Browse Mac OS X Help and Tips

Browse Mac OS X Help and Tips

Enable momentum scrolling for Magic Mouse in 10.5
The new Magic Mouse includes a feature called 'momentum scrolling,' but only in OS X 10.6. However, using a simple Terminal command, you can add momentum scrolling to the Magic Mouse in 10.5.
Bugs & Fixes: Screensavers in Snow Leopard
After a little wait, many third-party screensavers are now compatible with Snow Leopard. But there are glitches. Ted Landau has details.
Toggle sidebar visibility in all open Finder windows
Using an AppleScript, create a Service (in 10.6) that will let you toggle the visibility of the sidebar in all open Finder windows. This also works in 10.5, but it's not quite as useful there, as the script can't fully hide the sidebar.
Use Tab key in Snow Leopard keyboard shortcuts
Learn how to include the Tab key in user-created keyboard shortcuts in Snow Leopard -- something that wasn't possible in previous OS X releases.
Five unexpected uses for Copy and Paste
Did you know you can copy and paste a whole lot more than just text and graphics? When you start in the Finder, you can use the Copy command to lift all sorts of information from a selected Finder item. Here are some of Sharon Zardetto's favorite tricks.
Macworld's complete Mac buying guide
In this buying guide, we'll cover all the Macintosh models available, tell you how they've changed over the previous model, and how well they did in our benchmark tests.
Open minimized windows in current space in Snow Leopard
Learn a simple keyboard shortcut to release minimized windows into the active Space, instead of back into their original Space.
Enable global text replacements in Snow Leopard
In Snow Leopard, text replacement must be enabled on a program by program basis. Use this hint to enable text replacements globally, at least in all programs that support them.
Looking at the changes to Snow Leopard's top command
Learn about some key changes to the Unix 'top' command in Snow Leopard
Directly set screen sharing image quality level
Learn how to set the quality level of a remote Mac's screen in the Screen Sharing application in 10.5 and 10.6.
Bugs & Fixes: What bugs Mac OS X 10.6.2 tackles
The Mac OS X 10.6.2 update fixes several bugs that Ted Landau looked at in previous columns. Here's a rundown of what the updated OS addresses.
Add more effects to Photo Booth and iChat
Learn how to add over 20 additional effects to photos taken in Photo Booth and iChat
Five unexpected uses for the Control key
Sure, you’ve nearly worn out your Mac’s Control key using it to open contextual menus. But did you know you can also add Control to common key combinations to access different commands? Here are five of Sharon Zardetto's favorite Control key tricks.
Switchers Guide: Moving from Windows to the Mac
More and more people are switching from Windows PCs to the Mac. Harry McCracken explains what's involved in the move.
Four hints about Mail and Spaces
Four hints for the price of one ... learn how to easily switch between open windows of an app across Spaces, how to delete Mail messages without showing a preview of the next, and two tips for working with links in messages in 10.6's Mail app.
Create pause-zoom-pause effects in iMovie stills
Learn how to show a still image for some time in your iMovie project, then zoom/crop/move that image, and then pause on the final image again before moving on.
Delete networked files without caution dialog
Learn a timesaving (but potentially dangerous) method of deleting files stored on networked volumes without going through the Finder's "are you sure?" warning dialog.
Bugs & Fixes: Snow Leopard's Spelling Ignore button is ignored
After upgrading to Snow Leopard, have you noticed that words continue to be flagged as potentially incorrect even after you've clicked the Ignore button in the Spelling Checker? Ted Landau gets to the root of the problem.
See icon previews in folder Quick Look windows
Learn how to see a rotating set of icon previews for files within folders in Quick Look mode - perhaps not terribly useful, but visually intriguing
Five unexpected uses for the Esc key
The Esc key has long been the “get me outta here” panacea for many things: canceling a dialog box, getting rid of a button-less splash screen, you name it. (Esc is, after all, short for "escape.") Here’s a handful of less-than-obvious solutions the Esc key provides.
Two more Snow Leopard Expose tips
Learn how to change the Expose All Windows sort order, and how to control whether or not Expose searches across Spaces in Application Windows mode.
Add notes to events and contacts created with data detectors
Data detectors in Mail in 10.5 and 10.6 can help you create new contacts and events from dates, addresses, and phone numbers. Learn how to automatically associate notes with these new entries.
Bugs & Fixes: Font duplicate misadventures
After upgrading to Snow Leopard, Ted Landau was surprised to find 16 duplicate font warnings. And it took some effort to resolve the matter.
Find recently-used apps and documents in Snow Leopard
In Snow Leopard, you can use the Recent Items menu to help you quickly find where you saved a recently-used document (or application).
Two ways to download software updates in Snow Leopard
Snow Leopard removed a useful 'download only' option from Software Update. Learn two ways to replace that lost functionality.
Move Finder items more efficiently
There must be easier ways to move items from place to place on your Mac. I provide a few and then solicit your ideas.
See which processes are using the Internet
Use Terminal to see which processes are using your Internet connection
Bugs & Fixes: Solving Safari cookie problems
Sometimes, solving a cookie-related problem requires more than just deleting cookies from Safari, as Ted Landau details in this week's Bugs & Fixes column.
Switch between app windows in different Spaces
Learn another method of switching between application windows for one program, when those windows are open in multiple Spaces
Create Mail accounts manually in Snow Leopard
Learn how to bypass Snow Leopard's automatic Mail account setup feature.