Mac Tips & Lessons
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macOS Classes5 Lessons
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New in macOS Sequoia3 Lessons
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Getting Started with the Mac13 Lessons
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14+ Tips for Getting Started with a New Mac (and older Macs)
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How to tell which macOS you are using
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Getting Around your Mac
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Working with Finder Windows
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Accessing Folders and Navigating Folders
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A Look a the Folder Hierarchy of the Mac
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Using Keyboard Shortcuts
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Notifications and the Notification Center
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Searching with Spotlight Search
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System Preferences Overview
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Mac Quick Look Demystified: Preview Files with Ease!
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Quickly access Mac system settings with Menu Bar or Dock
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Learn Cut, Copy, and Paste on Mac
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14+ Tips for Getting Started with a New Mac (and older Macs)
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Menu Bar Lessons for the Mac4 Lessons
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Dock Lessons for the Mac11 Lessons
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Automatically Hide the Dock
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Open Recent Documents from a Closed app with the Mac's Dock
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Open an App's Recent Documents through the Dock on the Mac
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Change the Position of the Dock
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Working with Applications in the Dock
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Documents and Folders in the Dock
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Customizing the Dock
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Add Printers to the Mac's Dock
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3 Easy Tips for Organizing your Folders in the Mac's Dock
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Unlock Hidden Settings for the Dock
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How to Add Folders to the Mac Dock
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Automatically Hide the Dock
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Finder Lessons for the Mac24 Lessons
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Opening an Enclosing Folder from a Finder Window
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Adding a Folder to the Sidebar in a Finder Window
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Cycle through your Open Finder Windows
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Set What Folder A New Finder Windows Shows
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Finder Window View Options
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View Unopened Documents with Quick Look
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Arranging Files and Folders
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Actions and Tasks
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Finder Windows as Tabs
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Customizing the Sidebar
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Customize the Finder Window Toolbar
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Show the Path Bar in a Finder Window
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Keep Folders on Top
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Show the Status Bar in Finder Windows
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Set what is searched in a Finder Window
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Hide your Hard Drives from the Desktop
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Add Documents to a Finder Window Toolbar
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Resizing Finder Window Columns
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Copy the location of a File or Folder as Pathname
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Set what your Finder Windows Open To
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Show the Mac's Clipboard in a Window
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Create a PDF from Multiple Images with Quick Actions on the Mac
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The ultimate guide to the Mac's Finder: 24+ tips included!
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Need help Organizing Your Mac? Master Smart Folders Today!
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Opening an Enclosing Folder from a Finder Window
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Manage Applications on the Mac24 Lessons
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Easily Open the Applications Folder
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Apps and Significant Energy
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Set which Applications Open at Login
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Add the Applications Folder to the Dock
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Close Windows when Quitting Apps
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5 Ways to Find and Open your Applications on the Mac
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Finding your Applications Folder
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Switching between Open Applications
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Hiding Open Applications
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Launchpad and Applications
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Opening Applications with Spotlight Search
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Installing Applications
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Removing or Uninstalling Applications
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Applications in Full-screen Mode
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Finding an App’s Preferences or Settings
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Open Apps with the Launchpad Icon
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Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Switch between Open Apps
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Shrink Apps to Prevent the MacBook Pro Notch from Obscuring App Controls
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Prevent In-App Rating & Review Notifications
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How to Check App Version History on Your Mac
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How to Use Multiple Desktops with Spaces
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Switch between open apps with the Mac's App Switcher
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Enhance your Mac experience by Installing iOS apps
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Add a Signature to a Document
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Easily Open the Applications Folder
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Manage Files and Folders on the Mac30 Lessons
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Selecting Documents and Folders
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Working with Save Dialog Boxes
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Deleting Files and Folders
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Copying, Moving, and Grouping Files
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Move Selected Files into a New Folder
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Specifying Applications for Documents
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4 Ways to Open a File on the Mac
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3 Ways to Force Quit an App on the Mac
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4 Ways to Edit Finder Window Sidebars on the Mac
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Create A New Folder with Selected Files on the Mac
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Using Spring-loaded Folders
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Compressing Files and Folders
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Convert and Compress Images with Quick Actions
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Viewing Document Information
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Renaming Files in Batches
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Tagging Files and Folders
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Set What App a Document Opens With
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Open Windows Media or WMV Files
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Tips for finding your Downloads Folder
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See Folder Sizes in a Finder Window
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Duplicate Documents with Stationery Pad on the Mac
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Reverse the Print Order of your Document
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Creating PDFs on a Mac: Two Easy Methods
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Save Time and Effort: How to Select Multiple Files on Your Mac
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How to Easily Zip and Unzip Files on Your Mac
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Learn how to use Find and Replace on the Mac
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Rename Multiple Files on the Mac
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How to Manage Storage on Your Mac - Easy Tips & Tricks!
