Mac Integration

Thursday, February 26, 2026

Mac Mini as a Home Media Server in 2025: Plex, Infuse, and the Best Setup Guide

The Mac Mini has always been one of the best values in the Apple lineup, and in 2025 it's arguably more compelling than ever as a home media server. The new M4 Mac Mini packs incredible performance into a tiny, silent, energy-efficient package that runs cool enough to stay on 24/7 without complaint. Whether you're building a self-hosted media library or just want a smarter way to manage your movie and TV collection, this guide walks through everything you need to know.

We'll cover hardware selection, the two best media server options (Plex and Infuse), network setup, and how to get everything running so you can stream from any device in your home — or remotely when you're away.

Why Use a Mac Mini as a Media Server?

Dedicated NAS devices are great, but a Mac Mini has some significant advantages:

Silent operation: The M4 Mac Mini's fans rarely spin up under typical media serving loads
Low power draw: Apple silicon is remarkably efficient — the M4 Mac Mini idles at around 4–7 watts
Native macOS software: Access to the full App Store, excellent remote management, and easy Time Machine backups
Hardware transcoding: The M-series chips are exceptional at real-time video transcoding, meaning you can serve high-quality video to many devices simultaneously
Doubles as a desktop: Unlike a NAS, your media server can also run other tasks and apps

Choosing Your Mac Mini

For a dedicated media server, even an older Mac Mini works well. Here's a quick breakdown:

M4 Mac Mini (2024): The current model starting at $599 is the best choice for new buyers. Blazing-fast transcoding, incredibly efficient, and built for the long haul. The base 16GB RAM and 256GB storage are enough if you're storing media on external drives.
M2 Mac Mini (2023): Still excellent and may be available refurbished at a discount. Handles media server duties with ease.
M1 Mac Mini (2020): A perfectly capable media server. If you already have one sitting around, put it to work.
Intel Mac Mini: Still functional, but hardware transcoding is less efficient and the power draw is higher. Fine as a starter.

For storage, plan to use external USB or Thunderbolt drives for your media library rather than the internal SSD — it's cheaper per gigabyte and easier to expand. A quality external HDD like a WD My Cloud or Seagate IronWolf connected via USB-C works perfectly.

Option 1: Plex Media Server

Plex is the most feature-complete self-hosted media solution available, and the Mac is a first-class platform. It turns your Mac Mini into a Netflix-like server that any device on your network (or remotely over the internet) can connect to.

What Plex Does

Automatically matches your movies, TV shows, and music to rich metadata (posters, descriptions, cast info, ratings)
Transcodes video in real time so it works on any device, even if the original format isn't natively supported
Streams to iOS/tvOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, smart TVs, web browsers, and more
Remote streaming — watch your library anywhere with an internet connection
Live TV and DVR support with a tuner card
Multi-user support with separate watch history and recommendations

Setting Up Plex on Mac Mini

Download Plex Media Server for macOS and install it
Open the Plex dashboard in your browser at http://localhost:32400/web
Sign in with a free Plex account (or create one)
Add libraries by pointing Plex to your media folders on your external drive
Plex will scan and match your files automatically

Plex Pricing

Plex is free for local streaming. For remote access, offline sync, and some other features, Plex Pass costs $4.99/month, $39.99/year, or a one-time lifetime purchase of $119.99. For most home users, the free tier is plenty to start.

Make Plex Launch at Login

Go to Plex Media Server in the menu bar (the Plex icon) and enable "Launch at Login". This ensures your media server is always running even if the Mac restarts.

Option 2: Infuse with a Network Share

Infuse by Firecore is a different approach — instead of running a separate server app, Infuse (the client app on Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad) connects directly to your Mac's shared folders over your local network and handles all the metadata and playback itself.

