Cool OSX Tips - Share Your Favorites

Eric M Jones · 04-27-2007, 11:56 AM

I've been reading through the Mac forum and it seems there a several new users/switchers here. I thought it would be fun to share OSX tips and shortcuts that aren't readily apparent but make the OSX experience even easier. One thing I love about OSX is the thought in the design and there are many features that I did not know about until several months of using it. So if you have a favorite post it here!

Expose' - One of my favorite OSX features. Allows quick switching between multiple open windows. It also looks very cool. Here's how it works:

Type the F9 key and Exposé instantly tiles all of your open windows, scales them down and neatly arranges them, so you can see what’s in every single one.

Type the F10 key, and Exposé instantly tiles all of your current apppliction windows while causing all of the open windows of other applications to fade to a delightful shade of grey.

Type the F11 key and Exposé hides all open windows, giving you instant access to your desktop. This one is very sweet. you can hide all the windows then say grab say a file off the desktop (click drag) hit F11 again and drop the file into one of the un-hidden windows.

Ok. Reading is one thing seeing is another. Open a bunch of windows hit F9 and if you've never seen it before I guarantee it will bring a smile to your face!

Toggle Between Open Apps - Hold "Apple/Cmd" then press "tab" the active application switcher menu will appear. Continue holding "Apple/Cmd" then hit "tab" again it will cycle to the next application icon. Hold "Apple/Cmd" + "Shift" it will cycle backwards. Highlight the icon of the application you want to use release the keys and that app becomes the current/top active application.

Rearrange Menu Bar or Dock Icons - Want to reorder or even remove those little icons that appear in the upper right of the menu bar? Hold "Apple/Cmd" key then click-hold on the icon you want to move. Move it around, the other icons make room by shuffling themselves. Don't want it there any longer? Drag it onto the desktop let go of the mouse button and "poof" it's gone.
PS - You can do the same with the dock icons but you do not have to hold "Apple/Cmd" key just click-hold.

-EJ

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Christ Reynolds · 04-27-2007, 02:47 PM

alt-cmd-D will hide/show the dock.

CJ

ErichH · 04-27-2007, 03:13 PM

I do lots of zooming to see all those tiny videos on the net or anything that's to small. Turn it on in Universal Access - Right hand only, place the side of your thum on command&option and first finger on the = or - key. Pointer position is key. (ok, you can use 3 fingers if you want to - not as cool)

Oldies

Take snapshots with command/shift/4(drag a box and release) or 3(fullscreen)
Option drag to copy a file or folder to the same or a different location (same location adds copy to the name)
Option/shift k makes an 

E

Ronald Epstein · 04-27-2007, 03:41 PM

What a great thread! I will make this a "sticky"

Looking forward to more OSX tips. I am still too much a "newbie"
at this so consider me a learner rather than teacher.

BTW, I had no idea EXPOSE was automatically active.
I started hitting F9, F10 and F11 and had a lot
of fun seeing my desktop rearranged, or, all the active windows cleared.
Nice tip I knew nothing about!

Andrew Pratt · 04-27-2007, 03:50 PM

Apple + Q will quit an application which can be useful when combined with Apple + Tab to quickly close app's left running in the background.

You can also easily change icon's that OS X uses for app's or folders etc. Do a Get Info on the icon and you'll see a smaller copy of the graphic in the top corner...if you have an image saved to the clipboard you can paste it into that image and over write the default. I used this to change the mail.app icon from a US stamp to a Canadian one

Of course Apple X (cut), Apple C (Copy) and Apple V (Paste) all work the same way as Ctrl X, C and V do in the windows world...as do many other keyboard shortcuts if you substitute the Apple key for the Ctrl key.

In FireFox Apple and a mouse Click will open a new tab...I've got this set to occur when I click the scroll wheel on my mouse to mimic what happens on an XP box.

Press Ctrl and your move your mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/out on pages. Its very handy for YouTube video etc

For Windows switchers you can drag the Applications folder from Finder to the Dock to mimic the Start button...just right click on the Applications folder in Dock to see a listing of the programs just like Windows does.

Also in Finder you can drag and drop files from one folder to another...hover over a new folder and it'll open...or while hovering press the space bar and it'll open instantly.

Steve Tannehill · 04-27-2007, 03:57 PM

Always keep a backup of your important files...

- Steve

Eric M Jones · 04-27-2007, 04:59 PM

Quote:

BTW, I had no idea EXPOSE was automatically active.
I started hitting F9, F10 and F11 and had a lot
of fun seeing my desktop rearranged, or, all the active windows cleared.
Nice tip I knew nothing about!

I posted that one for you Ron. I was hoping that you'd hadn't discovered it yet! Whenever I show OSX to folks who have never used a Mac I always show expose. It always gets a lot of Ohhhs and Ahhhs.

Some other fun eye candy:
-The "Ripple Effect" when you add a widget to your desktop.
-The "Cube Turn" when you switch user accounts (I think this one has to be turned on.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Tannehill

Always keep a backup of your important files...

- Steve

Steve, does the sad face mean you recent had an issue? Thanks for the reminder!

Quote:

Apple + Q will quit an application which can be useful when combined with Apple + Tab to quickly close app's left running in the background.

Along the same lines: If you have multiple windows open that you want to close at once hold the option key then close the top window by clicking the left corner red button. All of the other windows will close too.

-EJ

ErichH · 04-27-2007, 06:11 PM

For those with 2 DVD Drives

Make a copy of Toast and burn 2 disks at once.
DragonBurn will rip 2 without a seperate app.

Target Boot 1 Mac to another via firewire. Boot or restart holding the T key until you see a Firewire Icon. Main drive shows on the other Mac. A fast way to copy large files in both directions. When done, eject the T booted Mac (drive icon in the finder window) then hold the power key on the T boot Mac to shut it down. Unplug the fire cable.

Some of us are used to Target Boot when we set up a new box and transfer from the old one.

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Scott Kimball · 04-27-2007, 07:27 PM

Didn't see it mentioned...
Try holding down the SHIFT key while invoking Expose...

Eric M Jones · 04-27-2007, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Kimball

Didn't see it mentioned...
Try holding down the SHIFT key while invoking Expose...

Cool! John Woo would be proud!

-EJ

Paul McGowan · 04-28-2007, 03:11 AM

OSX tip of the week archive:

http://www.apple.com/pro/tips/

Christ Reynolds · 04-28-2007, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Try holding down the SHIFT key while invoking Expose...

also works while minimizing stuff to the dock, and bringing it back.

CJ