Macs All-in-One For Dummies

Introduction

Whether you’re a beginner, an intermediate user, or a seasoned computer expert, you can find something in Macs All-in-One For Dummies, 5th Edition. This book is divided into five minibooks so you can focus on the topics that interest you and skip over the ones that don’t. We explored every menu and button of the Mac, its operating system, as well as Apple’s Pages, Numbers, and Keynote applications and other built-in applications and wrote about most of them, focusing on the functions and features we think you’ll use frequently or that will help you get the most out of your Mac and the applications.

About This Book

This book begins by focusing on the basics for all the aspects of using a Mac with the latest operating system, macOS Catalina. We start at the very beginning, from turning on your Mac, using the mouse and trackpad with multitouch gestures, and organizing your virtual desktop. We segue to creating your Apple ID and connecting your Mac to the Internet. In true For Dummies style, we show you step by step how to conduct all your online activities from setting up email accounts to having video chats. We introduce you to more advanced but important tasks, such as protecting your Mac and your personal information; networking your Mac with other Macs, peripherals, and devices; and installing Windows on your Mac!

The fun begins when we explore Apple’s apps to manage tasks, such as editing and organizing your digital photos and videos, adding music to your Mac, and even reading books and watching movies. Along the way, we tell you how to share your finds and creations with people you know.

This book also shows you how to use and take advantage of the applications included with Catalina, which provides word processing, desktop publishing, a presentation app, and a spreadsheet app for calculating formulas and displaying your data as 3D charts. Whether you use a Mac for work, school, or just for fun, you’ll find that with the right software apps, your Mac can meet all your computing needs.

If you’re migrating to a Mac from a Windows PC, this book can ease you into the Mac way of computing and show you how to install Windows on your Mac so you can still use your favorite Windows programs. By running Windows on a Mac, you can turn your Mac into two computers for the price of one.

If you’re new to the Mac, you’ll find that this book introduces you to all the main features of your Mac. If you’re already a Mac user, you’ll find information on topics you might not know much about. After reading this book, you’ll have the foundation and confidence to delve deeper into your Mac’s bundled apps as well as others you can find at the App Store.

This book is a reference, which means you don’t need to read the chapters in order from front cover to back, and you’re not expected to commit anything to memory — there won’t be a test on Friday. You can dip into the book wherever you want, to find answers to your most pressing questions. If you’re short on time, you can safely skip sidebars (the text in gray boxes) and anything marked with the Technical Stuff icon without missing anything essential to the topic at hand.

To help you navigate this book efficiently, we use a few style conventions:

Control-click means to hold the Control key and click the mouse. If you’re using a mouse that has a left and right button, you can right-click rather than Control-click. If you have one of Apple’s trackpads, tap with two fingers. You find complete explanations of the multitouch gestures in Book 1, Chapter 2.

When we refer to the Apple menu — the menu that appears when you click the Apple icon in the very upper-left corner of your Mac’s screen — we use this apple symbol: Apple logo . When we talk about menu commands, we use a command arrow, like this: Choose Apple logo ⇒ Recent Items ⇒ Calendar. That just means to click the Apple menu; then, when it appears, slide your pointer down to Recent Items and drag slightly to the right to open a submenu from which we want you to click Calendar.

Finally, within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

Foolish Assumptions

In writing this book, we made a few assumptions about you, dear reader. To make sure that we’re on the same page, we assume that

You know something, but not necessarily a whole lot, about computers, and you want to find out the basics of using a Mac or doing more with your Mac than you are already.

You have at least a general concept of this wild and crazy thing called the Internet — or more precisely, the phenomenon known as the web (or, more formally, the World Wide Web).

You’ll turn to the introductory chapters if you find yourself scratching your head at such terms as double-click, drag and drop, scroll, and Control-click — or any other terms that sound like things we assume that you know but you don’t.

You appreciate the speed at which technology-based products like the Mac (and the programs you can run on it) can change in as little as a few months, with newer, sleeker, faster models and app versions replacing previous versions.

You can traverse the web to find updated information about the products described throughout this book.

You know that keeping up with the topic of all things high-tech and Mac (even as a full-time job, as it is for us) still can’t make a guy or gal the be-all and end-all Mac Genius of the World. You will, therefore, alert us to cool stuff you discover in your Mac odyssey so that we can consider including it in the next edition of this book.

You’re here to have fun, or at least try to have fun, as you dive into The Wonderful World of Mac.

Icons Used in This Book

To help emphasize certain information, this book displays different icons in the page margins.

Tip The Tip icon marks tips (duh!) and points out useful nuggets of information that can help you get things done more efficiently or direct you to something helpful that you might not know. Sometimes Tips give you a second, or even third, way of doing the task that was pointed out in the step.

Remember Remember icons mark the information that’s been mentioned previously but is useful for the task at hand. This icon often points out useful information that isn’t quite as important as a Tip but not as threatening as a Warning. If you ignore this information, you can’t hurt your files or your Mac, but it may make the task at hand easier.

Technical Stuff This icon highlights interesting information that isn’t necessary to know but can help explain why certain things work the way they do on a Mac. Feel free to skip this information if you’re in a hurry, but browse through this information when you have time. You might find out something interesting that can help you use your Mac.

