Teach me Mac OS

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  • shapesalad2

    Put the Dock to the right side of a screen = you get more screen space than the default Dock at bottom of screen. At least for landscape monitors.

    • And it's easier on the wrist to drag things to apps on the right, then down.shapesalad
    • Unless you're left-handed. Then you're fucked.Continuity
    • then put it on the left hand sidehans_glib
    • y'all show the dock? Keep that thing hidden (at the bottom)!section_014
    • Hidden = wasting time waiting for it to show up.shapesalad
    • < one of the most important tricks! :Dsted
    • I use it on the left for this reason. Bottom alignment makes no sense.monospaced
    • less screen space is healthy spacesandpipe
    • if you work on a construction sitested
    • 1000%, although I have mine on the left, sticky not auto-hidden.elahon
    • Good idea!SimonFFM
    • If you're not hiding your dock, you're a neanderthal.ideaist
    • ^Continuity
  • nylon2

    What a wonderful thread! Thank you for sharing.

    One thing I noticed recently is when you do a screenshoot and a thumbnail shows up in the bottom right hand corner, you can click and drag said thumbnail into your app of choice rather than looking for it on your desktop!

  • slappy2

    Command + space and then start typing an application name.
    Hit enter as soon as it's found it.

    * Also does math, and finds emails and websites from your browser history.

    And I know that everybody knows this, yet I still see people messing about in their docks in zoom calls.. Stop it.

    • hold cmd key to show the path of the result ...cmd+enter to open the path in finder.uan
    • thanks!slappy
  • monospaced1

    In Finder, select any file or files and just tap the space bar to preview it. Tap again to stop.

    • Until Quicklook crashes and you need to relaunch Finder, which happens all the time.i_monk
    • I've never had that happen, honestly.monospaced
    • alt + space bar for full screen preview.
      select multiple files, alt + space -> sull screen slideshow and also contact sheet.
      uan
    • niftymonospaced
  • shapesalad0

    Apps > Utilities :

    • Digital Colour Meter.

    Press Apple+L to lock.

    Useful tool for grabbing a colour from anywhere on your screen.

    • Screenshot

    This app gives you a GUI for the usual screenshot short cuts we all know, eg Apple+shift+Ctrl+4 (which copies screen shot and rather than saves out a file)

    You can reorganise them menubar docked icons at the top right of your screen by holding down Apple while dragging the icons around.

    • TextEdit app - set new docs to plain text in prefs. Use it as a place to paste text, then copy and paste it into After Effects, Illustrator etc - Doing so removes the formatting from a website/doc that messes up things when pasted into design softwares.

    • I should proof read... but you get the idea.shapesalad
    • I do this for lots of things for apps where the mega combo "paste and match style" isn't available.evilpeacock
  • ok_not_ok0

    Hold down Shift + Alt, then hit either Volume Up or Volume Down

  • utopian2

    - Apple magic mouse gestures and multi touch
    - Copy and pasting text from a flatten piece of art

    • oh yeah I love that I can copy and paste text from an image_niko
  • imbecile1

    How to Right-Click on a Mac
    https://www.macrumors.com/how-to…

    • So exactly like a windows PC with no mouse or right click button. But better. Got it.monospaced
  • elahon0

    Spaces. I use two screens and I have six spaces setup. One set of spaces has Brave on the left and FF on the right, next space has email, messenger, to-do list on the left and my CRM on the right. So I'm not stuck in the never-ending process of hide-all'ing everything, moving windows around, etc. It's the best.

  • _niko0

    not sure how new but I love that I can copy and paste between my devices.

  • imbecile1

    https://support.apple.com/en-us/…

    Mac keyboard shortcuts

    By pressing certain key combinations, you can do things that normally need a mouse, trackpad, or other input device.

    To use a keyboard shortcut, press and hold one or more modifier keys and then press the last key of the shortcut. For example, to use Command-C (copy), press and hold the Command key, then the C key, then release both keys. Mac menus and keyboards often use symbols for certain keys, including modifier keys:

    Command (or Cmd) ⌘
    Shift ⇧
    Option (or Alt) ⌥
    Control (or Ctrl) ⌃
    Caps Lock ⇪
    Fn

    On keyboards made for Windows PCs, use the Alt key instead of Option, and the Windows logo key instead of Command.

    Some keys on some Apple keyboards have special symbols and functions, such as for display brightness , keyboard brightness , and more. If these functions aren't available on your keyboard, you might be able to reproduce some of them by creating your own keyboard shortcuts. To use these keys as F1, F2, F3, or other standard function keys, combine them with the Fn key.

