02-Basic Mac Operations

During Initial Setup

• In «Trackpad», enable “Tap to Click”.

• The default resolution is 1728*1117, which can be adjusted to 1496*967.

System Preferences

Change Default Behavior of Function Keys: How to Use F1-F12 Without Pressing Fn?

By default, to use the F1–F12 function keys, you must press the Fn key simultaneously. This is inconvenient. How can you use function keys without pressing Fn?

To change the top-row keys so they act as standard function keys without holding the Fn key, follow these steps:

(1) Click the Apple menu  > “System Settings”.
(2) Click “Keyboard”.
(3) Check “Use F1, F2, etc. keys as standard function keys”.

Reference: How to use function keys on your Mac - Apple Support

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Voice Over (Text-to-Speech)

Open System Settings → Accessibility → Speech to set up languages for different countries.

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Check the red box in the image above to set up global hotkeys. This way, pressing Option + Esc in any application will read the selected text aloud.

Adjust Font Size

To adjust font size on Mac: System Settings → Display → Scaling. See the image below:

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Set Different Scrolling Directions for Mouse and Trackpad

Many users prefer reverse scrolling for the mouse and natural scrolling (like iPad) for the trackpad. How to configure this? Previously, I didn’t know, as macOS system settings treat mouse and trackpad settings uniformly. Today, I found a free tool called Scroll Reverser that allows independent settings for mouse and trackpad. Download link: https://pilotmoon.com/scrollreverser/

After launching, the app appears in the top menu bar. It’s straightforward to use — try it if needed.

Customize Touch Bar

Open System Settings → Keyboard, and you’ll find an option to customize the Touch Bar.

Color Temperature Adjustment: Night Shift Mode

One of the most noticeable changes in iOS 9.3 was Apple’s introduction of Night Shift, a feature designed to reduce blue light for better eye comfort at night.

iCloud Mail

If your Apple ID used for iCloud does not end in “@icloud.com”, “@me.com”, or “@mac.com”, you must first set up an “@icloud.com” email address before using iCloud Mail.

If you already have an email address ending in “@mac.com” or “@me.com”, you automatically have an equivalent address ending in “@icloud.com”. The same applies if you use an alias ending in “@mac.com” or “@me.com”.

Steps to set up:

• On iOS: Go to “Settings” > “iCloud”, turn on “Mail”, and follow on-screen instructions.

• On Mac: Click Apple menu > “System Settings”, click “iCloud”, select “Mail”, and follow on-screen instructions.

Note: Once you create an iCloud email address, you cannot change it.

After setting up the @icloud.com email address, you can log in to iCloud using it. You may also log in with the Apple ID you used to create the iCloud account.

You can send emails from the following addresses:

• Your iCloud email address (yourname@icloud.com)
• Your aliases

Reference links:

Directly register an Apple ID ending in @icloud.com:

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Podcast

Podcast, literally “iPod + Broadcast”, refers to a special type of audio or video program. It is commonly translated as “podcast” in Chinese.

Podcasts can be listened to in iTunes.

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To Be Continued

Software Installation

DMG format: Double-click the installer package, then drag it to the Applications folder.

Editing Operations

Input Methods

Character Decomposition (Splitting Characters)

Sometimes, when typing rare characters with many strokes, writing them stroke-by-stroke takes forever and requires flipping through multiple pages. How to solve this? Mac Pinyin provides a “character decomposition” feature. For example, to type “鱻”, input “yu yu”, then press Shift + Space.

Safari Browser Usage

Change Default Search Engine

Go to “Preferences” → “Search” → “Search Engine” → select “Google”.

Import Bookmarks from Chrome

Select “File” → “Import From” → “Google Chrome”, then choose the items to import.

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Command + R: Refresh

Show Bookmarks Bar / Favorites Bar

Go to “View” → “Show Favorites Bar”.

Disable Notifications in Top-Right Corner of Apps

macOS has notification settings. Open System Settings → Notifications, find QQ, and set its notification style to “None”.

Copy File/Folder Path

• On OS X 10.11: Select the folder, press Cmd + Option + C to copy the path, then Cmd + V to paste.

• For earlier systems: Use Administrator to add a right-click menu option, then set a shortcut key. Specific steps can be found via search engines.

Open Applications from Unknown Developers

In the Applications folder, hold down the Control key while opening the application.

Copy File Path

• Select the file/folder, press Command + C to copy, then paste with Command + V in Terminal.

• If you want to view the file’s path directly in Finder and easily navigate between folders, Finder has a built-in “Show Path Bar” feature with the shortcut Option + Cmd + P. See the image below:

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Reference links:

• [https://www.zhihu.com/question/22883229]

Hide/Unhide Purchased Items in Mac App Store

Run Two QQ Accounts Simultaneously on Mac

In an already-open QQ app, press Command + N to open a new account.

Others

Dictionary

Mac comes with a built-in “Dictionary” app for word lookups.

Reference links:

• Max OS-[xxx.app is damaged, cannot open. You should move it to the trash.]

• How to fix “app is damaged” prompts for MAC software (dmg, app, akp)

Note: The resources in these links are very useful.

Terminal

Open Terminal in Current Finder Directory

Finder does have the ability to open Terminal in the current directory, but it’s disabled by default. You can enable it as follows:

Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts → Services.

Check the option “New Terminal Window Here” under the “Files and Folders” section.

After this setup, right-click any file in Finder, go to “Services”, and select “New Terminal Window Here” to open Terminal in that folder.