Latest Mac How To
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Mac 911
How to restore macOS settings and startup items on a new Mac
When a macOS upgrade appears to go well but wonu2019t maintain startup items and other changes, try migration or even reinstalling.
Mac 911
How many monitors can I plug into my Mac, anyway?
A profusion of standards, generations, and new Apple silicon Mac external monitor limitations have made this a conundrum for many readers. Here's some clarification.
Mac 911
How to start up your M1 or M2 Mac from an external drive
Need to boot your M-series Mac with an external drive? It's not as easy as it used to be, as it likely requires you purchase new hardware.
Mac 911
How to reset a Mac's Bluetooth settings
If your Bluetooth set up appears messed up beyond repair, hit reset.
Mac 911
How to keep a family member or colleague from messing with a shared Calendar
Calendar sharing in iCloud is popularu2014but sometimes you want other people to keep their hands off.
How-To
How to create an Apple ID
Need an Apple ID to use an iPhone, iPad or Mac, or one of Apple's online services? It's easy! Here's how to create an Apple ID
Mac 911
How to blur the background for video calls on your Mac
This option only appears when the video camera is active.
Mac 911
How to troubleshoot balky Bluetooth on your Apple devices
Bluetooth is a standard, but it appears unevenly implemented among manufacturers, leading to connection problems.
Mac 911
How to control Universal Clipboard
You might sometimes want to dry up the glue between your devices.
How-To
How to check if your Mac’s software is 32- or 64-bit
If you plan to use macOS beyond Mojave, you need to upgrade any 32-bit apps on your Mac to 64-bit. Hereu2019s how to check for 32-bit apps on your Mac.
Mac 911
How to view Mac photos on TV via Apple TV
The process for setting up photo sharing to an Apple TV remains obscure. Hereu2019s how.
Mac 911
How to configure shutdown settings with a UPS on a Mac
Plugging most uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) into a desktop Mac enables a menu of options for dealing with power outages.
Mac 911
How to adjust the date and time in the macOS Menu Bar
Apple likes to reorganize where you find things. Date & Time settings oddly donu2019t include how the date and time appear in macOS.
Mac 911
How to stop email read receipts in Apple Mail
Never implemented as a mail standard, thereu2019s no good way to find out if someone read your message.
Mac 911
Universal Control and Sidecar: Which can run on your Mac and iPad?
Appleu2019s two features that turn an iPad into an extension of your Mac have a long list of requirements.
Mac 911
Photos library won't load? Time to rebuild it. Here's how
Apple has a built-in feature that could fix a broken library.
How-To
How to test your Mac's internet speed and quality
Several options help you figure out the performance and health of your internet connection, including a new built-in tool hidden in macOS Monterey.
Mac 911
How to use Photos and Pages to size and crop pictures for printing
Each app has its advantages for getting the size and shape photo print you want.
Mac 911
How to move images and videos among Photos albums
Albums point to media files in the library rather than collect them as a folder would.
Mac 911
How to switch to single-page view in Microsoft Word and the Preview app
You can scroll infinitely or use a page-by-page mode.
Updated
What to do when your Mac says Wi-Fi hardware isn’t installed
You know youu2019ve got Wi-Fi hardware in your Mac, so why is macOS claiming itu2019s not there? Some solutions.
How-To
Untangling the Terminal
Using the macOS command line can be an easier way of doing a task that involves a lot of file and folder management or window and menu navigation.
Mac 911
How to use FaceTime Audio for a high-quality voice call
While FaceTime might seem to be all about the video, its audio-only option offers an improvement over phone network calls.
How-To
How to preorder the M2 MacBook Air
The M2 MacBook Air goes on sale from July 8, but stock is likely to sell out quickly. Read our pre-ordering tips to find out what you need to do if you want to buy one.
How-To
How to copy and move Mac files thorough Terminal
Wish you could move a bunch of folders all at once or instantly move every file of a certain type into a new folder? Using your Mac's Terminal commands may be the answer.
How-To
How to use man pages in Terminal
The key to learning about OS X's command line is manual (or man) pages. Here's an introduction.
How-To
How to navigate Mac files and folders in Terminal
Ready to learn a new skill in the new year? The Terminal can be a powerful productivity tool, if you know the basics.
How-To
How to use the macOS command line to compare two folders' contents in Terminal
Use a built-in Unix program to quickly compare two folders' contents.
How-To
How to use Quick Look from Terminal in macOS
You may be surprised to learn that you can use Leopardu2019s Quick Look feature in the decidedly non-GUI world of Terminal. Well, you can, and hereu2019s how.
How-To
How to fix macOS command line typos in Terminal
Made a mistake typing a Terminal command? The caret character (^) can be your best friend.
Mac 911
How to migrate one user to another Mac
You donu2019t have to move an entire Macu2019s startup volume to another to shift one user.
How-To
How to connect an Apple LED Cinema Display to a new MacBook
With a small investment, you can connect a Mini-DisplayPort Apple monitor over USB-C to a MacBook or MacBook Pro.
Mac 911
How to open a stubborn email attachment in Mail on your Mac
Apple Mail may wind up with broken permissions that prevent you from opening files you should have access to.
Mac 911
Is your Mac's pointer disappearing mysteriously? It might be Universal Control
You might run into a confusing scenario if you forget that you have Universal Control on and your devices arenu2019t that close together.
Mac 911
How to find files of particular types across your Mac
Finding files of a particular kind in macOS is a breeze using Spotlight, whether as a search in a Finder window or by creating a smart folder.
Mac 911
How much storage should you leave unused on a Mac's SSD?
Recommendations vary enormously because free space depends on your driveu2019s purpose. But thereu2019s an easy decision tree you can follow.
Mac 911
How to fix Messages when it shows a phone number instead of a name
Messages may suddenly show the phone number for parties in your contacts for unknown reasons, breaking identified and unified conversations.
How-To
Work smarter: Connect your Mac to an extra monitor
You can add one or more displays to your Mac. Here's what you need to connect an external monitor, including how to find which adapter you need, the best cables and docks, and how to fix any problems you encounter.
Mac 911
What to do when your Mac's internal storage runs out
Most Macs of the last several, and some even longer, require so much effort to replace an internal drive youu2019re better off with a fresh external one.
How-To
How to use Disk Utility on a Mac
Tucked away in the Utilities folder, Disk Utility and its First Aid feature can be used to check if a disk is damaged and repair it, create a disk image, partition a disk, and so much more…
How-To
What Mac do you have? Here’s how to find out
Here's how to tell what kind of Mac or MacBook you have, including how old it is and how to find your Mac's model number
Mac 911
How to use file sharing on your Mac
File sharing is a click of a button plus many more subtle settings.
Mac 911
How to set per-app Accessibility controls in iOS and iPadOS
Accessibility features can be a boon but may break some apps. You can set exceptions and overrides.
Mac 911
How to see how much space Time Machine backups actually occupy
Appleu2019s method of linking files in Time Machine archives can result in perplexing totals.
Mac 911
How to attach an action to a Mac folder for automatic workflows
macOS lets you trigger behavior just by the contents of a folder changing.
Mac 911
What to do when your Mac shows a Wi-Fi message that says your device is paused
A router configuration has blocked your device, albeit politely.
How-To
Learn to untangle USB and Thunderbolt
Digging into these multi-purpose standards can help you troubleshoot problems and obtain your best connection rates. (An excerpt from "Take Control of Untangling Connections.")
How-To
How to fix a frozen MacBook or Mac
Has your Mac stopped responding? Here's how to unfreeze a Mac that's hanging and what to do if you can't click anything.
Mac 911