Warning Watch out! This icon highlights something that can go terribly wrong if you’re not careful, such as wiping out your important files or messing up your Mac. Make sure that you read any Warning information before following any instructions.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the material in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this product also comes with some access-anywhere goodies on the web. Although the Mac uses menus for just about everything, the menu commands have key combination counterparts. We put together a table of the most common key commands that you can print and keep near your Mac. You also find a table that shows you how to type foreign letters and common symbols and one that summarizes the multitouch gestures. To help you stay up to date with the latest Mac news, we provide a list of Mac websites with hot links, which you can simply click to go to the site. To find the Cheat Sheet for this book, just go to www.dummies.com and type Macs All-in-One For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

For Dummies books aren’t meant to be read cover to cover. However, this book flows from task to task, chapter to chapter, in an order that would be logical if you’re learning the Mac for the first time. In that case, feel free to start at Book 1, Chapter 1 and go through the Book 1 chapters to familiarize yourself with how the Mac is organized and how you can make it do what you want it to do. Then mix it up, moving on to fun tasks, such as making FaceTime video calls (Book 2, Chapter 3) or designing a flyer with Pages (Book 5, Chapter 3), and then bounce back to a crucial task, such as backing up (Book 3, Chapter 1).

If you’re computer intuitive, you could start with Book 1, Chapter 3 to get your Apple ID and Internet connection set up, and then move in the direction you want, whether it’s learning about more advanced system functions in Book 3 or organizing and editing your images using Photos.

If you’re familiar with the Mac but want to brush up on the latest macOS — Catalina — read about Notification Center in Book 1, Chapter 6; Maps in Book 2, Chapter 5; Books in Book 4, Chapter 4; and the completely updated Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps in Book 5, Chapters 3–6.

Book 1

Getting Started with Your Mac

Contents at a Glance

Chapter 1: Starting to Use Your Mac

Examining Different Mac Models

Starting Your Mac

Turning Off Your Mac

Understanding Mac Processors

Exploring Your Mac’s Inner Workings

Chapter 2: Getting Acquainted with the Mac User Interface

Looking at Menus, Dialogs, and Windows

Mastering the Mouse, Trackpad, and Keyboard

Getting to Know the Parts of the Desktop

Getting to Know Siri

Getting Help

Chapter 3: Making Your First Connections

Setting Up an Internet Connection

Establishing Your Apple Identity

Keeping Your Data in iCloud

Setting Up Email and Social Network Accounts

Chapter 4: Working with Files and Folders

Getting to Know the Finder

Navigating the Finder

Organizing and Viewing Folders

Creating Folders

Playing Tag: Classify Files and Folders for Quick Access

Manipulating Files and Folders

Archiving Files and Folders

Searching Files

Deleting a File or Folder

Chapter 5: Managing Apps on the Dock, Launchpad, and Desktop

Launching an App

Switching among Applications

Quitting Apps

Creating Alias Icons

Working with Dock Aliases

Organizing Multiple Desktops with Spaces

Acquiring New Apps

Installing Applications

Updating Applications and System Software

Uninstalling Applications

Paying Attention to App Security

Chapter 6: Changing How Your Mac Looks, Sounds, and Feels

Changing the Desktop and Screen Saver

Changing the Display and Appearance

Changing the Date and Time

Adjusting Sounds

Noticing Notifications

Working in Split-View Mode

Using Your Mac’s Accessibility Features

Enabling Switch Control

Speaking with Your Mac

Chapter 1

Starting to Use Your Mac

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Identifying your Mac model

Bullet Powering on and off

Bullet Getting to know your Mac

Apple offers several different kinds of Macs, and understanding how your Mac is different from the others can help you navigate this book more quickly, gathering the information you need and skipping the rest. Before you can use your Mac, you have to start it up — which makes perfect sense — so we tell you how to do that. Now, get ready for the counterintuitive part: After you have your Mac up and running, you can just leave it on.

In this chapter, we cover current Mac models and how they’re different and alike, show you how to start and restart your Mac (and give you an idea of what goes on behind the scenes), and then tell you how to put it to sleep and shut it down completely. Sprinkled throughout this chapter is technical information about the various Mac models and what goes on inside that makes your Mac tick, but we make our explanations as clear and simple as possible. At the end of the chapter, we introduce you to Mac processors and show you how to find out precisely which features your Mac has.

Examining Different Mac Models

Apple’s Macintosh computer — Mac for short — enjoys the reputation of being the easiest computer to use in the world. Macs are so dependable, durable, and beautifully designed that they incite techno-lust in gadget geeks like us and ordinary Joes alike. For those doubly good reasons, you probably won’t buy a new Mac to replace your old one because you have to, but because you want to.

The Macintosh has been around since 1984, and since that time, Apple has produced a wide variety of Mac models. Although you can still find and use older Macs (although many are not compatible with the latest and greatest OS or applications), chances are, if you buy a newer Mac, it will fall into one of three categories:

Desktop: Mac mini or Mac Pro, which require a separate display (monitor), keyboard, and mouse or trackpad.

All-in-one desktop: iMac or iMac Pro, which house the display and computer in one unit and require a keyboard and mouse or trackpad.

Notebook: MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, which have built-in keyboards, trackpads that work like a mouse at the touch of your fingertips, and bright displays. A clamshell design lets you close and tote them in your backpack, messenger bag, or briefcase.

All the newest Mac models have at least one Thunderbolt/USB port to connect peripheral hardware, such as external drives and displays. They’re also engineered for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, which are used for data transfer and peripheral connectivity.

Technical stuff The Thunderbolt port, standard on all newer Macs, is a data-transfer protocol used to connect peripheral devices, such as displays, speakers, or hard drives. Thunderbolt transfers data faster than either USB or FireWire. The latest iteration, Thunderbolt 3, uses the same ports and connectors as the new version of USB (called USB-C).

Because most data transfer and storage happens online or with flash drives, optical disc drives (which play CDs and DVDs) have become almost obsolete and have been removed from all the Mac models sold today. If you still use CDs or DVDs, you can buy an external CD/DVD drive. You can also connect to an older computer on a network and access its optical disc drive.