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Ever Wondered How to Rename Mac Files? Top 7 Tips Here!
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11 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Mac's Desktop Experience
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Selecting Documents and Folders
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General macOS Lessons21 Lessons|1 Quiz
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Have your Mac Learn Spelling
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Close Notifications with a Swipe
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Working with the Today View
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Using Siri
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Using Mission Control
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Add Virtual Desktops with Spaces on the Mac
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Sharing Files with AirDrop
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iCloud Options
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Take a Screenshot of your Display
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Add Emojis as Text
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View All Open Windows as Thumbnails
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Copy, and Paste and Match Style
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Type Special Characters with the Keyboard Viewer
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Set where Screenshots are Saved
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Add a Timer to Screenshots
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Hide all your open windows to show the Mac's Desktop
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Turn on Do Not Disturb Temporarily
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Using Split View
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The Mac’s Magic Shortcut to Trashing Files and Photos Quickly
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10 Little Known Tips for the Mac
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Keyboard Navigation on the Mac
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Have your Mac Learn Spelling
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Preferences or Settings for the Mac34 Lessons
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Organize and Hide System Preference Panes
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General Preferences
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Working with Printers and Scanners
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Share Connected Printers with other Macs
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A Quick look at Sound Preferences
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A closer look at Internet Accounts
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Creating User Accounts
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Set an Animated Emoji for your Mac User Profile
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Customize the Date and Time in the Mac's Menu Bar
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Adding Parental Controls
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Change the Cursor Size
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Show the Date in the Menu bar
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Change the Clock in the Menu Bar from Digital to Analog
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Set the Scroll Bar to Always Show in a Window
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Create a New user Account
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Text Replacement
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Quickly Look up Information with the Trackpad
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Shortcuts for opening System Preference Panes
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Rename your Mac
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Searching your System Preferences
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Set the Default Browser on the Mac
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Reduce the Transparency in the Menu Bar and Dock
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Open Preference Panes from the Dock
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A closer look at Wi-fi Settings
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Using Hot Corners
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Select what macOS Updates you want to install
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Create Keyboard Shortcuts for Menu Items
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Use Keyboard Navigation to Move Focus
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Enable Fast User Switching to Switch between User Accounts
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Use Touch ID to Switch between Users on the Mac
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How to Zoom into your Mac's Display for Easier Reading
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How to Extend Your Mac Display to Your iPad
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Disabling Showing the Notification Center from the Trackpad
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Can Force Click Boost Your Productivity on your Mac? Find Out How!
