What's the quickest/easiest way to make a digital signature on an iPad? I need to scribble my signature on an electronic document. I see that Google Drawings has a scribble feature, but I can't get a mouse to produce anything that looks like my written signature.

I can't seem to find this option in Google Drive for iOS (there's no "New Drawing" option). I'm not sure if it's buried in another app or if I can use it on the mobile website.

I'm willing to try other methods, if they're readily available in iOS 10 (native feature, Apple apps, or something not requiring an account or registration).

Email the document to yourself, then tap the icon of the attachment. When you do this, it should open, and a small toolbox should be in the top right hand corner. Tap it, and you may add a signature using the signature button at the bottom left corner. There are dedicated apps available on the App Store, like HelloSign. Furthermore, macOS "Preview" App also allows for the signing of documents, as does Adobe Reader DC.

For signing on Mac, follow instructions that may be found here, which basically says to click on the toolbox icon within preview, then the signature icon located in the menu that just dropped down.

Footnotes:

[1] The document must be a PDF and on iOS, it must be opened from the mail app.

[2] The newest OS is recommended to perform these actions, but it is available on iOS 9 and later. And macOS must be 10.9 or above.

Best of luck!


How to fix iPhone 3 showing iTunes-icon after charging? I plugged in my iPhone 3 to charge it. When I came back later, the screen showed a connector device with an arrow and an iTunes app circle above that. Can't get the phone to open up. Tried calling my phone, it goes straight to voicemail. I also tried turning off and on several times.

What can I do to fix this issue?

Your iPhone is in Recovery Mode. To leave it please press Sleep/Awake Button and Home button at the same time.

If this doesn't work you'll probably need RecBoot to exit Recovery Mode.


How to trigger specific font when changing language? I use Pages as my main word-processing application and regularly have to type in both English and Greek. I use either Times New Roman or Hoefler Text in English and GFS Porson for Greek. Is there a way to automatically trigger a specific font (in this case, GFS Porson) anytime I switch over to the Greek keyboard?

Pages doesn't itself have a way to do that exactly, but the app Nisus Writer does, via preference settings.

In Pages I'd recommend creating "styles" for Greek and English in your preferred fonts.  Styles can be attached to keyboard shortcuts.


is there a patch against "Shell Shock" for my system MacOS 10.6.8 bash version 3.2.48(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin10.0) I already run the following and I get "vulnerable" Mac
cysunza$ env x='() { :;}; echo vulnerable' bash -c 'echo hello'
vulnerable
hello

I read the post about it but appears to me that his is just for newer systems that mine, so my questions are:
I should be worried about it? (my guess is yes)
Is there a way to solve this problem, without a new system?
if there are such a patch, where I can get it?

I upgrade my Mac to the last OS in another hard disk but I felt so slow, that's the reason I prefer work in the system 10.6.8
Thanks

Apple has quietly dropped support for Snow Leopard and earlier versions. This page has various means of helping you to compile your own version should you wish to do so:

How do I recompile Bash to avoid Shellshock (the remote exploit CVE-2014-6271 and CVE-2014-7169)?

There is a lot of attention on all the posts on that page. Read it all and find the solution that feels the most comfortable for you. Asking there is probably going to get you more eyeballs than asking here.


How to install Mac OSX Mountain Lion as virtual OS in Mac OSX Yosemite? I have Macbook Pro ( late 2011) which I recently upgraded to Yosemite and works fine. It has only one hard drive which is 256GB SSD (Samsung). After purchasing I received Mountain Lion as an app in Apple Store and it is downloaded and Apple is not going to ship physical CD.

I want to install Mountain Lion as virtual OS within Yosemite using VirtualBox because VirtualBox is free. Is it possible to do that without making my system unstable (a risk I cannot take) ? Does any one had issues with this type of setup or anything I should be aware of? Is there another more stable but free alternative to VirtualBox (other than Apple Bootcamp but I do not like having to shut down my primary OS and rebooting to Mountain Lion) ?

It shouldn't make your system unstable since it runs in its own "box" per se.. I have done it for other operating systems such as Ubuntu, Windows, and older versions of OS X.


How to recover .profile on Mac OS? I have mis-configured ~/.profile while adding new environment variable. I want to restore my original .profile for my Mac OS, I am not mac expert please help me. None of my shell command is working for me like ls, java, php etc Please help

Show hidden files in Finder. Then you can either fix the problem in TextEdit, or simply remove/rename the file. There is no default ~/.profile on Mac OS X, only a global /etc/profile (and you may also have a ~/.bash_profile).


