Select text like a Pro
Here ’s a dandy trick that allow you tap Alt+W ( selection - W on some keybaords ) to choose the current word of honor under the text pointer , and Alt+P to select the current paragraph . Open TextEdit , click New Document , and click Format > Make Plain Text . Then glue the following :
{
“ ~w ” = selectWord : ;
“ ~p ” = selectParagraph : ;
“ ^~w ” = ( selectWord : , foreshorten :) ;
“ ^~p ” = ( selectParagraph : , issue :) ;
}
Click to keep the filing cabinet . In the dialog box , tap Shift+Cmd+G , and then type~/Library . make a new folder calledKeyBindings . Then salve your filing cabinet to the folder , call itDefaultKeyBinding.dict . lumber out and back in again . Note that this deception wo n’t bring in Microsoft Office apps ( with the elision of Outlook 15.6 ) , sadly , but do work in most other apps .
[ study about the New Word , Excel & PowerPoint come before long : how to get your hand on the preview of the next version of Word , Excel and PowerPoint for Mac ]
Add a boot-time password
Some PC substance abuser add a password to their computer so that nobody but them can boot it . Macs allow this too although if you have FileVault enabled you ’ll only see it when you attempt to boot from something other than the primary boot disc .
To start the boot word , reset your Mac and just before the Apple logo appears , press and hold down Cmd+R to bring up to the Recovery System .
chatter Utilities > Firmware Password Utility and follow the didactics .
Be highly deliberate when typing your new password and take down it down somewhere ! If you forget it then only Apple can unlock your calculator . This is probably why this feature is not a nonpayment circumstance .
[ Find out what to do if you have forgotton the password for your Mac : what to do if you ’ve forgotten your OS X admin password ]
Quick View inside zips
Quick Look is a jewel in the cap of OS X ’s features but it has a glaring omission : You ca n’t Quick wait slide fastener files to see what they contain . You ’re forced to decompress them each time .
Luckily , the folks behindBetterZipprovidea free add - onthat fixes the trouble . You ’ll need todownload the file(and unzip it ) , then unfold a Finder windowpane , tap Shift+Cmd+G , and recruit / Library / QuickLook . Then drop the data file into the leaflet ( click Authenticate and type your password when instigate ) and reboot .
[ Here ’s another tip : Readhow to select and copy text from Quick Look Preview in OS X ]
Create a Start menu
Microsoft Windows is scarcely a shining example of operating organization excellence but the Start menu , which provide quick admittance to all apps , is for certain an effective concept . you could make your own substitute Start menu on the Dock via the following step .
OpenSystem Preferences , click the General ikon , and change the Recent Items dropdown list to 30 . Then open Terminal ( it ’s in the Utilities booklet of Applications ) , then copy and paste in the following , which is all one line :
nonremittal write com.apple.dock tenacious - apps -array - add ‘ { “ tile - data point ” = { “ list - type ” = 1 ; } ; “ tile - type ” = “ recents - tile ” ; } ’ & & killall Dock
The Dockwill slide out of view , then return . Somewhere within it a Modern icon will have appeared , titled Recent Items . penetrate it and a list of late - used apps will fan out . It might contain only a minor telephone number of apps but it will develop as time move on . This is a stack like any other so right - clicking will countenance you bend it into a devotee , or a list . you’re able to drag it to anywhere on the Dock . To delete it , just drag it up , as you would any other Dock picture .
Speed-up Safari
mod browsers employ many tricks to shave milliseconds off the time it takes to dilute a connection pageboy . One of them is DNS prefetching , whereby the numeric IP address of each server used to manufacture the varlet , or which is connect to , is grabbed before it ’s ask .
enable prefetching by default is sheer because for a minority of users it can in reality make thing slower . Apple provides guidance on disabling prefetching but in a nutshell you’re able to do so by quitting Safari , opening a Terminal windowpane ( it ’s in the Utilities pamphlet of Applications ) , and then pasting in the following which is again a undivided strain :
default pen com.apple.safari WebKitDNSPrefetchingEnabled -boolean false
Give it a endeavor . It can be surprising the difference it makes .
record : Tips for using Safari on the Mac
Print selected text
One feature oddly missing from OS X is the power to spotlight some text on a web Thomas Nelson Page or in an electronic mail and then choose to print only that . However , the feature can be added easily .
