The Desktop

When setup finishes, you'll see:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Apple menu (top-left)     Menu Bar (top)   │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────  │
│                                             │
│                                             │
│              Desktop                        │
│         (your wallpaper)                    │
│                                             │
│                                             │
│  ─────────────────────────────────────────  │
│              Dock (bottom)                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

• Menu Bar: Always at the top of the screen. Shows the current app's menus on the left, and system icons (Wi-Fi, battery, clock) on the right.
• Dock: The row of app icons at the bottom. Click to launch apps. Right-click for options.
• Apple Menu (): Top-left corner. Access System Settings, Sleep, Restart, Shut Down.
• Control Center: Click the toggles icon in the menu bar for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness, volume, Focus modes.

The Finder

Finder is always running: it's your file manager (like File Explorer on Windows).

• Click the smiley face icon in the Dock to open it
• Sidebar shows favorites: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, iCloud Drive
• Use Cmd + Shift + . to show hidden files
• Press Space on any selected file for a Quick Look preview: this works for PDFs, images, videos, and more without opening any app