Mac mini, Mac Pro, and iMac models use an external wireless or wired (usually USB) keyboard and a mouse or trackpad (sold separately from the mini and Pro). Apple’s Magic Trackpad lets you use the multitouch gestures — such as swipe, pinch, and flick — to control the cursor and windows on whichever Mac desktop model you choose. If you use a trackpad, you don’t need a mouse, but you can use both if you prefer.

By understanding the particular type of Mac that you have and its capabilities, you’ll have a better idea of what your Mac can do. We highlight those capabilities in the sections that follow. No matter what the capabilities of your Mac are, chances are, it will work reliably for as long as you own it.

The Mac mini and Mac Pro

The biggest advantages desktop Macs (the Mac mini and Mac Pro) offer are that you can choose the type of display to use and place it anywhere you want on your desk — as long as you have a cable that can reach. The Mac mini, however, is small enough to hide under your desk or situate in a corner of your desktop.

The Mac mini started as a lower-priced version of the Mac, designed for people who wanted an inexpensive Mac for ordinary uses, such as word processing and writing, sending email, browsing the web, and playing video games. At the same time, it packs a fast Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor, with up to 64GB of memory, and between 128 gigabytes (GB) and 2 terabytes (TB) of storage, and an assortment of the latest ports and slots for audio, video, and USB connections — nothing to sneeze at. Alternatively, it can function as a terrific, cost-effective server for home or small-business networks. With the latest iterations of the Mac mini, everything has been updated to the latest hardware with power to manage industrial-strength tasks, including everything from home automation to sound and image editing (including artificial reality).

The Mac Pro was completely remodeled and released in December 2013 with a new model coming in the fall of 2019. The 2013 version of this higher-priced professional-version Mac boasts ports to connect multiple monitors and lots of expandability for up to 64GB of memory and up to 1TB of flash storage, as well as greater graphics and processing capabilities with the latest Intel Xeon processor and dual graphics processors.

The iMac

The all-in-one design of the iMac is an evolutionary result of the original — 1984-era — Mac design. The iMac is available in two varieties — iMac 21 with a 21-inch monitor, and iMac 27 with a 27-inch monitor. Both models feature a built-in display, speakers, and FaceTime camera. The standard display is LED-backlit, but you can specify a Retina 4K display. You can configure up to 1TB of storage for an iMac 21 or 3TB of storage for an iMac 27. You choose flash storage instead of a hard drive, or a fusion drive, which combines a flash drive with a conventional hard drive, depending on your need for speed or space. On iMac models, you can connect external speakers and a second external display.

Recently, Apple launched a high-powered extension to the iMac line: iMac Pro. The iMac Pro is a powerhouse that features a more vibrant 5K Retina display, a faster processor, and more memory, with up to 4TB of storage.

The advantage of the iMac’s all-in-one design is that you have everything you need in a single unit. The disadvantage is that if one part of your iMac fails (such as the display or speaker), you can’t easily replace the failed part, although in our experience, Apple responds quickly and professionally to problems with its products.

The MacBook Air and MacBook Pro

MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are the notebook members of the Mac family. All the MacBook models run on rechargeable battery packs or external power. If you need to take your Mac everywhere you go, you can choose from the ultralight MacBook Air or one of the MacBook Pro models.

Although both MacBook Air and MacBook Pro have full-size keyboards, neither includes the extra numeric keypad found on most external keyboards (but not on Apple’s standard wireless keyboard) or on larger Windows notebooks. Also, instead of a mouse, the MacBook uses a built-in trackpad, which responds to all the multitouch gestures you can use to control the cursor and windows on your Mac.

Tip If you find the keyboard or trackpad of your notebook Mac too clumsy to use, you can always plug an external keyboard and mouse into your notebook, or use a wireless keyboard and mouse.

The MacBook Air is a featherweight computer with a 1.66 GHz i5 processor, and can be configured with up to 1TB of flash storage and up to 16GB of memory.

The MacBook Pro models can be configured to include up to a 2.4 GHz 8-core i9 processor, up to 32GB of memory, and up to 4TB of flash storage. MacBook Pro computers now include a Touch Bar above the keyboard. It lets you tap icons that change as you work with your Mac so that the function button or tools that you need appear when you need them.

The MacBook Air comes with a 13-inch LED-backlit screen, and the MacBook Pro models come in two screen sizes: 13 inch and 15 inch.

Technical stuff Apple’s Retina display uses a liquid crystal display (LCD) with a pixel density of 227 pixels per inch (PPI). At this density, the human eye doesn’t distinguish the individual pixels at a normal distance. All MacBook Pros have the Retina display, as do some iPad and iPhone models. The MacBook Air and other desktop models sport an LED-backlit screen.

Starting Your Mac

Here’s the simple way to start your Mac — the way you’ll probably use 99 percent of the time: Press the Power button.

Depending on the type of Mac you have, the Power button may be in back (Mac mini and iMac), front (Mac Pro), above the keyboard (MacBook Air and MacBook Pro), or at the right of the Touch Bar. Some Apple displays have a Power button that commands the computer it’s connected to.

Tip With the Touch Bar, you have Touch ID so that your touch turns on the Mac and logs you in as well.

A few seconds after you press the Power button, your Mac chimes to let you know that it’s starting. (Techie types say booting up, a term derived from the phrase to lift yourself up by the bootstraps.)

The moment electricity courses through, your Mac’s electronic brain immediately looks for instructions embedded inside a special read-only memory (ROM) chip. While your computer is reading these instructions (also known as firmware), it displays the Apple logo on the screen and a progress bar to let you know that the computer is working and hasn’t forgotten about you.

