There are hundreds of tweaks and tricks stashed within Apple's recently introduced OS X Mavericks operating system, what follows is part one of a partial A-Z list of these -- you can read part two of this list right here.
A: App Nap
Apple's App Nap feature puts MacBook apps to sleep when not in use. To prevent specific apps from napping select ⌘I on the application icon in your Applications folder and click “Prevent App Nap” under General in the Get Info panel.
B: Battery
Click the Battery icon in the Menu and you'll be shown any active apps that are using significant energy. ⌥-click lets you review battery condition.
C: Contextual
Right click everything! Apple has hidden many new commands within the contextual menu, eg. Right-click a Calendar event to email or message event invitees.
D: Documents
Click the small triangle beside a Document name and you'll be able to rename a file, assign tags to it, change its location and lock it.
E: Easter Eggs
A nice Easter Egg remains in Terminal. Open Terminal, type emacs and press Return. Then, press the Esc button, type x and type doctor. You'll see this message: "I am the psychotherapist. Please, describe your problems." Have a chat.
F: Finder
Finder's festooned with new talents, but perhaps the most useful is the introduction of tabs -- press Command-T while in a Finder window and you'll open a new window within the window.
G: Get Info
Trying to Get Info on multiple files/folders? Select one of the group and press 'Option' while clicking the File menu. The 'Get Info' command turns to 'Show Inspector', this shows the same info, but changes as you select new files/folders. (Finder shortcut: Command-Option-I).
H: Hidden spies
Some firms hide spies in emails -- 1-x-1-pixel images the same color as the email background -- so you don't see 'em. These bugs can figure out where you are and if the mail is read. Exterminate them: Mail>Preferences>Viewing>Uncheck the Display Remote Images in HTML messages box.
I: iCloud passwords
iCloud Keychain encrypts and saves website user names and passwords for use across your devices and will invent strong passwords. System Preferences>iCloud>Check Keychain and enter your Apple ID and password. New passwords will automatically created and saved in future.
J: Journey times
Mavericks' Maps integration means Calendar can calculate travel times between events, so long as you state their location. Double-click an event, click its time and you'll see a 'Travel Time' box. Define this manually or choose between the walking/driving times derived from the previous event location.
K: Keyboard compression
If you compress files to save space you may desire a Keyboard Shortcut to expedite the task: System Preferences>Keyboard>Shortcuts>App Shortcuts. Click the + button, type Compress, create a Shortcut. Use this Shortcut to compress files.
L: Links
Safari's Shared Links offers all the links your chums share on social media sites. These don't update automatically, so create a Shortcut: System Preferences>Keyboard>Shortcuts Tab>App Shortcuts. Click the + button and type Update Shared Links, and create a keyboard combination. Shared links will be updated whenever you invoke this in Safari.
M: Maps
Get smart with Address Book and Maps. Create a contact sheet for the places you visit often (including name and address). In future you'll be able to ask Maps to get traffic information to those destinations from wherever you are. iPhone users will be able to ask Siri for the same information.
That's the end of part one of this partial A-Z guide to Mavericks. Follow me on social media and I'll let you know when part two "ships" (it's available now -- here's the link). Meanwhile, share your Mavericks tips in comments below.
Mavericks Tips and Tricks
- An A-Z guide to OS X Mavericks: Part two (N-Z)
- Troubleshooting tips for Apple Mail on OS X Mavericks
- OS X Mavericks: Fixing wireless keyboard/mouse connections
- Quick guide: OS X Mavericks for Windows switchers
- OS X Mavericks tips: Control the information you share with apps
- How to improve Mac performance: OS X Mavericks edition
- More Tips and Tricks
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