Do you need to access your “user library” folder? If you come across instructions that direct you to do so, or if you otherwise develop the need to modify items within your library folder, then unless you are familiar with OS X’s library structures, you might end up being either being unable to locate your library, or using the wrong one. Continue reading
Category Archives: How-To
How to use the OS X Dock as a Command-Tab replacement
When switching between open Apps in OS X, you might generally use Command-Tab; however, you can do similar switching, and far more, directly in the Dock. Even though the Dock is intended to be managed primarily with your mouse, Apple supports accessing it via the keyboard. The default action for this is to press Control-F3, but since some of its features are quite similar to Command-Tab, I recommend changing it to Option-Tab or something similar.
How to handle multiple disks simultaneously with Disk Utility
Regardless of the number of storage devices you have attached or built into your Mac, you will likely use Disk Utility for formatting them when necessary, to partition and resize them for various purposes, and otherwise managing them. However, one limitation you might find when using Disk Utility is that it will only act on one drive or volume at a time. Continue reading
How to check what kind of Mac you have
When Mac systems are discussed online, you will often see them mentioned by their common name, such as “Late 2012,” “Mid 2013,” or “Early 2013,” etc. These names suggest a model number, and sometimes are specific enough to identify your model in question; however, this is not the true model identifier of your Mac.
Along with the common model number, each Mac revision has a Model Identifier that is specific to the motherboard and Continue reading
How to magnify your iPad’s screen
Even though content on your iPad should be mostly legible, there are instances where a magnifying glass would be useful to see some nuance of your screen. If you own an iPad and find yourself sometimes squinting at your screen to see some minute set of text, or the details of an image, then there are several built-in tricks you can use to get a better view of what you are looking at. Continue reading
How to adjust and manage alert volumes in OS X
When you are giving a presentation, enjoying a movie, or perhaps relaxing with some music, one of the last things you might want is for your computer to issue some error coupled with a startling alert sound. Granted alerts are intended to get your attention, but when too loud they can be exceptionally frustrating. To help prevent this, you have three options for managing alert sounds: relative volume levels, different alert sounds, and alternative output devices. Continue reading