Desktop and menu bar on your Mac

The first thing you see on your MacBook Air is the desktop. The menu bar runs along the top of the screen, and the Dock appears at bottom.

A Mac screen showing the Apple menu, the App menu, the desktop, the Help menu, a Finder window, the menu bar, the Wi-Fi icon, the Control Center icon, the Finder icon, the System Settings icon, and the Dock.

Tip: Can’t find the pointer on the screen? To magnify it temporarily, move your finger rapidly back and forth on the trackpad. Or if you’re using a mouse, slide it back and forth quickly.

Desktop. The desktop is where you do your work—whether it’s opening and using apps, working on files, searching your MacBook Air or the web with Spotlight, and more. To change your desktop picture, open System Settings, click Wallpaper in the sidebar, then choose an option. You can also store files on your desktop and keep them organized using stacks. To learn more about the desktop, including how to use stacks, see Get to know the Mac desktop.

Menu bar. The menu bar runs along the top of the screen. Use the menus on the left side to choose commands and perform tasks in apps. The menu items change, depending on which app you’re using. Use the icons on the right side to connect to a Wi-Fi network, check your Wi-Fi status , open Control Center , check your battery charge , search using Spotlight , and more.

Tip: You can change the icons that appear in the menu bar. See Control Center on your Mac.

The FaceTime window showing a call with the participants using SharePlay to listen to an album together.

Apple menu . The Apple menu contains frequently used items and always appears in the upper-left corner of the screen. To open it, click the Apple icon .

App menu. You can have multiple apps and windows open at the same time. The name of the app that’s active appears in bold to the right of the Apple menu , followed by that app’s unique menus. If you open a different app or click an open window in a different app, the name of the app menu changes to that app and the menus in the menu bar change along with it. If you’re looking for a command in a menu and can’t find it, check the app menu to see if the app you want is active.

Help menu. Help for your MacBook Air is always available in the menu bar. To get help, open the Finder in the Dock, click the Help menu, and choose macOS Help to open the macOS User Guide. Or type in the search field and choose a suggestion. To get help for a specific app, open the app and click Help in the menu bar. See Use the Mac User Guide.

Tip: You can add widgets from the widget gallery to your desktop, and even bring over widgets you have on your iPhone—without having to install the corresponding app. To learn more see Manage windows on your Mac.

A partial desktop with the Help menu open, showing menu options for Search and macOS Help.

Learn more. See Finder on your Mac and The Dock on your Mac.

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