#Why the order matters
A new MacBook is the best computer you have ever owned for roughly ten minutes. Then you hit the gaps: you copy something over something else and the first thing is gone forever, you drag windows around by hand, and the menu bar starts filling with icons you cannot hide. Most search results for what apps to install on new MacBook are alphabetical lists of forty icons. That is a shopping mall, not a setup.
I build a Mac app for a living, so I end up on fresh machines often enough that my first hour has hardened into a routine. The sequence below is sorted by payoff, not popularity: each install makes every later one faster or better. The launcher goes first because you will find and open everything else with it. Clipboard history goes second because it starts saving you from minute one.
#First install: a launcher
Before anything else, install Raycast. It is a launcher in the Spotlight mold, free for the core, and it becomes the front door to the rest of this list: apps, files, settings and a large catalog of extensions, all a few keystrokes away. Installing it first changes every step that follows: you stop hunting through Finder and start summoning things by name.
Alfred is the long-standing alternative and still a fine choice. The basic launcher is free and a one-time Powerpack purchase unlocks its deeper workflow system. If you have years of Alfred muscle memory, keep it; starting from zero in 2026, Raycast is the default I hand people.
Whichever you pick, set its hotkey now and let your hands learn it while you do the rest of the setup.
#Second: clipboard history
macOS still ships with a single clipboard slot. Copy twice and the first copy is gone. It is the most quietly expensive default on the platform; I wrote up the full situation in the state of clipboard history on macOS Tahoe.
The short version: install Maccy. It is free, open source, keyboard-driven and does exactly one job, keeping a searchable history of what you copied. For most people it is the last clipboard decision they ever make.
If you want something more visual, Paste is the polished subscription option, with a large preview board and sync across devices. Whether that is worth a recurring bill is a personal call; start with Maccy and see if you ever feel the ceiling.
#Third: a window manager
Recent macOS versions finally grew basic window tiling, and it is fine. But Rectangle is still the install I make: it is free, and it puts halves, thirds, quarters and maximize on keyboard shortcuts that become reflex within a day. Window arrangement stops being a mouse task entirely.
Magnet is the paid App Store equivalent and does the same job well; some people prefer having it managed through App Store updates. Raycast also bundles window commands if you want to keep the app count down. Any of the three beats dragging edges by hand.
#Fifth: a screenshot tool
The built-in Cmd+Shift+5 capture is decent until the first time you need to annotate something or grab a page longer than your screen. Shottr covers both, it is free, and fast enough to replace the system shortcut without any sense of loss.
CleanShot X is the paid benchmark here, with the most polished capture-and-edit flow on the platform. If screenshots are a core part of your job, documentation, design reviews, bug reports, it earns its price. For everyone else, Shottr covers the first year comfortably.
#If your MacBook has a notch
Bias on the table: I build NotchBay, so read this section as the maker talking. Every MacBook Apple currently sells has a notch, and out of the box it does nothing. A small category of apps puts it to work, and I think one of them belongs in a fresh setup.
NotchBay turns the notch into live activities: now playing, a join button when a calendar meeting starts, Zoom and Meet call controls, AirPods battery, and privacy dots when the camera or mic is in use. It also holds a clipboard tray of around 60 clips with OCR, plus on-device dictation and drop-a-file-on-the-notch sharing through your own Google Drive. It needs macOS Tahoe (26) and is free while in early access.
It is not the only option. boring.notch is the free open-source project in this space, NotchNook is the commercial hub, and Alcove is the minimal take. If you want the notch gone instead of busy, TopNotch hides it. The full setup guide walks through install and permissions in a few minutes.
#The quality-of-life pass
With the core five in place, the rest of the first hour is small free tools that each remove one recurring annoyance:
- AppCleaner, free: deletes apps along with their leftover files, which matters once you start experimenting with lists like this one.
- Latest, free: one window showing every app with a pending update, so you stop discovering updates one nag at a time.
- IINA, free and open source: the video player for everything QuickTime refuses to open.
- AlDente: caps battery charging, worth a look if the machine will live on a desk plugged in.
- Amphetamine, free: keeps the Mac awake through long downloads and presentations.
- Stats, free and open source: CPU, memory and network in the menu bar, which Ice can then tuck away until you want it.
None of these are urgent, and all of them disappear into the background once installed. For the wider field beyond the first hour, start with the full best Mac apps list.
#The first-hour list at a glance
Everything above in one table, in install order:
| App | What it does | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|
| Raycast | Launcher and command bar, replaces Spotlight | Free core, paid tiers |
| Maccy | Clipboard history, searchable and keyboard-driven | Free, open source |
| Rectangle | Window halves, thirds and maximize on shortcuts | Free |
| Ice | Hides and organizes menu bar icons | Free, open source |
| Shottr | Screenshots with annotation and scrolling capture | Free |
| NotchBay | Live activities, clipboard tray and dictation in the notch (my app, bias noted) | Free in early access |
| AppCleaner | Uninstalls apps with their leftovers | Free |
| Latest | Shows pending updates for installed apps | Free |
| IINA | Plays the video files QuickTime cannot | Free, open source |
| Amphetamine | Keeps the Mac awake on demand | Free |
Paid upgrades in each category: Alfred Powerpack (one-time), Paste (subscription), Magnet (paid), Bartender (paid), CleanShot X (paid).
#Frequently asked questions
What apps should I install first on a new MacBook?
Start with a launcher (Raycast or Alfred), then clipboard history (Maccy), a window manager (Rectangle), a menu bar manager (Ice) and a screenshot tool (Shottr). That covers the gaps macOS still leaves open, and every one of those picks has a free option.
Are the free Mac apps good enough, or should I pay?
The free picks here are genuinely good, not trials. Maccy, Rectangle, Ice and Shottr cover the essentials without a payment screen. Paid alternatives like Alfred's Powerpack, Paste, Magnet, CleanShot X and Bartender add polish and depth, so start free and upgrade only where you feel friction.
Do I need a notch app on a new MacBook?
No, it is optional. But if your MacBook has a notch, an app like NotchBay (which I build), boring.notch or NotchNook turns that dead strip of pixels into live activities, a clipboard tray and call controls. On macOS Tahoe it is a one-install upgrade.
How long does this whole setup take?
About an hour, including the permission prompts macOS shows on first launch. Installing the launcher first speeds up everything after it, because each remaining app is a few keystrokes away instead of a trip through the browser.
