've rounded up a list of 10 macOS apps that every user should install as soon as they finish setting their Mac up for the first time. From productivity tools to system utilities, this list covers it all.

10 Bartender

Clean up your Menu Bar with this powerful tool

Bartender 5 is a quick way to gain more customization options for your Mac's menu bar. Longtime users of macOS know that the menu bar is one of the most important parts of the operating system, and there are many apps that offer menu bar modules for quick access to key features. After you've installed all the apps on this list, your menu bar is going to become quite crowded. That's the exact problem Bartender 5 is trying to solve.

The flagship Bartender 5 feature allows users to quickly hide or show all their menu bar items by clicking or swiping along it. This allows you to keep all the modules right where you want them, but limit distractions when you don't need them. There are other customization options available too, like adding rounded corners to the menu bar. My favorite Bartender 5 tool is something called a "trigger," which manipulates the menu bar automatically based on certain conditions. So, the battery indicator can be automatically hidden when your MacBook is fully charged, but automatically shown when the battery drops below 50%.

There are free trials available for Bartender 5, but a lifetime license will cost you $16.

9 Microsoft 365

Microsoft's expansive productivity suite is a must-have for Mac

Even on a Mac, you're bound to need access to Microsoft 365 apps at some point. The entire six-app bundle is available on the macOS App Store, and it includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and OneDrive. Generally, there is complete feature parity between Microsoft 365 apps on Windows and macOS. Some features are locked behind a subscription, but every app in this bundle is free to download. If you download the entire Microsoft 365 suite when you first get your new Mac, it'll make opening Microsoft documents and files easier later down the road.

8 Notion

An excellent note-taking, to-do list, and project management tool

Notion is a really cool piece of software that can be what you make of it. The app functions as a simple note-taking app or a to-do list program if that's all you need to use it for, or it can be an advanced project management tool. In many ways, Notion is a better version of the default Apple Notes app that comes included with your Mac. Now, the app includes generative artificial intelligence features that are designed to make your life easier. Notion can provide AI-generated answers to user prompts, generate text, and help you create documents. Essentially, this is a versatile app for note-taking and more on macOS that you won't want to ignore.

7 Chrome

Or, any other browser, if Safari doesn't meet your needs

Safari is my browser of choice on the Mac, but it isn't perfect for every scenario. Some websites and tools don't run as well — or at all — in Safari as they do on Google Chrome. As such, I always install Chrome on my macOS devices for those situations where Safari isn't good enough. For my use case, that's when I have to conduct video calls with Google Meet. The virtual meeting service works a lot better on Chrome than Safari, and that's just one example of the performance and stability differences between the two browsers. Of course, you don't have to install Chrome specifically — another browser like Edge or Arc will do. But, it's a good idea to have some kind of backup browser on your Mac.

6 Adobe Acrobat

For some users, the macOS Preview app just won't cut it

Another key productivity app that can improve your Mac experience is Adobe Acrobat. The app is largely free, but some features are locked behind a Creative Cloud paywall. Adobe Acrobat does a lot of things better than the native macOS file viewer app, Preview. It's better for collaboration, has more powerful tools for annotation and marking up documents, and has built-in file conversion options. Plus, you get 15GB of free cloud file storage with Acrobat, allowing you to access documents across devices. That's triple the amount of free storage you get from iCloud, making Adobe Acrobat a better option for many macOS users.

5 Path Finder

All the hidden file paths in macOS will be revealed

Unfortunately, beyond the free trial, Path Finder requires a yearly or monthly subscription. It'll cost $3 per month, or $30 per year. However, you might be willing to pay that for the robust feature set Path Finder offers. It's like a supercharged version of the default macOS Finder app, and it makes it easier to trace the file paths and data structure of documents and files on your Mac. This is something the native Finder app doesn't do very well, so Path Finder very much fills a need. There are plenty of other advanced productivity features included in Path Finder too, like better sorting, quicker moving and copying, and animated visualizers for your files.

4 Dropover

Make moving files around in macOS a superb and simple experience

Dropover is one of my favorite macOS tools because it makes quickly accessing files needed for temporary use a near-perfect experience. With Dropover, you get something called "shelves" that hold your files. If you need quick access to a certain set of files, you can store them on a shelf. Then, when you're done, deleting the shelf will remove that arrangement of files. It's great for temporary file organization, and for situations where permanently moving documents or creating new folders would be a waste of time. Beyond this killer functionality, Dropover can become a full-fledged file sharing and password-protected service for those that need it. There's a free version of Dropover, but you can upgrade to Dropover Pro to gain access to advanced features.

3 Macs Fan Control

Get precise control over your Mac's temperature and fans

If you're still rocking an Intel Mac, stop what you're doing right now and install Macs Fan Control. Older Mac computers with Intel processors are known for running extremely hot, their slow performance, and very loud fan noise. Installing Macs Fan Control gives you the perfect picture of your Mac's thermal situation, showing you the exact temperature read by each of your Mac's heat sensors. From there, you can make decisions about how your Mac is cooled. Are your fans sounding like a jet engine while temperatures are low? No problem, just manually turn down the fan speeds. Is your Mac overheating? Set a specific temperature threshold for Macs Fan Control to keep your components under to maximize performance.

Of course, Apple Silicon users can benefit as well. If your system is passively cooled — like my M2 MacBook Air — you'll still be able to see your computer's temperature with Macs Fan Controls. Users of Apple Silicon Macs with fans can take advantage of all the same tools as Intel Mac users have, although they probably won't need it as much. Best of all, Macs Fan Control is free, so installing it is a no-brainer.

2 Copyclip

Add a versatile & helpful clipboard history to your Mac

It's a shame that Apple still hasn't added clipboard history as a built-in feature for macOS. Well, you can right that wrong by installing CopyClip. It's a free piece of software that lives in your Mac's menu bar and contains items recently added to your clipboard. Simply click an item in the list to re-add it to your clipboard, and paste it wherever you please in macOS as you normally would. CopyClip serves an incredibly simple purpose, but it's an invaluable tool that will save every Mac user time at some point.

1 BetterSnapTool

Fix macOS' horrible window management tools with this app

macOS handles multiple desktops, known as Spaces, in a way that I find nearly perfect. However, the way macOS handles individual windows within those Spaces feels incredibly outdated. Unlike on PCs with Windows 11, there is no way to automatically snap windows on a Mac. For a total of $3, you can fix this flaw with macOS yourself. BetterSnapTool does exactly what the name suggests — it completely fixes window management on your Mac. You can snap windows into place simply by dragging them into the sides or corners of your display, and it's wildly better than Apple's native solution. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, BetterSnapTool is arguably the most important app you should install on your new Mac.

Should you install all of these apps on your new Mac?

The great thing about computing is that each person can configure their system the exact way they want it, and that includes Macs. This list can serve as a starting point for new macOS users, and it's a good idea to install some of these apps right from the start to increase your productivity. However, the apps considered "essential" or "must-have" will be different for each person, so you'll have to find the perfect combination of third-party apps for your Mac through some trial-and-error.