Mac

Stay up-to-date on the latest Mac news, and tutorials. Get expert tips and tricks to optimize your Mac’s performance and learn about the latest Apple products and software updates. Discover the best Mac apps and accessories to enhance your user experience.

How to quickly locate a specific setting on your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated September 10, 2024

Just like the familiar Settings application on an iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, the macOS System Preferences is probably the most frequently used application on your Mac.

If you're new to the Mac, System Preferences—much like the Control Panel on Windows—is a one-stop shop for adjusting various settings on your computer. Various settings are categorized into logical sections and laid out as a grid of preference pane icons.

In this post, we're going to outline five different time-saving ways to jump quickly into any specific setting nested within System Preferences.

Boston transit data and Amtrak routes for Northeastern U.S. launch on Apple Maps

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 19, 2015

In addition to bringing Yellow Pages-powered business listings to Apple Maps customers in Canada, the Cupertino firm has apparently refreshed a Maps backend in the United States, adding transit directions for Boston and multiple Amtrak routes in the Northeastern United States.

The longest Amtrak route available runs from Chicago to New York. As first noted by MacRumors, other supported routes with transit directions include the Northeast Regional, Acela Express, Keystone, Lake Shore Limited, Pennsylvanian and Maple Leaf.

Apple partners with Yellow Pages on local Maps business listings in Canada

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Apple and Yellow Pages have partnered to bring Apple Maps customers in Canada rich business data like address, phone numbers, URLs, category, hours of operations, photos, ratings, reviews and more.

“We are pleased to bring our YP.ca local business listings data to Apple Maps,” said Matthieu Houle, Vice-President, Digital Media of Yellow Pages, in a media release Monday. Apple's Maps acknowledgements page now lists Yellow Pages as a data provider in Canada.

Things you actually agree to by accepting El Capitan’s software license agreement

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2018

Like so many folks, I myself don't even bother reading through legal mumbo-jumbo in software license agreements and just click the 'Agree' button

A trained professional—lawyer and developer Robb Schecter—took it upon himself to read through Apple's end user license agreement for El Capitan to spell out any limitations in plain English so you don't have to.

You don't own El Capitan per se when you download a copy of the operating system from the Mac App Store: instead, you're actually borrowing it and Apple still owns it.

This shouldn't come as a surprise: that's how software has been distributed for decades. But, I doubt many people are aware of El Capitan's limitations pertaining to virtualization, business use and more.

Magic Keyboard review: streamlined and rechargeable, but worth it?

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

Along with my Magic Mouse 2, I decided to pick up a Magic Keyboard. The Magic Keyboard, for me, is probably the least compelling of the "Magic" devices that Apple just released. That's primarily because I'm a full time MacBook user, so I don't actually have a real hardline need for an external keyboard.

Yet, I'm nonetheless intrigued by the Magic Keyboard. I'm a sucker for the streamlined design, and the rechargeable batteries. Anytime you can get me away from having to replace or swap out batteries, you've pretty much won me over.

But does the Magic Keyboard do enough to truly justify the upgrade? Admittedly, it's a hard sell. Not only do you have to consider whether an upgrade is necessary, you then have to justify paying $30 more than the Wireless Keyboard that it replaces.

Is it worth it? Watch our video review and find out.

How to use your iPhone EarPods like a pro

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 18, 2023

Those funky headphones that came with your iPhone—EarPods with Remote and Mic they're called—only have 3 buttons but boy do they perform a surprising number of functions beyond volume control. And with built-in mic, your EarPods can make and receive phone calls and control media playback.

Moreover, you can use them for recording voice memos, interacting with Siri hands-free, VoIP calling in apps like Skype and more, all with a pinch of the cord. Wait, I need this article to tell me how to plug my EarPods and listen to music?

We're not saying you're not familiar with your EarPods. But as with other things in life, there are always new tricks to be learned. This post will hopefully help you master your EarPods like a pro.

In this article, we'll tell you all the cool things your EarPods can do, from rich playback control and controlling Siri to switching calls on the fly, using VoiceOver and so forth. We'll also discuss EarPods compatibility, talk about keeping your headset in pristine condition and lay out sound advice for using your headset responsibly.

How to find your Mac’s Bluetooth version

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 12, 2018

With the recent release of Apple's new "Magic" devices—the Magic Trackpad 2, Magic Mouse 2, and the Magic Keyboard—some of you may be wondering if your Mac can support these new peripherals. Since all of the new Magic devices are wireless and work with the latest Bluetooth versions, it's important to know if your Mac will support them before making a purchase.

Apple doesn't exactly make it easy and straightforward to find what version of Bluetooth your Mac sports, but it can be done. In this post, we'll show you a simple method for quickly deriving your Mac's Bluetooth version in just a few steps.

How to customize your view of System Preferences icons on your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 4, 2017

Like iOS's built-in Settings app, the System Preferences application on OS X lets you customize the various aspects of your Mac to your liking.

For instance, you can adjust the size and location of the Dock, select a desktop background, set your computer’s clock to a different time zone, customize how your keyboard, mouse and trackpad work and much more.

With System Preferences, changing your computer's settings happens in one easily accessible central place. Our recent tutorial has shown you how to manually remove a third-party pane from System Preferences if it stays intact after uninstalling its container app.

Today, we're going to discuss customizing your view of System Preferences and teach you to organize System Preferences icons and show and hide individual icons from the view.

1Password for Mac gains large type option, changing secondary vault password and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 12, 2018

AgielBits' popular password-management utility, 1Password, was refreshed in the Mac App Store today with several notable enhancements. For starters, the app has brought out a new large type option to make those passwords easier to read on huge monitors and Macs with high-resolution Retina screens.

People who happen to manage multiple vaults in 1Password should jump with joy as they can at last change passwords for secondary vaults, too.

The top layout view has seen some changes as well with rich item icons and customizable columns. Last but not least, 1Password 5.4 for Mac includes security updates to address the dreaded XARA vulnerabilities.

Pixelmator for Mac gains all-new Photos extension, Split View multitasking and more

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 15, 2015

The popular Photoshop alternative for the Mac, Pixelmator, was updated this morning in the Mac App Store. Bumped to version 3.4, the app includes full support for OS X El Capitan and iOS 9's Split View mode so you can use Pixelmator with another app in El Capitan's new side-by-side multitasking mode.

More importantly, Pixelmator now includes a brand new extension for Apple's stock Photos app that lets you edit images within the context of the Photos app using Pixelmator's Metal-based Distort tools.

How to jailbreak iOS 9 with Pangu on Mac using a virtual machine

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 19, 2018

If you're running a Mac, you'll need a virtual machine running Windows in order to jailbreak using OS X. In this tutorial, I'll show you how to create a Windows virtual machine and how to jailbreak iOS 9 on your Mac. It's super easy, and takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Instead of waiting for a Mac tool, why not use a virtual machine and enjoy an iOS 9 jailbreak today?

How to manually remove System Preferences panes from your Mac

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 14, 2015

Some third-party apps you install on your Mac might nest custom panes within OS X's System Preferences, mostly those distributed outside the Mac App Store due to sandboxing requirements. Uninstalling such an app automatically removes the underlying pane from System Preferences but not always, leaving you scratching your head.

Case in point: Tuxera's MacFUSE, a dynamically loadable kernel extension.

I needed to mount files to an NTFS-formatted drive the other day so I installed MacFUSE. After removing the app a few days later using its own uninstaller, I noticed its pane in System Preferences was left intact. Should that happen to you, here's how you can safely remove stubborn System Preferences panes from your Mac.