Why Choose Infuse Over Plex

No server software required: Just share a folder on your Mac and Infuse finds it
Native playback: Infuse plays almost every video format natively without transcoding, which means less CPU load on your Mac Mini
Best-in-class Apple TV app: Infuse's interface on Apple TV is gorgeous and very snappy
Direct Play preference: Because it doesn't transcode, playback starts almost instantly

Setting Up Infuse with Mac Mini

On your Mac Mini, open System Settings > General > Sharing
Enable File Sharing
Click the + under Shared Folders and add your media folder
On your Apple TV or iOS device, open Infuse and go to Settings > Add Files > Network Share
Your Mac Mini should appear automatically via Bonjour — just enter your Mac credentials to connect

Infuse Pricing

Infuse has a free tier with limited features. Infuse Pro (which enables all features including metadata matching, library sync, and subtitle support) costs $9.99/year or a one-time purchase of $34.99.

Plex vs. Infuse: Which Should You Use?

Feature	Plex	Infuse
Server software needed	Yes	No
Remote access	Yes (Plex Pass)	Limited
Device support	Very broad	Apple ecosystem
Transcoding	Yes	Minimal (Direct Play)
Apple TV UI quality	Good	Excellent
Multi-user profiles	Yes	No
Free tier	Yes	Yes (limited)

Choose Plex if you have multiple people using the server, want remote access, or stream to non-Apple devices (Roku, Android TV, smart TVs). Choose Infuse if your household is all-Apple, you prioritize Apple TV experience, and you want simpler setup.

Essential Mac Mini Media Server Settings

Prevent Sleep

Go to System Settings > Energy and set your Mac to never sleep when on power. Otherwise your media server will be unavailable when clients try to connect. You can still allow the display to sleep.

Enable Remote Login for SSH Access

If you want to manage your Mac Mini remotely via Terminal (or from another Mac), enable SSH: System Settings > General > Sharing > Remote Login.

Set a Static Local IP

Configure a DHCP reservation in your router settings so your Mac Mini always gets the same local IP address. This prevents clients from losing track of the server after a router restart. Look for "DHCP Reservations" or "Static DHCP" in your router admin panel.

Schedule Automatic Restarts

Go to System Settings > Energy and enable Schedule to have your Mac restart automatically at a set time each week — useful for applying updates and clearing any memory buildup.

Storage Tips for Your Media Library

Organize your files the way Plex or Infuse expects: Movies/Movie Name (Year)/Movie Name (Year).mkv for movies, and TV Shows/Show Name/Season 01/Show Name - S01E01.mkv for TV
Use a dedicated external drive for media only — don't mix it with Time Machine backups
Consider a RAID-1 drive enclosure like an OWC enclosure for your media, which mirrors data across two drives automatically for redundancy
For large libraries, Thunderbolt-connected drives offer faster transfer speeds than USB-A

Conclusion

A Mac Mini running Plex or Infuse is one of the most capable and cost-effective home media server setups you can build. The M4 Mac Mini in particular is practically purpose-built for this use case — silent, efficient, powerful, and small enough to tuck behind a TV or in a closet.

If you're just getting started, I'd recommend grabbing Plex Media Server for free, getting your library organized, and upgrading to Plex Pass later if you find yourself wanting remote access. You'll have a first-class media experience up and running in an afternoon.

Have questions about your specific setup? Drop them in the comments — I'm happy to help troubleshoot.

Related: Mac Mini HTPC setup guide on this blog.

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

How to Set Up Parental Controls and Screen Time on Mac and iPhone (Complete 2026 Guide)

Apple's Screen Time and parental controls have grown into a genuinely powerful system for families, and in 2026 there are more tools than ever to help parents set healthy boundaries across all their children's Apple devices simultaneously. Whether you're setting up a first iPad for a young child or trying to create healthier tech habits for a teenager, this guide walks through everything you need to know.

We'll cover setup for both iPhone/iPad and Mac, how to use Family Sharing to manage everything from one place, and practical recommendations for different ages.

Start Here: Set Up Family Sharing

The most important thing to do before configuring any parental controls is set up Family Sharing. This creates an Apple family group that lets you manage Screen Time settings for all your children's devices from your own device — no need to physically touch each child's phone.

