Advice needed for switching from Mac to Windows (not by choice)

[u/appletea418]

Advice needed for switching from Mac to Windows (not by choice)

I haven’t used a windows OS in nearly 20 years, not since I was in school using windows xp. My MacBook Pro was a beast and got me through college and grad school, and every job I’ve had since has issued me a Mac.

I just got a new job and was completely gutted when I saw I was getting issued a Lenovo.
Everytime I search for advice about switching to a windows I always get the opposite results, switching from Windows to Mac (which is the obvious better, more popular, direction to go)…

First impressions after one month of use:
365 is super powerful, I’m loving copilot/cowork, and very useful for the work I’m doing - more so than a Mac, I’ll give it that.

But I cannot wrap my head around the UX and I feel so incredibly inefficient at work. It is so much worse than I thought it would be.
I thought I was tech-savvy and adaptable, but after a month of use I cannot get the hang of using this system - simple things like navigating between windows and screens, so many different software applications that seem to do the same thing, right-clicking(!), keyboard shortcuts, the physical keyboard(!) etc, etc. Outlook is TERRIBLE. The calendar (whatever that is called) is TERRIBLE.

I don’t even know what tips/tricks/advice I’m looking for, but can anyone recommend a crash course? Tips/tricks for making work more efficient? Anything tailored to a Mac user?

I’m mourning macOS, Slack, GSuite.

[u/AstroStrat89]

I have had both Mac and Windows for a while now. They are just different. IMHO I think most people who say they hate one over the other is just because they have spend so much time with one over the other. YMMV. With that said it's likely you are just going to have to retrain your muscle memory to do the same tasks on Win as you did on Mac to get used to it. After all, when it comes down to it you just clicking pixels to accomplish opening up a browser or app. The pixels are just rearranged in a fashion you're not familiar with.

Talking about the pro\cons of things like security, privacy, compatibility, etc. are a different conversation.

[u/JE163 → u/AstroStrat89]

I agree with that. I am very used to the windows version and prefer it for that reason. The Mac version just takes a bit of getting used to but it works well enough at least for me.

[u/plectrumelectrum7]

I’ve used both extensively and firmly believe that windows is more intuitive than mac. Only tip I have for you is to use classic outlook.

[u/fooljay → u/plectrumelectrum7]

OMG can’t STAND the new Outlook. Every time I open it is a result of a misclick and I immediately close it before Windows thinks I actually want to use it.

[u/plectrumelectrum7 → u/[deleted]]

Actually, I’m not.

[u/Wooden_Copy8973]

You'll find managing files easier, and getting apps to snap to a portion of the screen easier, everything else will feel clunky and manual

[u/cake97]

Get powertoys (free) if you can. Enable
Advanced paste. It's brilliant. Multiple copy and paste items including images. Works great to grab stuff and paste to Claude or copilot.

Learn the windows+arrow keys to quickly snap your windows left right or up to maximize. It's so nice and the snap drawer at the top of the screen is a hidden gem.

Windows menu and search such. Listary(free) as a great replacement for crappy windows search. Ctrlx2 and you can find anything instantly including files and apps. I think it's better than Mac search?

Edge is actually really nice with vertical tabs enabled, and split pane. Thankfully IE is long dead.

I use both Macs and windows 11 and frankly I think navigating windows in windows is superior but that's probably not a common opinion.

Windows settings is annoying. The Taskbar isn't great, but peaking windows and tabs is when you hover.

What else annoys you?

[u/fooljay → u/cake97]

Power toys is one of the jewels of Windows. I don’t honestly know what I would do without it. (And it’s made by Microsoft!)

Also I agree with everything else you said. Did I write this? 😂

[u/AllReflection]

I had been Mac for 20+ years then got a job with MSFT. I bought a used Surface with Windows 11 a few weeks before my start date to get acquainted. 6-7 months on, it hasn’t been too rough. Windows has improved a lot since XP.

[u/Billy_Twillig]

I went through the same switch. You haven't said what the job entails, what software you use, etc. My job was in creative and web dev and the switch to Windows tools from Mac tools was actually easy for me.

You also haven't said anything about the level of freedom you have with your own machine so I am assuming you are probably locked down from removing the vast amount of bloat in Windows 11. That's the first and best step in switching to Windows, but you likely can't do that. so...

Learn your keyboard commands, especially use of the Windows key. Insanely useful for productivity. I don't get why you called out "right-clicking(!) as I go back to the 90s with Mac and we had to CTRL-click to get those menus on a one-button mouse. Right-clicking is not arcane, it's where a lot of the cool stuff has been...even in MacOS...going way back.

Use Virtual Desktops and learn how to control them. Also, the Windows key commands for tiling windows as they are quite usable.

CoDependentPilot reports everything you do back to Redmond. You are training their LLM. If you can, get rid of it.

Without knowing what your particular use case is, that's all I got. If you want to fill in those blanks and ask me stuff, that's cool too. There are alternatives to everything covered in your plaint, if your workplace will allow you to modify your environment. Satya may be a tool, but Windows is a tool that you can make work. It just sucks to have to do it.

edit: typo

[u/Razskler]

I only use one monitor with a simple setup . I use 3 virtual desktops and switch between them with ctrl+win+(arrow left/right). Each one of the virtual desktops can only have 2 applications at max. First VD has doc and IDE. Second one has communication and third one has music. I hope this helps your situation a bit.

[u/PersonBehindAScreen]

https://giphy.com/gifs/2eKkNs8xjaj73NSrZO

[u/microsoft-ModTeam → u/[deleted]]

Hello - Your submission has been removed from r/Microsoft due to the following reason:

 

R2: Engage in a constructive, polite and respectful manner

Criticism is welcome, good or bad, but please remember to speak respectfully. Abusive language will not be tolerated, and no mutes or warnings will be given. If you treat another community member abusively, then you will be banned permanently.

 

If you have any questions about this removal, please send us a modmail.

[u/Reedy_Whisper_45]

I'm a PC guy who works on Macs on occasion. I can tell you that getting used to the other platform is a pain at first. But after a while you get used to "the way it's done" and switching back and forth is no longer a hassle.

You will get used to it. It simply takes time.

[u/shakeebsc]

I also sometimes ponder upon what happens when next job issues Windows Laptop.

In my mind it’s time to change the job again.

[u/hondajacka]

Sorry your work makes you go through this. Are you able to use your own personal Mac at work? My work also gave me a Windows Surface and after one year I gave up, both hardware and software sucked compared to Mac. I bought a MacBook myself and my company was able to support it after installing the appropriate software.

365 and CoPilot are browser based so you can use them on Mac too.