Hey friends, hope you’re well!
MacBooks are extremely versatile machines, particularly those equipped with an M-series chip, and as capable as they are out of the box, there are amazing Mac accessories available that will take your MacBook from good to great.
I’ve probably bought and used more than a hundred Mac accessories over the years. I’d like to share 14 worthwhile Mac accessories with you, so you can get the ones that matter and avoid spending money on accessories that aren’t so valuable.
Most of these accessories are reasonably priced, but I have included some more expensive items as well, and I have tried to include a variety of accessories to suit all budgets.
Laptop Sleeve & Case
The first accessory is something to protect your MacBook because you’ll need something to protect it as soon as you leave the house with it.
So I use a leather Folio as well as a Sleeve – two distinct items; let me explain.
If I don’t need a bag and I’m just working at a cafe, for example, I’ll bring a leather folio with me – I’ll stuff it with my pens, notepad, and charger and carry it around with me, and I’m usually good for the day.
If I’m travelling with a backpack, I avoid zippers because they’ve scuffed up my MacBooks in the past, so I slip the MacBook into a leather sleeve and then place it in my backpack.
Apple Polishing Cloth
Nothing is more annoying than a dirty laptop screen covered in fingerprints and dirt, so a cleaning cloth is a must-have accessory.
Remember that most laptop screens are delicate, so get screen wipes like the Zeiss Lens Wet Wipe or a microfiber cloth – which clean up greasy fingerprints rather than simply spreading them around the screen.
Believe it or not, I have Apple’s official Polishing Cloth, which is a little pricey at $19 but is the best cleaning cloth I’ve used. It cleans my Macbook display with a single wipe, with no water or solution required. A microfiber cloth is more than sufficient, but having one on hand is a good idea.
Ugreen 145W Power Bank
A power bank is a must-have accessory if you rely on your MacBook to get things done on the go.
You might be thinking, “Can’t you just bring your MacBook charger?” but I can’t tell you how many times there was no power outlet in sight, which is where power banks come in handy.
Ugreen’s 145W Power Bank has a massive 25,000 mAh capacity, which means I can charge my MacBook Air one and a half times from this power bank, and it takes about 90 minutes to charge from zero.
It’s one of the few power banks with an LED display, so I can see how much juice is left. But yes, power banks for MacBooks are convenient and portable and have saved me a lot of headaches.
This item is air travel friendly as long as you remember to bring it with you and not put it in your checked luggage.
SSD
Your MacBook’s internal storage is likely to be less than 1TB, which isn’t much these days, especially if you work with large files on your local drive.
So the next essential accessory must be a Solid State Drive, which is both dependable and lightning-fast in terms of data transfer speeds.
The two SSDs I like are SanDisk’s Extreme Pro V2 and TEAMGROUP’s M200 – both theoretically get up to 2000mb/s transfer speeds, but there isn’t a MacBook that supports USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 – so speeds hover around 800 to 1000mb/s, which is still really fast.
My M200 has a 4TB drive, which quadruples the storage on my Macbook, and it’s a must because I edit a lot of 4K video.
Just make sure to use a compatible USB 3.2 cable or even a Thunderbolt 4 cable, or you’ll be throttled at lower transfer speeds because the cable isn’t up to the task.
Ugreen 30W Nexode Charger
This small item costs only $20 and has proven to be an excellent purchase.
It’s a 30W Nexode GaN Charger from Ugreen, and it’s a great replacement for the Apple power brick, which isn’t exactly small and can be difficult to transport if you don’t have a bag.
I slip it into my pocket because it’s a lot more convenient, and it has the added benefit of being a Nexode Gallium Nitride charger which basically supplies the exact amount of power a device requires, resulting in a more efficient and faster charger, as well as less heat generated because it is a better electrical conductor than silicone.
This is a 30W charger, so charging to 100% will be slower, but I believe Ugreen has plenty of other compact chargers with higher wattage.
So if I’m going out for the day with just my laptop in its sleeve, I’ll bring the Nexode charger with a USB-C cable, and if I’m properly travelling, I’ll bring the full charging brick.
USB-A to USB-C Adapter
Next up is this tiny little thing, a USB-A to USB-C adapter, which has saved my ass in so many places with only USB-A connections, and frankly, so many places only have USB-A connections, from planes and hotels to public charging spaces.
