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This guide will help you set up and customize your M1 MacBook Air. There are many resources in this document as well as many more available from our knowledge base. If you don't find your answer here, please take a look at our knowledge base or submit a help desk ticket.
Before you begin the swap, make sure that all your data is transferred to Google Drive.
What's included with your new M1 MacBook Air?
Your new M1 MacBook Air “package” should include:
- M1 MacBook Air
- 30W power adapter with a "duckhead" connector
- USB-C to USB-C cable
- USB-C to Lightning cable
- USB-C to USB-A adapter
- USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter
Your new M1 MacBook Air is smaller and lighter than your old MacBook Air but has the same screen size, more RAM, and more hard drive space. You can read more about it from Apple. The new M1 MacBook Air utilizes USB-C, which is the new USB standard. You will notice that there are two USB-C connections on the left side, the headphone jack is on the right side. You will use these two USB-C connections to connect your power adapter as well as any cables or adapters, like the ones we provided. Unlike USB-A, there is no wrong way to insert USB-C; any way you insert the USB-C is the correct way.
Your new MacBook Air has the latest version of macOS on it; macOS 13 - Ventura. You likely will not notice huge changes in the macOS, but wanted to make you aware of it, in case you go looking for something and it's in a different place. You can read more about Ventura from Apple.
Log into your new M1 MacBook Air while in a USCSD building
Logging in is the same as it was with your old MacBook Air, but your initial login to your M1 MacBook Air MUST take place while in a USCSD building. If you do not log into your new M1 MacBook Air while in a USCSD building, your new M1 MacBook Air will not function. You log in using your SSO credentials which is your full
After you enter your credentials, you might see a prompt telling you “Setting up Managed Preferences.” The prompt will disappear in a few seconds.
Set up Touch ID
The M1 MacBook Air has TouchID capabilities that allow you to unlock your M1 MacBook Air with your fingerprint. You will be prompted to set up your fingerprint for TouchID when you first log in.
Select “Continue” in the lower right corner, then follow the prompts to set up TouchID.
For more information, please see Apple’s knowledge base article on how to set up TouchID.
Log into Google Drive
Once your M1 MacBook Air logs in, the login for Google Drive will appear. Because you store all your data in Google Drive, please log in using your SSO credentials, just like you would log into your email. After a successful login to Google Drive, you will see the familiar Google Drive icon on your desktop.
Choose to allow notifications
As you begin to launch Applications on your M1 MacBook Air, in the upper right part of the screen, you will find that macOS is asking if you want to receive notifications from that Application. For most applications, we recommend allowing these notifications as they sometimes provide critical information about the Application. From the notification, you can select “Options” and then select “Allow” to turn on notifications. You can turn them off later in System Preferences if you would like. The notifications look like the picture below:
Log into Chrome
To sync all your bookmarks and passwords, launch Google Chrome from the Dock. When you first launch Chrome, will be asked if you want to make Google Chrome your default browser. See the picture below.
Make sure that “Set Google Chrome as your default browser” is selected.
If you did not see this prompt when you launched Chrome or didn't check "Set Google Chrome as your default browser", please see this knowledge base article on how to set Google Chrome as your default browser. We recommend that you do use Chrome as your default browser.
Once Chrome has launched, sign in to the Chrome browser to begin the sync. Please see this knowledge base article to guide you.
When you start your first Google Meet, you will be asked for permission to use the microphone, camera, and to allow Google permission to share your screen for screen recording. Please allow Chrome to use both your microphone. camera, and screen share. If you want to verify that your camera a microphone are allowed, please see this knowledge base article.
Why is my trackpad scrolling the wrong way?
Apple introduced natural scrolling a few years ago and that is the default for any new computer. If you do not like it and would like to disable natural scrolling, please see this knowledge base article. Also, the new touchpad is bigger and a bit more sensitive and may take some time to master. You can learn about some of the Multi-Touch gestures in this Apple knowledge base article and more about configuring your trackpad in this Apple knowledge base article.