The firmware instructions tell the computer to make sure that all its components are working; most often, they are. However, if some part of your computer (say, a memory chip) is defective, your computer will stop at this point.

Warning Unless you know something about repairing the physical parts of a Mac, this is the time to haul your Mac to the nearest Apple Store or authorized repair shop, call Apple Support (800-275-2273 in the United States), or go to http://support.apple.com.

Remember Sometimes a Mac may refuse to start correctly because of software problems. To fix software problems, check out Book 3, Chapter 6, which explains how to perform basic troubleshooting on a Mac.

After your computer determines that all components are working, the last set of instructions on the chip tells the computer, Now that you know all your parts are working, load an operating system.

Remember When you unpack your Mac and turn it on for the very first time, it asks you to type your name and make up a password to create an account for using your Mac. You use this name and password in the following situations:

When you wake or restart your Mac, if you activate those types of privacy settings (see Book 3, Chapter 2)

When you install new apps or update the system software

When you change some settings in System Preferences

When you switch from one user to another, if you set up your Mac to work with multiple users (see Book 3, Chapter 2)

This username and password are different than your Apple ID, which you use for iCloud and making Music Store, App Store, and Apple Books purchases. You can learn about creating an Apple ID in Book 1, Chapter 3.

To guide you through the process of setting up a Mac for the first time, a special application called Setup Assistant runs, which asks for your time zone, the date, and whether you want to transfer files and applications from another Mac to your newer one. If you’ve just upgraded to a new Mac, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel and set up everything again. You can migrate settings from your old Mac to your new Mac.

Normally, you need to run through this initial procedure only once, but you also have to perform it if you reinstall your operating system (OS). We explain reinstalling the OS in Book 3, Chapter 6. The most important part of this initial procedure is remembering the password you choose because you’ll need it to log in to your account, change some of the settings in System Preferences, or install new software.

An operating system is the program that controls your computer and is almost always stored on your computer’s built-in hard drive (rather than on an external drive). On the Mac, the operating system is named macOS (pronounced mac oh ess) and is followed by a version number, such as 10.14.

Technical stuff Apple code-names each version of macOS. The current version is macOS Catalina 10.15. Early versions of macOS were named after big cats, such as Mountain Lion, Snow Leopard, and Jaguar. Now, they’re named after places in California.

After the operating system loads and you log in, you can start using your computer to run other applications to do things such as design a poster, send an email, browse the web, calculate your yearly budget, or play a game — you know, all the cool things you bought your Mac for in the first place.

Turning Off Your Mac

You can choose one of three different ways — sleep, shut down, or restart — to turn off your Mac (or let it rest a bit). In this section, we explain when and why you would want to use each option and, of course, how.

Putting your Mac to sleep

If you’re taking a short break from working on your Mac, you don’t have to always turn it off and then turn it back on again when you want to use it. To conserve energy, put your Mac to sleep instead of leaving it running while you’re away. When you put your Mac to sleep, it shuts down almost every power-draining component of your Mac and draws only a teensy trickle of power. The great part, though, is that you can instantly wake it up by touching the keyboard, clicking the mouse, swiping the trackpad, or opening the lid (if you use a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro). Presto change-o! Your Mac immediately returns to the same state you left it in, without making you wait to power on as if it were completely shut down.

To put your Mac to sleep, you can go manual or automatic:

Manual: If someone walks into your office and you want to hide that secret project you’re working on, you may want to put your Mac to sleep manually.

Automatic: So you don’t have to remember to put your Mac to sleep when you stop using it (to take a phone call or go out to lunch) you can adjust your Mac’s settings so that it automatically falls asleep after a certain amount of time.

Warning If your Mac is doing a task, such as sending an email or downloading a file, let it finish the task before putting it to sleep.

To put your Mac to sleep manually, choose one of the following actions:

Choose Apple logo ⇒ Sleep. The Apple logo menu is in the upper-left corner of the screen.

Press and hold the Power button. (If you’re having trouble finding your way around the keyboard, see Book 1, Chapter 2.) Then, when a dialog appears, as shown in Figure 1-1, click the Sleep button (or press the S key on your Mac’s keyboard). Note: This does not work on models with Touch ID.

Press Option+⌘+Power Button. This puts your Mac to sleep instantly without a dialog appearing. This is a useful option if you’re shopping online for your wife’s anniversary present and she walks into the room.

FIGURE 1-1: Put your computer to sleep.

Press ⌘ +Option+Eject. If your MacBook doesn’t have a disc drive, it doesn’t have an Eject key, so this option doesn’t work. This option also doesn’t work on models with Touch ID.

If you have a MacBook, just close its lid. When a MacBook is sleeping, you can safely move it without worrying about jarring the built-in hard drive that spins most of the time your MacBook is awake and in use.

To put your Mac to sleep automatically, you set the amount of time your Mac sits idle before it goes to sleep. Which sleep options you see depend on what type of Mac you’re using:

Desktops: On desktop Macs, you can adjust when your Mac puts the display to sleep and when it puts the computer to sleep.

Notebooks: Your Mac knows whether it’s using battery power or the power adapter, and you can adjust when the display and computer sleep in both instances.

Follow these steps to adjust how your computer sleeps automatically:

Choose Apple logo ⇒ System Preferences, and then click the Energy Saver icon that looks like a light bulb.

The Energy Saver window appears, as shown in Figure 1-2. If you have a MacBook, you’ll see separate tabs with appropriate information for when you’re using the battery or power adapter.

