Mac OS Tips Features
News: Why Rdio.com Is Better than the iTunes Music Store
When Apple‘s iTunes was introduced back in 2001, it rekindled my interest and purchasing of music. I was so excited by the program that I immediately started converting all my rather large collection of CDs into MP3 tracks. I then sold off my CDs and remaining vinyl albums, and used the money for additional iTunes purchases. iTunes made managing and listening music a wholly different experience. But in the last few years, iTunes has taken a back seat to streaming music services, which I find ...
How To: Set Up & Use Third-Party Extensions in Photos on El Capitan
For minor adjustments and color-correction, the Photos app is extremely useful, but its capabilities are limited to just the basics. Now, with Mac OS X El Capitan, Apple is opening the door for third-party extensions, meaning we can utilize additional, unique tools when editing pictures in Photos.
How To: Make Your Mac's Screen Saver the Apple Watch Clock Face
Most of us only see our screen savers in passing, as some sort of slide show or animation as we glance up at the screen or walk by the computer. Usually, anything is better than a boring blank screen—even the classic Pipes screensaver is better than nothing.
Apple Unveiled Yosemite: Here's What to Expect in Mac OS X 10.10
The new operating system for your Mac is here, and it looks fantastic—OS X Yosemite. At Apple's WWDC presentation, we were shown the new iOS-like aesthetics, as well as other awesome enhancements to the operating system. Improved Aesthetics
News: Apple Evolution Timeline
Apple Evolution Timeline (click to magnify) by Edwin Tofslie.
How To: Tweak System Settings & Activate Hidden Features in Yosemite with TinkerTool
Most diehard Mac users have used TinkerTool at some time or another, and if you haven't, it's time to start. Whether it's to change your system's font or to disable UI animations, it seems like anything you could ever think about tweaking in Mac OS X is doable through TinkerTool. And now, developer Marcel Bresink has updated his app to work with Yosemite, so let's see what it can do now.
How To: Connect Your iPhone to Your Mac Like Never Before with Pushbullet
With Apple's Yosemite build of Mac OS X came Continuity, a feature that has allowed us to connect our mobile devices to our computers, letting us access apps, send text messages, answer phone calls, and more while seamlessly switching from one device to the other.
How To: 8 More Menu Bar Apps Every Mac Power User Needs
We recently showed you 8 menu bar apps that ever Mac power user should have, covering apps that allow you to control iTunes, eject drives, organize screenshots, and more—all from that tiny strip at the top of your screen.
How To: Fix OS X Lion's Reverse 2-Finger Scroll So You Can Scroll Normally (Not Backwards)
So you just upgraded your Mac to OS X Lion and it greeted you, not with a friendly welcome video as Snow Leopard did, but instead with a tiny clip informing you that the Apple powers that be, have decided to reverse the 2-finger scroll direction, without even asking if you'd like to!
How To: Record Streaming Music, FaceTime Calls, Skype Audio, & More for Free
Piracy, it can be argued, is the scourge of the internet. But when it comes to music, sometimes it's best to give a listen to a track or album before deciding to spend your hard-earned money on fully supporting it.
How To: The Easiest, Fastest Way to Free Up Space on Your Mac’s Hard Drive
It's nice that most apps ship with multi-language support, but if you only need to utilize one, those extra language packs are doing nothing more than taking up space on your computer. And when you're getting close to filling up your hard drive, every little bit counts.
Instacast: A Better Way to Listen To & Manage Podcasts
Though it could be argued that Apple's popular and widely used iTunes media player was responsible for the growth and explosion of podcasting, I would argue that iTunes is not the best way to manage and listen to your podcast subscriptions—if you're a iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch user. Instead, you will find that a $1.99 mobile app called Instacast (iTunes App Store link) is a much better method. Below, a short video introduction to Instacast, plus a written breakdown of its features. Mobile L...
The Rdio App for Mac: A Desktop Alternative to iTunes
A few weeks ago, I wrote about why I think streaming music services like Rdio.com are better than Apple‘s iTunes Music Store. This week, I follow up with a how-to about Rdio for Mac, a desktop music player that streams music from your Rdio.com account. Even though Apple is introducing new iTunes features, I think you will find Rdio for Mac a much more affordable option—especially if you like to listen to new music on a weekly, or even daily basis.
