Tutorial

Learn how to master your Apple devices with our comprehensive tutorials. From iPhone and iPad to Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and more, our expert guides will help you unlock the full potential of your Apple products. Discover new features, tips, and tricks each day to enhance your user experience.

How to set up Time Machine on Mac OS X

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated February 25, 2016

Time Machine is a Mac utility that allows you to automate hourly, daily, and weekly backups on an external drive that's connected directly to your Mac or via a local network. It's seen as the first line of defense against data loss, and features simple setup.

Setting up Time Machine, in its most basic configuration, is extremely easy. All you need to do is launch the Time Machine preferences, turn on Time Machine, select a Backup Disk, and you're pretty much set.

Of course, there's much more to Time Machine than just the initial setup, but in this first post in our Time Machine tutorial series for OS X, we'll cover some of the basic set up options.

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How to remove unused language files from your Mac and free up disk space

Lory Gil ∙ Updated August 6, 2019

There are approximately 150 different localized languages coded into OS X. Most people only use one language on their computer, maybe two. That leaves hundreds of megabytes of space being used up by languages you will never access in your operating system.

Monolingual is a utility that allows you to remove many of the more than 150 foreign languages from your Mac, freeing up disk space for more important files. We've got a tutorial that explains how to download and use Monolingual to delete unnecessary language files, plus a couple of very important tips to follow before completing the process.

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How to automatically hide a Mac app when clicking elsewhere on the screen

Timothy Reavis ∙ Updated May 30, 2023

Maintaining a clean workstation is perhaps one of the best ways to help with productivity and clear-thinking. Not only does this apply to one's desk or office, but for those of us who work with computers, it extends to the Dock, folders, and desktop. Keeping things clean and orderly in OS X is vital for getting things done efficiently, and this Mac tip helps do exactly that.

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How to change or reset your iPhone voicemail password

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated February 11, 2019

When iPhone first came out in 2007, it was the first device to include Visual Voicemail, a feature that allows users to view their voicemails, scroll through them, and of course listen to them, directly from the device. With Visual Voicemail, no need to dial a number and go through an automated message system to listen to your voicemails.

Since everything is now handled directly on the phone, you can also change your voicemail password directly from your iPhone.

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How to set up and use Apple Pay with Apple Watch

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 30, 2023

The Apple Watch has built-in NFC, which stands for Near-Field Communication, for making wireless payments on the go. And in a typical Apple fashion, the watch doesn't even have to be in the range of its paired iPhone, nor does it have to establish a network connection, to make the payment.

Before you can start making payments with a flick of your wrist, you're going to need to set up Apple Pay on your Apple Watch. In this tutorial, I'm going to lay it all out for your and explain how to set up, manage and use Apple Pay with your Apple Watch.

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How to export and import your Health data

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated December 12, 2018

Apple has really changed the way I think about my overall health and fitness, starting with iOS 7 and the M7 motion coprocessor of iPhone 5s. I went from being completely oblivious of my weight and physical fitness, to being obsessed with them. Apple Watch has made that even more obvious, as I now feel accountable for everything I do. At the end of the day, I have the satisfaction of looking at my stats in the Health app and see my progress.

As someone who talks about Apple for a living, I am often restoring devices, moving data from one iPhone to another, and also upgrading hardware every year. This is part of the fun for me. But there is a downside to this behavior: every time I set an iPhone as a new device, I lose all of the data from my Health app.

In this post, I will show you how to export Health app data, and import that same data into a freshly restored device, or a new device, depending on your situation.

UPDATE: A new application has been released in the App Store that makes the Health data import process much easier. While the information contained in this post is still accurate, I must say that Health Data Importer makes moving your Health data from one iPhone to another a breeze and I suggest you read that post instead.

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How to watch WWDC keynote live on Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Windows, Linux and Android

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 28, 2019

As you know, Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off tomorrow with a State of the Union-like keynote address. WWDC is the most important event for the Apple community as it gives a sneak peak at how the firm plans to woo app developers in the year.

The 26th summer event runs from June 8 through June 12 at San Francisco’s Moscone West, where CEO Tim Cook will share the stage Monday morning along with other company executives to deliver latest advances concerning iOS, OS X and Watch OS platforms.

iDownloadBlog, the biggest name in jailbreaking, doesn't get invited to Apple events. Not to worry: we'll be providing a remote live coverage of the two-hour long presentation and following up with related tidbits throughout the day so you don't miss a thing.

Apple will be providing a live stream through the Apple Events webpage on its website, using the new familiar weblog-like layout.

Although the official live stream is limited to Mac, iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Apple TV devices, you can enjoy it on other platforms, too. Without further ado, here's a quick tutorial on what you'll need to watch the keynote live on both Apple devices and non-Apple platforms like Windows, Linux and Android.

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How to change your email display name

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated August 10, 2022
Change email display name on iPhone and Mac

When you send someone an email, it usually shows the name you set while creating the account. Suppose you made a typo while setting up your email, or used your nickname or a fake name, and now every email you send has this name you no longer like.

In this tutorial, we show you how to change the name that's displayed in the email you send to someone from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iCloud.

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How to track stocks on your Apple Watch

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated October 8, 2025
Three Apple Watch mockups showing the Stocks app

Featuring a built-in Stocks app and the ability to check on a stock via Siri, the Apple Watch is a great tool for quickly garnering info on the stocks that interest you, allowing you to keep track of your favorite companies’ financials right from your wrist.

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