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Delete Thumbs.db files with Spotlight

Apr 9, 2007 - 16 Comments

Any Mac user that has shared files from a Windows PC has surely found the always annoying and completely useless Thumbs.db files scattered around their directories. We’ve been asked about deleting Thumbs.db files a few times before, and typically we run a simple script from the command line, but there’s another even easier way of … Read More

Change the Default Web Browser in Mac OS X

Apr 6, 2007 - 30 Comments
Default web browser in Mac OS X

Updated: 11/27/2021 Ever wondered how to change the default web browser app on your Mac? Maybe you prefer Chrome to Safari, or maybe you want to use Firefox instead of Safari, or vice versa? Whatever your choice, it’s easy to do in macOS Monterey, macOS Big Sur, macOS Catalina, macOS Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, OS … Read More

Using Pipes at the Command Line, a Basic Overview

Apr 3, 2007 - 1 Comment

One of the essential functions of the command line of Mac OS X, Linux, or any Unix, is understanding some basics about how to use pipes. Essentially, pipes allow you to direct the output of one command into the input of another command, allowing the following command to manipulate, adjust, or work with the prior … Read More

How to Disable favicon Support in Firefox

Apr 3, 2007 - 7 Comments

Don’t like favicons in Firefox? You can disable the showing of Favicons in Firefox with a settings adjustment. Tim Russell writes in with this tip: “If there’s one thing I hate about websites out there it’s the accompanying favicon’s that litter my browser tabs and bookmarks menu. Surely I’m not the only one that dislikes … Read More

How to Use Redirection at the Command Line, a Basic Overview

Mar 29, 2007 - 4 Comments

Ever wished you could send the output of a command to a file or append that output to an existing file? That’s what redirects do. To put it simply, command line redirects allow you to take the output of certain commands and create new files or add to existing ones with this data, this is … Read More

How to Convert DMG Images to ISO Easily with hdiutil

Mar 28, 2007 - 21 Comments
ISO

If you have ever wanted to turn a DMG file into an ISO file, look no further than the handy command line utility called hdiutil, which is bundled in all versions of OS X. This can be helpful for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons to convert a DMG to ISO is for … Read More

How to Mount a Windows PC Shared Folder On a Mac

Mar 27, 2007 - 2 Comments
Windows

Love it or hate it, but we live in a multi-platform world with multiple operating systems. Sure we prefer Mac’s, but the chances are high that at some point you’ll have to interface your Mac with a PC to share files between the two machines, particularly if you are in an office environment or school. … Read More

How to Disable the Built-in iSight Camera on a Mac

Mar 26, 2007 - 39 Comments
FaceTime

Most new consumer Macs come with a built-in iSight / FaceTime camera which can be used for all sorts of fun, ranging from live video chatting in FaceTime, Skype, and iChat, to horsing around in Photo Booth, to using third party apps like Gawker to capture time lapse photography of whatever is going on. That … Read More

How to Completely Disable Spotlight

Mar 22, 2007 - 39 Comments

We’re big fans of Spotlight here at OS X Daily, but we realize it’s not everyones cup of tea. If you’re someone who dislikes Spotlight enough to want it disabled completely then this is the guide for you. What you’ll need is some basic knowledge of the command line and a command line text editor … Read More

Block Access to Websites on a Mac by Modifying /etc/hosts

Mar 19, 2007 - 72 Comments

We’ve received several questions asking how to block specific sites from being accessed directly on the Mac. The frustration seems to lie in how easy it is to circumvent the typical measures, such as setting Parental Controls and blocking sites in Safari, only to have them accessed in Camino or Firefox. Well, a quick and … Read More

How to Completely Disable Dashboard in Mac OS X

Mar 14, 2007 - 19 Comments

Dashboard is the kind of thing you either love or hate, using the widgets constantly or not at all. How much use you get out of Dashboard will probably determine if you want the feature to stick around in Mac OS X or not. As regular readers may recall, we have discussed how unused Dashboard … Read More

How to Create a Screencast with a Mac – 5 Great Apps

Mar 14, 2007 - Leave a Comment
QuickTime

Have you ever watched an online video tutorial, or record a screencast of what you’re doing on your Mac screen? Ever wondered how to create one of these yourself? Of course getting the right software is part of the mix, but many users don’t even know where to begin. Fortunately, there are many options available … Read More

How to Get Image Thumbnail Icons in the Mac Finder

Mar 13, 2007 - 31 Comments
Image thumbnail previews in Mac OS X Finder

Ever wondered how you can get image thumbnails to show up in the Finder of the Mac? You’re not alone, and a good question from one of our readers came in on this very topic. A recent switcher to the Mac, Carol Kavanaugh writes: “I got a Mac a few months ago and love it … Read More

How to use Gmail or Yahoo web mail for mailto links

Mar 9, 2007 - 11 Comments

Brian W. asks the following great question: “I’d like to click a link such as “mailto..someone@anywhere.com” and have it automatically open up my web browser to Yahoo mail. Is there a way to set my default email client to my Yahoo mail account? I’d prefer not to use Apple’s Mail client.” Well Brian, you’re not … Read More

Ask OS X Daily: “How can I password protect a file?”

Mar 7, 2007 - 33 Comments

Hello all you loyal OS X Daily readers! Recently we have been receiving a large number of Mac OS X related questions in our inbox. Normally our staff would try and respond with an answer to the best of our knowledge. However, sometimes we get a question we think would be better sourced to the … Read More

pbcopy & pbpaste: Manipulating the Clipboard from the Command Line

Mar 5, 2007 - 10 Comments

Copy and Paste are absolute necessities for virtually all computer users, and if you find yourself working in the command line frequently, you’ll want to know how to manipulate the clipboard of Mac OS X directly from the terminal prompt. That’s what the Mac commands pbcopy and pbpaste are for, and as you may have … Read More

How to save nearly anything as a PDF

Mar 2, 2007 - 3 Comments

Here is a great feature that is widely unknown and certainly underused in Mac OS X, the ability to print nearly anything into a PDF document. Well, it’s not so much printing into a document as it is saving one, but you get the idea. I can think of a million uses for this, from … Read More

How to Quickly Make a Zip Archive from the OS X Finder

Mar 1, 2007 - 9 Comments

An incredibly useful feature that is built right into Mac OS X is the ability to create an archive instantly of anything, be it a single document, a folder, or multiple files. Creating archives is great for may reasons, they save space, and it’s a polite and easier way to send a group of files … Read More

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