Mac Basics: Using Siri

Siri can be a good tool to help you increase your productivity if you give it a chance. You can ask for information, search the web, get to files, folders and settings. You can also use it to schedule events, add reminders, send messages and emails. You can use Siri completely silently if you set it up right.

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Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. Today let me show you how to use Siri on your Mac.
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Siri has been on Macs for awhile. But a lot of people still don't use it. You can access Siri by using this icon here in the Menu Bar. It's usually the only color icon there. You could also access it in the Touch Bar with an icon that looks the same if you have a MacBook Pro. There's usually a keyboard shortcut. By default it's Command Space. But a quick Command Space will bring up Spotlight. You have to hold Command Space to bring up Siri.
Before we look at more settings and options for Siri let's look at what Siri can do. Some of the most obvious stuff is just to get information. For instance you can ask for the weather. (Weather. Siri -It's currently clear and 39 degrees). Often you can click on the result and it will load a webpage or show you more information about that topic. Once you have Siri up you can dismiss it with this x button here or it will kind of go away on its own when you start to do other things. You can also click down here and simply ask another question. For instance let's get some sport scores. (NCAA basketball scores. Siri -Costal Carolina was definitively beaten by Pepperdine). Now getting information is fine but what about actually doing things on your Mac? Well, you can ask Siri for some simply things. For instance, you can launch apps. (Launch Calendar). You can open files. (Show me my most recent Numbers files. Siri -Here's what I got). Then you could double click to open up the file. You can also go directly to Folders in the Finder. (Open my project alpha folder. Siri -Here you go.) You can also use Siri to search the web. (Search the web for Civil War history. Siri -I found this on the web). You can search your own Photos collection. (Show me photos from Japan). 
Some of the most powerful stuff is actually being able to use your productivity apps like the Calendar app and Reminders through Siri. So, for instance, if I wanted to schedule an event I could do that without even opening the Calendar app first. (Schedule a lunch with Mark for Thursday at 1:00. Siri -Okay I setup your appointment with Mark dated for next Thursday. Ready to schedule it? Yes. Your appointment with Mark is schedule for next Thursday from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm). You could do a Reminder like this. (Remind me to buy milk tomorrow at 5:00 pm. Siri -Okay, added.) You can also get into System Preferences using Siri. So, for instance, you could say something like (Change my display preferences.) You'll find this works with some preferences but not others. For instance I can't ask for Mission Control. That won't work. You can start messages and send emails as well. (Send a message to Joe. Siri -What do you want to say? I'll see you tomorrow. Ready to send it? Send an email to Mark. What's the subject of the email? Our meeting. Okay, what would you like the email to say? Looking forward to our meeting tomorrow. See you then. Okay here's your email message to Mark.) 
Now there are plenty of settings for Siri. Go into System Preferences and then Siri. Here you'll find an On/Off switch on the left. With that On you'll have all these different options. Now you might see different options depending upon which Mac you have. If you have a Mac with a security chip, in other words Touch ID, then you might get some extra things like, for instance, the ability to Ask Siri by saying the words Hey and then Siri. But I don't get there here on my MacPro. Here I can change the keyboard shortcut to activate Siri or turn the keyboard shortcut Off completely if I just want to access it through the Menu Bar. I can select the language for Siri. But if you just want to change the accent of the voice, leave the language set for your country, but change the voice here. You can turn off Voice Feedback. So you can ask Siri things but the response will always be information on the right side of your screen. It won't be spoken. You could also turn off the icon there in the Menu Bar if you don't want that to take up space. You could just use the keyboard shortcut. Now click here and you'll get some customization for some different things that you can ask Siri. Notice everyone of them has Learn From This App. So as you continue to do things in different apps and ask Siri to do things then it will learn what you want and be more likely to show you the correct response first.
Now there's one other setting for Siri but you won't find it here. You'll find it in Accessibility. There's actually a category for Siri and you can Enable Type to Siri. What happens then is when you activate Siri, Siri won't be listening at all. But instead you can type. This is a great way to use Siri quietly. Then if you want to use the Voice Feedback Off there will be no sound either from you or from Siri.
What else can Siri do? Well, there's a lot actually. If you activate Siri and then click there just to deactivate it right away you'll get the Help Information and you have all these different categories. The list is pretty long. You can click on anyone and get examples of the things that you could do. As you can see there's a lot that I didn't even cover. For instance you can have the Music app controlled by Siri. You can control Maps with Siri. Get directions and information about locations. You can have Stock information. You can ask for times in various locations. You can do things with Contacts. You can do things with Notes. There's even a whole section here for Q & A with ideas of different pieces of information that you can get from Siri. 
Finally, one of my favorite things to do with Siri is actually just to do math. Instead of using Spotlight or the Calculator app you can just ask Siri. So you can do something like this. (What's 4623 times 815. Siri - It's 3 million 7 hundred 67 thousand 7 hundred 45. What's 72 miles in kilometers Siri -The answer is 115.87 kilometers? ). (How many cups in a gallon? That would be 16 cups). (What's 100 euros in dollars? It's $117.87). 
While Siri is by no means a necessary tool for you to use on your Mac it can be very useful and help improve your productivity if you train yourself to use it for things that make sense for you.

Comments: 8 Responses to “Mac Basics: Using Siri”

Harry Balekjian

4 years ago

Gary, Thanks for all the great Tips I look forward to your videos! I can't get an answer to this, on my MacBook connected to a usb dock running Big Sur. when i try to open Siri with "hey siri" it doesnt respond i double checked all settings, they all look good the system mic is fine and showing bars when i speak. Looks like a fey complaints on line but no fixes, any thoughts?

Gary Rosenzweig

Harry: Does it only not work when you have the usb dock connected? Are you sure the sound input is set correctly and the input level is not all the way down?

Gene

I had a reminder each week to run my lawn tractor to keep the battery charged. I got the reminder on my Mac but was wrapped up in another issue. I asked Siri to let me know when it was 3 o'clock. She came back and said, "What Gene, you don't have any clocks in your house?" I was flabbergasted and replied, "You bitch!". She replied, "That's not nice Gene". It was funny and you have to give some Apple managers credit for having a sense of humor.

Gary: Thanks for getting Back to me, no voice activation on Hey Seri once I open the app the mic works fine.

I asked Siri to "Show me Desktop". It displayed the files in my Desktop Folder. I scrolled down to the "Show all files in Finder". I clicked that an nothing happened. What am I doing wrong?

Harry: What "app?" You'll probably have to call Apple Support on this. I don't think I'll be able to solve your problem with a back-and-forth in comments like this.

Gene: Sorry, I don't know. That should work.

Sylvie Chubbs

Many thanks for these tips. I hadn't known about the link to other apps from Siri. I use Siri to dictate my essays (mainly reading from Wiki !) and dictating replies to emails. Most of the time she's very accurate.

Comments Closed.

Mac Basics: Using Siri

Comments: 8 Responses to “Mac Basics: Using Siri”

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