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Repurpose Your Old Mac: Top Different 7 ways
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Is your ancient Mac sitting in a corner gathering dust? Or perhaps you recently switched to a newer model and are unsure what to do with the previous one. Fortunately, you can repurpose your old Mac in a variety of ways.
We can help whether you want to repurpose your old Mac for business, as a media centre, or as network-attached storage. Here is a list of the best methods to repurpose your old Mac.
1. Make Use of It as Your Primary Computer’s Secondary Monitor
Macs have great displays, so it’s a good idea to repurpose your old Mac as a backup monitor for your primary computer. You will have more screen real estate and be able to work on projects more quickly and easily.
For your new Mac to use your old Mac as a second monitor, you will need a Display Port-capable connection. Connect the appropriate cable between your old and new Macs once you get it. Next, go to System Preferences > Displays on your new Mac. You may see your previous Mac listed as a potential display under the Arrangement tab.
2. Configure Your Mac as a Short-Term Wi-Fi Hotspot
You may need to install a Wi-Fi range extender if your house or place of business has a dead zone. Nevertheless, using your old Mac as a Wi-Fi hotspot might be a simple fix.
Your other devices will be able to connect to the internet via your Mac’s Wi-Fi connection. Set up your Mac’s Wi-Fi hotspot by connecting your old Mac to your network via Ethernet, positioning it in the Wi-Fi dead zone, and selecting System Preferences > Sharing > Internet Sharing. Without investing in pricey range extenders, this is a fantastic method of avoiding Wi-Fi dead zones.
3. Use It as a Web Server
If you’re a web administrator, developer, or designer and you have an old Mac lying around, you can use it to host a website, create a local development environment, or even run a simple blog. In certain ways, an ancient Mac may even be superior to a specialized tiny server. In addition to being incredibly power-efficient, a MacBook’s built-in keyboard, trackpad, and monitor facilitate configuration. Compared to a small server, it takes up a lot less room and even has a built-in battery backup in case the power goes out!
4. Install Linux on It
Installing Linux on an outdated Mac can revitalize it and provide you with a strong yet lightweight operating system. The best thing is that Linux functions better on older hardware, boots faster, and even helps get rid of the awful spinning wheel of death because it is far lighter than macOS.
You can do so much more with Linux, and that’s only the tip of the iceberg. To begin with, Linux is known for being among the safest operating systems, much more so than macOS. This is because there are fewer weaknesses for hackers and viruses to take advantage of.
5. Turn Your Old Mac into a Network-Attached Storage Device
You may repurpose your old Mac as a Network-Attached Storage (NAS) device if it has a respectable amount of storage. By doing this, your old Mac will become a personal cloud storage device that you or your shared users may access from any location in the globe.
6. Use It for Home Automation
With a little work, you can transform your outdated Mac into a potent home automation tool that allows you to manage practically any network-connected device. Your air conditioners, lighting, thermostat, security system, and even coffee machine may fall under this category.
7. Repurpose Your Old Mac to View Media
Using a Mac as a media viewer is a clever way to reuse one of their great displays. You can save your movies or TV series on your old Mac and view them whenever you want, which is a terrific way to free up space on your primary computer.
