MacMost: Video Podcast

The Spotlight index is used to let you search for files on your Mac. If searching is not working properly you can rebuild the Spotlight index.

Smart clips let you paste text with extra programmable elements. You can use previously copied clipboard items, ask for input, select from a list, a current or future date and more.

f you use an Apple Magic Mouse with your Mac you should check out all of the customization settings. Even if you don't change anything, there are probably gestures you aren't aware of that you could be using.

A new System Settings panel in macOS Ventura gives you control over when your Mac locks and what appears on the Lock Screen. It is important to review these settings and set them up to be as secure as possible for your situation.

Learn how to use the cropping tools in the Photos app. You can crop to any part of the photo, or stick with specific aspect ratios. You can also rotate and adjust the perspective of a photo.

Another choice for doing calculations on your Mac is to use the Basic Calculator app inside the Terminal. It has some features that neither the Calculator app, Spotlight nor Siri have like variables, history, customization and more.

Hot Corners allow you to assign functions to the four corners of your Mac's screen. Just move your mouse pointer to one of those corners to activate Mission Control, Notification Center, lock the screen and more.

If you take a lot of screenshots, check out these productivity tips to make your captures go to the folder you want, save to a different location each time, go straight to the clipboard, go into the Photos app, and more.

When you buy a new external drive for your Mac, it is not going to be formatted for your Mac. You should use Disk Utility to set the drive up right before using it.

ClipTools is a free clipboard manager and text selection utility for Mac from MacMost. With it you can access your clipboard history, save clips, use programmable Smart Clips, paste the date or time, insert example text, perform calculations and paste the result or replace the selection, convert numbers to words, sorts lines and so much more. Check out https://macmost.com/cliptools for a full list of features and an App Store link.

If you use a Trackpad with your Mac you should check out all of the customization settings. Even if you don't change anything, there are probably gestures you aren't aware of that you could be using.

The normal way to delete files on your Mac is to use the Trash or Bin folder. There are several shortcuts and advanced techniques that you should know about.

Your Mac shows the date and time at the top right. You can customize this to only show the time and whether to include things like AM/PM, seconds, and the day of the week. This is more than just a display as it acts as a button for Notifications Center and Do No Disturb.

Lists replace Groups in the Contacts app and since you can now manage them on the iPhone and iPad they are much more useful.

How long can Mac filenames be? What characters can you use and which should you avoid? What about if you want to use the files on other systems too? How can you get numbered or dated files to sort properly?

Split View is a simple useful multitasking tool that lets you work with exactly two windows at the same time. Here are some tips to get the most out of Split View.

If you want your Mac's Desktop background wallpaper to automatically change every hour or day, you can do it in System Settings, Wallpaper. However with the new look of System Settings in macOS Ventura, it can be hard to find the controls if you are used to the old System Preferences app.

Do you need to purchase and use Microsoft Office? Free Apple apps like Pages and Numbers are good alternatives to Word and Excel. But some people may still be better off buying Microsoft Office and having both sets of apps available.

You can use the Shortcuts app to create very simple Shortcuts to launch apps. You can then assign a keyboard shortcut to that and now launch or switch to that app with a single key press. Add as many as you like for quick access to your most-used apps.

Take the time to clean up and customize your Dock to improve your productivity. These 10 tips are quick and easy to do.