Posts By: Gary Rosenzweig

The Spotlight menu can sometimes do things faster than using the specific app or window meant for a task on your Mac. You can access system settings, look up words, run Shortcuts, get information, create new contacts and events, and much more.

You can use a variety of built-in apps on your Mac to take notes. Which app you use depends on your needs and the specific situation.

Here are some tips for getting the most out of the Apple Vision Pro. Even if you don't have one yet, watch to see some rarely-discussed features of Apple's latest device.

Here's a tour of some of the Apple Vision Pro basics and how it went after using it for more than a day.

If you want to learn some basic programming skills, or want to use skills you already have to perform calculations without needing to learn a whole development tool, there are many ways to do that on your Mac with what you already have, or what you can get directly from Apple for free.

I like using the Safari Favorites bar, even though I am not a fan of bookmarks in general. Learn how I use it and get some tips to make it useful for you.

When you add a shape or image to a Pages word processing document the object will be anchored to the text, which will wrap around it. You can change the object's settings so it stays on the page or is inline with text. You can also change how text wraps around the object.

You can make videos that feature your Keynote presentation and you live on camera on the slides. With this technique you can record your presentation for later use or as a YouTube explainer video.

Starting with macOS Sonoma if you click on the Desktop background wallpaper, all of your windows move off to the side and you can access items on the Desktop. To turn this off, you need to change a system setting.

If an app is using the microphone, camera or recording the screen then you'll see a colorful privacy icon in the menu bar.

Sharing files with iCloud Drive is often a better solution than sending a file email or message. But it can be tricky to send a file or whole folder if the other person doesn't have an iCloud account.

Take a look at how I use the Finder on my Mac. I keep just one Finder window open and use tabs. I never close that window. I like List view the best and use a few of the other Finder tools to get my work done.

Stolen Device Protection is a way to protect you and your iPhone if someone steals it and knows your passcode. It is available in iOS 17.3 which came out this week.

The Spotlight menu can sometimes do things faster than using the specific app or window meant for a task on your Mac. You can access system settings, look up words, run Shortcuts, get information, create new contacts and events, and much more.

New features in version 1.3 include Smart Files, Repeat Paste and the Reuse function in Smart Clips.

You can get rid of all of your static items in the Dock and then expand the Recents section to show more items. This could be a different way to use the Dock, or just a way to figure out which apps you really should have in the Dock.

You can create random bingo cards using two tables in Numbers on your Mac. Each card will be unique and draw from a larger list of words, numbers or phrases. You can print each card or save them individually to a Pages document for later use.

With a cheap HDMI video converter and a simple app you can watch any HDMI source on your iPad. This lets you use it for video games or with set-top TV boxes.

If an app is misbehaving, you can force it to quit several different ways. Each force-quit method has different reasons why you may want to choose it in specific circumstances.

If you want to learn some basic programming skills, or want to use skills you already have to perform calculations without needing to learn a whole development tool, there are many ways to do that on your Mac with what you already have, or what you can get directly from Apple for free.