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Organize and Hide System Preference Panes
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Troubleshooting Lessons for the Mac16 Lessons
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Finding Help for your Mac
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Backing Up with Time Machine
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Restoring Files with Time Machine
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Erase a Hard Drive
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Force Quit an App on the Mac
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Restart or Relaunch the Mac's Finder
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Force Quit Apps from the Apple Menu
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Putting it All Together
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Automatically delete items in the Trash after 30 Days
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Troubleshooting Bluetooth Connections
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Manage Storage Space with macOS Monterey and Earlier
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Reclaim Local Mac Storage Space by Removing iCloud Drive Downloads
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Disable Unused Sharing Options on Your Mac If You’re Not Using Them
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Forget Wi-Fi Networks that are Troublesome
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View memory usage in Activity Monitor on Mac
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Erase All Content and Settings on a Mac
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Finding Help for your Mac
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New in macOS Mojave12 Lessons
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Dark Mode Appearance
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Dynamic Desktop Pictures
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View Recent Apps in the Dock
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Gallery View for Files in Finder Windows
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macOS Software Updates in System Preferences
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Desktop Stacks for Files on the Desktop
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Keep Desktop Folders on Top of Files
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View File Metadata
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Quick Actions and Markup Files
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Continuity Camera from your iPhone or iPad
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New Privacy Options
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New Screenshot Options
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Dark Mode Appearance
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New in macOS Catalina19 Lessons
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See which apps will no longer work with macOS Catalina
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See which apps are 32-bit
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Opening Recent Folders from the Dock
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Reorganized System Preferences
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New Window Management Options
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New Screen Time Preferences
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New Music App
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New TV App
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New Podcasts App
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Manage your iOS Devices through the Finder
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What's New in the Photos App
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What's New in the Notes App
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What's New in Safari
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What's New in the Mail app
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New FindMy App
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New Catalyst Apps
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New Security and Privacy Features
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New Redesigned Reminders App
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Use an iPad as a second Display with Sidecar
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See which apps will no longer work with macOS Catalina
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New in macOS Big Sur15 Lessons
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What hasn't changed with macOS Big Sur
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Notification Center
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Allow Wallpaper Tinting in Windows
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Filtering Mail Messages
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New Control Center
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A look at the Finder Window Toolbar
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New with Desktop Pictures
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Play Startup Sound
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Drag and Drop Controls to the Menu Bar
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Battery Usage Preferences
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Change the Date & Time in the Menu Bar
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Do Not Disturb location in macOS Big Sur
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See what is Now Playing
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It’s Time to Consider Upgrading to macOS 11 Big Sur
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How to Reveal the Proxy Icon in Big Sur
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What hasn't changed with macOS Big Sur
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New & Updated in macOS Ventura12 Lessons
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How to Manage your Open Windows with Stage Manager
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New Setup Options and Filters in Focus on the Mac with macOS Ventura
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View Forecasts and More in the New Weather App on the Mac
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Add Multiple Stops to Routes in the Maps App with macOS Ventura
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Create Templates for Reminders Lists with macOS Ventura
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Maximizing Your Storage on macOS Ventura: A Guide to Managing Space
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Discover the New Clock App on MacOS Ventura
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How to Keep Scroll Bars Always Visible on Mac (macOS Ventura)
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Manage App Store and Streaming Services Subscriptions through the Mac
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Save time typing text and Emojis on your Mac with Text Replacement!
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3 Ways to Remove the Background in a Photo
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Stop Apps from Launching when your Mac Starts Up
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How to Manage your Open Windows with Stage Manager
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Favorite Features in macOS Sonoma9 Lessons
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Make Your Favorite Websites Act Like Apps with macOS Sonoma
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macOS Sonoma: Screensavers & Wallpapers
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Click your Wallpaper to Show the Desktop
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Add Widgets to your Mac's Desktop
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My 3 Favorite New Features in Reminders with macOS Sonoma!
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iCloud Passwords for Chrome: Seamless Access to Your Passwords
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Make your next Zoom Presentation stand out with Presenter Overlays
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Turn off Click Wallpaper to Show Desktop
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Build your own Apple Passwords app in 5 minutes! A Step-by-Step Guide
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Make Your Favorite Websites Act Like Apps with macOS Sonoma
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New in macOS Monterey6 Lessons
Switching between Open Applications
Learn the different ways to switch between open applications on the Mac.
In this lesson for macOS, I look at how to switch between your open applications including using keyboard shortcuts. Some of the ways to switch between open apps include clicking on an app’s window, clicking on the application icon in the Dock, and my favorite way, using keyboard shortcuts. See the different ways to switch between open app on the Mac in this lesson.
Video Transcript (video also has closed captions):
Introduction: Now, let’s look at the different ways we can switch between our open apps on the Mac. Let’s go to my Mac. Let’s first go and open up a couple of apps. I’m going to open up my Contacts and let’s go and open up Calendar.
Switching Apps by Application Window: Now, if I want to go back to my Contacts, one way of doing that is by clicking on the Contacts window, but if we look, you’re going to see that my Calendar covers the Contacts window, so what I would have to do is I would have to go and move this window around.