Slow start up following File Vault 2 Trial on Mountain Lion I spent a week with file vault 2 running but found the startup time of my 2012 Retina MBP was excessively slow (5+ mins on the grey apple screen after the spinning white thingo stops) along with the track pad becoming unresponsive for minutes at a time. I assumed/suspected it was file vault and turned it back off.

However the problem didn't go away so I erased the drive, installed a clean OS and it restarted perfectly. I then restored my full system from time machine and the problem came back (this probably shouldn't have been a surprise). I then erased and reinstalled again but this time used migration assistant to just restore home folder, applications and settings. The problem remains.

Does anyone have an idea that doesn't involve me manually reinstalling and rebuilding everything piece by piece? The thought of getting all my preferences back to how they are almost makes me want to put up with the problem.

This issue fixed itself when I upgraded to Mavericks. Very very weird that an os upgrade fixes something a clean reinstall didn't.


How to sync music using other softs rather then iTunes I use Ubuntu and every time I need to transfer music to my iPod Touch I need to start VirtualBox where I have WindowsXP especially installed for this occasion.

Is there any easier way to transfer/sync/delete musics in my iPod Touch right from Ubuntu?

Thanks

There are a bunch of Linux applications that do it.  This question on Ask Unbuntu might help: Applications To Replace iTunes For iPod Synchronization.

Around my house, my wife and daughter use RhythmBox for loading up their iPod Touches (2G & 3G).


Can I connect to my Linux server using "Go > Connect to Server"? In Windows I use WinSCP. How can I do this?

It sounds like you're using (S)FTP to connect to your server. Finder doesn't support SFTP and supports read-only access for FTP. You can use Terminal and the command line SFTP client, or you'll need to use a 3rd party app like Cyberduck or Transmit to connect via FTP or SFTP.

The Finder supports AFP, SMB (Windows file sharing), NFS, VNC, and probably a few others I'm forgetting via the Connect to Server window.

Details on supported protocols can be found in Finder Help


Shortcut for input source change on MacOS Mojave I have been using Shift+Space for input source change. MacOS Mojave, however, doesn't allow it. The default shortcut is Ctrl+Space and optionally Capslock. I can customize the shortcut except for Shift+Space.

Am I missing something? Please advise.

I think you are mistaken about having used Shift Space for this. Such shortcuts normally include Control or Command.

The Apple defaults for Input Source switching for Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, and El Capitan are Control Space and Control Option Space. Back in Yosemite it was Command Space and Command Option Space.

Here is another recent query about this.


How to set label color for "Utilities" folder in Lion? In earlier versions of OSX I've set the label color of the /Applications/Utilities folder so that it's easy to spot (visually).

Lion disables the labels for this folder.  (Why?)

I've tried changing the permissions on the folder but that didn't work.

Anyone have a fix?

Lion disables most of the customizations that were once available in versions prior to 10.7. As to why that is I can only speculate, however, it can't be done like before. I personally do not recommend any type of SIMBL plug-in either, for it can cause more grief than happiness. I usually try and find the most sensible work-around for such things without having to go to extremes.

Here's what I do:

Highlight the Utilities folder
Press ⌘ L (Make alias)
Rename the [Utilites alias] to [Utilities ] ↙ leaving and extra space behind the 's'
Open Terminal and type the following:

sudo chflags hidden /Applications/Utilities

This will hide the original Utilities folder, leaving your new alias ready to label with your color of choice.

If you want to un-hide the original Utilities folder type nohidden instead of hidden. I hide it, since there's no point to having the Utilities alias and the original Utilities folder sitting there.


List of Unicode version support by macOS version I'm looking for a list of supported Unicode versions by MacOS version. Does such a list exist?

To be specific: I like to understand which code points and code blocks are supported in the "Character Viewer", even if no font is available that contains all codepoints.

For example, on macOS High Sierra, the codeblock for Maya numerals (codepoints U+1D2E0 and up) is missing, which was introduced in Unicode version 11. Unsurprisingly, as High Sierra was released in September 2017 and Unicode 11 in June 2018.

So far, I have not found any such list, only specification of the underlying file systems:

The APFS filesytems supports all codepoints in Unicode 9, and is ignorant of codepoint normalization.
HFS plus filesystem supports any codepoint, but performs (the somewhat uncommon) decomposition normalization (NFD). Unicode 2.1 decomposition up till Mac OS X 10.2, and Unicode 3.2 decomposition starting with Mac OS X 10.3.

