Posts By: Gary Rosenzweig

This macOS Monterey feature is being overshadowed by another feature. But I think it is just as useful. You can turn a Mac into an AirPlay display in Monterey. That means you can use that Mac as an addition display for a first Mac. It even works if the first Mac is using Big Sur!

You can type special characters on your Mac using one of four different techniques. For accent marks and character variations you can hold down keys on the keyboard or use Option and Shift to access some keys. You can also bring up the Emoji & Symbols chooser for thousands of special characters. Watch for more options and tips.

iMovie 10.2.4 intriduces some new backgrounds that are comprised of two colors and can be customized to use any two colors you like. You can use these as standard backgrounds, but also as overlays mixed with a variety of iMovie tricks to create special effects.

A new feature coming to iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 lets you play white noise and such constantly. You can use with headphones or just the speakers. I don't need this, but I can see using it anyway in some situations.

If you are using an older version of macOS and are ready to update to a newer version, the first step is figuring out which versions of macOS your Mac can use. Apple provides compatibility information for each version, and you can find them all at https://macmost.com/j-system as well. If you are looking to downgrade or to upgrade to a version not supported by your Mac, I have some general advice.

The new Shortcuts app coming to macOS Monterey will let you create automations to control your Mac in various ways. It will co-exist with Automator and works in a similar way. Look at some examples of Mac Shortcuts that you'll be able to create.

Instead of sending large email attachments, using iCloud Drive file sharing to share a file with other people so they can receive the file when they are ready. Create a shared folder to make it easy to send files back and forth between people you regularly share files with.

Turns out you can import PDFs into ... iMovie? Also, there is a way to grab pages of a PDF from Preview and bring those into Keynote and Pages. Could be useful.

Often you want to display formula results only if the value isn't zero. The best way to do that is with a Custom Format. You can also use functions like IFERROR to display something other than an error message in some situations.

iPadOS 15 will bring many new features to the iPad this fall. You'll be able to add widgets where you like, set Focus modes, access multitasking without gestures, use Quick Notes and much more.

This little detail in macOS Monterey really adds nothing anyone needs. But I like it anyway!

You can put your Mac to sleep many different ways including keyboard shortcuts, special gestures and interactions, an automatic timeout, and even Terminal or Automator scripts.

macOS Monterey changes how Safari tabs look. The address field is now integrated into the tab and Tab Groups allow you to use lots of tabs without cluttering the top of your browser window.

iPadOS 15 will finally fix the problem where multitasking is too hard to initiate. Instead of getting the gestures just right, there is now a little button at the top that you can use to start Split View or Slide Over. It is so much better! Something to look forward to when iPadOS 15 launches in the fall.

With more than 100 new features coming to macOS 12, it is hard to talk about them all, especially so early in the beta test cycle. So here are 15 new features that I think will be interesting and useful.

