Category: Mac Treat

All Mac notebooks, iMacs, and Cinema Displays have horizontal widescreen displays. However, Mail, the email client built into Mac OS X, has a decidedly narrow interface by default. I find this rather awkward; I prefer a three-column email interface, with mailboxes, inbox, draft folders, etc in the left pane, new and unfiled emails in the…

Mac Treats are meant to be quick and easy “how to” tips for getting more from your Mac on a daily basis. Many of these Treats elicit a “wow, I didn’t know you could do that!” reaction from readers. I find it oddly satisfying to discover, harness, and share the seemingly hidden features of Mac…

Arguably, I spend most of my days typing on the computer for one reason or another (emailing, searching, writing, etc…), so I always like to find shortcuts to make the process more efficient. Here are the top text tips (say that ten times fast) for selecting text that I’ve found help me the most: »…

Here’s a tip for using your Mac’s ability to cut and paste text much more efficiently. First, a little appreciative history. Back in 1984, the ability to “cut and paste” (or “copy and paste”) text was one of the Macintosh’s original killer applications. Apple actually introduced this ability on the earlier, unsuccessful Lisa, after Steve…

The Option key is a modifier key present on Apple keyboards. On most Apple keyboards, it’s located next to the Space Bar between the Control key and Command key. Mac desktop keyboards typically have two Option keys, while notebooks usually only have one. The Option key is stamped with the word Option, along with the…

I noticed a version of the following tip on Apple’s website, and it reminded me of a conversation I recently had with a customer who was confused about Mac OS X’s spellchecking capabilities. They found the information helpful, so maybe some of you will too! Mac OS X offers a fast and easy way to…

I’m a fan of the Post-It note, so I love the fact that it comes on my Mac (plus, it’s better for the environment that way). I’m not a fan, however, of the clutter that occurs when I have several windows open. I thought I’d explore some preferences to see if I could make the…

In later versions of iTunes, little arrows appear next to songs when they’re highlighted. Normally, when you click on these arrows, you’re directed to the iTunes store where you can browse related albums and songs. I recently discovered that these arrows can actually help you browse your own iTunes library. Simply hold down the Option…

In OS 9 it was possible to create a “desktop printer,” which made printing as easy as dragging and dropping a file onto a printer icon. The advantage was that you didn’t have to launch an application to open a file before printing it. Fortunately, it’s easy to create a desktop printer in OS 10.5.…

Annoyed when Time Machine kicks on ALL THE TIME? Well, maybe it’s not all the time, but it is every hour you have a hard drive plugged in or Time Machine set to run. That’s too often for me, so I decided to see what I could do to change it. Here’s how: 1) Go…