I don't know of any list of the type you mention, but at least some MacOS  apps will display anything in Unicode for which a font is installed regardless of whether Character Viewer is up to date or not.  My High Sierra TextEdit and Safari can display Mayan Numerals once the Babelstone font for them is installed.


How do I re-authorize Quicktime Player to use the microphone when once it has been denied? I wanted to use a USB audio input to record a video, and got something I've never seen before having done this 100 times; it asked "Authorize Quicktime to use the microphone?" I clicked no, because I didn't want it to use the internal mic, I wanted it to use a USB input.  Now, it won't let me get rid of the denial.  I've quit QT, quit & reopened it twice and it still won't let me choose ANY input source. It still says it doesn't have access to the microphone.  Is this a new Mojave 10.14.2 bug or what?  How the heck do I get out of this?  Thanks!

Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Microphone, unlock the preference pane by clicking the padlock symbol at the bottom left of the window and tick "QuickTime Player.app", which should be listed without a tick mark in its checkbox.

If QuickTime Player.app is missing, you should be able to reset all decisions you made for the various applications that asked for access to your Microphone by quitting System Preferences, opening Terminal (to be found in /Applications/Utilities/, or search via Spotlight) and running the following command:

tccutil reset Microphone

...then press enter.

This should clear all applications from the Microphone section and after launching QuickTime Player, it should ask for permission to the microphone all over again.


Missing apps tab in iTunes Where is my apps tab in itunes (ver 12.7.3)?

I am actually trying to find an app called RFK WiFi to change the settings but it does not appear in Settings app list of apps.  I thought I could change it on my PC in Itunes.  Now I learn I do not have an apps tab in iTunes.

The Apps functionality was removed from iTunes in version 12.7, so you cannot access that from iTunes anymore.

However if the app does not have a setting in the Settings app on the device, it was not going to show up in iTunes before 12.7 either.

How to restore apps on iPod?
How do I backup and restore my IPA app backups in iTunes 12.7?


There is an app that can do screenshots in MacOSX Lion, what's the name? There is an app that can do screenshots in MacOSX Lion, what's the name?

It comes from the OS, not a 3rd party app.

The built-in application is called Grab. You can find it under the Utilities folder in Applications.
You can also use keyboard shortcuts to take screen shots. Here's a quick guide from Apple:

In Mac OS X, you can use simple keyboard shortcuts to do all sorts of things, including capturing images of what’s on your Mac screen. For example, you can take a screen shot of your entire screen by holding down the Command and Shift keys and pressing a 3.
If you hold down the Command and Shift keys and press 4, Mac OS X turns the cursor into crosshairs you can use to select whatever portion of your display you’d like to capture in a screen shot.
If you immediately hit the Spacebar after typing Command-Shift-4, Mac OS X replaces those crosshairs with a little camera. Using the camera, you can take a screen shot of the Dock, the entire menu bar, a single open menu, the desktop, or any open window.


Empty space in the place of icons in Finder I see empty spaces in Finder on OS X 10.9.4, exactly as on the picture. What does it mean? The spaces are in between the other icons, not at the end of the listing.

This means there was an icon there, but it's been deleted/moved/etc and your current view doesn't do automatic sorting. Go to View → Clean Up By → Name to fix it just once now or press ⌘J to open View Options and set Sort By to Name to fix this now and in the future.


How can I completely delete an iCloud account I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to use my current iCloud account any longer, primarily because I used to register to various online services with it which won't stop to send me mail.

Is there a way to delete an iCloud account from Apple's servers?

From my brief searching through the Apple discussion sites, it looks as though you can't actually delete an iCloud account!

Here are some links to some posts I've read regarding this:

'How to Close an iCloud Account '
'closing my icloud account '
'How can you close an icloud account?'
'Upgraded to Yosemite, signed up for iCloud and an now want to close iCloud account. How do I do that? '

According to the answers from people with fairly high credentials for the above questions, it isn't possible.  The only option you have is to disconnect your device(s) from iCloud and just stop using it unfortunately.

The reason you provide for not using the iCloud account though is because of bombardment of emails from services you have subscribed to.  I suggest a 'block sender' use on your email client whatever that may be, or alternatively the option suggested by @patrix.  Also, most of these types of emails I have found have an 'unsubscribe' link at the bottom of their emails, so you should also probably look for that on some of these emails.

Hope this is of some help!


