Mac

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How to change the default AirDrop destination folder on Mac

Joaquim Barbosa ∙ Updated October 27, 2022

When you send files to your Mac via AirDrop, the received files are automatically saved to the Downloads folder. While this is a logical place for them to go, it's non-configurable and lumps them in with your Mail attachments and Safari downloads.

This approach is not granular enough for some users who may wish to designate a specific folder for AirDrop files to be saved to. Although macOS does not allow this out of the box, it's possible with some straightforward steps.

In this guide, we show you how to change the save location of files you receive via AirDrop on your Mac.

Google to expand Chrome’s malware protections on Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 2, 2017

Google's Chrome and other browsers rely on a feature called Safe Browsing to display a warning message before you visit a dangerous site or download a harmful app. Google is now expanding the scope of Safe Browsing in Chrome for macOS to strengthen protections against malware and other unwanted software such as extensions that silently modify Chrome's settings. The expanded Safe Browsing features in Chrome for macOS will go in effect on March 31, Google has said.

Apple seeds fourth betas of iOS 10.3, macOS Sierra 10.12.4 and watchOS 3.2 to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated May 28, 2025

Apple today seeded fourth betas of iOS 10.3, macOS Sierra 10.12.4 and watchOS 3.2 to members of the Apple Developer Program. iOS 10.3 beta 4 (build number 14E5260b), macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 4 (build number 16E175b) and watchOS 3.2 are now all available as over-the-air downloads through the Software Update mechanism on devices with an appropriate configuration profile. We'll update the article if we find new features or important under-the-hood changes in the new betas.

How to install macOS 10.12 Sierra on unsupported Mac hardware

Joaquim Barbosa ∙ Updated January 26, 2023

With macOS Sierra, Apple dropped support for some of its hardware models for the first time in several years. Citing various incompatibilities and hardware deficiencies, they cut out a large swathe of machines from running Sierra. However, many Mac owners have questioned their motives, observing that some machines have made the cut whilst their more powerful contemporaries (such as the MacBook Pro) have mysteriously been left behind.

This led some to conclude that Apple is simply raising the bar to encourage hardware upgrades, and that there is often no incontrovertible hardware reason which dictates the unsupported machines. In many cases this turned out to be true, and with a few tweaks and amendments many of the "unsupported" machines have been brought back into the fold by a tool by dosdude1, called macOS Sierra Patcher. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to use the tool to install macOS 10.12 Sierra on older Mac hardware, which claims not to support it.

Beta 3 of iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4 released for public beta testing

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 21, 2017

iOS 10.3 beta 3 with Find My AirPods and other enhancements and macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 3 with Night Shift Mode and other perks are both now available for public beta-testing, assuming you've enrolled in Apple's Beta Software Program. After signing up on the web at beta.apple.com, deploy a special configuration profile on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac and you'll be able to install the latest beta over-the-air via Apple's standard Software Update mechanism.

How to use Google SafeSearch to filter out explicit web search results

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated January 13, 2023

Whether you’re a parent trying to filter explicit content from the limitless Google searches your child could be searching on the web, or you’re simply trying to figure out why it seems like certain images or web results are being filtered from your Google search queries, chances are Google SafeSearch is the answer.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how you can toggle Google SafeSearch on or off, depending on whether you need to start filtering explicit search results from your queries or stop doing so when the feature is already enabled.

See how Alexa compares to Siri with Reverb

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2017

If you missed our post nearly a year ago about a web app at Echoism.io that lets you try out Alexa in a web browser, you're going to like a new app, called Reverb, that brings Amazon's personal assistant to your Mac desktop, as well as iPhone and iPad.

The brain child of developers at digital consultancy agency Rain, Reverb is available at no charge from App Store and Mac App Store or in your favorite web browser.

Reverb takes advantage of the fact that Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service is now available as a web service to access through a web browser and other thin clients, with the recent API 2.0 update having enabled a richer set of features.

macOS 10.12.4 beta 3 seeded to developers

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2017

Aside from watchOS 3.2 beta 3, tvOS 10.2 beta 3 and iOS 10.3 beta 3 with a new name and shame list for legacy apps, Apple today seeded a third beta of what would become the fourth major update to Sierra since its launch last fall. macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 3 (build 16E163f) with Night Shift Mode and other perks is now available to registered developers.

You can deploy the latest beta over the air on your Mac through the Mac App Store's Updates tab. Today's release is only for developers but a version aimed at public beta testers should drop in the next 24 hours.

How to change mouse or trackpad pointer size on Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated December 12, 2025

Learn how to enhance visibility and ease of use on your Mac by adjusting the mouse or trackpad cursor size.

New Mac malware from Russia targets your saved passwords and iPhone backups

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 15, 2017

It used to be that Mac computers were immune from the vast majority of viruses and malware plaguing Windows and other platforms. But as Apple's products have been growing in popularity, hackers and malware developers have been increasingly targeting macOS.

Following recent reports of Mac malware that uses a very old Windows trick which relies on Microsoft Word macros, a new strain of malware from Russian hackers has been found to steal your saved passwords and iPhone backups, security firm BitDefender said.

New malware uses auto-running macros in Word documents to infect your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 9, 2017

Taking advantage of a primitive Windows technique relying on automatically-running macros embedded in Microsoft Word documents, a new type of Mac malware attack has been discovered recently. As first noted in a research compiled by Objective-See, the technique used may be crude but once an unsuspecting user opens an infected Word document and chooses to run the macros, the malware installs itself silently on the target Mac and immediately attempts to download a hazardous payload.

Microsoft previews Touch Bar support in Office for Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 8, 2017

Microsoft was one of the companies mentioned during Apple's “Hello again” Mac event last October as working on implementing support for Touch Bar shortcuts in their productivity apps.

Today, the Windows maker launched a preview of Touch Bar shortcuts on the new MacBook Pro available across its suite of Office apps. Beginning this week, users on Microsoft's beta program, dubbed Office Insider, will be able to test the new Touch Bar support across Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook for Mac.