Let’s go ahead and move it. Then I can click on Contacts here, and it brings it to the front. I want to go back to my Calendar, I click on Calendar, and now we’re back in our Calendar. That works well when you do not have a lot of windows or a lot of apps open, but let’s go and open up a few more apps. I’m going to bring this window back to the center, so it’s covering my Contacts. Now, let’s go and open up Safari. Then let’s go and open up a Finder window. I click on it, and now we have a Finder window. Now, I have a few more apps open. I have my Finder, my Calendar, Safari, and Contacts, as well as ScreenFlow and OmniFocus.
Now, if I want to go back to my Contacts, what I would have to do is I would have to move these windows around. Well, now that I have a few more apps and windows, it’s not a very efficient way of switching between your open apps. Let’s go and move my window here. Now, I can see my Safari. I still need to get to Contacts, so what I have to do is I have to move Safari. Well, now, I can see my Calendar. So, I click on it, and I have to move my Calendar, and now I can see my Contacts. I click on it, and it brings my Contacts forward. Again, not very efficient.
Switching Apps by using the Dock: If you have a few windows open or a few apps open, clicking on the window works great, but if you have a lot of apps or a lot of windows, it can be very inefficient. What are some other ways to switch between your open apps? Well, one way is by using the app icon in the Dock. Let’s say I wanted to bring the Finder back up to the front, the Finder window. All I have to do is go down to the Finder here, click on it, and bring my Finder window back. Pretty simple. I want to bring my Calendar to the front. I click on the Calendar. Again, pretty simple, and it works great, but we have another way of doing this.
Switching Apps by using Keyboard Shortcuts: We can also use a keyboard shortcut. Now, before I show you how the keyboard shortcut works, let’s first look at these apps in the Dock. You’re going to see that the calendar app here has a dot below it. This means that this is an open app. If I go over to reminders here, you’re going to see it does not have a dot below it. That means that that app is not open. If I click on it, it will open it and bring it to the front. When we use keyboard shortcuts, what it does is, it just switches between your open apps. It’s only going to switch between your apps that have a dot below them.
How do we use keyboard shortcuts? Well, all we have to do is hold down the Command key and the Tab key. When I do that, we’re going to get an overlay on our Mac. Let’s go ahead and do that, Command key and the Tab key, and we can see we have an overlay. The Finder is now highlighted. If I were to let go of the Command key, I’m still holding onto the Command key; if I were to let go of the Command key, what it would do would be switch to the Finder. We can see that we are in the Calendar here.
Now, when I let go, I’m in the Finder. That’s how we can easily switch. We use the keyboard shortcut Command-Tab, and it will only show me the apps in this overlay that have the black dot below them. Now, let’s switch to my Contacts, Command key, and then the Tab key. Now, I just hit the Tab key again. We can see that Contacts is highlighted, and now I’m in Contacts. Each time we hit the Tab key, what it’s going to do is it’s going to highlight the next app. It’s going to go from left to right. I’m going to hold down the Command key and the Tab key.
Now, when I hit the Tab key, watch what happens. You’re going to see a highlight, the next app, to the right. Right now, the Finder is highlighted. Now the Calendar is highlighted. Currently, Safari is highlighted, ScreenFlow, OmniFocus, and Contacts. I let go. It’s going to bring Contacts to the front. We can also go in the reverse. We can go from right to left. If I hold down the Command key and the Tab key and now if I hold down the Shift key, so it’s Command, Shift, and Tab. Watch what happens. Shift key, now it’s going from right to left. I let go of the Shift key, goes from left to right.
We can also use the cursor in conjunction with this. I want to go to Contacts, all I have to do is bring my cursor above Contacts here, and it highlights it, I let go, and we’re in Contacts. I want to go to Calendar, Command, and Tab brings up the overlay. I bring my cursor over to Calendar, and it brings my Calendar. We can even use this to quit apps. Let’s say I wanted to quit out of Contacts, Command-Tab, tab over until I’m at Contacts, and now, all I have to do is hit the Q key. I already have the Command key.
Remember, Command-Q quits our apps. Now, all I have to do is just Command-Q; it just quit out of Contacts. Now, let’s quit out of Calendar using this, Command-Tab, until I get to the Calendar, and then I hit the Q key, and now I’ve just quit out of Calendar. I hit the Q key again; I quit out of Safari.
That’s how we can switch between our open apps on the Mac.