Identifying files by their icon is perhaps more important than being able to locate the programs you use, since for the most part you will likely be browsing your files when using the Finder on your Mac. However, there are some instances where the icons for your files will just appear as generic white documents, leaving you unable to distinguish them and less likely to identify them. This may happen for a number of reasons, including using incompatible third-party cleaner tools for your Mac, or problems with restoring from backups. If you are finding yourself in this situation, then there are several things you can do to restore your icons. Continue reading
Tag Archives: launch services
How to always have a document open in a specific program in OS X
When a program is installed in OS X, the system will scan it for various capabilities, including what document formats it can handle, and then will make the program available as an option for managing these formats and other functions. While this is commonly used for document formats, it is also used for URL links, such as those for Web pages, FTP sites, media streams, and E-mail. Continue reading
How to change the default Web browser and E-mail client in OS X
When you click a link in OS X, be it a Web link or a mailto link for sending an e-mail, OS X will open the default program that is associated for handling this type of link. In a fresh OS X installation, these will be set to Safari and Mail, but you can use any program that is capable of managing these links.
As with handling files of a particular type, OS X uses Continue reading
How to change or unlink files from applications in OS X
OS X will automatically associate programs to handle file types they are built to read. For instance, if you have a file with a non-standard extension such as .xyz, then if you double-click it OS X will likely ask you to select an application to use; however, if you have installed an application that can handle .xyz file types, then OS X will detect this and launch this application when you open a file of this type. While convenient, if you would like to unlink this association then you will have to jump through a couple of hoops. Continue reading