MacMost: Archives

By using a Shortcuts automation, you can make it seem like one or more of your regular iPhone or iPad apps are locked and require your passcode to access. This low-security technique could prevent others from gaining access to important apps.

When using smart folders or albums it is important to realize what they are. Items are not "in" a smart folder or album. They are simply the results of a search. The items remain where they were. You can't delete items from a smart folder or album because that wouldn't make sense.

Font Book is the app that comes with your Mac that lets you install new fonts and manage the ones you have. Most Mac users never need to use Font Book, but if you are a designer or content creator you may need to know how it works.

So many lights and switches won't work with Siri, but will work with Google. However, you can still use Siri to control there by setting up a Shortcut to get Siri talking to the Google Assistant app.

Clipping Masks are a useful technique to be able to use only part of an image masked into a specific shape without destroying the image in the layer. You can use it to easily create sculpted images in Pages, Keynote or iMovie.

If you aren't using the Photos app, check out these 10 reasons to give it a try. Often when someone avoids using an app like Photos it is because of misconceptions or not realizing that the app has evolved since they last tried it.

If you need to find an image in a folder full of photos or graphics, you have many different ways to do it in the Finder on a Mac.

Many of today's scams involve online payment systems like Venmo, Zelle and Apple Cash. These are all legitimate ways to send and receive money, but can be used by scammers because they are quick and completely online. Learn what scams are common so you know what to look out for.

When viewing files in the Finder you can group the items in a folder by kind, size, date and more. How this works depends on which Finder view you choose. You can also sort the files inside each group.

Instead of using a range of cells, you can refer to an entire column of cells by using just the letter for the column. But you need to be aware of how header and footer rows work first.

There are secret messages and fun images hidden throughout macOS.

The Desktop is a unique folder on your Mac that gives you quick access to the files and folders in it, providing other windows aren't in the way. Here are some ways to get to your Desktop items.

When using Apple apps and some third-party apps you can access a history of previously saved versions of the document. This is handy for reverting to an older version or bringing back delete content.

A good alternative to online forums for tech help is to use the new AI chat sites. Since they draw on a large sample of online information, you can often get help quickly and easily ask follow-up questions.

You can create your own custom templates that have your letterhead at the top of the first page, all pages, or different letterhead for first and subsequent pages. You can then easily use this template to create future documents.

You can use connection lines in Pages, Numbers, Keynote and Freeform to create organization charts, diagrams, infographics and much more.

When you download an app from outside the App Store, you are taking a risk. But if you research the app and developer, ask your peers, check out their website and do the work, you can reduce the chance of any problems.

Learn how to switch on Keyboard Navigation to use the keyboard to navigate through dialog boxes and some app windows with just the keyboard instead of using a mouse or trackpad.

If you need your MacBook's battery to last as long as possible through a tough day, here are 13 ways you can save energy to get there.

When you copy and paste a formula in Numbers it doesn't just paste an exact duplicate of the formula. Instead, it adjusts the cell references based on the locations of the original and the new location. Learn why and how it does this, and how to modify this behavior to fir your needs.