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What to Do When You're Assigned a Mac at a Windows Company

Applies tomacOSMicrosoft 365
5 min read Updated 9 Aug 2026

By , 10+ years in IT support and helpdesk How these guides are checked

Quick Answer

Your Mac uses the Command (⌘) key where Windows uses Ctrl — Command + C copies, Command + V pastes. Install the desktop Microsoft 365 apps rather than the web versions, and when IT sends a .exe, ask for the macOS installer (.dmg or .pkg) instead.

Checked against Office release notes - Office for Mac, Microsoft 365 Roadmap and between 5 Aug 2026 and 12 Sep 2026. Nothing published in that period has been linked to this guide.

Summary ​

You have been issued a MacBook and everyone else at the company is on Windows. Nothing is broken — the machine works differently, and the instructions IT sends round assume a PC. Here is what actually changes: the keyboard, the apps to install, and what to do when a colleague's file, printer or drive letter does not translate.

Before You Start ​

  • A company-issued Mac.

Instructions ​

1. Master the Keyboard Differences ​

Copy is Command + C, paste is Command + V — swap the word Ctrl for Command in your head and most shortcuts survive the move. The full translation table, including where Option and the Mac's own Control key fit and the shortcuts with no Windows equivalent, is in Understanding Mac Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Users. The one to learn today is Command + Spacebar — Spotlight, which replaces Start menu search.

2. Download the Desktop Apps (Don't rely on the web versions) ​

Because you are on a Mac, your IT department might tell you to "just use the web versions" of Outlook and Word. Do not do this. The desktop apps for Mac are excellent.

  1. Open the App Store (the blue icon with an 'A' in your Dock).
  2. Search for Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and install each one.
  3. Teams is not in the App Store. Get it from Microsoft's own download page at microsoft.com/microsoft-teams/download-app, or ask IT — on a managed Mac they usually push it for you.
  4. Sign in to each app with your company email address.

Note: Download from the App Store or from Microsoft's own site, never from a sponsored search result. Fake installers served through search ads are now the most common way malware reaches a Mac — see Understanding the Macs Don't Get Viruses Myth.

3. Fixing the Mouse Scroll Direction ​

If you plug a standard mouse into a Mac, the scroll wheel will operate backwards (scrolling down pushes the page up). Apple calls this "Natural Scrolling," mimicking a smartphone touch screen.

To fix it:

  1. Click the Apple logo in the top left corner > System Settings.
  2. Scroll down to Mouse.
  3. Turn off the toggle for Natural scrolling. Your mouse wheel will now act exactly like a Windows computer.

4. How to Open "Windows Only" Files ​

Coworkers will occasionally send you files that your Mac refuses to open.

  • .exe files: These are Windows executable programs. Your Mac cannot open them. If IT tells you to "run this .exe file," you have to remind them you are on a Mac and ask for the macOS installer (a .dmg or .pkg file).
  • .zip files: Your Mac can open these. Double-click the .zip file, and macOS will automatically extract a normal folder right next to it.
  • Network Drives (The Z: Drive): If your coworker says, "I put the file on the Z: Drive," you cannot open File Explorer and find it. The drive letter is a nickname that exists only on their PC; your Mac needs the server address underneath it, written as smb://server/share. How to Connect a Mac to a Shared Network Drive does that translation and the sign-in.
  • Sending a file the other way: AirDrop cannot see a Windows PC — it reaches an iPhone, iPad or Mac and nothing else, which is the single most common surprise of week one. How to Move Files Between a Mac and Windows PC covers the routes that do work, including the USB drive format that decides whether your colleague's PC can write to it.

5. Managing Your Screen (Where did my window go?) ​

Windows users are used to maximizing a window so it fills the screen, leaving the taskbar visible at the bottom.

If you click the Green button in the top left corner of a Mac window, it will enter "Full Screen Mode," which completely hides your top menu bar and bottom dock. This is very confusing for beginners.

The Fix: Instead of clicking the green button, hold down the Option key on your keyboard and click the green button. The window will maximize to fill the screen while keeping your dock visible, exactly like Windows.

6. Printing to the Office Printer ​

Your Mac's printer list starts empty, and the path everyone else prints to — something like \\printserver\Finance-MFP — is a Windows address your Mac does not understand.

The printer is reachable; it is a matter of adding it the Mac way, from System Settings > Printers & Scanners. How to Print from a Mac at a Windows Office walks through the three routes in the Add Printer window, including the one that browses your company's print server, and covers the driver choice that decides whether you keep double-sided printing and stapling.

Troubleshooting ​

INFO

If you need to force quit an app because it froze, you cannot press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. Instead, press Command + Option + Escape to open the Force Quit menu — How to Force Quit an App on a Mac covers what to do when the frozen app is not even in that list.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
I can't find the 'Delete' keyMac keyboard layoutMacs only have a "Backspace" key (labeled Delete). To delete text in front of your cursor like a Windows Delete key, hold Fn and press Delete.

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Frequently asked questions

Why do some Excel files look weird on my Mac?
Excel for Mac is slightly different than Excel for Windows. While 99% of features are the same, advanced macros (VBA) written on a PC often break when opened on a Mac.
How do I 'Right-Click' on a Mac trackpad?
Three ways, and all of them work. Click the trackpad with two fingers at the same time; or hold Control and click, which works with any mouse or trackpad; or plug in a normal mouse and use its right button. You can also turn on a bottom-right corner click under System Settings > Trackpad.