Facebook and Mint Badges seem to be ignoring iOS 4 Notifications Settings I have Badges turned off for the Facebook and Mint applications on my iPhone 4 running 4.0.2 (Settings -> Notifications -> Facebook/Mint -> Badges: OFF ). I have Alerts and Sounds turned on.

Despite the fact that badges are turned off, my Facebook and Mint applications continue to show red numerical badges on their icons.

I'd like to turn these badges off. Why are they continuing to show?

The Notifications settings panel only controls what push notifications can do when the app is not running.  Background changing of the badge, essentially.  When you run the app, it is free to change its own badge and as far as I know there isn't a way to keep an app from doing that.


iPhone 5 stuck at resetting screen I jailbroke my iPhone 5 a while ago and everything was going fine a couple weeks ago. I couldnt update or download apps from the appstore and couldn't delete or install tweaks from cydia. So i decided to remove my jailbreak. First i tried to restore with itunes, but my phone could't connect or froze (i tried on a pc and laptop). So i tried doing it from the phone itself, but now its stuck on the screen that you also see when you update your IOS (the apple logo with the white downloadbar below it). I already tried holding the power and home button, but when i turn it on again it goes to the same screen.

I'm hoping for a way to troubleshoot or fix this other than being patient while the charge on the battery depletes forcing a shut down/reboot cycle.

Have you installed any tweaks that prevent restoring via iTunes such as NO PLS RECOVERY? If not, then try going into DFU mode: How to get into DFU mode and iTunes should recognize your device. If it still doesn't, try removing all Apple applications from your computer & re-installing the latest available version of iTunes: Download iTunes from here.


Did the iPod Nano dock connector change from 5th to 6th generation? Does anyone know if the dock connector change when Apple upgraded from 5th to 6th generation?

They did, and unfortunately there's no adapter for it yet. You can see more information on the Apple support pages here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1380?viewlocale=en_US

My understanding is that the new iPod Nano likely won't fit with a number of older, existing devices.

I should also mention that although there's no adapter, it still has a standard Dock connector, so it'll work with your existing cables, etc.


Is there a Quick Look plug-in for ZIP files? Is there a Quick Look plug-in that works with ZIP files, and that lists all the files contained in the archive? It is also fine if it lists at least some of the files.


How to upgrade multiple Macs to OS X 10.10.4? I own multiple Macs at home and, when I installed Yosemite (10.10) I downloaded the installer from the App Store on the main computer, then copied "/Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ Yosemite" to a safe location, and used the copy to upgrade the other computers skipping the long download time.

Now that the upgrade to 10.10.4 is available, I noticed that there is no "Install" executable in /Applications - so I had to repeat the long download for all my three computers.  How could I use a single download for all computers again?

For every OS X 'delta' release  - 10.10.1/2/3/ ...10.10.4 etc - which App Store will download to each Mac there is a simultaneous 'combo' update release which rolls up all the previous deltas into one single downloadable update.
It was for many years considered the 'pro' way to do the update, as it can also correct potential update issues that the delta can't.

You can always find updates related to OS X here.

As the combo update doesn't use the App Store "download, install, delete" structure, you can pass it from machine to machine at your leisure.

Maybe not as slick as using the server - but it's free ;-)

From comments -
The combo update can also be applied to machines which are already running the current version of the OS, unlike the App Store's delta "update" mechanism. This can sometimes correct issues that may linger after doing a series of incremental [delta] updates.
The combo updater is invariably larger than the incremental updates; but it is worth it, just for the peace of mind.


Alternative of Microsoft Visio? I am looking for a good alternative of Microsoft Visio for Mac OS X.
I need an application to create a schedule of the month or something like this and then to print it.

I recommend OmniGraffle Pro (http://www.omnigroup.com/omniGraffle) from the Omni Group.  They have a standard and pro version.  You can download trial version of either the standard or pro version.


Avoid double keystrokes for a given set of keys on OS X I am looking for a program for OS X that can prevent the user from inputting the same key twice in less than X milliseconds. The set of keys for which this limitation applies to should be configurable.

Any price and license is fine.

I found Unshaky on GitHub (https://github.com/aahung/Unshaky)

I've been testing it for about day and so far it has been working fabulously! During a full workday I experienced a double-keystroke only once.

Please note that you have to set it up:

I put 40ms delay for each key:

I also made an exception for the Tab and Delete keys which I regularly hit repeatedly:

I am not affiliated with Unshaky in any way.


