Apple Mac OS X tips and tweaks for faster, better working

Apple Mac hints and tips and tweaks

Welcome to the tips and tweaks section for the Apple Mac and OS X. More tips are added every week, so come back soon and you'll probably something new to read. The very first tips were written for OS X 10.4 Tiger and a few were written for OS X 10.5 Leopard. The vast majority of the tips are for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, but now that OS X 10.7 Lion is out there will be a new bunch of tips. Generally the newest tips are at the top of each section. A small number of tips are specific to a version of OS X, but quite often the tips apply to all versions or they are easily modified to work with a different version, so check them all out.

OS X Lion tips
Top Finder tips for Lion
Use Quick Look in Dock stacks to view files
Back up Lion's recovery partition
Boost security with FileVault 2
Use Spotlight as a thesaurus or dictionary
Lion's secret Wi-Fi Diagnostics
Compress PDFs for emailing and sharing
Add your signature to PDFs
Customise Mail and Finder sidebars
How to customise the Dictionary app
How to use Mail's Favorites bar
Hidden features in Spotlight
Have fun creating iCal appointments
Disable Mail animations
Copy information using Versions
Top tips for Versions
Using Versions
Networking and printing changes
Restart after a crash!
New location services setup
Auto Save locks, duplicates files
Where has Auto Save put my file?
Lock the Mac with custom messages
New Dock and language settings
The new About this Mac
Configure the scrollbars
The problem with Auto Save
Stop Safari opening the last page viewed
New vs classic view in Mail
The missing Library folder
Use the Lion Recovery Disk
Download and install Lion

Internet tips
Boost your internet with OpenDNS
Organise email by threads in Mail
Organise your RSS feeds in Mail
Customise the Mail toolbar
Automatically clear Mail's Junk folder
Avoid spam - junk emails - in Mail
Get the latest RSS feeds in Mail
Use email read receipts in Mail
Shrink photos for emailing
Drag to email
Drag and drop email
Scan for wireless networks
Sort Safari bookmarks into order
Find Address Book contacts with Google Maps
Disable Flash content in web pages
Choose your preferred Wi-Fi network
How to improve your wi-fi network
Find where downloads came from
Safari: Use Safari's privacy features
Safari: Save web pages and content
Safari: Select URLs in the address box
Safari: Save time with keyboard shortcuts
Safari: Get a list of URLs
Safari: Reset and clear to solve problems
Safari: Manage your bookmarks

Security tips
Two techniques for avoiding malware
Securely delete private files
Securely delete files in secure disk vaults
Hide files in a secure disk vault
Use PDF security features to lock access
Use iTunes parental controls
Lock files to prevent changes or deletion
Don't get caught by phishing
Securely erase disks with Disk Utility
Securely delete files
Secure data with FileVault
Turn on the firewall
Enable firewall logging
Enable firewall stealth mode
Where's the firewall gone?

Problem solving tips
How to uninstall software properly
See what's running with Activity Monitor
Check your Mac's disk drive for errors
Remove iTunes and re-install it to fix errors
Verify your Time Machine backups
Use the console to solve problems
14 ways to eject a stuck CD/DVD disc
Fix faults with Mail
Start with Command+Option to fix apps
Solve memory fragmentation problems
Check for invalid login items
Start up in Safe Mode
Eject discs on startup
Disable login items
View status messages on startup
When Help won't work
Check for disk faults
Fix disk faults
Force programs to quit
Stop services to improve security
Prevent network security changes

Finder tips
Find files fast, without Spotlight!
Quick Look does more than you think
Access and use hidden Finder features
Save your searches in Finder's sidebar
4 ways to show the path in Finder windows
Make use of Finder's title bar icon
Try these hidden features in Finder
Add folders to Finder's toolbar
Change file associations
Quick Look files in the Trash
Restore Trash to the original location
Some files are actually folders
View hidden files in Finder
Switch finder views
Open with another application
View files with Quick Look
View multiple files with Quick Look
View multiple files in Preview
All about an alias
Customise the Finder window toolbar
Copy and paste files
Find files and folders
Colour code files and folders
Find colour coded files
Search for multiple colour labels
Finder shortcuts

Menu bar tips
Removing menulets or menu extras
Rearrange menu extras/menulets
Editing menulets/menu extras
Add menulets or menu extras to the menu bar
Disable menu translucency

Dock tips
Quick and easy access to your apps
Resize the Dock directly
Remove unnecessary Dock items
Shrink the Dock
Add folders to the Dock
Menus in the Dock

Spotlight tips
Use Spotlight when saving files
Stop Spotlight indexing everything
Amazing Spotlight search secrets
Use spotlight for quick calculations
Don't open Spotlight files
Customise Spotlight categories
Stop Spotlight finding files

Automator tips
Speak contacts' birthdays using Automator
Create services using Automator
Delete Automator actions and services
Use Automator announce birthdays
Flexible multi-file rename utility

Keyboard tips
Increase the font size with a keyboard shortcut
Use keyboard shortcuts
Use modifier keys for corner hotspots
Access special characters from the keyboard
Insert special characters
Apple's special keys

Hardware tips
Change MacBook hibernation mode
A hidden feature in About This Mac
Turn the sudden motion sensor on/off
Upgrade the RAM in your Mac
Mac memory explained
Calibrate your Macbook's battery
Novices: Calibrate your monitor
Experts: Calibrate your monitor
Improve battery life part 1
Improve battery life part 2
Improve battery life part 3
Partition your USB disk

General tips
Back up your files with iBackup
Play a Terminal adventure game on the Mac
Create and edit text files with Nano
Use Dashboard widgets on the desktop
Documents, web articles on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch
Customise the dictionary
Use the right thesaurus
Reduce startup times, boot faster
Access hidden features in TextEdit
Move apps from one space to another
Turn screen corners into hotspots
Stop the Help window being on top
Create PDF files from your documents
Build up your font favourites
Turn files into stationery with stationery
4 ways to grab the screen
Get more memory - close widgets
Speed up Time Machine backups
Your favourite characters
Create an instant slide show
Sort and resize Preview thumbnails
Connect to Windows PCs Part 1
Connect to Windows PCs Part 2
Can't connect to another Mac?
Connect to a Mac from a Windows PC
Burn ISO images using Disk Utility
Defragment the disk part 1
Defragment the disk part 2
Boot from a CD/DVD
Boot from an external hard disk
Efficiently use Spaces
Start apps in their own Space
Use multiple desktops
Customise the desktop
Don't corrupt your backup
Hide and see
Clean up your desktop

Other tips

Pages: Access hidden dictionary features
iTunes: Use advanced sort options
iTunes: Listen to music you've not heard before
iTunes: Add a shopping cart
iTunes: Find and delete duplicates
iTunes: Customise podcast settings
iTunes: A better shuffle
iTunes: A better Party Shuffle
Stickies: Create bulleted lists
Stickies: Select bullet styles
Stickies: Search using Spotlight and Google
Stickies: Click and drag
iWork: Copy text and styles, text or styles
iPhoto: Fix faults with a hidden startup key combo
iPhoto: Use multiple photo libraries