Documents

The best free Mac apps for creating outlines

Free Outline Apps for Mac - WorkFlowy

If you need to create outlines for business or for school, you can certainly use Notes or even Pages on your Mac. But setting those apps up for outlines can take a little time. So why not try a tool that’s built specifically for outlines.

The Mac App Store has some terrific apps with extensive features like OmniOutliner, TaskPaper, and Outline. They offer great features, but with a price tag.

Trying a free Mac app for creating outlines is the best first step. After all, you may find that the free app has exactly what you need, so you can save a few bucks. And if it doesn’t, you’ll know exactly which features you do need and can opt for a paid version of that free app or at least know what to look for in a different app.

Here are a few of the best free Mac outline apps to get you started.

The best free distraction-free writing apps for Mac

There are several terrific writing apps available on the Mac App Store for focused writing. But if you don’t want to shell out the cash just yet, try one of these free tools for capturing your articles, stories, or essays.

Writing with a distraction-free tool allows you to concentrate on what’s most important, your words. So whether you’re just giving this a try to see if you like it or don’t need extra features that the paid apps provide, this list of free focused writing apps is for you.

How to capture, view and edit scanned documents in Notes on Mac

Scanned documents in Notes Mac

If you use your iPhone or iPad to scan documents and save them in the Notes app, then you can manage those scans in Notes on your Mac. The features in Notes allow you to capture a scan from your device, view it on your Mac, and then crop, rotate, or apply filters.

Whether you want to keep copies of scans in Notes or just add one as a reference, here’s how to manage your scanned documents in Notes on Mac.

How to adjust character spacing in Pages on Mac

Character spacing in the Pages app on Mac

When you’re composing a document in Pages, you have a lot of formatting options for your text. Like most word processing apps, you can change the font style, size, color, and make it bold or italics. One other adjustment you might want to make is to the character spacing.

Maybe you want the text to stretch the width of the document without resizing it. Or maybe you have a certain word or sentence that you want to stand out.

If you haven’t checked out the character spacing option in Pages on your Mac, this tutorial shows you how to make those adjustments.

How to create and use a template in Apple Pages

Create and save your own template in Apple Pages

When you use Apple Pages to create documents, there may be certain types that you compose often. From newsletters and brochures to business letters and meeting agendas, you might create these on a regular basis. If so, saving a document as a template has its advantages.

You can reuse the same template again and again, make only the changes to it that you need at the time, and retain the style, format, and foundation for consistency.

This tutorial shows you how to create and use templates of your own in Apple Pages on Mac.