When powered by the battery, you may want your Mac to go to sleep after a short time (say, 5 minutes) to make the battery charge last longer. Then, when your Mac is connected to a power source, you could set it longer: say, after 15 minutes.

Drag the Turn Display Off After slider to the amount of time you want your Mac to sit idle before it goes to sleep.

The exact time is shown above the timescale (on the right) as you move the slider.

FIGURE 1-2: Use the Energy Saver System Preferences to put your Mac on a sleep schedule.

Tip This setting puts the hard drive to sleep. You may want to set a longer time interval for Computer Sleep than for Display Sleep (the following step) because it takes your Mac slightly longer to wake from Computer Sleep than Display Sleep.

Drag the Turn Display Off After slider to the amount of time you want your Mac to sit idle before the screen saver plays.

This setting puts the display to sleep. A screen saver is an image that appears when your Mac is inactive after the time interval you set here. It hides whatever you were working on from peering eyes when you’re away from your Mac. You can find out how to choose a special image for your screen saver and set a password for it in Book 1, Chapter 6.

Tip If you perform tasks such as downloading large files, select the Prevent Computer from Sleeping When Display Is Off check box and set a time interval to turn the display off. This way, your Mac continues to do the task at hand even though the display is sleeping.

(For MacBook) Select the Show Battery Status in Menu Bar check box (in the lower-left corner).

This displays an icon at the top of your Mac’s screen indicating how much charge is left on your battery.

(Optional) Select the check boxes next to the other options to set when your Mac goes to sleep or wakes.

For instance, if you access your Mac remotely, select the Wake for Wi-Fi Network Access check box so your Mac will wake when you try to retrieve files and data from your Mac.

Select Enable Power Nap so your Mac continues to perform some functions while it’s sleeping. When Power Nap is on, your Mac receives incoming email, automatically updates any apps you share with other devices (such as Contacts, Calendar, and Notes), and performs Time Machine backups.

The MacBook has two Power Nap settings: one for Battery and one for Power Adapter. By default, Power Nap is on when your Mac is connected to a power source but off when running on the battery. To change either, click the Battery or Power Adapter tab and select, or deselect, the Power Nap check box. When you use Power Nap in Battery mode, the activities are limited to receiving email and updating shared data.

To see if your Mac model supports Power Nap, visit http://support.apple.com and search for about power nap.

(Optional) Click the Schedule button and adjust those settings as desired.

A pane opens that lets you schedule the days and times you want your Mac to start or wake up and go to sleep. This is convenient if you don’t want to accidently leave your Mac on when you leave your home or office or you do want to find it awake and waiting for you when you arrive.

Save your setting by choosing System Preferences ⇒ Quit System Preferences or clicking the Close (red) button in the upper-left corner of the Energy Saver dialog box.

To wake a sleeping desktop or all-in-one Mac or a MacBook with the lid open, click the mouse button or tap any key. To keep from accidentally typing any characters into a currently running application, press a noncharacter key, such as Shift or an arrow key. To wake your closed and sleeping MacBook, just open its lid. You can wake a sleeping MacBook with the lid open by swiping the trackpad or pressing any key.

Technical stuff Depending on which Mac model you own, you may notice a built-in combination power/sleep indicator light that softly pulses like a firefly when your Mac is sleeping. On the MacBook Pro, the power/sleep indicator light is on the front edge below the right wrist rest. On the Mac mini, the indicator light is in the lower-right corner. No such light is anywhere on the iMac or the latest MacBook Air, which appear to be totally in the dark when they’re asleep.

Shutting down your Mac

When you shut down your Mac, open applications are automatically closed, Internet and network connections are disconnected, and logged-in users are logged out. It may take a few minutes for your Mac to shut down. You know your Mac is shut down completely when the screen is black, the hard drive and fan are silent, and there are no blinking lights anywhere. Here are a few circumstances when you’d want to shut down your Mac:

Taking an extended break: When you won’t be using it for an extended length of time. Turning your Mac completely off can extend its useful life, waste less energy, and save you a few bucks on your yearly energy expense.

Traveling: When you’re traveling with your Mac and putting your MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, or Mac mini in your wheeled carry-on bag.

Tip Putting your Mac to sleep is fine if you’re carrying your MacBook in a laptop bag or backpack. If you’re going through a security line in an airport or other location, sleep is actually exactly what you want so that when the inspector checks your computer, one touch will bring it to life. Security guards may ask you to turn on a computer that is turned off.

Repairing hardware: If you own a Mac that is user serviceable, and you want to open the computer to install a new battery, additional memory, or a video graphics card.

Restarting: To resolve weird situations, such as unresponsive or slow-running applications, because your Mac runs a number of behind-the-scenes file-system housekeeping chores every time you start it. (See the next section for instructions.)

Here are the ways to shut down your Mac:

Choose Apple logo ⇒ Shut Down. A confirmation dialog appears (as shown in Figure 1-3) asking whether you’re sure you want to shut down.

Tip Select the Reopen Windows When Logging Back In check box if you want everything you’re working on to open when you turn on your Mac the next time.

Click the Shut Down button (or Cancel if you change your mind). If you don’t click either option, your Mac will shut down automatically after 1 minute.

Press and hold the Power button. When a dialog appears (refer to Figure 1-1), click the Shut Down button or press the Return key.

FIGURE 1-3: Click Shut Down to turn off your computer.

Warning Make sure that your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro is completely shut down before closing the lid, or it may not shut down properly. Even more problematic, it may not start up properly when you next try to turn it on.

Tip To shut down without seeing those bothersome dialogs, do this: Hold the Option key and then choose Apple logo ⇒ Shut Down. This bypasses the confirmation prompt asking whether you’re sure that you want to shut down.

