MacMost: MacMost Now

Setting Window Sizes Precisely With a Script
1/30/18

You can use JXA in the Script Editor or Automator to set the location of a window to an exact location and size. It is easy to set up the one-line script and reuse it by simply changing the application name and size numbers. You can also create an Automator service to repeat a setting you use often.

Expanding Save and Print Dialogs
1/29/18
When you try to save or print a document, you sometimes end up with a very small dialog box with a limited set of options. By knowing where to look, you can expand the Save and Print dialogs to reveal more options and make it easier to save and print your document.
A Beginner's Guide To the Desktop Folder
1/26/18
The Desktop folder is just a regular folder with the special property of existing over your desktop background as well as in Finder windows. Items on your Desktop are the same items as the ones you see in the Desktop folder in your Home user folder. The Desktop can be useful for quick or frequent access to files and folders, although many prefer to keep the Desktop clean and empty or use it for temporary storage of new files only.
Using the Numbers SUMIF Function
1/25/18
The SUMIF function is one of the most useful functions in Numbers. You can use it to calculate the total for each category when you have a list of numbers and categories. The best way to use it is to create a second table and use one column in that table as the comparison value.
Finder Icon Replacement Problems
1/24/18
A common problem people have when trying to use custom Finder icons is that they try to set the icon to a file, instead of the image in a file's contents. Instead of the icon image they want, they get a default image JPG or PNG icon. You can use a custom icon by copying the contents of an image, from an app like Preview.
Photos Selective Color Tool
1/23/18
The Selective Color tool allows you to adjust all of the pixels that are a similar color in a photo. You have six slots to make up to six color adjustments. You can use this to change a color in a photo, make colors stand out more, or desaturate colors to change the emphasis objects.
Count Words In Pages, TextEdit and Everywhere
1/22/18
There is a quick and easy way to see your document or selected word count in Pages. In TextEdit, there is a simple trick you can use to reveal the document word count. You can also write a simple two-line AppleScript service in Automator to count the words in selected text in almost any application on your Mac.
A Beginner's Guide to Previewing Files On Your Mac
1/19/18
You can easily preview the contents of a file before opening it. Take a look at four methods of previewing files such as images, PDFs or text documents. You can enlarge Finder icons to use as previews, look at the preview pane in column view, use cover flow view, or use the handy Quick Look function on your Mac.
Decline iPhone Phone Calls With a Message
1/18/18
You can do more than simply decline a phone call with no explanation on your iPhone. With only one more tap on your screen, you can decline and send a message to the caller to let them know why. You can edit three presets for this message, or type a custom one. You can also decline a call and set a reminder to call the person back later on.
Paragraph and Line Spacing in Pages
1/17/18
If you are in the habit of putting a blank line between paragraphs in Pages, you should learn to use paragraph spacing instead. You can also manage the spacing between lines with a variety of options. Paragraph and line spacing can be set on a per-paragraph basis.
Blocking Websites On Your Mac Using Terminal
1/16/18
If you want to prevent yourself from going to a website you can manually block a domain using the Terminal. To do so, you must edit your hosts file and redirect a domain to your local address. This could be useful to help you resist distractions while getting work done.
Navigating the Mac Finder With Keyboard Shortcuts
1/15/18
The Finder seems to be designed to require the use of your mouse or trackpad. But you can get around and do everything using only the keyboard. For some, this may be even more efficient than clicking and dragging. You can use arrow keys to select files, shortcuts to move into and out of folders, and even type the names of folders to jump to them.
A Beginner's Guide To Whether To Shut Down or Sleep Your Mac
1/12/18
Typical Mac users never need to shut down their Macs on a daily basis. It is better to let your Mac go to sleep so it can handle maintenance tasks while you aren't using it. This will make your Mac faster when you are using it, and also allow you to avoid any delay while it starts up. A sleeping Mac uses very little power.
Expanding Your Save As PDF Options
1/11/18
You may already know how you can print and then use Save As PDF to save a PDF of almost anything on your Mac. But you can also add to that menu, creating convenient locations to save PDFs without needing to search for folders. You can also indicate applications that handle PDFs to send a PDF version of your document directly to that app.
Sorting a List Alphabetically In Pages
1/10/18
There is no built-in sort function in Pages, but you can easily sort cells in tables. To sort a list of text, you can copy and paste the list into a table, sort it, and then copy it back out. The trick is to merge the data into a single cell before copying back out of the table.
Sorting Photos and Photo Albums
1/9/18
The main Photo library view in Mac Photos doesn't let you choose a sort order. But you can easily view your photos sorted by time or title by creating a Smart Album and using that to view your photos instead. You can also sort your list of Photo albums by viewing all of the albums and choosing a sort option, or manually dragging and dropping the albums.
Apple Music Shared Playlists
1/8/18
Apple Music and Spotify Shared Playlists are great ways to access selections of music from movies, books or represent a genre. You can find more complete movie soundtracks in Shared Playlists and also collections and "mixtapes" mentioned in movies and books.
PDF Highlights and Notes In Preview
1/5/18
You can use Preview to study or for research with its simple highlighting tool. You can highlight in several colors and see a list of all of the text you have marked. You can also add notes through the document.
A Beginner's Guide to Selecting Items On Your Mac
1/4/18
While most Mac users know how to select a single item simply by clicking it, it is a little harder to select multiple items. You can use the Command and Shift keys to select multiple items in places like the Finder, Photos and many other apps. You can also drag a rectangle around several items to select them in some cases. The keyboard shortcut Command+A is used often by experience Mac users to select all items.
Using Alexa On Your iPhone
1/3/18
You can access Amazon's Alexa assistant on your iPhone, but you don't do it through the Alexa app. Instead, you use the Amazon shopping app. You can access the same information and services that you do on an Echo device.