Tips & Tricks

Tips and tricks for all things Apple! Whether you want to learn tips for a Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or much more, you will find many tricks, tips, tutorials, and excellent walkthroughs for Apple devices and software here.

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Print Files Directly from Mac Desktop & OS X Finder to Save Time

Aug 11, 2014 - 29 Comments
Printing a file from the desktop on a Mac

Did you know you can start printing any file directly from the desktop of a Mac? While most users open a file and then print it from the application of which the file was built in, that’s not actually necessary, instead printing can be initiated from anywhere in the Finder of OS X. This often … Read More

Mac Mail Keeps Asking to Enter Password? Here’s How to Fix That

Aug 10, 2014 - 72 Comments
Mail Mail app asks to enter password

When you set up a new Mail account in Mac OS X, you typically enter the service provider, email address, and the email accounts password once, then everything just works, right? Well, generally, but sometimes things aren’t so simple, and a frustrating issue that some users encounter is Mail app repeatedly asking for their password, … Read More

How to Change DNS Settings on iPhone & iPad

Aug 8, 2014 - 11 Comments
Set DNS Servers on an iPhone

When you point your iPhone or iPad at a web address (like osxdaily.com), iOS will perform a DNS lookup to send you to the proper location. DNS servers handle part of that lookup service, translating numerical IP addresses into the readable domain names we’re all more familiar with and associate with web sites and other … Read More

Launch Mac App Preferences & Settings with an (Almost Universal) Keyboard Shortcut in Mac OS X

Aug 7, 2014 - 6 Comments
Open Preferences with a Mac keyboard shortcut

Adjusting the Preferences and Settings of Mac apps is common and often a necessity to get things just right for you, particularly if you’re using an app for the first time, or setting up a new Mac. Rather than fish around in the menu items to find the Preferences or Settings menu option, you can … Read More

How to Restart iPhone / iPad Without Using Power Button & Home Button

Aug 7, 2014 - 58 Comments
Broken iPhone Power Button

Ever needed to reboot an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that doesn’t have a functioning power button or a Home button? It’s tricky if not impossible, right? Even with the Assistive Touch on-screen buttons and variety of workarounds for a failed power button, rebooting an iOS device without working hardware buttons is a challenge, but … Read More

How to Save Pages Files as Word Document Format from Mac

Aug 6, 2014 - 39 Comments
Saving Pages files as Word format

The Microsoft Word document format is widely used in many corporate and educational environments, particularly where the Windows platform is dominant. For Mac users who work with the Pages app for word processing, a simple option to improve cross-platform document readability and compatibility is to save (or export) a Pages file as a Word .doc … Read More

Toggle Tab Window Navigation in Mac OS X Instantly with a Keyboard Shortcut

Aug 5, 2014 - 7 Comments

Tab Navigation is a feature of OS X that allows Mac users to navigate around active windows and dialog boxes with the Tab key, rather than the cursor. It functions very similarly to how using the tab key in most web browsers and Windows will skip between onscreen elements, and it’s a handy feature for … Read More

How to Make Folders in the iCloud File Browser from OS X Mavericks

Aug 4, 2014 - 6 Comments
iCloud Folder made from OS X iCloud File Browser

Though many Mac users don’t use iCloud for their primary document storage, those users who do know that the iCloud document browser found within an Open or Save dialog box window can become cluttered with files rather quickly. A simple solution is to make folders for the iCloud documents, which is easy to do but … Read More

How to Watch MKV & AVI Video on iPad or iPhone Free with VLC

Aug 3, 2014 - 27 Comments
Enable VLC Wi-Fi Video upload capabilities in iOS

If you’ve ever wanted to watch a high resolution movie like an MKV, MPEG, or AVI file that’s currently on a computer, but on an iPhone or iPad, you know that the default iOS Video app isn’t always going to cut it. Sure Videos.app stores iTunes movie downloads and can play a fair amount of … Read More

How to Change the Apple ID on iPhone, iPad, & iPod Touch

Aug 1, 2014 - 115 Comments
How to Change an Apple ID in iOS

An Apple ID is central to just about every Apple service you use on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. From sending and receiving iMessages and FaceTime calls, to shopping with the App Store and iTunes Store, and making backups to iCloud, this is all tied to an Apple ID. For the best experience with … Read More

How to Completely Remove Apps & Software in Mac OS X by Manual Terminal Uninstall

Jul 31, 2014 - 29 Comments
Terminal

Most apps in Mac OS X can be uninstalled easily by dragging them into the Trash from the /Applications/ folder, and many others come with accompanying uninstall applications that will clean house and completely remove the apps too. Additionally, there are third party utilities for Mac OS that can make total removal of apps as … Read More

Translate Words & Phrases from Foreign Languages with iPhone & Word Lens

Jul 30, 2014 - 8 Comments
Word Lens instant language translation on iPhone

Have you ever been somewhere with something written in a foreign language and wondered what the heck it said in your own language? Or, have you ever looked at a sign, book, or printed text somewhere, and wished you could instantly translate that something into the language of your choice? With your iPhone and the … Read More

How to Install New Screen Savers in Mac OS X

Jul 30, 2014 - 13 Comments
Screen Saver

Adding a new screen saver to Mac OS X that you’ve obtained from a third party source isn’t as easy as it used to be, but that doesn’t mean it’s particularly complicated. Though Gatekeeper has made things slightly more challenging to improve security, you’ll find that installing any screensaver to the Mac is still pretty … Read More

Advanced Mac OS X Diagnostics & Troubleshooting with sysdiagnose

Jul 29, 2014 - 8 Comments
sysdiagnose advanced Mac diagnostics in OS X

Mac users who are dealing with particularly complex or troublesome issues with Mac OS can turn to an advanced diagnostics tool available from the command line in Mac OS X. The tool, called sysdiagnose, offers detailed technical analysis and reports of a huge variety of components of OS X and the Mac hardware, making it … Read More

Where Mac System Icons & Default Icons Are Located in Mac OS X

Jul 27, 2014 - 24 Comments
Mac OS X system icons

The system icons of Mac OS X decorate nearly everything found within the Finder and desktop, ranging from default folder icons, to the default icons of hard disks, network machines, even the Finder sidebar items, and some toggles found throughout Mac OS X. If you’ve ever wanted to access the full size original resources for … Read More

How to Make a Bootable OS X Yosemite Beta USB Install Drive

Jul 25, 2014 - 22 Comments
OS X Yosemite Installer USB Drive

Now that the OS X Yosemite Beta is available to the public (you can still sign up and download it if you’re interested in running the beta release on your Mac), you might be wanting to make a bootable installer drive out of an external USB flash disk to make installation easier. Sure, you can … Read More

Unlock the iPhone with a Fingerprint & Touch ID, Reliably

Jul 23, 2014 - 18 Comments
iPhone Touch ID fingerprint unlock

Touch ID and the iPhone fingerprint reader has been around for a while now, but a great feature that seems to not get much use is the ability to unlock an iPhone with a touch and a fingerprint – that means not having to enter the passcode when you want to unlock the iPhone. Instead, … Read More

3 Tips to Prevent iPhone Overheating & Temperature Warnings

Jul 22, 2014 - 56 Comments
Prevent iPhone from Overheating

Have you ever seen the Temperature Warning on the iPhone before, saying “iPhone needs to cool down before you can use it”, appearing seemingly out of nowhere? If you’ve ever left your iPhone outdoors on a hot sunny day for too long, you probably have. And if you haven’t seen that warning, let’s try to … Read More

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