    Cut, copy, paste, and other common shortcuts
    Command-X: Cut the selected item and copy it to the Clipboard.
    Command-C: Copy the selected item to the Clipboard. This also works for files in the Finder.
    Command-V: Paste the contents of the Clipboard into the current document or app. This also works for files in the Finder.
    Command-Z: Undo the previous command. You can then press Shift-Command-Z to Redo, reversing the undo command. In some apps, you can undo and redo multiple commands.
    Command-A: Select All items.
    Command-F: Find items in a document or open a Find window.
    Command-G: Find Again: Find the next occurrence of the item previously found. To find the previous occurrence, press Shift-Command-G.
    Command-H: Hide the windows of the front app. To view the front app but hide all other apps, press Option-Command-H.
    Command-M: Minimize the front window to the Dock. To minimize all windows of the front app, press Option-Command-M.
    Command-O: Open the selected item, or open a dialog to select a file to open.
    Command-P: Print the current document.
    Command-S: Save the current document.
    Command-T: Open a new tab.
    Command-W: Close the front window. To close all windows of the app, press Option-Command-W.
    Option-Command-Esc: Force quit an app.
    Command–Space bar: Show or hide the Spotlight search field. To perform a Spotlight search from a Finder window, press Command–Option–Space bar. (If you use multiple input sources to type in different languages, these shortcuts change input sources instead of showing Spotlight. Learn how to change a conflicting keyboard shortcut.)
    Control–Command–Space bar: Show the Character Viewer, from which you can choose emoji and other symbols.
    Control-Command-F: Use the app in full screen, if supported by the app.
    Space bar: Use Quick Look to preview the selected item.
    Command-Tab: Switch to the next most recently used app among your open apps.
    Command–Grave accent (`): Switch between the windows of the app you're using. (The character on the second key varies by keyboard. It's generally the key above the Tab key and to the left of the number 1.)
    Shift-Command-5: In macOS Mojave or later, take a screenshot or make a screen recording. Or use Shift-Command-3 or Shift-Command-4 for screenshots. Learn more about screenshots.
    Shift-Command-N: Create a new folder in the Finder.
    Command-Comma (,): Open preferences for the front app.

    Sleep, log out, and shut down shortcuts
    You might need to press and hold some of these shortcuts for slightly longer than other shortcuts. This helps you to avoid using them unintentionally.

    Power button: Press to turn on your Mac or wake it from sleep. Press and hold for 1.5 seconds to put your Mac to sleep.* Continue holding to force your Mac to turn off.
    Option–Command–Power button* or Option–Command–Media Eject : Put your Mac to sleep.
    Control–Shift–Power button* or Control–Shift–Media Eject : Put your displays to sleep.
    Control–Power button* or Control–Media Eject : Display a dialog asking whether you want to restart, sleep, or shut down.
    Control–Command–Power button:* Force your Mac to restart, without prompting to save any open and unsaved documents.
    Control–Command–Media Eject : Quit all apps, then restart your Mac. If any open documents have unsaved changes, you will be asked whether you want to save them.
    Control–Option–Command–Power button* or Control–Option–Command–Media Eject : Quit all apps, then shut down your Mac. If any open documents have unsaved changes, you will be asked whether you want to save them.
    Control-Command-Q: Immediately lock your screen.
    Shift-Command-Q: Log out of your macOS user account. You will be asked to confirm. To log out immediately without confirming, press Option-Shift-Command-Q.
    * Does not apply to the Touch ID sensor.