How to Set Up Family Sharing

On your iPhone or Mac, go to Settings (or System Settings) > [Your Name] > Family Sharing
Tap Add Member
Choose Create a Child Account if your child doesn't have an Apple ID, or invite an existing Apple ID
Follow the prompts — you'll need to verify your identity for child accounts

Once your child is in your family group, you can manage their Screen Time from your own device at any time, see their activity, and make changes remotely. This is the foundation everything else in this guide builds on.

Important: For Screen Time parental controls to work properly, your child must use their own Apple ID, not share yours. If they've been using your Apple ID, create a separate child account for them.

Setting Up Screen Time on iPhone and iPad

Screen Time is accessed at Settings > Screen Time on any iPhone or iPad. If you're managing a child's device through Family Sharing, you'll see your child's name in the Screen Time section on your own device — tap it to manage their settings remotely.

Always On: Content & Privacy Restrictions

This is the master control for parental controls. Enable it first by tapping Content & Privacy Restrictions and toggling it on. From here you can:

App Store Purchases: Require Ask to Buy so you approve every app download and in-app purchase
Allowed Apps: Toggle off access to individual Apple apps — Camera, Safari, Siri, FaceTime, AirDrop, and more
Content Restrictions: Set age ratings for Movies (G, PG, etc.), TV Shows, Music, Books, Apps, and Websites
Web Content: Choose Unrestricted, Limit Adult Websites (automatic filtering), or Allowed Websites Only (a whitelist)
Privacy restrictions: Control whether apps can access Location Services, Contacts, Microphone, Camera, etc.
Passcode Changes: Prevent a child from changing the device passcode
Account Changes: Prevent changes to Apple ID, cellular data settings, or VPN configurations

The most important one to set immediately for younger children: Content Restrictions > Web Content > Limit Adult Websites. This isn't foolproof, but it filters the overwhelming majority of inappropriate content from Safari automatically.

App Limits: Setting Daily Time Budgets

App Limits let you set daily time caps for categories of apps or specific apps. When the limit is reached, the app gets greyed out and displays a time limit screen.

Go to Screen Time > App Limits > Add Limit
Choose categories (Social, Games, Entertainment) or tap All Apps & Categories and search for a specific app
Set the time limit (e.g., 1 hour per day for Games)
Optionally select which days the limit applies
Enable Block at End of Limit to prevent them from asking for "one more minute"

You can also set limits on all apps combined — useful for an overall daily screen time budget.

Downtime: Screen-Free Periods

Downtime schedules a period each day when only specific apps and phone calls work. All other apps are blocked.

Go to Screen Time > Downtime > Turn On Downtime
Set a schedule — typically bedtime (e.g., 9PM to 7AM)
Go to Always Allowed to choose which apps can still be used during Downtime (Phone and Messages are typical choices)

Enable Block at Downtime (under Downtime settings) so that children can't bypass it without your Screen Time passcode.

Communication Limits

Under Screen Time > Communication Limits, you can control who your child can call, text, and FaceTime — both during normal hours and during Downtime. Options include:

Everyone
Contacts Only
Contacts & Groups with at Least One Contact
Specific Contacts

For younger children, setting this to Contacts Only means they can only communicate with people already in their contacts — which you control.

Screen Distance

On iPhone 12 and later with Face ID, Screen Distance (under Screen Time) uses the TrueDepth camera to detect if the device is held too close and shows a warning to move it back. This is designed to help reduce eye strain and is particularly relevant for children. Enable it in Screen Time > Screen Distance.

Setting Up Parental Controls on Mac

Screen Time on Mac works similarly to iPhone/iPad but through System Settings. If you're managing via Family Sharing, go to System Settings > Screen Time and select your child's name from the family members listed at the top.