When I don’t have the charging brick, I just plug in this adapter and have a USB-C connection to charge my phone, accessories, or the MacBook itself. You can get these for a few dollars on Amazon – who doesn’t like impulse purchases?
Wallpaper
And, while I’m not sure if it is an accessory, a good wallpaper is always nice to have to show off your MacBook and personality.
This one is a shameless plug for my wallpaper bundle pack, Iridescent – it has a bit of grain for texture and is in full 8K resolution, so it still looks extra crisp when I hook it up to an external monitor.
If you want to check it out, here’s a link to the wallpaper bundle.
Twelve South Stand
When you travel or work from home from your MacBook directly, you really need a laptop stand of some kind so you can get the screen away from you, use keyboards and a mouse, and get your neck and posture in a better position.
I have the Twelve South’s newer Curve Flex stand, and I love it because it’s completely adjustable in height and screen position, and it folds down into a really compact, portable accessory that you can take with you anywhere.
If you plan on doing any serious work from your MacBook directly, you should get yourself a laptop stand, which is only $80 and well worth the investment.
Razer Orochi V2
Speaking of working directly from your MacBook, we’ll need a mouse and keyboard.
And I have the Razer Orochi V2, a portable mouse for MacBooks on the go. I’ve shown this mouse plenty on this channel, and it’s one of my favorite travel mice that I have,
What I like about the Orochi is that, despite its small size and weight, it does not sacrifice performance – this thing has 18,000 DPI sensitivity, so it’s buttery smooth to use, and the double AA batteries give me 950 hours of use over Bluetooth before they need to be replaced.
I also have the Magic Mouse, but it’s not as good and is one of the few clunky Apple products. I much prefer the far more affordable Orochi, which can be had for around $50 these days.
Apple ID Keyboard
Let us not overlook keyboards. I have two that I connect to the MacBook and alternate between.
The first is Apple’s Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, an absolute design masterclass in a full-sized keyboard because I find the Numpad useful for touch typing. It also has a touch ID button for quick login and Apple Wallet payment.
The scissor-switch keyboard is very responsive and enjoyable to type on; does anyone remember butterfly switches these days, or are they distant memory?
Keychron K3 Pro
The Apple Magic Keyboard is obviously a large keyboard, so if I need to take a keyboard with me to work off the MacBook, I use the Keychron K3 Pro. This cost me $95, which isn’t too bad considering it’s a fantastic keyboard released recently. It improves on the already excellent Keychron K3 by increasing the polling rate, making it more responsive to type on, and because it’s a mechanical keyboard, the typing experience and sound are magical.
CalDigit TS4
A Thunderbolt 4 Dock is one of my favorite and most-used Mac accessories.
The CalDigit TS4, when paired with a monitor, turns your MacBook into a desktop setup, so I’ve never needed an iMac.
It charges my MacBook and provides 18 extra ports of connectivity – everything from extra USB-C and A ports to DisplayPort 1.4, ethernet, and a headphone jack – effectively transforming it into a desktop beast.
If I’m not working remotely from my MacBook, it’s always plugged into a Thunderbolt 4 Dock. The CalDigit TS4 is quite expensive at around $400; you don’t need to get this one; most Thunderbolt 4 docks will suffice, but give it a shot – it’s one of the best accessories to get to transform your MacBook and workflow.
Pouches (Bellroy/Harber London/Amazon)
From the numerous Mac accessories, I need a way to transport them, which is where an EDC pouch comes in.
I have a few from Bellroy, Harber London, and just basic budget ones from Amazon for around $15 to $20.
There’s plenty of room to store things in, as is in the Bellroy, where I keep my essential SSDs, charger, and cables. It’s great to have these in one place, grab my MacBook and EDC pouch, and I’m ready to work from anywhere for the day.
AirPods Max & AirPods Pro 2
I haven’t mentioned a pair of headphones or earbuds, which are an absolute must for your MacBook.
I use the AirPods Max all the time when I’m just working from home; they’re insanely good, but they’re also insanely expensive.
I’d go with the $250 AirPods Pro 2. They’re much more compact, less expensive, and with the H2 chip, sound absolutely amazing on MacBooks – I use them all the time when I go out with my MacBook.
Conclusion
Now that you’ve got your Mac accessories all sorted check out this video to get your Mac Apps sorted – it’s where I share some of my favorite must-have Mac apps.