Warning You have one more option for shutting down your Mac, but proceed with caution. Press and hold ⌘ +Control and then press the Power button to perform a force shutdown, which forces all running applications to shut down immediately. However, this route should never be your first choice when shutting down. Use a force shutdown as your last resort only if your Mac — your Mac, not just a stubborn application — is unresponsive and appears to have frozen. If a single application is freezing or acting flaky, force-quit (close) that single application instead of shutting down your entire computer. (See Book 3, Chapter 6 for information about how to force-quit a single application.) Performing a force shutdown can cause you to lose any changes you’ve made since the last time you saved them, so use force shutdown only as a last resort.

Restarting your Mac

Sometimes your Mac can act sluggish, or applications may fail to run. If that happens, you can shut down and immediately restart your Mac, which essentially clears your computer’s memory and starts it fresh.

To restart your computer, you have three choices:

Press the Power button. Then, when a dialog appears, click the Restart button (refer to Figure 1-1) or press the R key.

Choose Apple logo ⇒ Restart.

Press Control+⌘ +Eject.

When you restart your computer, your Mac closes all running applications; you have the chance, though, to save any files you’re working on. After you choose to save any files, those applications are closed, and then your Mac will shut down and boot up again.

Understanding Mac Processors

The processor acts as the brain of your Mac. A computer is only as powerful as the processor inside. Generally, the newer your computer, the newer and more powerful its processor and the faster it will run.

Remember The type of processor in your Mac can determine the applications (also known as apps or software) your Mac can run. Before you buy any software, make sure that it can run on your computer.

To identify the type of processor used in your Mac, choose Apple logo ⇒ About This Mac. An About This Mac window appears, listing your processor (see Figure 1-4).

FIGURE 1-4: The About This Mac window identifies the processor used in your Mac.

The Intel family of processors includes (from slowest to fastest) the Core Solo, Core Duo, Core 2 Duo, dual-core i3, dual-core i5, quad-core i7, and quad- and six-core Xeon. Every processor runs at a specific speed, so, for example, a 2.0 gigahertz (GHz) Core 2 Duo processor is slower than a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo processor. If understanding processor types and gigahertz confuses you, just remember that the most expensive computer within a product line is usually the fastest.

Talk to your friendly Apple reseller to get suggestions for which Mac to buy. Or talk or chat online with someone at the Apple Store (http://store.apple.com). The tasks you plan to do with your Mac determine the processor speed that will meet your needs. For example, if you plan to mostly write books, surf the web, and use productivity apps like Calendar and Contacts, a low-end processor is probably sufficient. If, instead, you’re a video editor or game developer, you want the fastest processor you can afford.

FIGURE 1-5: The Storage pane of the About This Mac window tells you how your Mac’s storage is being used.

Click each tab at the top of the About This Mac window to open panes that show more information about your Mac: Overview, Displays, Storage (shown in Figure 1-5), and Memory. These tabs provide information about your Mac in clear, well-designed graphics (this is Apple, after all). For example, in Figure 1-5, you see a Mac with the built-in Flash Storage that is standard on some Macs; you also see an external disk drive, which is subdivided into two sections (Backup and Current). The different types of files are color-coded.

Tip Click the Support tab for links to the Help Center and user manuals. Click the Service tab to access links to information about your Mac’s warranty and AppleCare protection.

Exploring Your Mac’s Inner Workings

By looking at your Mac, you can tell whether it’s an all-in-one design (iMac), a notebook (MacBook Air or MacBook Pro), or a desktop unit that lacks a built-in screen (Mac mini or Mac Pro). However, looking at the outside of your Mac can’t tell you the parts used on the inside or the details regarding what your Mac is capable of. You may need to look at the hardware information in the System Report window when you want to know about the health of your MacBook’s battery or the type of graphics card in your Mac Pro.

To identify the parts and capabilities of your Mac, follow these steps:

Choose Apple logo ⇒ About This Mac.

The About This Mac window appears.

Click System Report.

The System Report window appears.

Click the disclosure triangle to the left of the Hardware option in the category pane on the left (as shown in Figure1-6) to view a list of hardware items.

FIGURE 1-6: The System Report identifies the type and capabilities of the hardware in your Mac.

If the list of hardware items (such as Bluetooth, Memory, and USB) already appears under the Hardware category, skip this step.

Tip Clicking a disclosure triangle toggles to open or close a list of options.

You can also click the disclosure triangle next to Network or Software in the category pane on the left to see information about networks you’re connected to or software installed on your Mac. (You can learn more about networking your Mac in Book 3, Chapter 3; we tell you how to install software in Book 1, Chapter 5; and we cover uninstalling software in Book 1, Chapter 5.)

Click a hardware item, such as Audio, Disc Burning, or Memory.

The right pane of the System Report window displays the capabilities of your chosen hardware.

Remember Don’t worry if the information displayed in the System Report window doesn’t make much sense to you. The main idea here is to identify a quick way to find out about the capabilities of your Mac, which can be especially helpful if you have a problem in the future and a technician asks for information about your computer.

When you finish scouting the contents of the System Report window, you can simply close it (click the red circle in the upper-left corner) to return to About This Mac.

To close both System Report and About This Mac, choose System Information ⇒ Quit System Information or Press cmd+Q.

Tip When you’re running System Information, you can choose File ⇒ Print to print it out for future reference or choose File ⇒ Send to Apple to send it to Apple for support. (If you’re talking to Apple Support, you may be asked to do this.)