Mac-Specific Content Controls

App Usage and App Limits: See exactly which apps your child uses and for how long. Set time limits for specific apps or categories.
Downtime: Same as iPhone — schedule screen-free periods
Content & Privacy: Filter web content in Safari, restrict App Store access, and control which apps can be installed

Safari Web Content Filtering on Mac

Go to System Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy > Content Restrictions > Web Content and set it to Limit Adult Websites or Allowed Websites Only. This applies specifically in Safari. Note that other browsers (Chrome, Firefox) bypass this — if you want consistent web filtering, either restrict the App Store so those browsers can't be installed, or remove them from the Mac.

Communication and FaceTime on Mac

The same Communication Limits you set on iPhone also apply to FaceTime and Messages on Mac when using the same Apple ID, which is one of the best reasons to ensure your child uses a consistent Apple ID across all their devices.

The Screen Time Passcode

Everything above is undermined if you don't set a Screen Time Passcode — a separate 4-digit code that controls the Screen Time settings, distinct from the device passcode. Without it, children can simply turn off restrictions themselves.

Set it in Settings > Screen Time > Change Screen Time Passcode. Choose a code your child doesn't know, and do not use your device passcode. If you forget your Screen Time passcode, recovery requires your Apple ID, so make sure your Apple ID account is secure.

Monitoring Activity Reports

Screen Time's activity reports show you exactly how a device is being used. On your own device, go to Settings > Screen Time and tap your child's name to see:

Daily and weekly app usage breakdowns
Which apps they used most
How many times they picked up the device
How many notifications they received (and which apps sent them)

This data is more useful for conversation than confrontation — it gives you facts to talk about with your child about their habits rather than speculation.

Ask to Buy: Approving Purchases Remotely

For any child under 18 in your Family Sharing group, enable Ask to Buy. When your child tries to download an app or make a purchase, they're prompted to request approval. You get a notification on your device with a description of what they want. You can approve or decline from anywhere with a tap.

Enable it in Settings > [Your Name] > Family Sharing > [Child's Name] > Ask to Buy.

Age-Based Recommendations

Ages 4–7 (Young Children)

Web Content: Allowed Websites Only (whitelist only pre-approved sites)
Communication: Specific contacts only (family)
App limits: 1–2 hours total per day
Downtime: All evening and nighttime hours
No social media apps allowed

Ages 8–12 (Elementary/Middle School)

Web Content: Limit Adult Websites
Communication: Contacts only
App limits: Set per category (e.g., 1.5 hours Entertainment, 30 min Social)
Downtime: After 8 or 9PM until morning
Ask to Buy: Enabled

Ages 13–17 (Teenagers)

Involve your teen in setting the limits — co-created agreements work better than imposed rules
Web Content: Limit Adult Websites
App limits: Focus on social media rather than blanket limits
Downtime: Bedtime hours — sleep quality is significantly impacted by phone use
Screen Distance: Enable this
Continue using Ask to Buy

Common Sense Media's Screen Time resource center has excellent age-by-age guidance that goes beyond the technical — including conversation guides for talking with kids about healthy tech habits.

Limitations to Know About

Apple's Screen Time is a strong system but has a few gaps to be aware of:

VPN bypass: A determined teenager can install a VPN from the App Store to route around web filtering. Restrict the App Store or use Ask to Buy to prevent unauthorized app installs.
Other browsers: Safari content filtering doesn't apply to Chrome or Firefox. If you're filtering web content, restrict other browsers via Screen Time or just delete them.
iMessage and AirDrop: Communication limits apply to phone calls and FaceTime, but group iMessages with unknown contacts can still appear. Consider restricting AirDrop to Contacts Only in Settings > General > AirDrop.
Screen Time on Mac is less granular than on iPhone/iPad — some features available on iOS don't have Mac equivalents yet.

Conclusion

Apple's Family Sharing and Screen Time ecosystem gives parents a genuinely powerful set of tools to help children build healthy relationships with technology. The key is using these tools as a starting point for ongoing conversation rather than a set-and-forget solution — and involving your children in the process as they get older.

The setup takes about 30 minutes to do thoughtfully. Once you've done it, managing limits and checking reports takes just a few minutes per week from your own device.

