The keep-it-simple approach of Apple
is merely the lid on a treasure trove of hidden features
Macs are supposed to be simple to use, but
even Apple's engineers can't make every feature of a modern operating system
ultra-accessible. The result is that an astonishing number of hidden features
lie just a few clicks beneath the surface of Mac OS X. As if this weren’t
enough for the power user, there are also many experimental features that we
end users aren’t supposed to know about but which can be revealed by typing
secret commands. Join us as we take a voyage through 15 lesser-known Mac
tricks.
Get the most from spotlight
Spotlight is Mac OS X’s search tool. In
addition to recording where files live, it also knows what’s inside files, so
you don’t even have to remember filenames. Want to search for that email
conversation about Furbies? Just type the word.
If Spotlight’s not part of your routine
then the following quick tips might persuade you.
Spotlight’s an excellent way of starting
apps without using the mouse. Just hit Cmd+ Space to open the Spotlight search
bar, then start typing the name of the app. Before you’ve typed more than a few
characters the app will be highlighted in the list, and you can run it by
hitting Return. Alternatively, trying typing the app’s initial letters — to
start Disk Utility, you might type ‘du’, for example. To start Google Chrome,
you might type ‘gc’.
You
can start apps using the keyboard using Spotlight – hit Cmd+ Space, type the
app’s initials, and hit Return
You can filter Spotlight’s list of results
by typing ‘kind:’, followed by a modifier word. To see only audio in the
results you could type ‘kind: music’, before typing the search term ‘kind: music
Fleetwood mac’, for example. Other kind: modifiers that are obvious by their
names include email, contact, document, app, folder, movies, pdf, pic,
presentation, and spreadsheet. Give them a try!
Alternatively, try typing ‘author:’, then
in quotation marks the name of the person behind the email or document you want
to find, followed by the search term – something like ‘author: “keir Thomas”
furies’.
Create CD Artwork Using itunes
You might already know that you can burn
audio and MP3 CDs from your iTunes music collection. First create a new
playlist — select the tracks, right- click them and select ‘Create Playlist
From Selection’. Then select the new playlist, right-click it, and select the
Burn option.
Did you know, though, that ¡Tunes can
print-off a high-quality jewel case for your CD? Again, select the playlist,
and click File > Print on the main menu. In the dialogue box that appears,
select whatever style you want from the Theme drop-down list. The ‘single
cover’ option produces something akin to a commercial CD’s jewel case, using
the album art from the music files.
You
can not only create CDs using iTunes but also print off authentic-looking jewel
case artwork
Find forgotten passwords
Often your Mac will ask whether you want to
let it remember your login details for websites and even applications like
Yahoo Messenger.
I make such heavy use of this feature that
I often forget what the password was or even the account name in some cases.
However, Macs make it easy to recover such details.
All passwords are stored in a secure
keychain file, and you can use the Keychain Access program to get to it. It's
found in the Utilities folder of the Applications list within Finder. When the
program starts, ensure All Items is selected under the Category heading on the
left, and then simply type the name of the website or application into the
search field at the top right of the program window. Then double-click the
entry you want in the list of results.
In the dialogue box that appears, put a
check in the Show Password box. You'll need to type your login password to
authorize this, but once you're done, it will appear in plain text (ensure
nobody can see your screen at this point, of course). Your login name will be
listed above in the Account text field.
Choose words from a list
Ever had one of those days where words seem
to get stuck on the end of your tongue? Well, all you need to do on a Mac is
start typing the first few letters of the word and then hit Esc. A pop-out menu
will appear showing lots of suggestions. Then use the cursor keys to select the
correct word and hit Return to insert it. Hit Esc again to close the list if
you don't want to choose one of the options.
Hit
Escape (or Alt+ Esc) when typing a word and pop-out list of suggestions will
appear
This tip works in most built-in OS X apps,
such as TextEdit or Safari, but not in Microsoft Office. In some applications
where Esc is already assigned to a function, such as in the address and search
field of Safari, you'll need to hit either F5 (Fn+F5 on MacBooks and those with
aluminum external keyboards) or Alt+ Esc.
Use modifier keys with hot corners
You can configure your Mac so that if the
mouse cursor is pushed into any of the four screen corners, then a particular
function activates, such as putting the Mac to sleep or activating Mission
Control. This feature is called Hot Corners and can be switched on by selecting
Mission Control in System Preferences, then clicking the Hot Corners button,
before making a selection from the drop-down list.
You
can combine keystrokes with Mac’s built-in Hot Corners feature to activate
certain features
What's not at all obvious is that you can
combine the Shift, Ctrl, Alt and Cmd keys with a Hot Corner so that pushing the
mouse into a corner won't do anything unless one of these keys is held down -
useful for the not-so-rare occasions when the mouse can end up there.
Just press the relevant key(s) when the
drop-down menu for the corner is visible. You can combine any or all of the
modifier keys. The menu entry will change to show what modifier keys you've
selected to use.
Read the full dictionary
One of my favorite built-in Mac apps is the
Dictionary application, which you can find in the Applications folder of
Finder.
It relies on the prestigious Oxford
Dictionary for its word definitions, but it's a little-known fact that the app
contains all of the dictionary's pages, including introductory chapters and
reading guides. To access these, open the application, and click Front/ Back
Matter at the bottom of the Go menu. Then click the hyperlinks to individual
sections within the Dictionary program window.
You can also switch to a British version of
the English dictionary and thesaurus, rather than the default US edition, plus
Spanish, German, and Simplified Chinese dictionaries, as well as Japanese and a
Japanese/English dictionary. To activate any of them, click Preferences on the
Application menu and select them in the list within the dialogue box that
appears. You can click and drag entries in the list to define which results are
shown first when you search for words.
The
Dictionary app includes not only word definitions but also the front and back
matter pages of the real thing, including reading guides
