Tips For Mac Users
If you own a Mac computer, then there is something you should know. The following tips will show you some alternative ways of doing things.
To begin with, when you don’t feel like speaking to Siri, command-space shortcut on your keyboard will get you to Spotlight search.
If you are interested in a quick conversion all you need to do is launch Spotlight and type the figure you wish to convert such as money or a unit of mass. However, you should be mindful that certain things like currency conversion will only work when your Mac is online.
If you wish to take a screenshot of a specific part of your screen, you just need to tap Command + Shift 4. After you do that a box will appear when you click; you should then drag the box to the location on the screen that you want to take a picture of.
How about exporting an image in a format that’s not listed? What you need to do here is hold down the Option key while clicking the Format drop down list; a selection of new image export options will be shown.
What if you try to fill in forms? The best and most efficient way is to go to System Preferences>Keyboard, clicking the All controls radio button for Full Keyboard Access.
When you resize your Windows using Split Screen view, hold down the Option key and that will enable you to see both windows clearly.
Next tip is useful if you are working with numerous documents on your Mac but need to find a specific one. You will get to it fast by just tapping the F3 button to obtain a minimized view of all your documents.
When listening to your favorite song or watching a movie, you can tap Option and Shift while raising or lowering volume for much more sensitive control.
Renaming files can be quickly accomplished by selecting them in the enclosing folder and right clicking on them. If you then choose an option Rename items, you will be able to assign them any name that you might want along with an appropriate number.
Now, let’s say you get stuck on a particular application. You can get out of it by tapping Command + Option and pressing Esc. Force Quit dialog box will appear when you do this.
Are you at times having trouble finding your work folders? You will resolve this by launching a new Finder window, selecting Show Sidebar and just dragging and dropping your work folder into the sidebar. That will also allow for easy access to the folder.
As a Mac user, you probably know how to navigate between apps using Command and Tab on your machine but do you know that you can also quit an app by simply selecting it and tapping Q? Other hidden features can be unlocked when you try using Command in your Menu bar.
You are also able to move Menu icons by clicking on one while holding down the Command key. However, you must be really careful while doing it in order not to pull it from the Menu bar.
Don’t feel like receiving any Notifications? In such a case, just press the Option key and tap the Notifications icon in the top right. The icon’s color should then change to light gray thus showing that it has been disabled.
The final tip is regarding the length of time it takes to back your data up on your Mac. Normally, such processes can be quite lengthy because they are designated as a background activity. It is in a way good for you as it is assumed that you are doing something else with your Mac. So how do you speed the process up, you might ask? By launching Terminal and pasting in the following:
sudo sysctl debug.lowpri_throttle_enabled=0
The process will be initiated when you type in your login password. Unfortunately, your data backup settings will revert back to their lengthy original state once you reboot your machine unless you follow the instructions found on the following website:
http://www.mackungfu.org/massively-speed-up-time-capsule-time-machine-backups
Mission Repair Centre is hoping that you found the above tips useful. However, if you are having any problems, please bring your Mac to us and we will try to assist you further.
Darius Romanek
Mission Repair Centre Team 🙂
