Mac OS

Modern versions of the Safari web browser for Mac OS X offer a hidden feature that allows users to clear web caches from the browser without having to dump all other browsing history, cookies, searches, or other website data. This is a really useful feature for web workers and developers who routinely need to clear … Read More

The Mac has long been a great platform for emulating older gaming consoles, and now the best emulator for OS X has gotten even better, as OpenEmu includes support for two other retro gaming greats; the Nintendo 64 and Playstation 1. PS1 and N64 support is in addition to the vast console compatibility already included … Read More

Apple has released the first public beta versions of both OS X 10.11.4 and iOS 9.3, two point release updates that include some notable new features. The beta releases are the same as the recently unveiled developer betas of the same OS versions, and can be downloaded now by users who are enrolled in the … Read More

Mac OS creates various system level folders of temporary items and caches, which typically remain hidden from the average Mac OS X user. Nonetheless, Mac users using various disk management utilities and apps like OmniDiskSweeper will come across these various temporary item folders in Mac OS X, often at locations like /tmp and /private/var/ and … Read More

Apple has released the first beta builds of OS X 10.11.4 (and yes, OS X 10.11.3 is still at beta 2), tvOS 9.2, WatchOS 2.2, and iOS 9.3 for users enrolled in the developer beta programs.

You can AirPlay a video directly from the QuickTime movie player in Mac OS X with the latest versions. This makes it easy to send a video that’s playing on a Mac to an Apple TV over the wireless AirPlay protocol, similar to how it works to AirPlay videos from iOS. And because AirPlay is … Read More

The ability to perform a three-finger drag gesture on Mac and MacBook trackpads allows users to move windows and items on screen with a gesture rather than the usual click and drag, this feature is well liked by many Mac users and has been in OS X for quite some time.

Apple has released the second beta build of OS X 10.11.3 for users in both public and developer Mac beta testing programs. The new build arrives as 15D13b and presumably focuses on bug fixes and feature improvements, it’s unlikely that any new features are to be included.

Some users have noticed that Safari hangs unexpectedly when attempting to type a search or URL into the address bar. This is usually a temporary disruption, and after a moment or few the text entry begins again within the Safari address bar as the address bar populates with smart search data and search results from … Read More

Transparent effects have had a prominent place in the user interface of Mac OS X ever since the Mac got a face lift with recent versions of MacOS Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, OS X El Capitan and Yosemite. Many users like the transparency found throughout the window title bars and sidebars, but some users may … Read More

Mission Control is the powerful window management feature in Mac OS X that allows for sorting through windows, full screen apps, split-view, and utilizing virtual desktops called Spaces. The latter Spaces feature is what we’ll focus on here, which is the ability to create a new additional blank desktop space to work within, either for … Read More

iCloud will automatically sync Safari history between all Mac and iOS devices that are using the same Apple ID and that have the feature enabled. While this happens automatically and behind the scenes on a regular occurrence, you may encounter a situation where a particular Mac or iPhone was offline for a period of time, … Read More

Many Mac users rely on their iPhone as their primary digital camera, but even if you have a separate camera, or use a variety of memory cards stuffed with images, you may wish to copy pictures from any of those devices directly into the Photos app of Mac OS X. Importing images from any camera, … Read More

You may have noticed that when composing and replying to emails in the Mac Mail app, only the recipients name shows up in the “To” and “CC” fields. This is a feature called “Smart Addresses”, which hides the full name and email address from view, which can help to reduce screen clutter, but for some … Read More

Apple has released the first beta version of OS X 10.11.3 El Capitan to Mac users participating in the testing programs. The new release carries build 15D9c, and though it’s unclear what the focus area of OS X 10.11.3 is at the moment, presumably the release focuses on bug fixes and other improvements.

Advanced Mac users may find it necessary to view or directly manipulate firmware variables found within NVRAM on the computer. Typically the NVRAM contains specific system data about things like the system audio level, startup disk details, an active user name, screen backlighting and resolution, and other technical details. While most users have no business … Read More

Bluetooth allows wireless devices like keyboards, mouse, speakers, trackpads to be used with the Mac, and while they usually work just fine, sometimes specific Bluetooth difficulties can arise and be very frustrating to troubleshoot. Maybe it’s a persistently disconnecting device, maybe it’s a device that refuses to acknowledge a specific Mac or vice versa. Sometimes … Read More

The Mac Photos app uses various motion animations in the interface that are similar to those which appear in the iOS world, with plenty of zooming, panning, and other eye candy for doing simple tasks like opening a picture. Those eye candy effects may look nice to some users (and nauseating to others who are … Read More