Office for Mac 2016: See What's New & Try Out the Public Preview
If you've ever attended school or held a job, you're probably well familiar with Microsoft Office, whether you used it or not. It's the most popular office suite available, and has been for some time. Apple does have its own suite of productivity apps (iWork), but Microsoft Office has always been the industry leader for word documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
How To: Get the Public Beta Preview of Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan
Apple announced the release of their newest Mac OS X version at this year's Worldwide Developer's Conference, and it's called "El Capitan." Like the majestic rock formation it's named after (located within Yosemite National Park), El Capitan promises to emphasize and expand on some of the great features we used on 10.10 Yosemite.
News: "This Guy Has My MacBook"—A Tale of Evil, Redemption & the Power of the App
This Guy Has My MacBook is a gripping tale for iOS nerds far and wide, documented via interaction designer Joshua Kaufman's tumblr. When Kaufman's MacBook was stolen from his apartment in Oakland, CA, on March 21, 2011, he quickly activated Hidden, a previously installed app that enabled Kaufman to collect photos of the thief, as well as screen shots of the computer in use.
How To: Automatically Disable Distractions on Your Mac for a Productivity Boost
Getting things done isn't easy when you're bombarded with alert sounds and notifications all day long on your Mac. Here's how you can quickly remove those distractions with just a single click.
News: Great Menubar App to Control iTunes: "You Control: Tunes"
I have been wanting to share this great menubar app for a long time now (2+ years), but I really didn't know where. Just looking at Mac How-To World made me think to post it here.
How To: Use Easy-to-Install Plugins to Customize Almost Any App on Your Mac
When you buy a Mac, you accept that you're giving up the customization found on Windows or Linux systems for a more fluid and secure machine. This is great for most consumers, but for those of us who'd rather opt for a tailor-made experience, there are always developers that can combine functionality with stability.
News: "Time Sink" Keeps Track of Your Time
Ever think you're spending too much time on your Mac? Ever want to actually see how long you've been on certain apps? Well, that's exactly what Time Sink by Many Tricks tells you.
Energy Saver 101: How to Control When Your Mac Starts, Sleeps, & Shuts Down
Work, school, and everything in between keeps us pretty busy—so much so, that sometimes we run out of the house with our shirts on backwards, our headphones misplaced, and our computers running all day long.
News: How to Use Pushbullet on Your Mac Without Needing Chrome
Before Continuity and Handoff were even announced, Pushbullet was already allowing users to quickly send notes, links, and photos between their devices with a few clicks.
How To: Is the "Save As" Option Really Back in OS X Mountain Lion?
When OS X Lion (10.7) debuted last year, a lot of Apple users were dismayed that the "Save As" option had disappeared, replaced by the "Duplicate" function. Most felt that it just wasn't the same, so when Mountain Lion was released, the "Save As" option was brought back… sort of.
How To: Activate Dark Mode in Yosemite with a Single Click
Apple has been one of the biggest trolls when it comes to adding new features to their software. Whether its adding a new boot screen and not letting all devices use it, or adding Dark Mode and making it a hassle to toggle on and off, there is always to be a caveat attached to each new addition.
How To: Will Installing OS X Mountain Lion Break My Apps?
Mountain Lion is here, and at such a reasonable price point, there doesn't seem to be many reasons why you wouldn't upgrade. That is, unless your apps aren't compatible. Just like a major OS upgrade, developers are having to adjust to Mountain Lion, and not every transition has been smooth. Before you jump into that Mountain Lion upgrade, take a moment to check that all of your apps are ready for the move.
How To: Control Web-Based Music from Pandora, Spotify, & More with Your Mac's Keyboard
Apple's keyboard has a set of media controls to navigate the music playing on iTunes, allowing you to play, pause, skip, and replay songs and videos. Unfortunately, these controls are exclusive to iTunes; if you're playing music from Spotify, Pandora, or the myriad of other online web-based services (Amazon, Rdio, SoundCloud, etc.), you're out of luck.
How To: Instantly Tune Out a Loud Room with White Noise from Your Mac's Menu Bar
Coffee shops are great places to unwind and get some free Wi-Fi, but all the bandwidth in the world can be ruined by someone being a noisy jerk. I usually start blasting music through my headphones whenever that happens, but that isn't always the most ideal situation, especially if I'm trying to study or work.
How To: Flashlight Makes Spotlight Search Look for Anything You Want in Yosemite
Yosemite brought a new, Alfred-like Spotlight search to our Macs, but at times I still find myself wanting more out of it. However, after stumbling upon Flashlight by developer Nate Parrot, I am now able to perform Google searches, look up weather, and even enter Terminal commands straight from Spotlight's search bar.