SSD + apfs Install option greyed out I'm sure I've seen this before, but I upgraded an older MBP (2011) to an SSD.  I boot to a High Sierra installer that i created and format it to Apfs, but then the drive is greyed out - it states it needs HFS+ to install.

Is this because this machine does not yet have the updated firmware that allows it to install on apfs?

Cheers

In some cases the volume has to be unmounted first.

Start the Mac in recovery. Select Disk Utility. Select the volume from the left. In the tool bar at the top of the main window click unmount. Now go the option to convert to APFS is no longer greyed out.


What to use for a plain text editor? I'm writing instructions for a project and at some point, for a certain condition one needs to modify a simple plain ascii text file.

For windows I can tell them to fire up notepad. I thought on the mac I could use TextEdit but the TextEdit version I'm using defaults to write rtf, which introduces all rtf symbols in the file which is highly undesirable.

Using emacs or vi from the terminal is not something I want to burden the user with.

What are alternatives?

I would recommend using TextEdit since it is free and the default text editor on OS X.

You only need to learn a key shortcut (Shift-Command-T) to convert the current file to plain text.

Of course other GUI text editors exist on Mac platform but they need to be installed from the App Store or from Internet (see other answers for a selection of the most popular ones).

There is even a setting in TextEdit to let all new documents start as plain text going forward:

Again, this setting is for new documents, so if a document is already open, ⇧⌘T (Format > Make Plain Text) instantly converts a rich text document to plain text.


Mountain Lion-password prompts How do I stop Mountain Lion from asking me to put in my password everytime I want to move/change folders/files etc?

An example is "Finder want to make changes. Please enter your password to allow this"

Open Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility.
Select your hard drive in the left column. Most likely it will be named “Macintosh HD.”
Click on “Repair Disk Permissions.”
Close Disk Utility. Check if the problem is still there.
If it is still not resolved, restart and hold down the Command and R keys. You will boot into the Repair Utilities screen. On top, in the Menu Bar click the Utilities item then select Terminal.
In the Terminal window, type reset password and hit Return. The Password reset utility launches, but you’re not going to reset the password.
Instead, click on the icon for your Mac’s hard drive at the top. From the drop-down below it, select the user account where you are having issues.
At the bottom of the window, you’ll see a button labeled ‘Reset Home Directory Permissions and ACLs’. Click the Reset button there.

Source: http://osxdaily.com/2011/11/15/repair-user-permissions-in-mac-os-x-lion/


warranty on tablets/ipads bought from Malaysia My friend in Malaysia is visiting me in Australia and is bringing me a Apple 64gb tablet as a gift. As I have been given conflicting answers to this question; Will the warranty on the Apple tablet be honoured in Sydney Australia or is it only the iPad that is not under warranty in Australia.

Yes, the iPad is in warranty, only iPhones have a country specific warranty, rest all Apple products have international warranty.

UPDATE
Apple has launched international warranty for iPhones. Details can be checked here.


4th gen shuffle battery, no lights or charge My 4th gen ipod has not been used for some time, I have a new usb to jack cable for charging it.

The shuffle shows no signs of life, no lights, when I plug it into the wall or computer(different docs, different computers). I left it to charge for a few hours, but nothing.

I followed some instructions on the trouble shooting pages of ipod shuffle... bla to nop avail.

Is the battery shot? Or are there solutions out there..

It sounds to me like a hardware issue, and you will probably do best to contact Apple.

I assume you have, but I would check the old cable (if it is still around and functioning), just to make sure that doesn't work as well. There is always a chance the new cable is somehow non-functional.


How to put a tab detached from fullscreen Safari back into it Start Safari
full-screen Safari
open at least 2 tabs
click and drag one of them away from the tab bar
release left-click
it creates a new full-screen Safari instance, with that tab as the only tab

Now, how do I take that tab, and put it back into the other Safari window?

Make two tabs in one window, other free tab can now be brought in.
Window Menu > Merge all windows.


iMessage won't send on iOS 7 With my iPhone 5 with iOS 7.0.2 on Wifi or on 3G my iMessages won't send (Progress bar stuck in the middle of the screen).

Rebooting or Airplane mode won't change anything.

There seems to be a bug with iOS7 :

To make it work again here is a procedure :

Disable iMessages (Settings > Messages)
Reset Network settings (Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network settings)
Enable iMessages (Settings > Messages)


Is Apple's Device Enrollment Program (DEP) tied into the OSX Installer, Hard Drive or Machine? My case is I bought a macbook off eBay, reformated the SSD inside it to High Sierra then transfered the SSD to an older Macbook and that's when I started getting the DEP notifications. The older Macbook previously never had the notifications.
So my guess is the DEP either came from the OSX installer I used or the SSD?