Chapter 2

Getting Acquainted with the Mac User Interface

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Perusing menus, dialogs, and windows

Bullet Using the mouse, trackpad, and keyboard

Bullet Getting familiar with the parts of the Desktop

Bullet Saying hello to Siri

Bullet Getting help with your Mac

Theoretically, using a computer is simple. In practice, using a computer can cause people to suffer a wide range of emotions from elation to sheer frustration and despair.

The problem with using a computer stems mostly from two causes:

Not knowing what the computer can do

Not knowing how to tell the computer what you want it to do

In the early days of personal computers (PCs), this communication gap between users and computers arose mostly from ordinary people trying to use machines designed by engineers for other engineers. If you didn’t understand how a computer engineer thinks (or doesn’t think), computers seemed nearly impossible to understand.

Fortunately, Apple has mostly solved this problem with the Mac. Instead of designing a computer for other computer engineers, Apple designed a computer for ordinary people. And what do ordinary people want? Here’s the short (but definitely important) list:

Reliability

Ease of use

From a technical point of view, what makes the Mac reliable is its operating system, macOS. An operating system (OS) is nothing more than an application that makes your computer work.

An OS works in the background. When you use a computer, you don’t really notice the operating system, but you do see its user interface (UI) — which functions like a clerk at the front desk of a hotel: Instead of talking directly to the housekeeper or the plumber (the OS), you always talk to the front desk clerk, and the clerk talks to the housekeeper or plumber on your behalf.

Apple designed a UI that everyone can understand. You control your Mac with multitouch gestures applied to the trackpad or mouse, making the UI even more intuitive and literally hands-on.

In this chapter, we explain what you see on the screen when you turn your Mac on. Then we explain how to use a mouse, trackpad, and keyboard to control your Mac. We introduce the Dock, Finder, and Dashboard. We introduce to Siri, your very own virtual assistant. And we tell you how to get help from your Mac if you need it.

Chances are, if you work with a computer, you know how to click and drag and open menus, but we explain it step by step in the beginning in case this is your first time using a computer. After all, we were all newbies once. The layout and gestures you read about in this chapter apply to almost everything you’ll ever do with your Mac.

Looking at Menus, Dialogs, and Windows

The Mac UI acts like a communication pathway between you and the OS, serving three purposes:

To display all the options you can choose

To display information

To accept commands

This section tells you how menus and windows serve those three purposes.

Remember One of the most crucial parts of the Mac UI is an application called the Finder, which displays files stored on your Mac. You find out more about the Finder later in this chapter.

Exploring the menu bar

The menu bar runs across the top of your Mac’s screen. The menu bar is always accessible and almost always visible, and it provides a single location where you can find nearly every possible command you may need for your computer or the app you’re using. The menu bar consists of three parts: the Apple menu, the app menus, and menulets.

Figure 2-1 identifies the parts that appear on the left side of the menu bar:

The Apple menu ( Apple logo ): This menu always appears on the menu bar and gives you one-click access to commands for controlling or modifying your Mac.

The app menus: Here’s where you find the name of the active app along with several menus that contain commands for controlling that particular app and its data. (If you don’t run any additional apps, your Mac always runs the Finder, which you find out more about in this chapter.)

FIGURE 2-1: The left side of the menu bar.

On the right side of the menu bar, you see the menulets, shown in Figure 2-2. Menulets are mini menus that open when you click the icons on the right end of the menu bar. They give you quick access to specific System Preferences settings, such as Date & Time, Network, or Sound.

FIGURE 2-2: The menulets.

The icons on the right end of the menulets open menus that perform one or more system functions, such as providing fast access to Wi-Fi controls or battery status (MacBook models). The two icons to the right open Spotlight Search and Notification Center.

Tip If you don’t want a menulet cluttering up the menu bar, you can typically remove it by holding down the ⌘ key, moving the pointer over the icon you want to remove, dragging (moving) the mouse pointer off the menu bar, and then releasing the mouse button. If a menulet cannot be removed from the menu bar, a circle with a line through it appears. If you’ve removed a menulet and decide you want it back on the menu bar, you can display it again by choosing that option in the menulet’s section of System Preferences. For example, you can display or hide the Bluetooth menulet in the Bluetooth section of System Preferences.

Understanding menu commands

Each menu on the menu bar contains a group of related commands. The File menu contains commands for opening, saving, and printing files; the Edit menu contains commands for copying or deleting selected items; and the View menu gives you options for what you see on the screen. The number and names of different menus depend on the application.

To give a command to your Mac, drag your finger across the trackpad or move the mouse so the pointer points to the menu you want. Then tap the trackpad or click the mouse to call up a drop-down menu listing all the commands you can choose. Drag the pointer (with your finger on the trackpad or with the mouse) to highlight the command you want the computer to follow and click it.

Working with dialogs

When your Mac needs information from you or wants to present a choice you can make, it typically displays a dialog — essentially a box that offers a variety of choices. Some common dialogs appear when you choose the Print, Save, and Open commands.

Some dialogs (particularly Print and Save) often appear in a condensed version, but you can blow them up into an expanded version, as shown in Figure 2-3. For example, to switch between the expanded and the condensed version of the Save dialog, click the upward- or downward-pointing arrow (near the pointer in Figure 2-3).

FIGURE 2-3: When expanded, the Save dialog offers more options.

Tip The arrow points down when you’re looking at the condensed version of the dialog; click it to expand the dialog. The arrow points up when you’re looking at the expanded version of the dialog; click it to condense the dialog.

Whether expanded or condensed, every dialog displays buttons that let you cancel the command or complete it. To cancel a command, you have three choices:

Click the Cancel button.

Press Esc.

Press ⌘ +. (period).

