Icons on Mac
Icons look like the item that they represent. your hard disk volume icon (Macintosh HD) looks like a hard drive, a text document looks like a piece of paper....
App icons are all generally unique, so they stand out from one another.
The Desktop
Elements of Desktop
- Apple menu () - Access Software Update, System Preferences, Sleep, Shut Down, and more.
- Application menu - Contains menus for the application you're currently using. The name of the application appears in bold next to the Apple menu.
- Menu bar - Contains the Apple menu, active application menu, status menus, menu bar extras, Spotlight icon, and Notification Center icon (OS X Mountain Lion).
- Status menu - Shows the date and time, status of your computer, or gives you quick access to certain features—for example, you can quickly turn on Wi-Fi, turn off Bluetooth, or mute your computer's volume.
- Spotlight icon - Click it (or command and space) to bring up the Spotlight search field, where you can search for anything on your Mac. It's your best friend on mac. extremely helpful and valuable.
- Notification Center icon - Click it to view Notification Center, which consolidates your notifications from Messages, Calendar, Mail, Reminders, and third-party apps.
- This is where your applications' windows will appear.
- The Dock - Quick access to your most frequently used applications, folders, and files. With a single click the application, folder, or file opens.
Finder
What is Finder
The Finder is the app that helps you navigate all of the files and folders on your Mac. The Finder lets you browse your apps, disks, files, and folders in a variety of ways. You can use the Finder to organize these items the way you want. You can also use the Finder to search for items, delete files you no longer want, and more.
Changing Views
You can change how items are displayed in Finder windows by dragging them, arranging them, or changing their view. Use the View menu to change the view of the current Finder window. You can also click the corresponding View button in the Toolbar that appears at the top of Finder windows.
Icon View |
List View |
Column View |
Cover View |
Special Folders
OS X includes some folders that are already created for you, such as Applications, Documents, Music and Pictures. You can jump to these folders in the Finder by using the Finder sidebar. You can also jump to certain folders from the Go menu. Select the folder from the menu and the Finder displays its contents.
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Home Folder
OS X creates a Home folder for every user you have set up on your Mac. The Home folder holds all of the files that belong to you. These items are grouped into folders within the Home folder:
- Documents stores your word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations and more
- Music stores your iTunes music library.
- Photos stores your iPhoto library.
- Movies stores your iMovie and Photo Booth movies.
- The Desktop folder stores items you have placed on your desktop.
Renaming Items
If you want to rename a file or folder that you've created, simply click it's name in the Finder, then type a new name and press the Return key.
The Dock
The Dock is the bar of icons that sits at the bottom or side of your screen. It provides easy access to many of the apps that come with your Mac (like Mail, Safari, and Messages). You can add your own apps, documents and folders to the Dock, too.
When an application is open, the Dock displays an illuminated dash beneath the application's icon. To make any currently running application the active one, click its icon in the Dock. To quit an open application click on the name of the application from the Application bar and then click on quit or simply press Command and Q .
Organizing the Dock
The Dock keeps apps on its left side. Folders, documents, and minimized windows are kept on the right side of the Dock. If you look closely, you can see a vertical separator line that separates these two sides.
Stacks
You can also choose how to display folders in the Dock. You can either view them as a folder icon, or as a stack.
Stacks display a folder's contents as a fan or grid when you click them in the Dock.
Mission Control
Get a bird’s-eye view of all the open windows and apps on your Mac. Just swipe up with three fingers on your trackpad or click the Mission Control icon in the Dock, and your desktop zooms out to Mission Control.
Enter Mission Control with one of these methods
- On a trackpad or Magic Mouse, swipe up with three fingers or double tap (not double-click) with two fingers
- On an Apple keyboard, press the F3 or fn-F9 key combination
- Click the Mission Control icon in the Dock
- Click the Mission Control icon in Launchpad
Elements of Mission Control
- Dashboard - Click it to enter Dashboard
- The desktop you are currently in, as indicated by its white border
- Full-screen applications
- Add Desktop button - Appears when the cursor is in the upper right; click it to add a new Desktop or drag an application window or the application icon to it to move the application to a new Desktop.
