Become a Mac Wizard with these Hidden Features

Getting a new Mac fills you with excitement. Whether you have just gotten your first MacBook, or you’re a long time iMac user, you feel that same excitement every time. You probably know that your Mac’s solid, user oriented design means fewer trips for computer repairs, as well as less adware removal. However, there are troves of features you might not be aware of. Over the years, OS X has added tons of new features that you’ll find: simple quality of life features, as well as bigger security and productivity features. Read on to see how many of these you may already know.

Trim Down Your Screenshots

If you’re taking a lot of screenshots, you’ll find this is a feature you can’t live without. Instead of taking screenshots that capture your whole desktop, no matter how large it is, you can take a trimmed screenshot by holding Command, Shift, and the number 4. You’ll turn your pointer into a crosshair that you can drag to cover the needed area, and then press spacebar to capture your shot.

Hide Your Dock on the Fly

While you probably use the dock a lot, and find it to be helpful, you can’t deny that it gets in the way from time to time. If you’re having trouble with your dock being in the way, you can hide it with just a couple of keypresses. Pressing the Command, Option, and D buttons will hide the dock. If you’re trying to get it back, simply repeat the process and your dock will reappear like magic. This can be very helpful when every inch of the screen is needed.

Invert Your Screen’s colors

This one is just artistic, and doesn’t really affect the way you use your Mac, but it’s a fun prank to pull on a friend. If you’re running OS X Lion or earlier, hold Command, Option, Control and 8, and your target will be calling for help! Originally, Apple added this feature to help visually impaired users, but it’s a lot more fun to make your friends think it’s time for computer repairs.

Manage Your Tabs Faster than a Speeding Bullet

If you’re running too many apps, your Mac will slow down. If it slows down too much, you might want to take it in for computer repairs, but don’t give up yet. Hold Command and press your Tab key to cycle through open applications. While you’re cycling through your applications, Q will quit an application, and H will minimize it.

Spotlight Search Doubles as a Calculator

You can bring up spotlight search by pressing Command & Spacebar. Spotlight search is a very useful tool. If you’re on OS X Yosemite you can search the internet or open applications, search for documents, and more. But the real MVP is the calculator feature. If you’re just looking to do basic math, simply bring up the spotlight and type in your formula.

Enter Expose in Slow Motion

Expose makes it easy to move between your open apps, but you might find its speed abrupt and off-putting. Hold Shift and you’ll feel like you’re doing computer repairs in The Matrix, as expose enters slow motion.

Find the Hidden Icon Right in Front of You

When you save Word, Pages, PowerPoint or almost any other type of document, there’s an icon above your toolbar. You can drag that little icon anywhere you want on your MacBook, and the whole file will move with it.

Are there any features you can’t live without that we missed here? PC Fixer wants to know. Post your favorite feature on their Facebook page so everyone can see your awesome tip. While Apple can’t boast about not getting viruses anymore, you can trust your computer repairs to PC Fixer. Call (310) 948-0588, or email info@marvistec.com to see how they can help you. You can also fill out the form to request service.