Your Mac, Your Way

How Macworld readers and contributors customize OS X

No two Mac users use their Macs in exactly the same way. We each mold our machines to our own particular predilections. Some neatniks keep their files and folders neatly organized; more casual types let them fall where they may and rely on Spotlight to sort out the mess. Some use nothing but OS X's built-in tools to launch apps and manage files; others use the host of third-party utilities to do the same thing. Some create virtual workspaces that are purely functional; others let their creative sides go wild in personalizing their Mac desktops.

Whatever kind of Mac user you are, you're no doubt always looking for ways to make OS X more closely match the way you like to work. That’s why we asked some of the smartest Mac users we know—Macworld’s editors, writers, and readers—how they’ve customized OS X so it works better for them. In the pages that follow, you’ll find the highlights of what they said.

We start with ideas for customizing the OS X workspace. After that, we have installments on customizing the way you manage files and launch apps.

The idea here is not to tell you specifically to do this or that. The idea is to give you some ideas and let you know what’s possible—to spark your creativity so you can make your Mac environment truly your own.

Your Mac, Your Way

How to customize the workspace, manage files, and launch apps the way you want.

Customize the OS X workspace

There's more to customizing your Mac's visual interface than changing the wallpaper. Here's how some Macworld readers and contributors have made their Mac workspaces their own.
Manage files in OS X your way

You don't have to stick with the Finder: Here a few of the ways Macworld contributors and readers have customized OS X to make file-management easier
Launching apps: Beyond the Dock

We asked Macworld readers and contributors: How do you launch applications? Here are a few of their cleverest answers.