- Application windows - Move your cursor to highlight, then click on the window you want to move to the foreground
Multi-Touch Gestures
Tap, scroll, pinch, and swipe your way through your Mac with Multi-Touch gestures, directly controlling what’s on your screen in a more fluid, natural, and intuitive way.
Scrolling
Scroll bars will only appear when you are scrolling. When not scrolling, they disappear to not get in the way of your content. You can change this behavior in the General pane of System Preferences, if desired.
- Magic Trackpad – Two finger swipe in the direction you want to move your content. For example, a two finger swipe up will make your content move up. Two finger swipe left will make your content move to the left. Tip: Flick your fingers at the end of the swipe to generate momentum with your scroll.
- Magic Mouse – One finger swipe in the direction you want to move your content. For example, one finger swipe up will make your content move up. One finger swipe left will make your content move to the left.
Smart Zoom
- Magic Trackpad – Double-tap with two fingers. Double-tap again to return. For example, Double-tap on the column of a web page and Safari will zoom in on that column. Double-tap again to zoom out.
- Magic Mouse – Double-tap with one finger. Double-tap again to return.
Pinch To Zoom
- Pinch out to zoom in. For example, put your thumb and index finger together and have them touch the surface of your trackpad. Glide them apart with continuous contact on the surface of your Trackpad.
- Pinch in to zoom out. For example, put your thumb and index finger apart while touching the surface of your trackpad. Glide them toward each other with continuous contact on the surface of your Trackpad.
Swipe to Navigate
Web pages in Safari, documents in Preview and more, just like thumbing a page in a book. Note: If there is horizontal content to scroll, this gesture will first scrolls to the end of content and then it will move to the next page
- Magic Trackpad – A horizontal two finger swipe will show the next or previous page. Tip: Once you pass the rubber-band threshold, lift your fingers to change page. Also you can flick your fingers at the end of the swipe for momentum.
- Magic Mouse – A horizontal one finger swipe will show the next or previous page.
Mission Control
Three finger swipe up on your Trackpad, or two finger double-tap on your Magic Mouse.
While viewing Mission Control you will have these additional gestures:
- Move to the space on your left or right, including applications in full-screen view mode.
- Magic Trackpad – Three finger swipe to the right or left.
- Magic Mouse – Two finger swipe to the right or left.
- Exit Mission Control
- Magic Trackpad – Three finger swipe down.
- Magic Mouse – Two finger double-tap.
View LaunchPad
Thumb and three finger pinch in your Trackpad, or click the Launchpad icon on the Dock.
App Exposé
Three finger swipe down on your Trackpad will bring the app you are in into App Exposé.
Previews of all windows of your app will be presented, regardless of the space they reside on.
- Click on the window you would like to bring to the front.
- Exit App Exposé – Three finger swipe up
Show desktop
Thumb and three fingers pinch out on your Trackpad to instantly show your desktop.
Some Useful ShortCuts and Tips
- Hold down Command button and press Tab button to switch between open apps. If you also hold down the Shift button while pressing Tab button you can switch in reverse order between open apps.
- Control and tab: Move focus to the next grouping of controls in a dialog or the next table
- Copy short cut: Command and "c"
- Paste short cut: Command and "v"
- Cut short cut: Option + Command and "v"
- Undo short cut: Command and "z"
- To go to the end of a line press: Command and Right Arrow
- To go to the beginning of a line press: Command and Left Arrow
- To select a single line completely,first go to the beginning of the line and then Press: Command and shift and right arrow
- Page up: fn button and Up Arrow
- Page down: fn button and Down Arrow
- Delete a file: Command and "Delete"
- Open a file: Command and "o"
- Close a file: Command and "w"
- Arrange Apps by Category
- Close all Finder Windows: Command and Option and "w"
- To instantly show and app in Finder Simply Command Click on the icon of the file in the dock
- Option-clicking on an app in your dock has some interesting functionality. If the app isn’t currently showing, the frontmost app will hide and the app that you clicked on will be shown. If the app that you click on is already the active application, then it will hide.
- For more shortcuts and cooler tricks visit Here and Here