DEP follows the machine, not the installer or drive.
Apple doesn’t have a neat article for this like it does for iPhone or Apple Watch.

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201365
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208855


OSX Lion Disk Mounter I seem to have broken something in my OSX Lion install. Whenever I insert a SD/CD-ROM into the machine I have to go into Disk Util to manually mount it. This happens quite a lot and is getting on my nerves. Any ideas what I might have done or what might cause this?

Thanks

Gordon

The launchd daemons and agents should be mounting these for you...

com.apple.diskarbitrationd
com.apple.diskmanagementd
com.apple.DiskArbitrationAgent

... so unless you were editing these or your filesystem had the files go corrupt it might be faster to install Lion onto an external drive and test to see if a clean install remedies the issue.

If so, you could migrate your data to that external drive and make sure it's not a configuration issue.

If not, you could then start down a hardware isolation or repair path.


Copying songs on to iTunes I have music purchased online, but I do not have my phone synced to iTunes.  How do I put my songs into the phone?

I have tried using DropBox, but the song has to be downloaded every time!

If you want to play music on your iPhone using the Music.app and you haven't purchased the music on the iTunes Music Store (iTMS), you have to sync your iPhone and the music with iTunes first.

Play music with the Music.app

You can play music with the Music.app if one of the following conditions are true:

You have purchased the song on the iTMS
you have subscribed to iTunes Match and your preferred song is available
you have added the song to your iTunes library on your computer and synced your iPhone with the same iTunes library (enable "sync music")
you have subscribed to iTunes Match, added the song in iTunes on your computer and turned on iTunes Match on your iPhone

Please let me know if this answers your question.

edit:

Alternative method

Play music on iPhones/iOS with alternative music players

You can download and play purchased music stored in your Dropbox if the following conditions are true:

The songs have no DRM applied (encrypted audio containers like "m4p")
you have downloaded an alternative music player from the App Store
you have already downloaded the song or a data connection to download it


Replace optical drive with hard drive in mid 2012 non-retina MacBook Pro Is it OK to replace the optical drive with a hard drive or SSD on Macbook Pro 13-inch mid 2012 (non-retina)? I heard it's buggy.

I have already replaced the hard drive with an SSD and it's now much faster.  I'm thinking of replacing the optical drive with a Hard drive or SSD and use it for secondary storage with a Kit you can get out there.  However, I heard it's not a very reliable fix and disconnects all the time or something like that?  Anyone could please give me any hints on this?

I have heard of certain WD drives having hardware aggressive power saving features where the drive will shut down after a rather short period of inactivity. Worse, it doesn't tell the OS that it's doing so, so you get into a 'wait race' where the drive is waiting to be told to spin up, and the controller is waiting for the drive to signal 'ready'.

This usually isn't a problem if the computer shuts down the drive to save power:  It then knows that the drive isn't ready, and sends the appropriate startup.

Try asking with more detail:  Drive, kit, etc.


why is user 'nobody' listed as a user on my iMAC? $ dscl . list /users
_timed
_timezone
_tokend
_trustevaluationagent
_unknown
_update_sharing
_usbmuxd
_uucp
_warmd
_webauthserver
_windowserver
_www
_wwwproxy
_xserverdocs
daemon
Guest
nobody
Owner
Rob
root

Why is there a user called nobody?

There are a lot of places in the OS where something has to be assigned to some user account. Each file and directory must be owned by some user account, every process (program) running must be running as some user account, etc. The "nobody" account serves mostly as a placeholder for files, processes, etc that don't really belong to any "real" account (even one of the other system accounts in the list).
Essentially, the "nobody" account serves as a way to restrict permissions and access to/from things that don't really belong to any "real" account.
It's also not unique to macOS at all; you'll find it (or an equivalent) on any unix/linux system, and probably many other OSes I'm less familiar with.


Is there a way to force the iPhone to use its own microphone when connected to a Bluetooth speaker? I connect my phone to a Bluetooth speaker to play music. When engage Siri or try to use dictation, the phone wants to use the microphone on the Bluetooth device, which is either too crappy or too far away for it to understand what I am saying.

So, I would like a way to restrict the iPhone to using its own microphone even when connected to a Bluetooth speaker.

I am open to doing this via a setting, buying an app, or jailbreaking or whatever.

Is there a way to do this?