Apple's official Screen Time support page has detailed step-by-step instructions for every feature mentioned in this guide — bookmark it as a reference.

Have questions about a specific Screen Time scenario or challenge? Drop them in the comments — I'm happy to help troubleshoot.

Tuesday, February 24, 2026

The Complete Guide to Apple Intelligence on Mac: What It Does and How to Use It

Apple Intelligence is the most significant update to come to Mac in years — and if you've updated to macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later, you already have access to it. Whether you're an educator looking to streamline lesson planning, a home user trying to get more out of your devices, or just someone curious about what AI can actually do on a Mac, this guide covers everything you need to know.

In this post, we'll walk through every major Apple Intelligence feature available on macOS Sequoia, how to turn them on, and real-world ways to put them to work — including some great use cases for the classroom.

What Is Apple Intelligence?

Apple Intelligence is Apple's personal intelligence system built directly into macOS, iOS, and iPadOS. Unlike cloud-only AI services, Apple Intelligence processes most requests on-device, meaning your data stays private and many features work without an internet connection. For tasks that do require more processing power, Apple uses Private Cloud Compute — a system designed so that even Apple can't see your data.

Apple Intelligence is available on:

Mac models with an M1 chip or later
macOS Sequoia 15.1 or later
Your device language and Siri language must be set to English (US) to start — more languages are rolling out through 2025

To check if your Mac is compatible, go to Apple menu > About This Mac and look for an M-series chip. If you have an Intel Mac, Apple Intelligence is not available.

How to Enable Apple Intelligence on Mac

Open System Settings
Click Apple Intelligence & Siri in the sidebar
Toggle Apple Intelligence on
Follow the prompts — you may need to download a model update (around 1–2 GB)

Once enabled, you'll notice new options appear across your apps, a refreshed Siri interface, and new system-level features throughout macOS.

Writing Tools: AI-Powered Writing Assistance Everywhere

Writing Tools is arguably the most immediately useful Apple Intelligence feature for everyday users. It appears in virtually every app where you can type text — Mail, Notes, Pages, Messages, third-party apps, and even most web text fields in Safari.

How to Access Writing Tools

Select any text you've written, then right-click (Control-click) and choose Writing Tools from the context menu. You can also find it under the Edit menu in many apps.

What Writing Tools Can Do

Proofread: Catches grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors with explanations
Rewrite: Rewrites selected text in a different way while keeping your meaning
Make Friendly / Make Professional / Make Concise: Tone-shift your writing with one click
Summarize: Condenses long text into a short summary
Create Key Points: Extracts the most important points as a bullet list
Create a Table: Turns data or a list into a formatted table automatically
Create a List: Reformats prose into a structured list

Classroom Use Case

Writing Tools is a fantastic resource for teachers writing parent communications, lesson plan notes, or IEP documentation. Select a draft email, tap "Make Professional," and you've instantly polished a rough note into something ready to send. For students, the Proofread feature provides helpful feedback without just rewriting their work for them.

Smarter Siri: Natural Language and On-Screen Context

Siri has received its biggest upgrade since launch. The new Siri on macOS Sequoia can understand natural, conversational language — meaning you don't need to phrase commands in a specific way anymore.

Key New Siri Features

Type to Siri: Instead of speaking, type your request. Click the Siri icon or press Command + Space and just start typing
Maintain context across requests: Siri now remembers what you were just talking about, so you can follow up naturally ("What about the second one?")
On-Screen Awareness: Siri can see what's on your screen and act on it — "Add this address to my contacts" while looking at a webpage, for example
Personal Context: With permission, Siri can look at your emails, messages, and calendar to answer personal questions like "When is my flight?" or "What did Sarah say about the project?"

For a deeper look at what Siri can do now, Apple's Apple Intelligence overview page is a great reference.

Notification Summaries and Priority Notifications

If you get a lot of notifications, this feature alone might be worth enabling Apple Intelligence for. macOS Sequoia can now intelligently summarize and prioritize your notifications.

