Have you ever received a PDF file that you would like to convert to a Word DOC or DOCX format? Typically this is necessary when you have PDF that you want to edit the contents of a bit, maybe a resume or a thesis, but of course the PDF could be more complex. If you’re … Read More
Mac and iOS users can start iMessage conversations and send text messages from the web, email, or anywhere else a link can be clicked, by using a custom URL to launch the Messages app. Using this you can start an iMessage chat to any other iMessage user or send them an SMS through the Messages … Read More
If you need to view the IP addresses of other hardware on the same LAN (Local Area Network) as a Mac, the command line arp tool works quite well. You’ll quickly find other devices IP and accompanying MAC addresses, which can make direct network connections easier and be helpful for many other network and troubleshooting … Read More
Mac systems administrators may find a need to convert an existing regular user account into an administrator account on a Mac. While most Mac users would be best served by converting account status to admin through the Users & Groups preference panel, advanced users can perform the same function through the Terminal by using the … Read More
Apple has a longstanding record of curating wonderful desktop pictures on both the Mac and iOS mobile platforms, so it’s not surprising that some users may wish to know where these default desktop wallpapers are stored in Mac OS.
For Mac users who encrypt external hard drives and USB flash drives, there may come a time when you want to remove the password protection and decrypt the external device. Decrypting an external drive allows all data on the drive to be accessed without the password authentication, effectively turning off any protection on the target … Read More
Some Mac users may encounter an error message stating “This Mac can’t connect to iCloud because of a problem with email@address.com”, which then directs the user to open the iCloud preferences. Once inside Mac iCloud preference panel, some users may be able to successfully login to iCloud, but often another error is encountered here which … Read More
The Spotlight search window can be moved around screen in modern versions of Mac OS X, which is great if you want to move the Spotlight window away from something that it’s obstructing, or perhaps because you’d rather it be in the corner of the display then in the middle of the Mac screen.
Picture in Picture mode is one of the more useful features available in the latest version of MacOS, essentially it allows you to pop open a little hovering video player that is unobtrusive as it floats over the screen. This is great whether you’re watching a game, tutorial, TV show, or a movie while working … Read More
Some Mac users may need to reinstall their current macOS system software; typically this is necessary only as a troubleshooting technique, though there may be other reasons to reinstall Sierra or High Sierra as well. The method we are going to outline here will reinstall macOS system software versioned as High Sierra or Sierra without … Read More
Rarely, the Mac App Store may report erroneous app download statuses or even offer a malformed file leading to an app that doesn’t launch or is partially downloaded. These situations are almost always the result of an interrupted or corrupted download, but can occur in some other scenarios as well. Sometimes simply deleting the app … Read More
Spotlight, Safari, Siri, Maps, and other apps on the Mac use your location during searches to help suggest particular activity. For example, if you’re searching in Spotlight for “coffee” on the Mac, you may find that nearby coffee shops are displayed, allowing you to search local listings directly from Spotlight search in Mac OS. These … Read More
Apple is now automatically downloading macOS Sierra to Macs that are running a prior version of Mac OS X and which are compatible with Sierra. While this may be convenient to some users, not everyone may want to have macOS Sierra show up unexpectedly, or use their bandwidth to download a large file without explicit … Read More
For the vast majority of Mac users, macOS Sierra is a nice upgrade that goes without a hitch. For a small number of users, macOS Sierra presents a unique variety of problems that are impervious to all troubleshooting attempts, even reinstalling Sierra or a clean install. If you fall into the latter camp, or just … Read More
Want to hide the Siri menu icon but still have Siri enabled on the Mac? This approach offers a way to reduce menubar clutter on a Mac, while still retaining the Siri assistant functionality and each of its useful commands. With the Siri menu bar icon hidden, you can still access Siri on the Mac … Read More
Gatekeeper in MacOS is now stricter than ever, defaulting to only allow options for apps downloaded from either the App Store or the App Store and identified developers. Advanced Mac users may wish to allow a third option, which is the ability to open and allow apps downloaded from anywhere in macOS Ventura, macOS Monterey, … Read More
Some Mac users like creating a bootable USB install drive for macOS Sierra, which offers for a way to easily update multiple machines, perform clean installs, and to have just as a backup Mac OS Sierra installer should the need arise. This walkthrough will demonstrate the exact steps necessary to create a boot installer drive … Read More
Some Mac users are reporting wi-fi difficulties after updating to macOS Sierra 10.12. The most common wireless networking problems seem to be either randomly dropping wi-fi connections after updating to macOS Sierra, or an unusually slow or delayed wi-fi experience after updating a Mac to Sierra 10.12. We’ll walk through some some-tested troubleshooting steps to … Read More
