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Post your favourite Mac OS X tips & tricks

Will Cheyney

Will Cheyney

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jul 13, 2005
701
0
United Kingdom
I think the title of the thread explains everything... Post your favorite tips & tricks for OS X or any iApp.
I'll get the ball rolling, here's a good one:


Silently Change Volume
Hold the shift key as you press the volume up or volume down keys on an apple pro keyboard to disable the system beep. This way, it is possible to silently change the sound volume.
 
Will Cheyney said:
I think the title of the thread explains everything... Post your favorite tips & tricks for OS X or any iApp.
I'll get the ball rolling, here's a good one:


Silently Change Volume
Hold the shift key as you press the volume up or volume down keys on an apple pro keyboard to disable the system beep. This way, it is possible to silently change the sound volume.
Click to expand...

i dunno of any tips whatsoever...but good tip der...i didn't knoe that...
 
Chundles said:
option-command-+ The super zoom, opt-com-- to zoom out. It's really cool.
Click to expand...

That is way too cool...I cant wait to show my coworkers ... <sneer> at good ol' Microsoft ;) </sneer>
 
it's not really a secret, but one of my faves is opt+ctrl+clicking a dock icon to bring up the alternate menu. very handy for force-quitting an application that's not hanging (ie you want to quit limewire or something without it taking forever)
 
homerjward said:
it's not really a secret, but one of my faves is opt+ctrl+clicking a dock icon to bring up the alternate menu. very handy for force-quitting an application that's not hanging (ie you want to quit limewire or something without it taking forever)
Click to expand...

In that same vein, Cmd-click on dock icons to reveal in Finder.
 
homerjward said:
it's not really a secret, but one of my faves is opt+ctrl+clicking a dock icon to bring up the alternate menu.
Click to expand...

I may be missing something, but I think ctrl isn't required for this. I can get the alternate menu with just alt/option+click.

Edit: interestingly, after playing around with these, I found that while alt+click and hold gives you the alternate menu, alt+click and quick release shows the selected application and hides all others.
 
LawHog said:
I may be missing something, but I think ctrl isn't required for this. I can get the alternate menu with just alt/option+click.

Edit: interestingly, after playing around with these, I found that while alt+click and hold gives you the alternate menu, alt+click and quick release shows the selected application and hides all others.
Click to expand...

Alright, here's what's up with the dock icons:

Click and hold (with or without modifiers): Contextual menu
Option click: Hide app
Control click: Contextual menu
Command click: Reveal in Finder
 
LawHog said:
I may be missing something, but I think ctrl isn't required for this. I can get the alternate menu with just alt/option+click.

Edit: interestingly, after playing around with these, I found that while alt+click and hold gives you the alternate menu, alt+click and quick release shows the selected application and hides all others.
Click to expand...

surely you mean that option isn't required. ctrl+click is the equivalent to a right-click. ok i see what you mean now, holding option turns quit to force quit and hide to hide others. holding control gives u quick access to the menu, alternatively just hold the click and it appears. this takes longer though and who needs that.
 
RoxStrongo said:
surely you mean that option isn't required. ctrl+click is the equivalent to a right-click. ok i see what you mean now, holding option turns quit to force quit and hide to hide others. holding control gives u quick access to the menu, alternatively just hold the click and it appears. this takes longer though and who needs that.
Click to expand...


Ah, I see. I didn't know that ctrl+click=instant menu for dock items. I've been trying to learn to use these modifiers more. You know, 10+ years of Windows/DOS vs. one year of OSX. Thanks!

At any rate, I think I still prefer click+hold to ctrl+click for contextual menus on dock items. The delay is less than a second.
 
I think I accidentally discovered another one the other day.
cmd + (the down arrow) when you have your drive icon on my desktop highlighted brings up a Finder window?!

I think it works for any dirve you have connected.
I did it the other day when I had my PB HD highlighted, and voila!
Don't know I have much use for this one though - but cool nonetheless.
 
DJY said:
I think I accidentally discovered another one the other day.
cmd + (the down arrow) when you have your drive icon on my desktop highlighted brings up a Finder window?!
Click to expand...

Apple + Down/Up in general, in Finder, will open items that are highlighted (down) or open containing items (up). This includes starting programs or opening documents. :)
 
My absolute favorite trick at the moment is that with Tiger you can finally, FINALLY, make a slideshow in finder. Just choose the picture files you want to look at (max. 100 though, iirc), and right(cmd)-click them and choose "slideshow". I'm so happy for that. Only minus is the slightly transparent control panel on top of the show, tsss...

A
 
The most important thing for me (except spotlight and expose) is this:

Press and hold the command key and then press the Tab key. See what happens! This way I can switch to other applications without selecting them with the mouse. This saves waaaay lot of time...
 
Soulstorm said:
Press and hold the command key and then press the Tab key. See what happens! This way I can switch to other applications without selecting them with the mouse. This saves waaaay lot of time...
Click to expand...

Hehehehehe.... Windows users would be shocked. :p :eek: :D
 
Screengrabbing is even more in-depth than that.

Shift + Apple + 3 = screengrab

Shift + Apple + 4 = screengrab cursor for grabbing a portion of the screen

Shift + Apple +4 then spacebar allows you to select and screengrab any given window.

Are there more I don't know of?
 
mkrishnan said:
*looks up at above post*
...
*contemplates explaining the concept of sarcasm*
*decides to contemplate the concept of futility instead*

Thank you for the tip, sir. :)
Click to expand...

Oops, sorry... was half awake this morning... and awoke to discover a S.M.A.R.T. status: failing on my beuatiful 17" PB!

ECK!
Posted a help notice - whilst I have been madly attempting to back everything up. I think my PB might be having its first night away from me tomorrow night!!!
Sorry I missed this one.
 
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