Mac Manual Pdf

The Mac Manual

2009
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The Mac Manual

Preface
This ebook was written with the beginner Mac user in mind. It was intended to help recent Switchers learn more about the Mac operating system, to expose them to the best free applications, to extend their productivity and to assist them with day-to-day procedures by revealing useful tips and tricks from seasoned Mac users.

If youare a Switcher, this ebook will prove to be incredibly useful as it starts from the very beginning -- introducing the applications that come bundled with every Mac, their functions and how to use them. Once you're familiar with what your Mac has to offer and how you can make the best out of it, we'll begin to talk about plugins and third-party applications which will further enhance your workflow.Along the way, I will share the tips learnt over the years after I switched to a Mac, providing you with first hand experience, sharing the mistakes I made so that you do not need to go through them yourself.

I genuinely hope that this ebook will make your transition to Mac a smooth one.

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The Mac Manual

What’s on your Mac?
Finder
The dock
The menu barThe desktop and Finder windows
Using Finder
Get Info
Column view
Inspector
Quick Look
Spotlight
Using Spotlight
Advanced Searching
Searching for a specific filetype
Search by metadata
Using operators
Launching Applications
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Pre-installed Applications
iTunes
Apple’s Productivity Suite
Mail
iCal
Address BookUtilities
Activity Monitor
Disk Utility
Create password-protected DMGs
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Third-party Apps & plugins
10 Great Free Apps
iStat Menus
Dropbox
The Unarchiver
Skitch
Shadow
Perian
Daphnism
Keyboard Cleaner
Bowtie
Adium
Chat & instant messaging
Mail
Browsing
Safari plugins
Text Editors
ImageEditors
Getting Things Done (GTD)
Music
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Pro Tips
All about screenshots
Delete stubborn files
Stop applications from starting on login
Merge Safari windows
Browse through tabs
Save a webpage for offline browsing
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Save a bookmark anywhere
Remember if you’vesaved a file
Send a webpage via email
Copy and Paste
Display the Keyboard viewer
Quickly set any application to startup during login
Create ZIP files
Close multiple windows instantly
Minimize into Dock icons
Set your display to sleep instantly
Quickly navigate between folders
Increase the font size (Quickly zoom in/out)
Save Spotlight searches
Cheat Sheet

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Chapter ONE What’s on your Mac?

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The Mac Manual

Some

Switchers will buy a Mac without knowing what it is actually capable of

doing. Sure, you might have heard that a Mac will help with creativity and/or productivity. However, your creativity or productivity isn't going to skyrocket the moment you turn on yournewly-bought Mac. You’ll need to know how it works in order to make the most out of your purchase. So let's return to the basics. I will begin with some of the applications that come bundled with every new Mac, explain their functions, how to use them and where to find them.

Finder
In Windows, if you need to view the contents of your hard disk, thumb drive, CD or DVD, you'll would probably double-clickon My Computer. In other words, you're using Windows Explorer. Finder is the Mac-equivalent of Windows Explorer. It allows the user to view the contents of local drives, networked drives, optical drives, portable drives, folders, files and so on. Think of it as a store General Manager -- always on, always there, watching over everyone. Finder manages applications, files, disks and devices on your...