Mac OS

If you have some frequently used applications on the Mac that you routinely launch from the Finder, you can customize the Finder toolbar to include those apps. This offers a helpful alternative to launch frequently used apps that is Finder specific, and can be particularly handy for apps that you only use for drag and … Read More

Knowing the number of CPU cores a particular Mac has can be useful for performance optimization, stress testing, compatibility, and to otherwise make informed decisions about system performance on a Mac. For example, maybe you want to make sure you have multiple cores available to run a virtual machine, or you want to spawn a … Read More

Apple has released MacOS Monterey 12.6.6 and MacOS Big Sur 11.7.7 for Mac users who are not running the Ventura operating system. Safari 16.5 is also available for these macOS versions. The updates to macOS Monterey and Big Sur arrive alongside updates to macOS Ventura 13.4, iOS 16.5, and iPadOS 16.5.

Apple has released MacOS Ventura 13.4 for all Mac users running the Ventura operating system. The software update focuses on bug fixes including resolutions to an issue with Screen Time, a fix for Apple Watch auto-unlock, a fix for a VoiceOver issue, and a resolution to a Bluetooth keyboard issue where the keyboard would reconnect … Read More

Firewalls serve as a network security mechanism to monitor and control incoming and outgoing traffic to your computer and the network, or internet. MacOS includes a software firewall that can be enabled manually for users who would like to use the feature, or who require it for whatever purpose. The ability to use the firewall, … Read More

Occasionally you may find yourself in a situation where you are seeking to find what open TCP connections are in a listening state on a Mac. This can be useful whether you’re troubleshooting particular network issues, or simply looking to identify which processes are listening on specific ports on a Mac. We’ll be using the … Read More

Command line aliases are very useful, allowing you to have command shortcuts for lengthier commands, and you can use them to replace one command with another as well. With zsh becoming the default shell in Terminal for MacOS, and a widely used shell in general thanks to Oh-My-Zsh, you may be wondering how to configure … Read More

Many advanced Chrome users may occasionally need to change the user agent associated with the browser, typically for testing purposes. Whether you’re a designer, developer, student, tinkerer, novice, or expert, changing the Chrome user agent isn’t particularly difficult, but it is hidden within a section of Chrome that most users never interact with; the developer … Read More

If you’re a Mac user running the latest versions of macOS system software, from Monterey 12, Ventura 13, or later, you can enable an optional Emoji quick-access feature that allows you to summon the Emoji picker instantly with the press of a single key on your Mac keyboard.

Many users choose to save login information and passwords into the Google Chrome browser’s built-in password manager. Sometimes you may need to manually access the passwords or login information that is stored within the password manager, so we’ll show you how you can access and view saved password and login information in the Chrome web … Read More

It’s not terribly uncommon to encounter flashing lights and strobing effects in videos, and while they can be annoying for most people, flashing light can be particularly problematic for people with epilepsy. Fortunately, the latest versions of MacOS offer a feature that will detect flashing lights and strobing lights in videos, and automatically dim them. … Read More

Some Mac users may wish to install GCC onto their MacOS computers. GCC, which stands for Gnu Compiler Collection, is a commonly used compiler with support for C, C++, Objective C, Go, Fortran, Ada, and more languages, and is frequently used for compiling command line programs, writing software, and more, whether for computer science classes … Read More

Apple has released the first rapid security response updates for MacOS Ventura 13.3.1, iOS 16.4.1, and iPadOS 16.4.1. The security updates are said to include important security fixes and are therefore recommended for all eligible users to download and install onto their Mac, iPhone, or iPad. The purpose of Rapid Security Response updates are to … Read More

Some Mac command line users working with nodejs and npm may see an error message and command failure along the lines of “xcode-select: error: tool ‘xcodebuild’ requires Xcode, but active developer directory ‘/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools’ is a command line tools instance”. This error message sometimes appears after updating MacOS, migrating Macs, or If you experience this error … Read More

The latest versions of MacOS default to automatically installing what Apple calls ‘Rapid Security Response Updates’, which can patch security flaws and issues on the Mac without the standard process of installing software updates on the Mac. If you do not want these security response updates to install automatically on the Mac for whatever reason, … Read More

The Spotify app for Mac defaults to opening itself automatically every time the Mac restarts, boots, or a user logs in to the Mac. If you do not want Spotify to open automatically on the Mac, and you’re running MacOS Ventura or newer, read along to prevent this behavior and stop Spotify from opening itself.

Wondering how you can add another Mac to Universal Control in macOS Sequoia, Sonoma, or Ventura System Settings? It’s pretty easy, but enabling the feature and connecting a new Mac is a bit different than what you may have been accustomed to in prior MacOS versions. Universal Control is the incredible feature in MacOS that … Read More

While there are various ways you can convert an HEIC file to JPG on a Mac, including using Preview or third party tools, by far the simplest way is available directly in the Finder for all modern MacOS users, and that’s thanks to a Quick Action.