Priority Notifications

Apple Intelligence identifies time-sensitive or important notifications and surfaces them at the top of Notification Center. This means a "Your flight is boarding" alert won't get buried under a stack of social media pings.

Notification Summaries

For apps that send multiple notifications (like a group chat), Apple Intelligence groups them and shows a brief summary rather than a wall of individual alerts. You can tap the summary to expand and see everything underneath.

To Configure These Features:

Go to System Settings > Notifications
At the top, you'll see Apple Intelligence Summaries — toggle this on
You can control which apps participate on a per-app basis

Note: Notification summaries work best for English-language content. Apple has acknowledged some early inaccuracies in summaries and has continued refining this feature with each macOS update.

Image Playground: Create AI Images on Mac

Image Playground is a fun, contained image generation tool built into macOS. Unlike open-ended AI image generators, Image Playground uses a curated set of styles and concepts to keep results appropriate and on-brand.

How to Use Image Playground

Image Playground can be accessed from within Messages (tap the Image Playground button in the compose area) and from compatible third-party apps. Developers can also build it into their own apps using the Image Playground API.

You can:

Choose from styles like Animation, Illustration, or Sketch
Describe what you want in plain text
Use suggested concepts that appear based on your conversation context
Generate variations until you find one you like

Classroom Use Case

Image Playground is a safe, age-appropriate way for students to explore creative image generation. Because it uses controlled styles (not photorealistic output), it's well-suited for digital storytelling projects, illustrated reports, or just making custom stickers in Messages. It's the kind of AI tool that sparks creativity without opening up concerns about inappropriate outputs.

Genmoji: Custom Emoji Created by AI

Genmoji lets you create entirely new emoji that don't exist in the standard set — generated on-device based on a text description. Type "a golden retriever wearing a graduation cap" and Apple Intelligence creates a custom emoji-style sticker you can use in Messages and other apps.

How to Create a Genmoji

Open Messages and tap the emoji button
In the emoji picker, tap the sparkle icon in the search bar
Type a description and tap Create
Swipe through variations and tap to add to your messages

Genmoji can also be based on people — type someone's name and it can create a stylized emoji version using their photo from your contacts. This is a crowd-pleaser in classroom settings when students are working on digital storytelling or creative projects.

Mail: Summarization, Smart Replies, and Priority Inbox

Apple Intelligence transforms the Mail app in several useful ways:

Email Summaries: Long emails show a short AI-generated summary at the top so you can decide whether to read the full message
Smart Reply: Mail suggests short reply options based on the content of the email — click one to use it as a starting point
Priority Messages: The top of your inbox shows messages Apple Intelligence considers important or time-sensitive

These features are on by default once Apple Intelligence is enabled. You can tweak them in Mail > Settings > General.

Safari: Summarize Web Pages and Reader Mode Upgrades

Apple Intelligence brings smarter browsing to Safari on macOS Sequoia:

Page Summaries in Reader: When you use Reader Mode on a long article, Apple Intelligence can generate a brief summary at the top
Highlights: Safari can surface key information from a page — like a business's hours, phone number, or directions — without you having to hunt for it
Smart Search Suggestions: The Smart Search bar is more conversational, providing better context-aware suggestions as you type

Privacy: How Apple Keeps Your Data Safe

One of the most important things to understand about Apple Intelligence is how Apple handles privacy. Most processing happens entirely on your Mac — your notes, emails, and photos are not sent to Apple's servers for routine tasks.

For more complex requests that require additional compute, Apple uses Private Cloud Compute — a system where requests are processed on Apple silicon servers and Apple cryptographically guarantees it cannot retain or access your data. Independent security researchers can verify this via Apple's Private Cloud Compute Security Research page.

ChatGPT integration (for more advanced Siri questions) is opt-in only — Siri will explicitly ask your permission before sending anything to OpenAI, and no data is sent without your consent.

