These 20 essential applications let you move easily between Windows and a Mac

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  • Apps that make switching easy

    Apps that make switching easy

    While many consumers are moving to tablets and phones, many professionals find themselves working on both Macs and PCs. If you find yourself jumping back and forth between Windows and Mac systems, here are some apps that will make your job easier.

    This list is presented in an arbitrary order. What you deem most important depends entirely on what you do with your machines.

    No matter what you do, though, most of these apps will be incredibly helpful and make the jump back and forth between platforms almost seamless.

    Photo by: StockUnlimited

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Slack

    Slack

    When it comes to team coordination, Slack has taken the business world by storm. What's even better is that Slack works where you work.

    Photo by: Slack

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Evernote

    Evernote

    While Evernote has been in the news a lot recently (and not in a good way), the product itself is relied on by millions of users. It's available on almost any platform, and it's a huge help to most.

    Photo by: Evernote

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Parallels

    Parallels

    If you want to run Windows applications that don't have Mac counterparts (like Microsoft's Visio), Parallels is the way to go. It provides virtualization, as well as drag and drop and native integration right on the Mac. Now you can have your Windows and your MacOS, too.

    Photo by: Parallels

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Feedly news feed reader

    Feedly news feed reader

    Google Reader was once the leader in the category of RSS readers, but once Google pulled the product, Feedly became the choice of news junkies everywhere. If you want to stay informed, no matter what platform you use, Feedly is the way to go.

    Photo by: Feedly

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Google Keep

    Google Keep

    Google Keep is to Evernote like a Post-It note is to a 3-ring notebook. The great news is you can write lots of quick notes in Keep and, well, keep them, no matter what platform you're on.

    Photo by: Google

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Pocket

    Pocket

    If you want to keep articles to read later, the best way to do it is using Pocket. Fortunately, you can use Pocket on any platform you want, which means you can save something on a PC, read it later on a Mac or even your phone.

    Photo by: Pocket

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Kindle Cloud Reader

    Kindle Cloud Reader

    If you like reading, Kindle books are the way to go. Not only are they available for Kindle devices, but you can read them on most tablets and smartphones, and right in your browser, with Kindle Cloud Reader.

    Photo by: Amazon

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • TextExpander

    TextExpander

    If you have to type the same phrases over and over, a keyboard macro program is your best friend. None is more popular or more capable than TextExpander. Now that it is cloud-centric, you can use TextExpander both on your Macs and on your PCs.

    Photo by: Smile Software

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • 123D Design

    123D Design

    Switching from general productivity tools, it's important to note that even specialized tools like 3D design programs can be platform independent. 123D Design is not only platform independent, it's free.

    Photo by: Autodesk

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Cura 3D printing slicing program

    Cura 3D printing slicing program

    When you prepare a file to go to a 3D printer, you use a program called a slicer. One of the most popular and universal of these is Cura, which works on Mac, Windows, and many Linux distros.

    Photo by: LulzBot.com

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Todoist

    Todoist

    Every day, in every way, we have more and more work to do. To keep track of it all is Todoist. Fortunately, you don't have to keep track of where to use Todoist, because it runs on all the platforms you might need.

    Photo by: Todoist

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Office 365

    Office 365

    Microsoft Office is all grown up. No longer is the Mac version of Office a crapfest of bad programming. No. Microsoft has taken a page from Adobe and finally made fully competitive and powerful versions of most Office apps (where's Visio?) for the Mac. So you PowerPoint to your heart's content, no matter what platform you're using.

    Photo by: Microsoft

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Adobe Creative Cloud

    Adobe Creative Cloud

    Adobe Creative Cloud isn't cheap, but it's absolutely essential for designers everywhere. Adobe was one of the earliest developers to perfect cross-platform products and in Creative Cloud, that experience shows.

    Photo by: Adobe

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • PhpStorm

    PhpStorm

    If you're doing serious Web development using PHP, there's no tool better than PhpStorm. Fortunately, you're not stuck on either the Mac or the PC when using it. You can install and run this powerful IDE on either platform.

    Photo by: JetBrains

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Google Chrome Browser

    Google Chrome Browser

    Then there's the browser. The browser has become the de-facto UI for almost all major new applications. And Chrome is the go-to platform independent browser chosen by many professionals.

    Photo by: Google

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Dropbox

    Dropbox

    Dropbox is the glue that holds everything together. Sure, there are other file sharing options, but none are quite as widely integrated as Dropbox.

    Photo by: Dropbox

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Google Hangouts

    Google Hangouts

    If you need to stay in touch across platforms, SMS can get you only so far. For cross-platform messaging that includes video and even screen sharing, the best of the best is Hangouts.

    Photo by: Google

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Gmail

    Gmail

    Gmail single-handedly obliterated the market for standalone email apps. Sure, there are other cloud-based email services, by Gmail is the leader by far.

    Photo by: Gmail

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Password Managers

    Password Managers

    Keep track of your passwords is hard, but fortunately password managers like LastPass and 1Password can help make it easier. These password managers run on Macs, PCs, and mobile devices, so you're secure no matter where you go.

    Photo by: Lasspass and 1Password

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

  • Spotify

    Spotify

    There once was a time when we bought CDs or even tapes. But now, all you need is a subscription to have access to most of the world's most popular music. Whether you're on a PC, a Mac, or your phone, Spotify can play your song.

    Photo by: Spotify

    Caption by: David Gewirtz

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TextExpander

If you have to type the same phrases over and over, a keyboard macro program is your best friend. None is more popular or more capable than TextExpander. Now that it is cloud-centric, you can use TextExpander both on your Macs and on your PCs.

Caption by: David Gewirtz

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