Allow ActivInspire access to your M1 MacBook Air
When you first launch ActivInspire, you will be prompted to allow activhardwareservice and activmgr access to your MacBook Air. You must allow this access in the Privacy & Security System Preference or you will not be able to use the touch capabilities on your ActivPanel or Promethean Board. Please see this knowledge base article on how to allow the access they need.
Install your Printers
To reduce clutter on your new computer, not all building printers have been pre-installed. You are now encouraged to only install the printers you need via Self Service. Self Service is the only way to install printers to ensure that they will work each time and is very easy to do. Simply launch Self Service from the Applications folder, select the Printers category on the right side, then find the printer you would like to install and select it. You will see the installation progress and Self Service will notify you when the installation is complete. You can view the printer installation knowledge base article here. Please note that you will have to enter your SSO password the first time that you print.
If you would like to set a printer as your default printer, please see this knowledge base article.
Install your Fonts
If you backed up custom fonts, you can install them on your new M1 MacBook Air by following this knowledge base article. If you need to install the Elementary Curriculum Fonts, please see this knowledge base article for instructions.
Missing software? Go to Self Service.
Many pieces of software were preinstalled on your M1 MacBook Air. Software like ActivInspire, the Microsoft Office Suite, and Chrome are already on your M1 MacBook Air. If there is software that you would like to install that is not already on your new computer, launch Self Service from the Applications folder. Inside Self Service, you will see all the software that is available to you to install that is managed by the Technology Department. Items like Adobe Creative Cloud, which gives you access to Adobe applications like Photoshop and Acrobat, and Apple apps, such as iMovie or Keynote are available in Self Service. To install any of these pieces of software, just select the Application and let it install. Depending on the size of the Application, it may take some time to download and install, so please make sure you plan for enough time to install. Self Service will provide you feedback on the installation and when it is complete, but it does not provide an estimated completion time. You can view this knowledge base article for more information.
How do I connect my new M1 MacBook Air to my ActivPanel or Promethean Board?
If you have an ActivPanel, you will use the provided USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter to connect your laptop to your panel.
If you have a Promethean Board (Middle Schools) you will use the provided USB-C to VGA Multiport adapter to connect your laptop to your board.
The adapter can be connected to either USB-C port. There is a USB-C port on both adapters that will allow you to connect your power cable, so you will have a free USB-C port on your M1 MacBook Air.
Please see this knowledge base article on how to connect your M1 MacBook Air to your ActivPanel or Promethean Board:
Connecting to the ActivPanel or Promethean board on your M1 MacBook Air
Please note that these adapters and cables are new, so if you are having difficulty with getting your ActivPanel or Promethean board to appear, please make sure that your connections are tight.
You may need to change your Display Resolution on your laptop so that it is the correct size when connected to your Panel. See this knowledge base article for help: ActivPanel V6 Display Resolution
You may need to change your Sound output so your laptop sound will play through your Panel. See this knowledge base article for help: How to Send Your Computer Audio to Your Promethean Panel
Remember if you are using a different HDMI port for connecting to your M1 and leaving the previous HDMI to mini-display port cable for teachers who don't have an M1, the USB cable and HDMI cable work in "pairs" and must be in the same input. So if your HDMI cable is in HDMI2, your USB cable must be in USB2.
Where is the Airplay Menu?
Airplay is still available on the M1 MacBook Air, you just access it a different way because of the new macOS.
On your Menu Bar at the top of your screen, you will see the control panel icon 
Click the Control Center icon in the menu bar, click Screen Mirroring 
, then choose your Apple TV. When AirPlay is active, the icon turns blue.
If you have any questions or issues while setting up your new M1 MacBook Air, we are here to help! To get help in the fastest possible way, please submit a help desk ticket. please submit a help desk ticket.
Restoring your Music Library
If you backed up your Music library to Google Drive, please follow this knowledge base article to restore it.
Restoring your Photos Library
If you backed up your Photos library to Google Drive, please copy the Photo's library over to your Pictures folder on your new computer. If a dialogue box comes up asking if you want to replace the folder, click "Replace". Once it is completely copied over, you can follow Apple's knowledge base article to ensure you are using the correct Photos library.