    Finder and system shortcuts
    Command-D: Duplicate the selected files.
    Command-E: Eject the selected disk or volume.
    Command-F: Start a Spotlight search in the Finder window.
    Command-I: Show the Get Info window for a selected file.
    Command-R: (1) When an alias is selected in the Finder: show the original file for the selected alias. (2) In some apps, such as Calendar or Safari, refresh or reload the page. (3) In Software Update, check for software updates again.
    Shift-Command-C: Open the Computer window.
    Shift-Command-D: Open the desktop folder.
    Shift-Command-F: Open the Recents window, showing all of the files you viewed or changed recently.
    Shift-Command-G: Open a Go to Folder window.
    Shift-Command-H: Open the Home folder of the current macOS user account.
    Shift-Command-I: Open iCloud Drive.
    Shift-Command-K: Open the Network window.
    Option-Command-L: Open the Downloads folder.
    Shift-Command-N: Create a new folder.
    Shift-Command-O: Open the Documents folder.
    Shift-Command-P: Show or hide the Preview pane in Finder windows.
    Shift-Command-R: Open the AirDrop window.
    Shift-Command-T: Show or hide the tab bar in Finder windows.
    Control-Shift-Command-T: Add selected Finder item to the Dock (OS X Mavericks or later)
    Shift-Command-U: Open the Utilities folder.
    Option-Command-D: Show or hide the Dock.
    Control-Command-T: Add the selected item to the sidebar (OS X Mavericks or later).
    Option-Command-P: Hide or show the path bar in Finder windows.
    Option-Command-S: Hide or show the Sidebar in Finder windows.
    Command–Slash (/): Hide or show the status bar in Finder windows.
    Command-J: Show View Options.
    Command-K: Open the Connect to Server window.
    Control-Command-A: Make an alias of the selected item.
    Command-N: Open a new Finder window.
    Option-Command-N: Create a new Smart Folder.
    Command-T: Show or hide the tab bar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window.
    Option-Command-T: Show or hide the toolbar when a single tab is open in the current Finder window.
    Option-Command-V: Move the files in the Clipboard from their original location to the current location.
    Command-Y: Use Quick Look to preview the selected files.
    Option-Command-Y: View a Quick Look slideshow of the selected files.
    Command-1: View the items in the Finder window as icons.
    Command-2: View the items in a Finder window as a list.
    Command-3: View the items in a Finder window in columns.
    Command-4: View the items in a Finder window in a gallery.
    Command–Left Bracket ([): Go to the previous folder.
    Command–Right Bracket (]): Go to the next folder.
    Command–Up Arrow: Open the folder that contains the current folder.
    Command–Control–Up Arrow: Open the folder that contains the current folder in a new window.
    Command–Down Arrow: Open the selected item.
    Right Arrow: Open the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
    Left Arrow: Close the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
    Command-Delete: Move the selected item to the Trash.
    Shift-Command-Delete: Empty the Trash.
    Option-Shift-Command-Delete: Empty the Trash without confirmation dialog.
    Command–Brightness Down: Turn video mirroring on or off when your Mac is connected to more than one display.
    Option–Brightness Up: Open Displays preferences. This works with either Brightness key.
    Control–Brightness Up or Control–Brightness Down: Change the brightness of your external display, if supported by your display.
    Option–Shift–Brightness Up or Option–Shift–Brightness Down: Adjust the display brightness in smaller steps. Add the Control key to this shortcut to make the adjustment on your external display, if supported by your display.
    Option–Mission Control: Open Mission Control preferences.
    Command–Mission Control: Show the desktop.
    Control–Down Arrow: Show all windows of the front app.
    Option–Volume Up: Open Sound preferences. This works with any of the volume keys.
    Option–Shift–Volume Up or Option–Shift–Volume Down: Adjust the sound volume in smaller steps.
    Option–Keyboard Brightness Up: Open Keyboard preferences. This works with either Keyboard Brightness key.
    Option–Shift–Keyboard Brightness Up or Option–Shift–Keyboard Brightness Down: Adjust the keyboard brightness in smaller steps.
    Option key while double-clicking: Open the item in a separate window, then close the original window.
    Command key while double-clicking: Open a folder in a separate tab or window.
    Command key while dragging to another volume: Move the dragged item to the other volume, instead of copying it.
    Option key while dragging: Copy the dragged item. The pointer changes while you drag the item.
    Option-Command while dragging: Make an alias of the dragged item. The pointer changes while you drag the item.
    Option-click a disclosure triangle: Open all folders within the selected folder. This works only when in list view.
    Command-click a window title: See the folders that contain the current folder.
    Learn how to use Command or Shift to select multiple items in the Finder.
    Click the Go menu in the Finder menu bar to see shortcuts for opening many commonly used folders, such as Applications, Documents, Downloads, Utilities, and iCloud Drive.

    Document shortcuts
    The behavior of these shortcuts may vary with the app you're using.

