Apps
How to Kill a Process on Your Mac
Matt Cone January 7, 2021
In a previous tutorial, we discussed how to force quit Mac apps. That procedure works in most situations, but sometimes the hidden components of an application, referred to processes, can stop responding and slow your Mac down. Fortunately, you can use the Activity Monitor application that comes with every Mac to stop, or kill, processes on your Mac. Here’s how to kill a process on your Mac: Open the Activity Monitor application (it’s in Applications → Utilities).
How to Add Page Numbers to a Microsoft Word Document
Matt Cone February 14, 2013
Creating a document in Microsoft Word for Mac? Depending on who you’re creating the document for, you may have to add page numbers. Many organizations such as schools and legal entities have very strict guidelines regarding the numbering of pages. Here’s how to add page numbers to a Microsoft Word document on your Mac: Open Microsoft Word on your Mac, and then create a new document. From the Insert menu, select Page Numbers.
Using Dropbox for Version Control
Matt Cone February 8, 2013
Dropbox is a popular cloud storage service that magically moves files from one device to another, but it’s probably not the first name that comes to mind when you think of version control. However, as you’ll learn in this tutorial, Dropbox has several powerful features that allow you “undo” any changes you make to files saved in your Dropbox folder. This is an absolute necessity for those of us who use Dropbox to store critically important files that can be accidentally modified or deleted.
How to Change the Margins in a Microsoft Word Document
Matt Cone June 27, 2012
Creating a document in Microsoft Word for Mac? Depending on who you’re creating the document for, you may have to change the document’s margins. Many organizations such as schools and legal entities have very strict guidelines regarding the margins. Here’s how to change the margins in a Microsoft Word document on your Mac: Open Microsoft Word on your Mac, and then create a new document. From the Format menu, select Document.
Punching Up Screen Grabs With Preview
Ric Getter June 7, 2012
When creating documentation, one of my more time-consuming tasks used to be punching up screen shots with labels, arrows, highlights and whatever. With its ability to mix vector (scalable text, lines and shapes) and bitmap graphics, Adobe’s Fireworks was my favorite tool, though it bordered on software overkill. Recently, I was in a rush to get something wrapped up and posted on a deadline and was nowhere near a copy of Fireworks.
Speed Up Safari: Lose the Previews
Ric Getter April 23, 2012
One of the first things most of us learned back when Safari 4 appeared was how to turn off the “Top Sites” feature (via the General tab of Safari’s Preferences) and return to our normal home page. Safari does a lot of work to collect those cute little thumbnails of the web pages, store them in a hard-to-find folder and organize them in a way they can be quickly retrieved. In fact, if you click over to the History view in the Top Sites window, you’ll see that Safari has industriously captured a thumbnail image of seemingly every page you ever visited.
Starting Applications Automatically at Login
Matt Cone March 1, 2012
Do you use the same applications, documents, AppleScripts, and Automator actions every day? Consider adding them as login items to start them automatically when you log in or turn on your Mac. It’s a great timesaver. Follow these instructions and kiss manually opening applications goodbye! Common examples of login items include utilities such as Alfred, LaunchBar, and Dropbox. Other popular login items include applications that need to be made available as soon as possible, such as email clients, web browsers, RSS readers, and even Twitter.
How to Install Windows 8 Using VMware Fusion
Matt Cone December 27, 2011
Maybe you’ve heard the buzz about Windows 8, the new operating system being developed by Microsoft. It’s not for sale yet, but if you’re feeling adventurous, you can install Windows 8 for free in a virtual machine on your Mac. Using a product called VMware Fusion (free trial, $49.99) is a great way to test Windows 8 in a sandboxed environment. Here’s how to install Windows 8 on your Mac using VMware Fusion:
How to Reinstall Apps from the Mac App Store
Matt Cone December 21, 2011
The Mac App Store is a good way to find applications for your Mac - maybe a little too good, in fact. The applications you download from the App Store can start to accumulate, and over time you may need to start deleting them. But feelings change. If you want to reinstall an application that you downloaded from the App Store and then later deleted, this is the tutorial for you.
How to Hide and Show Purchases in the Mac App Store
Matt Cone December 21, 2011
Did you purchase an “embarrassing” application from the Mac App Store? Want to hide the fact that you downloaded it? Thanks to an obscure feature, you can. The Mac App Store lets you hide applications you’ve purchased so they don’t show up in the Purchases list. It’s a great way to cover your tracks so other users in your house can’t see exactly what you downloaded. Tip: Hiding a purchase in the Mac App Store does not uninstall the application.