If you wish to have a user account on your Mac that is discrete so others using your Mac cannot see that user, then you can do so by the classic methods of changing the user ID for the account and then adjusting some hidden system settings to manage those accounts at the login window. While these approaches are the most compatible across different OS X versions and still work for the latest ones, if you have OS X Yosemite or later on your Mac, then there is an easy two-step approach for hiding user accounts. Continue reading
Monthly Archives: November 2015
How to find group membership in OS X
Groups in OS X are special account entries that act as umbrellas under which user accounts may exist, allowing single adjustments of access permissions to immediately apply to numerous users. As a result, the use of groups when setting up a multi-user Mac can be exceptionally useful, but then again may also leave open security holes if not done correctly. Continue reading
How to view system identification at the OS X login window
When logging into a Mac you generally see your list of usernames that you can click, followed by a password entry field. While you can enable other features such as a the shutdown and restart buttons, as well as the system’s input menu, these are fairly static functions that offer utility but no additional information about the system. However, being able to identify a system at the login window may be useful, and in OS X there are two ways to accomplish this. Continue reading
How to create hidden administrative accounts in OS X
If you have a system that is used by other people, you may want to give them managed user accounts and then reserve a separate administrative account for installing apps and changing system settings. This is especially true for situations where many people may be using one computer, such as in classrooms. While you can always create an administrative account, by default such accounts will show up along with others at the login window, in the Fast User Switch menu, and other locations; however, you can set this up to be hidden from most of these locations. Continue reading
How to quickly target shared computers by name in OS X
Even though in most cases Apple’s Bonjour networking technology allows your Mac to discover relevant services that are broadcast by nearby systems (e.g., shared systems showing in the Finder sidebar), there are times when you may need to enter computer names manually to connect. In these cases, you will have to specify the full name of the system you are targeting, including its domain. For Mac systems, this means append the “.local” suffix to a computer name in order to target it on the local network. However, there is a quick way to avoid having to do this. Continue reading
How to take a screenshot of another user’s desktop in OS X
One of the popular features of OS X is its built-in screenshot ability, where by pressing Shift-Command-3 you can capture an image of your current screen output to your desktop. This ability allows you to save a record of whatever you are looking at, which has numerous conveniences. By default screenshots will only capture what you see on your screen; however, if needed you can also take a screenshot of another user’s screen without needing to switch your view. Continue reading
How to quickly combine multiple Photos libraries in OS X
As of OS X Yosemite, Apple is encouraging everyone to use its new Photos program for managing pictures in OS X. While Photos has a number of pros and cons, it does share a limitation of its “iPhoto” predecessor, in that while it uses a library system for managing photos and offers an option to create multiple libraries, it can only have one open at a time. This means that if you wish to consolidate libraries, you might find yourself jumping through hoops; however, there is a relatively simple way to get this done. Continue reading
How to verify app signatures in OS X
One potential route by which an attacker can compromise your Mac is to modify a legitimate software package to contain malware. While this is difficult to do through official software distribution channels (e.g., the Mac App Store), it can be done through popular alternative approaches like peer-to-peer networking and third-party software distribution Web sites. Continue reading
How to create a quick ASCII banner in the OS X Terminal
Even if you are not a Terminal wizard, there are some fun tools and features of it that can be amusing. For instance, some online services are available for you to log into with Telnet and watch a text-based version of Star Wars, or you can play odd games that folks have coded into the “emacs” editor, among others. If you are ever sitting at your Mac and suddenly have the urge to print out a massive banner of a text phrase, then you can do that to. Continue reading
Four methods for accessing recovery mode in OS X
Accessing Recovery Mode in OS X may be necessary for restoring from a backup, and reinstalling OS X, among other low-level administrative tasks. In most cases, your Mac will have a local recovery partition based on the current OS X installation, that you can access; however, there may be instances where this will not work. For those who need to access Recovery Mode for a particular Mac, here are all of the way to go about doing this. Continue reading