The simpler solution would be swiping up on the screen and selecting Airplay to select the output mode as iPhone or iPhone speaker, This will make the iPhone mic in use, but it will remove the speaker from Bluetooth as well for the time being.


Automator Print Plugin: Append Output to Existing PDF File I would like to create a Print Plugin to append the output to an existing PDF File.

Here are my steps so far:

Ask for Finder Items
Combine PDF Pages (append)
Open Finder Items

It sort of does the job, but:

It prepends the output: the new output is inserted at the beginning rather than the end.
I creates a new file.

I can handle the new file situation, I suppose, by doing a Save As…, but I don’t want the new output to be placed at the beginning.

How can I append the output at the end of an existing PDF file?

A very old discussion on https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2240963 had the solution.

Here is a working version of the plugin:

1   Ask for Finder Items
        Type: Files
2   Set Value of Variable
        Variable: original
3   Run Shell Script
        Pass input: as arguments
        Script: echo $2
                echo $1
4   Combine PDF Pages
        Combine documents by: Appending pages
5   Get Value of Variable
        Variable: original
6   Run Shell Script
        Pass input: as arguments
        Script: mv $1 $3
7   Open Finder Items
        Open with: Default Application

Step 3 solves the problem of appending rather than prepending the file by echoing the items in the reverse order. Steps 2, 5 & 6 takes care of creating a new file by renaming (and moving) the new file to the original.

As soon as I have tested it out more, I will post a link to a working version.


How do I update iMovie to the latest version I purchased my MacBook Pro in October 2014. It's running OS X 10.10.4 "Yosemite".  Can I update iMovie to the latest version at no charge?

Yep, just go to the Updates pane on the bottom right of the Mac App Store and then click "Update" on the right of iMovie.


iOS 8 MAC address randomization I was reading this news, and it got me thinking: will this be a hard setting or configurable?

How can I configure or understand how this works so I can work with services that recognize my MAC address for authentication.

This is easy to answer as it will only display as random when you're not connected. If you get connected (using a password for example) the real mac-address will be shown to the router.

It's just a randomize function for unknown networks.


Is there a way to refresh a Finder file listing? I love my Mac and how things generally just work. Now and again, however, one finds a few annoyances. My latest one is that I cannot find a refresh button anywhere to update a file listing in a Finder window.

Please note that I am aware that refreshing is generally not needed as new files are automatically added to Finder windows. In my case I have a NAS on my network, and to update a file listing in a NAS folder I currently need to change directory to somewhere else and then back again to see new files.

Is there a way to request an updated file listing in a Finder window?

Yes!
A simple AppleScript can instruct the Finder to tell its front window to update every item. Such an AppleScript can be saved as an Application and then dragged to the Finder toolbar to give you a refresh button.
The AppleScript you need is quite simple:
 tell application "Finder" to tell front window to update every item

Paste the above text in Script Editor (in the Utilities folder), then use Export -> Application. THAT executable should be dragged, with CommandOption, to the Finder toolbar (that is, the top bar, not the sidebar).
You can change the icon following this answer.


Magic Keyboard + Windows 10 -- disable fn lock? I have used an apple wireless keyboard (not the "magic" variety) for some years on my windows 10 running on a macbook pro. I upgraded to the Magic Keyboard and I am seeing a strange behavior.

In windows fn + left/right arrow is the equivalent of the home and end respectively. Additionally, if I do that same combination but add shift, so, fn + shift + left/right arrow, I can highlight the entire line. Very handy!

On the new Magic Keyboard, when I do fn + shift (with or without arrow keys), it locks the shift and it acts as if it is being held down until I press shift again. In fact, this works with control/command as well.

Does anyone know how to disable this functionality? I think this is maybe called fn lock but googling it so far has been unfruitful.

Thanks!

So, I couldn't tell you why or how, but I downloaded this software:

https://magicutilities.net/download

After installing it, this "feature" went away and the fn key no longer caused other modifier keys to become sticky. Downside is there's a yearly fee for this software, so if anyone has any other ideas I'd love to hear them!


Use smart folder as Finders default folder Does anybody know how to setup a smart folder as Finders default folder?

If I try to select the smart folder in Finder settings, the "choose" button is deactivated like the screenshot shows:

Finder preferences doesn't allow this. You need to set the preference yourself:

defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTargetPath -string "file:///Users/path"

Requires log out and log in.


Installing Xcode 4.2 on top of Xcode 4.1 I was wondering, is it safe to install Xcode 4.2 on top of Xcode 4.1 ? Will it break things like homebrew or other, that uses command line tools provided by Xcode ?