How To: Add Tabs (And Other Cool Things) to Finder in Mac OS X
Your Mac's Finder is an essential tool to doing all kinds of useful things, but as all the other functions on OS X get more and more complex, it seems like the Finder pretty much stays the same. It does have a simple, intuitive interface, but many users wish it could do more.
How To: Access Hidden Mac OS X Settings in Lion and Mountain Lion Without Using Terminal
There are a lot of hidden settings in Mac OS X that you can change by using the Apple Terminal, but if you're not familiar with it, it can be tricky. Mountain Tweaks and Lion Tweaks are two apps created by Fredrik Wiker that cut out the extra step by letting you change those settings without having to use Terminal, therefore making it ridiculously simple. Since Mountain Lion is the latest version of OS X, we'll focus on Mountain Tweaks. There are three categories of tweaks. General Tweaks are...
News: Appysnap Turns iPhone Photography into Social Game (with Prizes!)
With social photography, geo-location and iOS gaming apps on the rise, the latest addition is a hybrid of all three: AppySnap is a social location game that requires participants to complete photography "missions" in order to cash in on prizes and special offers.
How To: Keep Your Desktop Tidy by Hiding Inactive Windows on Your Mac
To contemporize a popular quote, "A cluttered desk(top) is a sign of a cluttered mind." Of course, it's difficult to maintain a tidy desktop... as you read this, mine is cluttered with screenshots, folders, Word documents, videos, pictures, and apps.
How To: Take Screenshots Directly from the Preview App in Mac OS X
There are plenty of useful shortcuts in Mac OS X, but not all of them are necessarily simple. You can use one of built-in shortcuts to take many different kinds of screenshots, but the shortcuts can be rather annoying to use because they require at least three different keys, which can be a little awkward to perform.
How To: Quickly Encode a Video for the Web with This Drag & Drop Automator Action
Automator takes the work out of common repetitive tasks. I don't enjoy compressing videos for quick sharing or uploading to the web, so I created an Automator action to handle the process for me.
How To: Crash Apps in Mountain Lion with 8 Characters (Plus Fix iMessage If Someone Pranks You with Them)
If you have a Mac running Mountain Lion, I'm sorry to tell you that all it takes to crash almost any app on it is eight little characters. This strange bug seems to only affect Mountain Lion and doesn't cause your computer any harm. Apparently, it even crashes the error reporter. On its own, the bug doesn't really pose a threat—just don't type it.
How To: Get New Playback Controls for iTunes, Spotify, & More on Your Mac
I just about always have iTunes running in the background when using my Mac, but switching in and out of the app to change songs and albums can make focusing on my main task difficult. To help keep my mind on track, I have a few extensions enabled to take control of my music playback.
How To: Hide Secret Files on Your Mac's Desktop with Obscurity
There are certain files on your Mac that do not warrant encryption, but still need to be hidden. Whether it be snoopy parents trying to find pictures, or friends stumbling upon one of your love letters, there are times when you need to hide a file and have it kept secret. Obscure Your Files with Obscurity
How To: Install Windows 8 Preview on Your Mac from a Bootable Flash Drive
With the release of Windows 8 right around the corner, if you plan on buying it (or just want to see what it's all about), it's a good idea to take advantage of the free trial before you shell out any money. If you're an Apple user who doesn't have a deep-seated disdain for Microsoft products, this tutorial will show you how to install the Windows 8 preview to try it out on your MacBook. First things first, you'll want to download the Release Preview on Microsoft's website (make sure to save ...
How To: Shazam for Mac Makes Collecting New Songs Easy
Shazam has ushered in an age where any song we like, but don't recognize, can be almost instantly identified. While the whole process is easy enough—just pull out your phone and hit a button—there are still moments where we might miss those quick and fleeting tunes.
How To: Download & Run the Latest Developer Build of Mac OS X for Free
Apple has announced the release of their OS X Beta Seed Program today, which allows anyone with an Apple ID and a Mac to download and run the latest developer build of Mac OS X 10.9.3—the most updated beta version of Mavericks. The OS X Beta Seed Program allows us to run software that was once only available to limited test audiences or registered Apple developers—with the latter costing $99 a year for a membership. With this program, not only do we get our hands on extremely new software, bu...