General Tips and Tricks for macOS
- Kenneth Smith
- Christine Sandella
Below you will find helpful tips on using your Apple Macintosh laptop or desktop. This article will cover processes for navigating macOS 14.5 "Sonoma.”
What is the “Finder”?
The Finder is the default desktop interface. It's where you launch apps, organize files, and manage everything from your disk drives to shared network drives. With the Finder, you can easily navigate through your computer, interact with on-screen options, menus, and links, and access all your installed software packages.
What is the “Dock”?
The dock is a series of icons and folders located (by default) at the bottom of your screen.
Typically, the dock is divided into three sections: Active/Pinned Apps, Recent Apps, and System Apps.
In the example above:
Active/Pinned Apps consist of default applications that come pre-installed and any active applications.
Recent Apps include the few most recently used applications/folders, such as Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Word.
System Apps contain folders/icons used by the operating system, such as your Documents folder and Mac’s Trash icon.
You can add/remove apps, folders, etc. to and from your Dock by dragging the icon into/out of the Dock or by control-clicking/right-clicking and choosing Remove or Keep in the Dock.
Right-Click on a Mac
By default, Apple-branded laptops do not have a left versus right-click like you see on a Windows-based device. You can access more options by holding down the Control key on the keyboard and then clicking.
Restart/Shutdown
To restart or shut down your computer, you should avoid either holding the power button or simply closing the lid, as doing so does not properly turn off your computer.
Instead, follow these steps:
Click on the Apple menu located in the upper left-hand corner of your screen.
From the drop-down menu, choose either Restart or Shutdown, depending on your preference.
You will see a 60-second countdown clock and a checkbox asking if you wish to have active programs or windows reopened upon reboot. You can leave the checkbox enabled or remove it according to your preference. Then, click on the OK button.
Note: If you do not make a selection before the countdown ends, the computer will automatically reboot or shut down for you.
Close an Application
Unlike a Windows-based device, you cannot simply select the “x” icon at the top of the screen to close an application. Selecting the “red circle” icon will close the active window but not the software package itself. To close an application, choose the “Quit” option from the application’s menu.
For example, to close Safari, click the “Safari” menu, then click “Quit Safari”.
Eject an External Drive
When you connect an external drive to your Mac, like a USB flash drive, and you should always eject it before removing it from the computer to prevent potential data loss.
To eject a drive:
Select the drive you would like to remove.
Go to the File menu in the Finder and choose Eject.
Wait for the drive to disappear from the desktop or until you see a prompt indicating that the drive is safe to remove.
Disconnect the drive from the computer.
Search for Files
In the Mac operating system, there is a search function called Spotlight. By selecting the “magnifying glass” icon from the menu bar, you will be able to search for files, folders, and text within documents that match your search criteria.
Install a New Application
When installing a new application, there are two types of installers:
Drag and Drop: Simply drag the new application to your Applications folder.
Installer: Launch the installer, then follow the prompts to load the resource.
For example:
The Mozilla Firefox web browser uses the “drag and drop” installer.
On the other hand, the Seton Hall campus printing resource requires the installer type, where you launch the installer and follow the prompts to install the components of our printing system.
Remove an Application
To remove an installed application, you simply need to drag its application icon to the Trash, then empty the trash bin.
Select the Go menu (from the Finder) and then choose Applications.
Click once on the application you wish to remove, and then from the File menu, select Move to Trash.
Open the Trash icon from your Dock and choose the Empty button. If you are prompted to confirm your selection, select Empty Trash.
Red, Yellow and Green Dot Buttons
In the upper left-hand corner of every macOS window, you'll see three circular dot buttons colored red, yellow, and green.
Red: Closes the active window, but not the entire application.
Yellow: Hides or shrinks the window down to your Dock.
Green: Maximizes the active window to full-screen mode. You can exit full-screen mode by pressing the “esc” key.
Access additional options by hovering your cursor over the green dot:
Enter full screen
Tile Window to Left of Screen → snaps the window to the left side
Tile Window to Right of Screen → snaps the window to the right side.