Here's a quick tour of some of the new features. I mention in the video a list of 106 new things I found so far. Here's that list. The asterisks are the things I found the most interesting. FaceTime SharePlay: Listen to music together FaceTime SharePlay: Shared music queue FaceTime SharePlay: Watch TV and movies together FaceTime SharePlay: Share your screen (or a specific app) FaceTime + Messages: Send messages from within FaceTime FaceTime: Spatial audio FaceTime: Voice isolation or wide spectrum mic modes FaceTime: Grid view FaceTime: Portrait mode FaceTime: Links to a scheduled FaceTime session Messages: "Shared With You" sections in Photos, Safari, News, Podcasts and TV apps Messages: Multiple photos appear as a collage or stack * Safari: New tab bar Safari: Privacy, Translate, Reader combined into More button * Safari: Tab groups Safari: Privacy protections hide your IP address Focus: Create Do Not Disturb profiles to switch between Focus: You status is displayed in Messages when people try to contact you Focus: Set an auto-reply for contacts Notifications: Mute app or conversation for hour or day Notes: Quick Note * Notes: Quick Notes can be linked to locations in apps, like a page in Safari Notes: Activity view shows what has been changed in shared notes Notes: Mentions send a notification to someone when you add them * Notes: Add Tags in a note and view in Tag Browser Notes: Smart Folders for tags Universal Control: Keyboard and mouse/trackpad for multiple Macs or iPad Universal Control: Drag and drop between devices AirPlay: Macs are now AirPlay receivers, but screen and audio AirPlay: Wired USB connections supported for AirPlay Photos Live Text: Search for text in photos? Photos Live Text: Click on addresses in photos to go to Maps Photos Live Text: Call phone numbers show in a photo * Photos Live Text: Copy and paste text from a photo Photos: Visual Look Up gets information about objects in your photos Photos: Memories can use songs from Apple Music Photos: Memories can be customized Photos: Memories browse view Photos: Memories new look and interface * Photos: Import from another Photos library Photos: Easier to correct naming mistakes * Shortcuts: A new way to automate things on your Mac Shortcuts: Available in Finder, Menu Bar, Dock, Spotlight and more places Shortcuts: A compatible iOS Shortcut will work on macOS Shortcuts: Some Automator workflows can be converted to Shortcuts Shortcuts: AppleScript, JavaScript and shell scripts allowed Maps: New improved city views with 3D models and landmarks Maps: Night mode for city views Maps: New transit features like nearby departures, pinning favorites routes Maps: New driving features like turn/bike/bus lanes, crosswalks, medians Maps: Interactive globe mode Maps: Filter restaurant searches by cuisine, etc Control Center: Mic indicator and Control Center shows apps with mic access Mail: Reading email hides your IP address and open receipts iCloud: Private Relay iCloud: Create and use email aliases AirPods: Spacial audio supported by macOS Battery: Low power mode * Translation: Translate text in any app with the context menu * Accessibility: Customize mouse pointer color and outline Accessibility: Support for more image descriptions Accessibility: PDF signatures can have descriptions Accessibility: Improved keyboard access for using your Mac without a pointer Accessibility: More languages Developer: Support for Object Capture to create 3D objects from photos Books: New Books app design Books: Reading Goals Books: Want to Read and Reading Now lists Screen Saver: New "Hello" screen sver Desktop: New "Hello" Desktop picture Dictionary: New Indian and Chinese dictionaries Find My: Locations update continuously Find My: More easily locate AirPods Pro or Mac Find My: Return of a Find My Widget Finder: New sidebar item for all iCloud collaborations Finder: New pie chart progress window for long copy times * Finder: Go To Folder has improved autocomplete Finder: Windows resize when switching displays Launchpad: Installed games automatically added to Games folder Game Center: Friend request inbox Game Center: New multiplayer friend selector Dictation: Now on-device instead of online Dictation: No 60-second time limit Memoji: Clothing options Memoji: Eyes can be different colors Memoji: Accessibility hardware Memoji: New glasses options Memoji: New sticker options Memoji: Headwear with up to three customizable colors Memoji: Can be used on login screen News: News feed redesign System Preferences: New "Erase all contents and settings" option * System Preferences: Can access saved password in System Preferences * Passwords: Can import and export Passwords: Built-in verification code function Passwords: Plug-in for Microsoft Edge to use Mac passwords function Podcasts: Personalized recommendations Reminders: Add tags to reminders Reminders: Tag browser and Smart Lists Screen Time: Downtime on Demand Voice Memos: Control playback speed Voice Memos: Skip silence * Mission Control: Swap out one half of Split View for another app * Mission Control: Change Split View to two full screen windows * Mission Control: Can opt to have the menu bar visible at all times

When multitasking on your Mac you often need to switch between apps, open windows and tabs in the current app, and spaces containing desktops and full-screen apps. There are many ways to switch between all of these things using the mouse or trackpad and keyboard shortcuts.

Apple announced macOS Monterey, iOS 15, and iPadOS 15 today with a huge long list of new features. Apps like FaceTime, Notes, Safari, Photos, Maps and Health are getting lots of new things. The Shortcuts app is coming to the Mac and much more.

With a few NFC tags you can create a treasure hunt game that others can play. Put clues on a fre website and link the tags to each page. Design your own game for your kids, students, friends or family.

If you use your Mac to write, then here are some tools that can help, including ways to outline, keep notes, check spelling, look up words, collaborate, and much more.