Tips for Getting the Most Out of Apple Intelligence

Keep macOS updated — Apple Intelligence features are rolling out incrementally with each point release of Sequoia. The more up-to-date you are, the more features you'll have.
Use Writing Tools in everyday apps — Don't limit it to Apple apps. It works in Chrome, Slack, and most third-party apps too.
Give Siri context gradually — You can enable Personal Context in Siri settings to let it read your emails and messages for smarter answers. Do this at your own comfort level.
Explore per-app summaries — Check Notification settings to fine-tune which apps use AI summaries. Some apps (like news) benefit more than others.

Conclusion

Apple Intelligence represents a genuine shift in how Macs work — it's not a gimmick or a demo feature, but a collection of practical tools woven throughout the operating system. Writing Tools alone can save significant time for anyone who writes regularly, and the privacy-first approach makes it a reasonable choice even for educators working with student data.

As Apple continues to roll out new capabilities through 2025 and beyond, it's worth keeping an eye on the official Apple Intelligence page for the latest additions. For now, the best place to start is simply turning it on and exploring — Writing Tools in particular is immediately useful from day one.

Have you started using Apple Intelligence on your Mac? Let me know what features you've found most useful in the comments below.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

Raspberry Pi 5 + Mac: Setting Up a Home Lab for Beginners (2026 Guide)

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the best Pi yet — faster processor, more RAM, an official active cooler, and a new PCIe slot that opens up serious storage options. Paired with your Mac, it makes for an incredibly capable and cheap home lab that can run a local server, host your own services, and teach you a ton about networking and Linux in the process.

In this guide, I'll walk through everything from initial setup to getting your Pi 5 working seamlessly alongside your Mac — including SSH access from Terminal, file sharing, running a local web server, and a few project ideas to get you started. I wrote about Raspberry Pi earlier on this blog — the Pi 5 is a significant leap forward.

What You'll Need

Raspberry Pi 5 (4GB or 8GB RAM recommended) — available from Adafruit, PiShop.us, or CanaKit
MicroSD card: At least 32GB, Class 10 or faster. A Samsung Endurance or SanDisk Extreme is recommended for reliability
Official Raspberry Pi Power Supply (27W USB-C for Pi 5 — don't skimp on this)
Official Raspberry Pi Active Cooler (comes with some kits, highly recommended for Pi 5)
A case (optional but nice)
Your Mac (any modern Mac works)

A complete CanaKit or official Raspberry Pi starter kit typically runs $70–$100 and includes everything except a monitor.

Step 1: Flash the Operating System

The easiest way to set up your Pi is using Raspberry Pi Imager on your Mac.

Download Raspberry Pi Imager from the official Raspberry Pi website
Install it on your Mac and open it
Choose your device: Raspberry Pi 5
Choose your OS: Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) — the full version with desktop is good for beginners; Lite (no desktop) if you're running headless
Choose your storage: select your microSD card
Before writing, click the gear icon (Settings) — this is important:
- Set a hostname (e.g., raspberrypi.local)
- Enable SSH
- Set a username and password
- Configure your Wi-Fi SSID and password (so it connects automatically on first boot)
Click Write and wait for the image to be written and verified

These preconfigured settings mean your Pi will be on your network and accessible via SSH from the very first boot — no keyboard or monitor needed.

Step 2: First Boot and SSH from Your Mac

Insert the microSD card into your Pi, connect power, and wait about 60–90 seconds for first boot. Then, on your Mac:

Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal)
Connect via SSH using the hostname you set:

ssh pi@raspberrypi.local

Replace pi with the username you chose during setup. You'll be prompted to accept the host fingerprint (type yes) and then enter your password.

If the hostname doesn't resolve, try using the Pi's IP address instead. You can find it by logging into your router's admin page and looking at connected devices.

Once connected, you're in. You're now controlling your Raspberry Pi from Terminal on your Mac — typing commands that run on the Pi over your local network.

Step 3: Update and Upgrade Your Pi

After first login, always update to the latest packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This downloads and installs the latest security patches and software updates. It may take a few minutes. Run this regularly — it's the equivalent of running Software Update on your Mac.

