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Mac tip: How to see what’s on the clipboard

Mac tip: How to see what’s on the clipboard

by ben patterson | Sep 9, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

You probably know already how to copy and paste text, images, documents, and other digital items from one place to another by pressing COMMAND + C (“copy”) and COMMAND + V (“paste”). And you may even know about the “clipboard,” the...
Mac tip: Keep your Mac from rearranging your desktop

Mac tip: Keep your Mac from rearranging your desktop

by ben patterson | Aug 29, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Jennifer writes: I am a Mac Lion user, and I am having some troubles with my desktop. I always keep my desktop’s “Sort by” as “none” so that I can arrange the items by myself. Also, when I would drag a picture or any other item into my...
Mac tip: How to create time-saving, text-replacing “macros”

Mac tip: How to create time-saving, text-replacing “macros”

by ben patterson | Aug 26, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Barbara writes: Is there any way, on an iMac, to set up macros for frequently used words and phrases, as I used to do when I used WordPerfect on a PC? Hi Barbara! Yes, you certainly can create custom, text-replacing “macros” (or shortcuts) on your Mac for...
Mac tip: How to customize and create keyboard shortcuts

Mac tip: How to customize and create keyboard shortcuts

by ben patterson | Jun 18, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Wish you could snap a screenshot on your Mac by tapping just the F5 key rather than tangling with the SHIFT + COMMAND + 3 keyboard combo? Well, you can. Just dig into the Mac’s Keyboard settings and you’ll find shortcut settings for dozens of features,...
Mac tip: How to find and merge duplicate contacts

Mac tip: How to find and merge duplicate contacts

by ben patterson | May 29, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Martin writes: Since converting from Microsoft to Apple, all my contacts have been duplicated—sometimes up to five times! Some information is coming from Outlook Contacts but I can’t find the source and iCloud seems to be procreating without any help. Please...
Mac/Windows tip: Put your desktop wallpaper on shuffle

Mac/Windows tip: Put your desktop wallpaper on shuffle

by ben patterson | May 21, 2013 | desktops, how-tos, laptops

Getting tired of the same old Windows wallpaper, or can’t decide which baby picture to plaster all over your Mac desktop? If so, try this: just set your Mac or Windows PC to shuffle some or all of your favorite desktop wallpaper (or “background”)...
Mac tip: How to stop programs from launching automatically

Mac tip: How to stop programs from launching automatically

by ben patterson | May 7, 2013 | desktops, Featured, how-tos, laptops

(Updated on 11/6/2017) So, here’s a quick question: how long does it take for your Mac to start up? A minute? Two minutes? Five? Or just too long? One possible reason your Mac may be slow out of the blocks is that it’s trying to launch a slew of programs all at the...
Mac tip: How to customize the buttons in program toolbars

Mac tip: How to customize the buttons in program toolbars

by ben patterson | Apr 25, 2013 | apps, desktops, how-tos, laptops

Ever wish there were a Print button next to the Reply and Forward buttons in the Mac’s Mail app, or a pair of Zoom buttons on the top of every Safari browser window? Well, here’s the thing: you can add, remove, and rearrange the buttons in the...
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