To complete a command, you also have two choices:

Click the button that represents the command that you want to complete, such as Save or Print.

Press Return to choose the default button, which appears in blue.

Managing windows

Every app needs to accept, manipulate, and/or display data, also referred to as information. A word processor lets you type and edit text, a spreadsheet app lets you type and calculate numbers, and a presentation app lets you display text and pictures. To help you work with different types of information (such as text, pictures, audio files, and video files), every app displays information inside a rectangular area called a window. Figure 2-4 shows two app windows.

FIGURE 2-4: Multiple apps can display in windows onscreen at the same time.

Dividing a screen into multiple windows offers several advantages:

Two or more apps can display information on the screen simultaneously.

A single app can open and display information stored in two or more files or display two or more views of the same file.

You can copy (or move) data from one window to another. If each window belongs to a different app, this action transfers data from one app to another.

Of course, windows aren’t perfect. When a window appears on the screen, it might be too big or too small, be hard to find because it’s hidden behind another window, or display the beginning of a file when you want to see the middle or end of it. To control the appearance of a window, most windows provide built-in controls, as shown in Figure 2-5. The following sections show you what you can do with these controls.

Moving a window with the title bar

The title bar of every window serves two purposes:

It identifies the filename that contains the information displayed in the window.

It provides a place to grab when you want to drag (move) the window to a new location on the screen, which we explain in the sections "Using the mouse and Operating the trackpad," later in this chapter.

FIGURE 2-5: Every window provides controls so you can manipulate it.

Resizing a window

Sometimes a window may be in the perfect location, but it’s too small or too large for what you want to do at that moment. To change the size of a window, follow these steps:

Move the pointer over any corner or edge of the window to reveal a resizing handle.

The resizing handle looks like a dash with arrows on both ends if you can make the window larger or smaller; it has just one arrow if the window has reached its size limits and can only be made smaller (or larger).

Hold down the mouse or trackpad button with one finger or your thumb and drag the mouse, or a second finger on the trackpad, to move the resizing widget.

If you have a two-button mouse, hold down the left mouse button.

If you have a trackpad, you can also tap when the pointer becomes a resizing widget, and then drag in the direction you want the window to grow or shrink.

If you have a trackpad, move your cursor to the corner of a dialog. When it becomes a resizing widget, click and drag to resize the width and height simultaneously. Hold down the Shift key to resize the window proportionately.

The window grows or shrinks while you drag or swipe.

Release the mouse or trackpad button (or tap in the window if you’re swiping) when you’re happy with the new size of the window.

Closing a window

When you finish viewing or editing any information displayed in a window, you can close the window to keep it from cluttering the screen. To close a window, follow these steps:

Move the pointer to the upper-left corner of the window and then click the Close button (the little red button) of the window you want to close.

If you haven’t saved the information inside the window, such as a letter you’re writing with a word-processing application, the application displays a confirmation dialog that asks whether you want to save it.

In the dialog that appears, click one of the following choices:

Don’t Save: Closes the window and discards any changes you made to the information inside the window.

Cancel: Keeps the window open.

Save: Closes the window but saves the information in a file. If this is the first time you’ve saved this information, another dialog appears, giving you a chance to name the file and to store the saved information in a specific location on your hard drive.

Remember Computers typically offer two or more ways to accomplish the same task, so you can choose the way you like best. As an alternative to clicking the Close button, you can click inside the window you want to close and then choose File ⇒ Close or press ⌘ +W.

Minimizing a window

Sometimes you may not want to close a window, but you still want to get it out of the way so it doesn’t clutter your screen. In that case, you can minimize or hide the window, which tucks it onto the Dock. (We explain the features and functions of the Dock a bit later in this chapter.)

To minimize a window, choose one of the following methods:

Click the Minimize button — the yellow button in the upper-left corner — of the window you want to tuck out of the way.

Click the window you want to minimize and choose Window⇒ Minimize Window (or press ⌘ +M).

Double-click the window’s title bar.

To open a minimized window, choose Apple logo ⇒ Recent Items and then click the minimized app or document in the list, or click the minimized window on the Dock, as we explain in the section "The Dock," later in this chapter.

Zooming a window

If a window is too small to display information, you can instantly make it bigger by using the Zoom button — the green button in the upper-left corner of most windows. (When you move the mouse over the Zoom button, a plus sign appears inside.) Clicking the Zoom button a second time shrinks the window to its prior size.

Remember Zooming a window makes the window — not the contents — grow larger. Many apps have sliders or menus that increase or decrease the size of the contents: 100 percent is the actual size; a lower percentage (such as 75 percent) shows more information at a smaller size; and a higher percentage (such as 200 percent) shows less information but may be easier on your eyes. Most word-processing applications have an option for Page Width.

Employing full-screen view

Most Apple apps and many third-party apps offer full-screen view. When available, the full-screen button (a line with an arrow on each end) appears in the upper-right corner of the title bar of the app window. When you click the full-screen button, the application fills the screen, and the menu bar is hidden from view. Hover the pointer at the very top of the screen to reveal the menu bar so you can point and click to use the menus. Move the pointer back to the window, and the menu bar disappears again. Press the Esc key or Control+⌘ +F to return to normal view or click the full-screen button again, which you find by hovering the pointer over the upper-right corner.

Tip If you use several applications in full-screen view, swipe left or right with four fingers across the trackpad or Control+→ or Control +← to move from one application to another. This is only for different desktops.

Scrolling through a window

No matter how large you make a window, it may still be too small to display all the information contained inside. If a window isn’t large enough to display all the information inside it, the window lets you know by displaying vertical or horizontal scroll bars.

You