    Command-B: Boldface the selected text, or turn boldfacing on or off.
    Command-I: Italicize the selected text, or turn italics on or off.
    Command-K: Add a web link.
    Command-U: Underline the selected text, or turn underlining on or off.
    Command-T: Show or hide the Fonts window.
    Command-D: Select the Desktop folder from within an Open dialog or Save dialog.
    Control-Command-D: Show or hide the definition of the selected word.
    Shift-Command-Colon (:): Display the Spelling and Grammar window.
    Command-Semicolon (;): Find misspelled words in the document.
    Option-Delete: Delete the word to the left of the insertion point.
    Control-H: Delete the character to the left of the insertion point. Or use Delete.
    Control-D: Delete the character to the right of the insertion point. Or use Fn-Delete.
    Fn-Delete: Forward delete on keyboards that don't have a Forward Delete key. Or use Control-D.
    Control-K: Delete the text between the insertion point and the end of the line or paragraph.
    Fn–Up Arrow: Page Up: Scroll up one page.
    Fn–Down Arrow: Page Down: Scroll down one page.
    Fn–Left Arrow: Home: Scroll to the beginning of a document.
    Fn–Right Arrow: End: Scroll to the end of a document.
    Command–Up Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the document.
    Command–Down Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the document.
    Command–Left Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the current line.
    Command–Right Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the current line.
    Option–Left Arrow: Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
    Option–Right Arrow: Move the insertion point to the end of the next word.
    Shift–Command–Up Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the document.
    Shift–Command–Down Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the document.
    Shift–Command–Left Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the beginning of the current line.
    Shift–Command–Right Arrow: Select the text between the insertion point and the end of the current line.
    Shift–Up Arrow: Extend text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line above.
    Shift–Down Arrow: Extend text selection to the nearest character at the same horizontal location on the line below.
    Shift–Left Arrow: Extend text selection one character to the left.
    Shift–Right Arrow: Extend text selection one character to the right.
    Option–Shift–Up Arrow: Extend text selection to the beginning of the current paragraph, then to the beginning of the following paragraph if pressed again.
    Option–Shift–Down Arrow: Extend text selection to the end of the current paragraph, then to the end of the following paragraph if pressed again.
    Option–Shift–Left Arrow: Extend text selection to the beginning of the current word, then to the beginning of the following word if pressed again.
    Option–Shift–Right Arrow: Extend text selection to the end of the current word, then to the end of the following word if pressed again.
    Control-A: Move to the beginning of the line or paragraph.
    Control-E: Move to the end of a line or paragraph.
    Control-F: Move one character forward.
    Control-B: Move one character backward.
    Control-L: Center the cursor or selection in the visible area.
    Control-P: Move up one line.
    Control-N: Move down one line.
    Control-O: Insert a new line after the insertion point.
    Control-T: Swap the character behind the insertion point with the character in front of the insertion point.
    Command–Left Curly Bracket ({): Left align.
    Command–Right Curly Bracket (}): Right align.
    Shift–Command–Vertical bar (|): Center align.
    Option-Command-F: Go to the search field.
    Option-Command-T: Show or hide a toolbar in the app.
    Option-Command-C: Copy Style: Copy the formatting settings of the selected item to the Clipboard.
    Option-Command-V: Paste Style: Apply the copied style to the selected item.
    Option-Shift-Command-V: Paste and Match Style: Apply the style of the surrounding content to the item pasted within that content.
    Option-Command-I: Show or hide the inspector window.
    Shift-Command-P: Page setup: Display a window for selecting document settings.
    Shift-Command-S: Display the Save As dialog, or duplicate the current document.
    Shift–Command–Minus sign (-): Decrease the size of the selected item.
    Shift–Command–Plus sign (+): Increase the size of the selected item. Command–Equal sign (=) performs the same function.
    Shift–Command–Question mark (?): Open the Help menu.

  • _niko0

    oh and my cursor is able to jump between my monitor and my iPad which I didn't know was possible

  • Continuity0

    Definitely not new, but it's been my workflow forever: Setting the top button on my Wacom pen to Middle Click, and setting Middle Click to Mission Control.

  • shapesalad0

    • Settings > Accessibility >

    Display - Reduce Transparency.

    I hate this transparent finder look, when working fast and needing to quickly dive through folders, the transparency makes it harder for your eye to super quickly see things.

    Also [Tick] the 'Shake mouse pointer to locate' - you move your mouse fast and the cursor helpfully gets bigger.

    • Settings > Keyboard >

    Input Sources - [Tick] Show input menu in menu bar.

    Gives you the menu drop down for 'Show Emoji & Symbols' which is useful for emojis and finding obscure glyphs.

  • elahon1

    Cmd-Tab and Cmd-Shift tab to switch between apps. You can also hold Cmd with your thumb and tap tab to cycle to the right and hold Cmd-shift and tap tab to cycle to the left. You can also hold Cmd and hit Q on an app to quit it, which makes quitting apps much faster.

  • bulletfactory0

    I use cmd button so much, the left one actually broke off of my laptop keyboard (the right cmd button wasn't far behind it. I sneezed one time and the both flew off the keyboard).

    Photoshop is mostly the culprit, but I constantly use cmd + tab.