Helpful Hints

Shortcut keys

To speed up monotonous tasks on your Mac, try using keyboard shortcuts. Next to most menu items are the keyboard shortcuts for performing that task. Here's a good one: hold down the Command (Apple) key and press Tab to cycle through your open programs. Release the Command key to bring that application to the front.

Safari - tabbed browsing

Instead of having several windows open when browsing the internet in Safari, hold down the Command (Apple) key on the keyboard, and click on the link you wish to go to. The linked page then opens in its own tab, leaving your original window as it was. Useful for comparing prices / information, or to easily get back to where you started without having to hit the back button in Safari multiple times.

Google searching

Although not a Mac-specific hint, it deserves a mention anyway. Next time you need to find a particular phrase on the internet, try putting quotations around it. This tells Google to find what you have entered exactly. For example, our contact number is 1300 650 126, if you were to type that number into Google, this will find any / all pages that have the numbers 1300, 650 or 126 on them. Whereas if you search on "1300 650 126" with the quotations at the beginning and end, you will find the Mac Manager web site easily, and any other sites that contain our contact phone number.

Viruses

At this point in time there are almost no viruses that affect Mac OS X, so installing anti-virus software often causes more problems than it solves.

Spam

If you're getting dozens of spam emails each day, contact your email provider. Most providers can enable virus & spam filtering on your email account at your request, either for free, or for a small monthly fee.

Laptop battery

Did you know that if you press the small button on your laptop's battery, or on the left side if you have a recent "unibody" MacBook Pro, it will give you a light indication of how much charge your battery has left. Helpful for determining whether or not to take your charger with you before you run out the door.

Repair disk permissions

A good, regular maintenance routine to perform is to repair your Macs disk permissions. You can do this in the Disk Utility program, which is located in Applications/Utilities. Although not essential, it's recommended to do this once every month or two, and after installing any programs / updates.

Word, Excel & PowerPoint files

Did you know that Apple's iWork suite can open most types of Word, Excel and PowerPoint files? It can also save to these formats, which can then be sent to, and safely read by, Windows PCs. And it only costs $129, as opposed to $599 for the business edition of Microsoft Office, or $229 for the Home & Student Edition. You can download a free 30 trial of iWork from Apple's web site.

Restart

It might seem obvious, but often a restart is just what your Mac needs when it starts to slow down, or hits a bump in the road. Although not essential, it's recommended to restart your Mac once a week for optimal performance - more if needed.

Need Mac training in Sydney?

If you're booking one of our Apple Mac technicians to come and service your Mac, we recommend writing a list in advance of all the things you want to know about your Mac & its features & software. Our Mac technicians are very helpful at providing on-the-spot training and tuition as part of the repair process. Particularly helpful when upgrading to a new operating system.

Monday - Friday
9:00am - 5:30pm

Phone: 1300 650 126

Mobile: 0407 026 037

Email: click here