Someone very close to me (who, at present wishes to remain anonymous) just made the switch to a Mac.  Not completely of course as this person still has to work with a PC frequently, but suffice it to say it’s been a while since they’ve spent any time in the Mac environment.  Taking that into consideration, I thought I’d do another Mac Noob post detailing how to do one of the most essential tasks for any computer; how to install software.

In windows, you’re probably used to steps akin to the following to download/install an application:

1. Download the program either as a .exe, .msi installer package, or in a .zip or .rar file where you would extract the installer
2. After you’ve got the executable downloaded, double-click, agree to some licensing terms, click next a few times and finally click ‘Finish’ to complete the installation and possibly restart the computer.

This process is similar on a Mac, but with a few key differences.  For starters, when you download a a program, it will likely come as a .DMG file that you download, typically to your Desktop or your Downloads folder.  Rather than run an installer application, you will usually drag the application to your ‘Applications’ folder. After you’ve got the .DMG file downloaded, follow these general steps to install your application.

1. Double-click on the .DMG file and you will find an icon on your desktop with a name that is similar to the .DMG file you double-clicked on.
2. Double-click on this new icon unless it has already opened automatically.
3. You should see an icon of the application you which to install, such as the Firefox icon.
4. Drag this icon into your ‘Applications’ directory.

This may seem a little cumbersome at first glance, but after getting used to it you’ll likely find it to be a much cleaner, easier way to install your applications.

Related posts:

1. Mac Noob Part 1: Getting to Know the Dock
2. Mac Noob Part 2: Homie Don’t Right Click
3. Keeping it Synced Part 2: DropBox
4. Keeping it Synced Part 3: Simplify Media