Step 4: Set Up File Sharing Between Pi and Mac

To easily transfer files between your Mac and Pi, set up Samba (the protocol that makes file shares visible on macOS):

sudo apt install samba samba-common-bin -y

Then configure it to share your home folder:

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Add this at the end of the file:

[PiShare]
path = /home/pi
writeable = yes
create mask = 0777
directory mask = 0777
public = no

Save with Control+O, Enter, Control+X, then set a Samba password for your user:

sudo smbpasswd -a pi

Restart Samba:

sudo systemctl restart smbd

Now on your Mac, open Finder, press Command+K, and type:

smb://raspberrypi.local

Enter your Pi's Samba credentials and you'll see the shared folder appear in Finder like any other network drive. Drag and drop files between your Mac and Pi freely.

Step 5: Run a Local Web Server

One of the most satisfying first Pi projects is hosting a local website or web app. Install Apache in seconds:

sudo apt install apache2 -y

That's it. Open a browser on your Mac and go to http://raspberrypi.local — you'll see the default Apache welcome page, confirming your web server is running.

Your website files live at /var/www/html/ on the Pi. Drop an HTML file there and it'll be served immediately. From your Mac, copy files there using the Samba share you set up, or via the command line with:

scp /path/to/local/file.html pi@raspberrypi.local:/var/www/html/

Combined with editing the hosts file on your Mac (which I've covered on this blog), you can point a custom local domain like myproject.local to your Pi's IP address for a more realistic local dev setup.

Step 6: Set a Static IP for Your Pi

For a reliable home lab, your Pi should always have the same IP address. The easiest way is to set a DHCP reservation in your router — look for "DHCP Reservations" in your router admin panel, find your Pi's MAC address, and assign it a permanent IP like 192.168.1.100.

Alternatively, set a static IP on the Pi itself by editing the DHCP configuration:

sudo nano /etc/dhcpcd.conf

Add at the end:

interface eth0
static ip_address=192.168.1.100/24
static routers=192.168.1.1
static domain_name_servers=192.168.1.1 8.8.8.8

Adjust the IP addresses to match your network. Save, exit, and reboot the Pi: sudo reboot

Useful SSH and Terminal Tips for Mac Users

Create an SSH shortcut on your Mac

Instead of typing the full SSH command every time, add an alias to your shell. Open Terminal and edit your profile:

nano ~/.zshrc

Add:

alias pi="ssh pi@raspberrypi.local"

Save and run source ~/.zshrc. Now you can just type pi in Terminal to connect instantly.

Use SSH keys instead of a password

Generate an SSH key pair on your Mac (if you haven't already) and copy your public key to the Pi:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_mac@home"
ssh-copy-id pi@raspberrypi.local

After this, you can SSH into your Pi without ever typing a password — much more convenient.

Project Ideas for Your Pi + Mac Home Lab

Pi-hole: A network-wide ad blocker that runs on your Pi and filters ads for every device on your home network — including your Mac, iPhone, and smart TV
Local WordPress site: Install LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) and run WordPress locally for development and testing before deploying to a live server
Home automation hub: Run Home Assistant to control smart home devices without relying on cloud services
Retro gaming: RetroPie turns your Pi into a retro gaming console supporting hundreds of classic systems
Network monitor: Run tools like nmap and iftop to see what's on your home network
Personal VPN: Set up WireGuard on your Pi so you can securely access your home network from anywhere

Conclusion

The Raspberry Pi 5 is an excellent companion to a Mac. It's cheap enough to experiment with freely, powerful enough to run real services, and a fantastic way to learn Linux and networking in your own home. The combination of Pi's Linux environment and your Mac's Terminal makes for a productive home lab that can grow with your skills.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation's official documentation is exceptionally well-written and covers everything from hardware specs to advanced project tutorials. It's the best place to go once you've got the basics running.

What project are you thinking of running on your Pi? Drop it in the comments — I'd love to hear what you're building.