Download the free Print Selection Service add - on and install it ( you ’ll need to flop - click the installment package and select Open ) . lumber out when prompted , then open Terminal ( it ’s in the Utilities folder of Applications ) and glue in the chase , which is again a individual line :
sudo cp -r /Library / Services / Print Selection.service ~/Library / Services/
typewrite your login password when prompted , then exit and back in a 2nd time . Open System Preferences and click the Keyboard icon . Click the Shortcuts check and then the Services entry in the listing on the left hand . Put a check mark alongside Print Selection .
From now on , plainly select the text you want to print , aright click the selection , choose the Services submenu , and pick out Print Selection . Alternatively , tap Shift+Cmd+T.
[ Readhow to put in AirPrint on any Printer ]
Scroll to expand stacks
Here ’s a not bad petty plug that lets you activate sight within the Dock by hover the mouse cursor over the picture and scroll up ( scrolling down closes the stack ) . It also rent you instantly set off App Exposé for an app in the Dock by scroll up on its icon . To activate it , open up a Terminal window ( it ’s in the Utilities folder of the Applications tilt ) , and type the chase :
default compose com.apple.dock ringlet - to - receptive -bool TRUE;killall pier
Then test it out on a push-down storage or Dock ikon . To turn the feature off if you wish , put down the pursual in a Terminal window :
default delete com.apple.dock scroll - to - open;killall docking facility
[ learn : Top tips for the Mac Dock ]
Get a desktop dashboard
guess the build - in Dashboard feature film of OS X but redesigned by geeks . That ’s whatGeekToolis , and it allows you display information and images on your desktop . The data can be the output of shell command , or plainly a filing cabinet that changes frequently such as a log filing cabinet .
If this sound like double - Dutch people to you then you ’re perhaps not the variety of person GeekTool is aimed at ( although it can still be useful ) , but for a percentage of the Mac userbase GeekTool is the ultimate desktop hack .
Geeklets are readymade items you may merely set up , and are collected onsome websites , where you ’ll also happen instructions on how to apply GeekTool .
Make the Dock tiny!
you’re able to shrink or enlarge the Dock by clicking and dragging the bars that separate the applications from booklet stack . However , this will only take you so far . To make the Dock really small , which can be helpful on little screens like older MacBooks , you need to open up the Terminal ( it ’s in the Utilities of Applications ) and paste - in the following :
defaults write com.apple.dock tilesize -integer 8;killall Dock
If you need areally , reallysmall size , try a 4 rather than 8 in that command . Obviously turning on Dock magnification in System Preferences helps make this magic trick practicable in day - to - daylight purpose ! To restore the Dock to its normal size , just click and haul as described above .
[ Read : How to use System Preferences on Mac OS X ]
Use the numeric keypad as a launcher
If you ’ve a full - sized externalMac keyboardand you never , ever utilise the numerical computer keyboard at the right of it , you could move around the keypad into a specialised catapult that activate OS X features whenever numbers or symbols on it are pressed – just like the Florida key along the top of the keyboard .
This is possible because OS X sees the numerical keypad as a freestanding kitchen range of keys . As far as it is concerned , hit 3 or the compeer sign on the numeric keypad isnotthe same as hitting 3 or the equal sign on the principal keyboard . To create shortcut , open System Preferences , click the Keyboard picture , then chatter the Shortcuts lozenge .
Then select any feature for which you ’d like to create a keypad shortcut , and double - snap it at the right field . Now press the tonality on the computer keyboard you require to use . The only numeric computer keyboard key you ca n’t habituate are the Enter key , at the bottom right , and the Clear winder at the top pass on ( the paint that ’s a box with a crown of thorns in it ) .
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