QuickTips Index
Mail Rules - Set Up Apple Mail Rules
Apple Mail rules allow you to set up conditions and actions that tell Apple Mail how to process incoming messages. With Apple Mail rules, you can automate and organize your email for a better workflow.
Set Up Mac Network Locations
If you use your Mac in more than one location, such as home and work, Network Locations can simplify the process of connecting to multiple networks.
Managed Accounts - Add Managed Accounts With Parental Controls
Managed accounts are specialized user accounts that include a parental control feature that allows you (or the Mac administrator) to control which applications can be used and which web sites can be visited. Managed accounts are a good choice if you want to allow younger family members to use your Mac even when you’re not around to supervise them.
Share Any Attached Printer or Fax With Other Macs on Your Network
The print sharing capabilities in the Mac OS make it easy to share printers and fax machines among all of the Macs on a local network.
Desktop Wallpaper: Personalize Your Mac’s Desktop Wallpaper
You can change your Mac’s desktop wallpaper from the standard Apple-supplied image to almost any picture you care to use. You can also set your Mac’s desktop wallpaper to randomly select a picture from a specified folder.
Mary F. O’Connor, Contributing Writer for Focus on Macs
Mary has been an artist, graphic designer, print publication manager, and writer/editor for more than 20 years, and a Mac user since the Mac Plus. She has more than 15 years of experience working online, including stints as a sysop, guide, industry connection coordinator, forum manager, software library manager, events host, events manager, community manager, writer/editor, and web site and product reviewer.
Use Your Mac to Share a Web Site
OS X uses the well-known Apache web server for sharing web sites on a local network. Setting up web sharing is an easy task for Mac users.
Administrator Accounts - Add Administrator Accounts to Your Mac (OS X 10.5.x)
Adding administrator user accounts to your Mac allows you to specify other individuals who can take on the administrator role. Administrators have an elevated set of privileges that allow them to install applications, change system preferences, and perform a variety of maintenance tasks.
User Accounts - Add Standard User Accounts to Your Mac (OS X 10.5.x)
Adding standard user accounts allows you to share your Mac with multiple individuals. It’s easy to add user accounts; all you need is an existing administrative account.
iPhoto - Use iPhoto to Batch Change Photo Names
iPhoto has a batch change function that you can use to rename multiple photos at the same time. Batch changing iPhoto images is much easier than editing one image title at a time.
The Finder Path Bar - Using the Finder Path Bar
The Finder Path Bar is a nifty feature that’s new in OS X 10.5. Using the Finder Path Bar is easy, but first you have to make it visible.
The Finder Toolbar - Add Items to the Finder Toolbar
You can easily customize the Finder toolbar by dragging and dropping new items onto it.
Embedded Color Profile Test
Apple provides a collection of images that can be used to test the accuracy of applied embedded color profiles in applications and output devices.
Folder Actions - Get Notified When a File Is Added to a Folder
Use OS X's Folder Actions feature to automate recurring events. In this example, it will notify you whenever a new file is added to a specific folder.
Dock Menus - Use Dock Menus to Manage Applications
Dock menus allow you to use the Dock to control active applications.
Use Calculator to Convert
Use Calculator to quickly convert from one popular unit of measure to another.
View Hidden Folders on Your Mac Using Terminal
Your Mac has a few secrets, hidden folders and files that are invisible to you. You can use Terminal, which is included with OS X, to force your Mac to reveal its secrets.
Sharing Files on Your Mac Network in OS X 10.4
Sharing files among the Macs on a home network is a straightforward process that's easy to set up.
Hide the Dock When It's Not in Use
If you want to free up a little screen real estate, you can set the Dock to disappear when you're not actively using it.
Installing Vista After Creating a Virtual Machine With the Easy Install Option
If you use the Windows Easy Install option in VMware Fusion to create a Virtual Machine on your Mac, you can kick back while Fusion installs Windows.
Install Vista After Creating a Virtual Machine With the Windows Express Option
You've already created a Parallels virtual machine to contain your Vista environment; now it's time to actually install Vista.
Turn Your Keyboard Into a Piano
You can play your Mac keyboard like a grand piano or any other software-based instrument you load into GarageBand 3.
Match Songs and Playlists in iTunes
iTunes lets you see which playlists each song in your iTunes library belongs to.
Add a Search Feature to an iWeb Blog
You can add a search feature to an iWeb-created blog with just a click of the mouse, using the iWeb Inspector.
Speed Up the Installation of Most Applications
Software installers are prone to searching all of your hard drives for older versions of their software to update, which can waste time.