I realize there are lots of posts out there similar to this one, but hey, I want to put in my 2 cents!

1. Keep your PC mouse for a while. The transition will be much less painful with the power of right-click.

Guess what, your shiny new Mac is compatible with any USB PC mouse! There is a reason this is No. 1 on the list. Until you can get used to the differences between PC and Mac keyboards (notably the control, option, and command keys, mentioned in numerous tutorials and blogs all over the web) I highly recommend you keep on clickin’ with your good ol’ PC mouse. It will make things much easier for you, and help you to discover some hidden features in OS X that you would otherwise have failed to right-click and discover.

Note: Yes, Apple’s “Mighty Mouse” has right click, but it’s not a true right-click, and relies on a sensor to detect which side of the mouse you click from. It’s not reliable, in fact it’s frustrating and Apple should be ashamed for claiming to possess this advanced technology. PC’s know how to right-click, Apple just doesn’t get it yet.

2. Download and Install “Flip 4 Mac” (free)

Flip 4 Mac is as extension that enables QuickTime to play Windows Media files! (.wmv, .wma) - Don’t even bother downloading Windows Media Player. With Flip 4 Mac, you don’t need it!

Excerpt: “Windows Media? Components for QuickTime
Flip4Mac? WMV is a collection of QuickTime components that allow you to play, import, and export Windows Media video and audio files on your Mac using your favorite QuickTime-based applications.”

3. What the heck is the “Finder?”

Think of the Finder as the equivalent to Windows Explorer. Open the Finder to navigate your hard drive and select files, etc. There are 3 main views: Icons, List and Columns. List view is similar to “details” in Windows.

4. Controlling Icon Size and Appearance of windows.

Apple has made this simple. From any window (even the desktop) you can control the size, icon alignment, background color etc. of any window by hitting ” command + j ” ( apple + j ) You can also right-click or “control + click” in any window, and select “Show View Options.” Once you have this “View Options” window open, there are a number of options at your disposal. You can change icon size, background color, wether or not the icons snap to a grid, etc.

Note: The number of options depends on what “view” your finder window is in. (icons, list, or column) Try switching views to get more options. For example: You can’t change the icon size in “list view” - because it’s a list.

5. Keynote opens PowerPoint files.

Apple’s Keynote software (part of Apple’s iWork software package) supports PowerPoint files, and if you didn’t get your Mac with iWork pre-installed, don’t worry. It’ll only set you back $79 bucks.

6. TextEdit opens Microsoft Word files.

TextEdit comes pre-installed on every Mac, and it can be useful in opening Microsoft Word documents (.doc). Although it can open Word files, you lose the rich formatting of the original word file (which can be nice sometimes!), and every so often there are problems with Word documents that contain embedded images. Text edit is ultra light weight, and a decent alternative to purchasing Office for Mac, if you are after the important stuff in a Word document, the text.

7. Quit vs Close.

This can be one of the most confusing things a new Mac user has to get used to. When you “close” an Application in OS X, the App is still running. A perfect example would be iTunes. If you open iTunes and start playing songs in your playlist, then “close iTunes, the songs keep playing. Then if you click on the iTunes icon in the dock it reappears, as if it was never closed.

In order to stop an Application from running, you have to “quit” it. You can do this a number of ways. From the menu bar at the top, click on the application name and select “quit.” Another way is a keyboard shortcut, “Command + Q.” (Apple + Q) And finally my personal favorite, quit an application with a right -click (Control + click) from the dock.

Note: Any application with a small black arrow next to it in the dock is running, even if it isn’t visible. If you aren’t using these running Apps, it’s a good idea to quit them to free up your RAM for Apps you ARE using.

8. “Get Info” = Properties.

No need for a lot of explanation here. Right-click or “Command + click” on any file and select “get info” to view the properties of the file.

9. How to separate you scrollbar arrows.

Go to System Preferences (click on the Apple logo in the upper left of your menu bar) and click on “Appearance.” You can set your scrollbar arrows to “Top and Bottom” or “Together.” See above image.

10. File Extensions, Downloading, Unzipping.

I highly recommend downloading Stuffit Expander. It is a nice free compression - decompression software that will probably be able to handle all of your un-archiving needs. All you have to do is install it, and forget about it. Once installed, Stuffit automatically opens and closes itself as needed. To use Stuffit to unzip a file, all you have to do to is double-click on the file, or select the file and hit “Command + O.” (Apple + O) It does the rest.

As for file types: Now that you are on a Mac, there are some new file extensions you should know about. (By the way, you can keep downloading .zip files. They are also compatable with Mac, unless specified otherwise) The most common file extension that you will find yourself downloading is a .dmg (disk image). Your Mac treats .dmg’s just like a PC treats a .zip file. Once downloaded, just double-click to extract the files. Below is a list of all the file formats that the free Stuffit Expander 11 supports:

.sitx .sit .zip .sea .tar .bin .hqz .gz .bz2 .tgz .lha .mime .rar .arc .pf .uu .uue .exe .cab .yenc .z

11. The fastest way to copy a file.

Simply hold down the “Option” key, drag a file and release. That’s it! (hint: You will see a small green plus sign (+) when you are dragging.)

12. You can start using your AOL Instant Messenger account right out of the box.

I’ve noticed a lot of my Mac using friends don’t realize this right away, but you can login to your AOL IM account using Apple’s pre-installed iChat sofware. The first time you open iChat it will promt you to set up an account. Just select AOL from the drop down menu, enter your current AOL user name and password, and start messaging right away. It automatically imports your buddy list for you!

Note: if you use Yahoo Messenger, you can download the Mac version here.

13. Downloading and installing fonts.

In Mac OS X, installing fonts is easier than ever. All you have to do is double-click on the font file you downloaded, and you will see a window displaying the font with an “Install Font” button. Click install and you’re done! To manage your fonts, open the pre-installed “FontBook” app and you can group your fonts into catagories of your choosing.

Macs are compatible with with true type fonts! Sometimes font providers label Mac-compatable true type fonts as a PC downloads only. If it is a .ttf, chances are you will be able to install it. Otherwise, download the Mac versions provided. And while we’re at it, here is my favorite free font site: Dafont.com (notice the .ttf’s are labeled PC/Mac)

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