Chapter 1
Learning Basic macOS Tasks
macOS (formerly OS X) has a few basic tasks that you need to know to make the rest of Mac chores faster and easier. These chores include starting and managing applications, searching your Mac for documents and data, saving your work, and fundamental file operations such as opening, printing, and copying.
Start an Application
Start an Application Using Launchpad
Locate the Mouse Pointer
Switch Between Applications
View Running Applications with Mission Control
Run an Application Full Screen
Split the Screen with Two Applications
Search Your Mac
Voice-Operate Your Mac with Siri
Save a Document
Open a Document
Print a Document
Copy a File
Move a File
Rename a File
Delete a File
Open a Folder in a Tab
Open a Document in a Tab
Start an Application
To perform tasks of any kind in macOS, you use one of the applications installed on your Mac. The application you use depends on the task you want to perform. For example, if you want to surf the World Wide Web, you use a web browser application, such as the Safari program that comes with macOS. Before you can use an application, however, you must first tell macOS what application you want to run. macOS launches the application and displays it on the desktop. You can then use the application's tools to perform your tasks.
Start an Application
Using the Dock
If the application that you want to start has an icon in the Dock, click the icon to start the application.
You can position the mouse pointer () over a Dock icon to see the name of the application.
Using Spotlight
Click Spotlight ().
Start typing the name of the application you want to start.
macOS displays a list of matching items.
When the application appears in the results, click it to start the program.
Using Finder
Click Finder ().
The Finder window appears.
Click Applications.
Note: You can also open Applications in any Finder window by pressing ?+??+? or by clicking Go and then clicking Applications.
Double-click the application you want to start.
Note: In some cases, double-clicking the icon just displays the contents of a folder. In this case, you then double-click the application icon.
The application appears on the desktop.
macOS temporarily adds a button for the application to the Dock.
The menu bar displays the menus associated with the application.
Note: Another common way you can launch an application is to use Finder to locate a document you want to work with and then double-click that document.
Tips
How do I add an icon to the Dock for an application I use frequently?
To add an icon to the Dock, repeat steps 1 to 3 in the subsection "Using Finder." Right-click the application's Dock icon, click Options, and then click Keep in Dock.
How do I shut down a running application?
To shut down a running application, right-click the application's Dock icon and then click Quit. Alternatively, you can switch to the application and press ?+?.
Start an Application Using Launchpad
You can start an application using the Launchpad feature. This is often faster than using the Applications folder, particularly for applications that do not have a Dock icon.
Launchpad is designed to mimic the Home screens of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. So if you own one or more of these devices, then you are already familiar with how Launchpad works.
Start an Application Using Launchpad
Click Launchpad ().
The Launchpad screen appears.
If the application you want to start resides in a different Launchpad screen, click the dot that corresponds to the screen.
Launchpad switches to the screen and displays the applications.
If the application you want to start resides within a folder, click the folder.
Launchpad opens the folder.
Click the icon of the application you want to start.
macOS starts the application.
Note: To exit Launchpad without starting an application, you can press .
Locate the Mouse Pointer
macOS includes a feature that helps you locate the mouse pointer. This is useful because although you can control certain features of macOS using the keyboard or by using gestures on a trackpad or similar device, most macOS tasks require the mouse or trackpad. Clicking, double-clicking, dragging, and other standard mouse techniques make using macOS easy and efficient, but not if you have trouble locating the mouse pointer. This can happen very easily if your screen is crowded with windows.
Locate the Mouse Pointer
Jiggle the pointer several times:
If you have a mouse, move the mouse back and forth.
If you have a trackpad or a Magic Mouse, slide your finger back and forth on the surface of the trackpad or the top of the Magic Mouse.
macOS temporarily increases the size of the mouse pointer ().
Switch Between Applications
If you plan on running multiple applications at the same time, you need to know how to easily switch from one application to another. In macOS, after you start one application, you do not need to close that application before you open another one. macOS supports a feature called multitasking, which means running two or more applications simultaneously. This is handy if you need to use several applications throughout the day.
Switch Between Applications
Click the Dock icon of the application you want to switch to.
Note: If you can see part of the application's window, you can also switch to the application by clicking its window.
macOS brings the application window(s) to the foreground.
The menu bar displays the menus associated with the application.
Note: To switch between applications from the keyboard, press and hold and repeatedly press until the application that you want is highlighted in the list of running applications. Release to switch to the application.
View Running Applications with Mission Control
The Mission Control feature makes it easier for you to navigate and locate your running applications. macOS allows you to open multiple applications simultaneously, and the only real limit to the number of open applications you can have is the amount of memory contained in your Mac. In practical terms, this means you can easily open several applications, some of which may have multiple open windows. To help locate and navigate to the window you need, use the Mission Control feature.
View Running Applications with Mission Control
Click Launchpad ().
Click Mission Control.
Note: You can also invoke Mission Control by pressing or by placing four fingers on the trackpad of your Mac and then swiping up.
Mission Control displays each open window.
To switch to a particular window, click it.
To close Mission Control without selecting a window, you can click Desktop or press .
Run an Application Full Screen
You can maximize the viewing and working areas of an application by running that application in full-screen mode. When you switch to full-screen mode, macOS hides the menu bar, the application's status bar, the Dock, and the top section of the application window (the section that includes the Close, Minimize, and Zoom buttons). macOS then expands the rest of the application window so that it takes up the entire screen. Note that not all programs are capable of switching to full-screen mode.
Run an Application Full Screen
Click View.
Click Enter Full Screen.
You can also press ?+??+?.
In applications that support Full Screen, you can also click Zoom ().
macOS expands the application window to take up the entire screen.
Note: To exit full-screen mode, move the mouse pointer () up to the top of the screen to reveal the menu bar, click View, and then click Exit Full Screen. You can also click Zoom (), press , or press ?+??+?.
Split the Screen with Two Applications
You can make your macOS desktop more convenient and more efficient by splitting the screen with two application windows. Splitting the screen means that macOS switches to...
