I’am using Mac OS X for years. It’s a great desktop system. I’ll show you the simplest ways to use it to improve your productivity and increase your speed from tasks like copying files, organizing a busy inbox, making a note, and so on. This will help you with your day-to-day routine on a Mac.
Enable the Debug Menu in Disk Utility.
If you’ve ever used the Disk Utility app on OS X, you may have noticed a “Show Debug Menu” option that is grayed out. This is because it requires administrative privileges to enable. You can easily enable this by following these steps:
- Open up Terminal (you can find it in /Applications/Utilities/)
- Type the following command (all one line):
sudo su -c ‘defaults write com.apple.DiskUtility DUDebugMenuEnabled 1’
- Enter your password when prompted and press enter
- Restart Disk Utility, and you will now see a new menu item called “Debug” at the bottom of your window!
Quickly Re-Download OS X Installers from the Mac App Store.
The Mac App Store is a best way to purchase software, but it’s not always the best way to obtain updates. You can download the latest version of any app from the Purchased tab in the Mac App Store. If you’ve already purchased an app, there’s no need to pay the same amount again.
Note: This only applies to apps that have been updated since you last purchased them. If an app has been updated and released on the Mac App Store after you purchased it, you will have to pay for it again if you wish to install it on a new Mac.
Here’s how to re-download OS X installer files from the Mac App Store:
- Open the App Store on Mac and click Purchased at the window’s top right corner (see screenshot below).
- From here, you can view all your purchases by clicking Purchased in the menu bar at the top of your screen (see screenshot below).
- The following window will open up with all purchases listed in reverse chronological order (newest first). Click on the title of any item and then click Download or Install (depending on whether or not your downloaded copy has expired).
Quickly View All Your Open Safari Windows in a List.
Safari is one of the most popular web browsers for Mac users. It has some great features and is a great alternative to Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. One of the features I use is Tab View, which allows me to view all my open tabs in a list-like view instead of having them all spread across my screen. You can also adjust how many tabs are shown per row and the font size used for each tab name.
To enable this feature, open Safari and click on the Safari menu at the top left corner of your screen (or hold down Command + Option). From there, choose Preferences and then click on Tabs at the top right of your screen. This will bring up a new window where you can adjust these settings by clicking on any of them and choosing from several available options.
Resize Windows from Any Corner.
If you’re a Mac user, you’re probably familiar with the four corners on your screen that allow you to resize windows. While this functionality is intuitive and easy to use, there’s also an easier method that allows you to resize windows from any corner. This can be useful when working with multiple monitors or if you prefer not to use the traditional methods of resizing windows. The best part is that it’s completely free and takes just a few seconds to set up!
Here’s how to resize Windows From Any Corner:
Step 1: Install Better Touch Tool
Once you’ve downloaded the software, run it and follow the onscreen instructions until it’s fully installed. Once installed, open Better Touch Tool by double-clicking its icon in your Applications folder.
Step 2: Adjust Settings for Resizing Windows from Any Corner
Once Better Touch Tool has opened, click Advanced Mode in the top menu bar, followed by Resize Window from Any Corner in the next window. Next, click “Select” at the bottom of this window, followed by “All Windows.” This will allow you to resize all windows using these methods rather than just one specific application window at a time, as before!
Take a Screenshot with a Timer.
One of the most common issues with screenshots is that they’re often blurry because of the timer delay built into OS X. To disable this feature, open System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts and select “Take screenshot” from the list, then click on “Options” next to the shortcut and uncheck “Show cursor.” This will allow you to capture images without seeing your mouse cursor between them.
Join Wi-Fi Networks from the Command Line.
You can use the ifconfig command to view your wireless adapter’s current configuration, including its MAC address, IP address, and more. If you want to join a particular wireless network, you can use the iwconfig command to set the interface up for that network. For example, if you want to connect to my home router with SSID “my_network” and password “my_password,” you would enter:
$ sudo iwconfig wlan0 essid my_network key my_password
Write & Read Notes in Notification Center.
The Notes app in OS X Mountain Lion makes it easy to create notes and sync them across your devices. You can also write notes directly from the Notification Center instead of opening the app itself. Just pull down the notification center on your Mac and click on the new “Notes” button at the bottom right corner of your screen. You’ll see a blank white note with a keyboard shortcut at the top so that you can begin typing immediately. When finished with your note, click anywhere else onscreen, and it will disappear automatically after 10 seconds unless you manually close it before.
Add Webpage Links to Launchpad.
To add a link to your homepage in Launchpad, drag it from your browser’s bookmarks bar to Launchpad’s Dock icon. This will add the link to Launchpad’s Dock as a shortcut for quick access. The shortcut will work like any other app on your Mac; you can even rename it if you wish. If you required to add more than one website, repeat the process by dragging them over.
Show the Library Folder.
The Library folder is hidden by default in OS X. Here’s how to show it:
- Open a Finder window, and click on the Go menu.
- Select “Go to Folder…” from the drop-down menu that appears.
- Type ~/Library into the box that appears, then press Enter or Return on your keyboard. This will open the folder containing all your Library files, including those for third-party applications installed on your Mac.
