Mac Tips: 25 OS X Tricks Every User Should Know

We spend far too much time tinkering with OS X, and over the years we've picked up countless quick tips that make spending 12 or 14 hours a day in Apple's OS a bit more bearable.

Have a look through our favorite tricks for the latest Mac OS X release, version 10.6 (aka "Snow Leopard"). From handy keyboard shortcuts to under-the-radar features, all of these tricks are accessible without downloading any additional software.

Did we miss any of your favorites? Let us know in the comments! You can also upload your favorite Mac tips to our slideshow via the "Add a Slide" tool.

 

What's your favorite Mac Tip?

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Tap To Click

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When you're clicking thousands of times a day, that extra couple of millimeters required to click the trackpad button adds up. Turn on "Tap to Click" by going to System Preferences > Trackpad on your Apple laptop.

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When you're clicking thousands of times a day, that extra couple of millimeters required to click the trackpad button adds up. Turn on "Tap to Click" by going to System Preferences > Trackpad on your Apple laptop.

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Comments

[omg wtf lol bbq]

03:41 PM on 05/06/2011

You forgot one on number 6 - after pressing cmd-shift-4, you can hit the space bar to take a shot of an entire window versus a dragbox-defined portion of the screen.

[onlythetruthcounts]

08:59 PM on 05/05/2011

These aren't really "tricks," more like preferences and features. A "trick" would be if the apple on my iMac lit up and started flashing white when it wants a treat.

[2crudedudes]

02:23 PM on 05/05/2011

"buy a mouse with more than one button" strangely absent

[omg wtf lol bbq]

03:32 PM on 05/06/2011

Except that the current mouse (Magic) and the previous mouse (Mighty) both have more than one button once you go through system preferences. With an applet, the Magic Mouse can actually double as a track pad and have more functions assigned to it than a Razer, Logitech, Microsoft, or Alienware gaming mouse.

[coreypaul]

04:21 PM on 05/20/2011

i use cordless mouse and track pad myself.

[Charlotte Lowry Collins]

10:11 AM on 05/05/2011

After years of seamlessly downloading my camera to IPhoto, my new MacBook Pro started having problems with "unsupported file types". They wouldn't import. I began using my Cannon software (ImageBrowser) for a while, now it is having problems. Some files will not import, some will. Of those that do I started having no ability to view the images. The photos are there but I can't view them using either of those programs, Preview, or by trying to insert them into a PPT or Word document. Any ideas?

[2crudedudes]

02:30 PM on 05/05/2011

I'm sorry I can't help you. So instead, I'm going to be snarky:

I thought Macs "just worked"?

[Charlotte Lowry Collins]

02:55 PM on 05/05/2011

I was spoiled because it always worked that easily before my new computer. But thanks for trying.

[JohnSawyer]

04:13 AM on 05/06/2011

Blue Screen of Death.

[onlythetruthcounts]

09:09 PM on 05/05/2011

What is the file extensions? I had to download RAW to view my raw .CR2 canon files in preview and other mac apps like iPhoto.

[Charlotte Lowry Collins]

08:32 AM on 05/09/2011

.JPG
By the way, this doesn't happen when downloading from my Iphone. The Cannon issue is recent, which is why I am mystified. Thanks for trying to help.

[Paul Brainerd]

02:50 AM on 05/05/2011

Bypass Force Quit window by using Command+Option+Shift+Esc keys and hold down for 4 seconds to force quit app.
To put display to sleep Cnt+Shift+Ejc Disc.
Strip font format from Copied text to paste and match to existing text with Command+Option+Shift+V.
Navigate Menu bar with arrow keys with Cnl+Function+F2.

[ENStar]

02:13 AM on 05/05/2011

Small sidebar... My favourite third party apps I always install first
1-Default folder
2-Fruitmenu******************
3-Snapzpro

Anybody else???

[Thomas Houston]

11:12 AM on 05/05/2011

cloud app (screen shot sharing)
divvy (window management)
adium (chat)
quicksilver (launcher)

[Anastasia]

01:49 AM on 05/05/2011

Where's the tip for: Turning Slide Shows Into Printable Lists?

[BettBee]

02:27 PM on 05/18/2011

Here's a super list that is even more comprehensive.

http://homepage.mac.com/frakes/MOSXPT/content/keyboard.html

[Dogma]

01:46 AM on 05/05/2011

I appreciate OSX so much. Every once in a while I need to use Windont's at work and I am amazed that most of the world puts up with such a clunky, unintuitive interface. Seriously, I feel like I want to go postal after just a few minutes on it.

[MrMusicFlood]

12:38 AM on 05/05/2011

I like the "ctr 2-finger zoom" function to zoom in and out on your computer. use 2 fingers as if scrolling up/down on a page while holding control

[You]

08:34 PM on 05/04/2011

The very best one is control-scrollwheel. Zooms the entire screen in or out, completely unknown to any apps that are running. When you mouse over to the side of the screen it scrolls sideways so you can get to the entire screen while zoomed in.

[Holes]

07:38 PM on 05/04/2011

I have a dell i5 windows7 64 bit 3.2 ghertz with 8 meg memory

an imac 2 workbook pros.

all suck at times.

[hottingers]

07:33 PM on 05/04/2011

Number one tip for Mac users: Lose the undeserved superiority complex.

[Perry Clease]

07:38 PM on 05/04/2011

It isn't undeserved.

[hottingers]

07:44 PM on 05/04/2011

My point is proven.

[Jabandit]

09:08 PM on 05/04/2011

don't be mad cuz ur broke

[muirmuir]

07:18 PM on 05/04/2011

Anyone know how to toggle between documents? Meaning, multiple files of one program? Spaces is kind of a pain.

[jdunaway65]

08:59 PM on 05/04/2011

Yeah, it's one of the tips given. Hold down your command key and type a tilde ( ~ ). Just about every mac program allows this toggling. Even if the program uses tabs to keep all the docs together (and also with tabs in your browser), it all works the same!

[amar1188]

11:14 PM on 05/04/2011

I LOVED this feature, but since a few iterations of OS X this isn't working for me anymore. Wonder why?

[muirmuir]

10:12 PM on 05/10/2011

Thank you! I see that now (duh), and this is a huge time saver. Thanks again!

[Stan Osborn]

05:41 PM on 05/04/2011

Ubuntu blows OS X out of the water!

[Squigibo]

06:08 PM on 05/04/2011

And it's free

[Holes]

07:28 PM on 05/04/2011

I guess thats why you find it on so many computers?

[Perry Clease]

07:39 PM on 05/04/2011

Cheapskates like it.

[ena]

03:20 AM on 05/05/2011

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Clare53]

05:17 PM on 05/04/2011

I have OS X and my track pad screen does not have a "tap to click" feature. The page looks nothing like the one in the first slide.

[Dale720240]

05:35 PM on 05/04/2011

Same fro me.

[Perry Clease]

07:40 PM on 05/04/2011

What model Mac are you using and which version of OSX?

[Clare53]

07:50 PM on 05/04/2011

MacBook, 10.5.8.