Answering the first part of your question.

If you do install different versions (or builds) of Xcode on the same Mac boot up hard drive, recommend you give the "newer" Xcode a different name. Else your development environment becomes unstable even if you "sudo /Library/uninstall-devtools".

An example of "unstable" is drag-to-connect UIKit object on the XIB to the IBOutlet code won't "stick".

I'd suggest someone move this question to stackoverflow.com.


Can I safely delete .download files to reclaim space? My message says my disk is full on my MacBook Air.  One of the largest files is 1.3 GB file from last operating system download. Can I safely delete this file?
macOSUpd10.15.1.dmg.download

The fact that it still has the .download extension means it was never completely downloaded, so yes, it's safe to delete.


Edit Lion default web site pages The first part of the question is: where are the actual files that are displayed by apache for the default web server in Lion Server?

Specifically as simple task I would like to change the title of the default web page.
When the address is bookmarked it shows as "OS X Lion Server" and I want to change that.

I looked everywhere and I couldn't find the actual files. Obviously I don't know where to look :-)

The default document root for Lion Server is /Library/Server/Web/Data/Sites/domainname.

Lion Server Advanced Administration is your friend.


Connecting Time Capsule (or AEBS) to a AT&T U-verse Router/Modem - Proper Settings and Setup? Today I am giving AT&T U-verse a go to see if it will be better than my current service provider. The general install went fine, but there are new intricacies that wreaked a bit of havoc on my network setup.

Before, I had a basic cable modem and connected my Time Capsule to the cable modem and everything was run from the Time Capsule. Pretty basic.

But with U-verse, they provide you what they call a residential gateway which basically is the hub for your internet and tv data (I think). It is a 2Wire 3801HGV. On the internet side, this hub serves as a both a wireless router and modem. It has NAT, dishes out IP addresses, allows wireless clients, etc. But, I wanted my Time Capsule to be the wireless hub since I use it for backup, etc.

So when the install was done, and I tried to connect the Time Capsule to the 2Wire, the Time Capsule blinked yellow. After some research, I realized this was probably due to the 2wire and Time Capsule fighting over dishing out IP addresses, but I am not 100% sure that is the case.

Anyway, to get around this issue, I turned off the wireless connectivity on the 2Wire, changed the Time Capsule to Bridge Mode instead of the current setting of "Share a Public IP address". I then connected an ethernet cable from a port in the 2Wire to the WAN connection on the Time Capsule, and everything seems to work ok connection wise. The Time Capsule light is green, and I can connect wirelessly from my computers at home.

However, I lose functionality. My Guest Network capability from the Time Capsule is gone. I don't think Back To My Mac is operational.

Is this the way you would have set things up? Is this loss of functionality expected? Anyway around this loss of functionality. I read, but did not quite understand, some people talking about DMZs and bypassing the routing on the 2Wire. Would that be better? Also, as a bonus, would you connect other direct-connect devices (Ooma, for example) to the 2Wire or to the Time Capsule?

First, connect one of the Ethernet ports of the 2Wire Gateway to the WAN port of the Time Capsule and turn both devices on, and disable wireless on the 2Wire. Your Time Capsule settings should not be changed from what they were when you had things working with your cable modem. If you've changed them, change them back now.

Then, on the 2Wire Gateway, in the "LAN" section:

Enable DMZ for the Time Capsule connection
Turn off the firewall for the Time Capsule connection
Set the Address Assignment for the Time Capsule connection to "public"
Set the WAN IP Mapping for the Time Capsule connection to "Router WAN IP address"

Then cycle power on the Time Capsule. The Time Capsule will now control everything just like it did when it was connected directly to your cable modem. Any wired Ethernet connections you add should be connected to the Time Capsule, not the 2Wire Gateway.

FYI, this works for any router or access point, not just the Time Capsule.


How to restore lost contacts/address book? I suddenly have only 2 contacts in my Contacts! I have a MacBook Pro, am using OS 10.9.2. Following instructions from another answer, I looked for Address book folder in the library/App. Support folder and it is not there. So couldn't proceed.

In Time Machine yesterday it shows "Address book Forwarder". But I don't know what that means, but perhaps it had something to do with my loss? Does this mean I sent my address book somewhere? Looks like it!

I don't know how to use Time Machine to restore my contacts. The restore button is grayed out. Nothing happens when I double click the Contacts folder there, so I don't know how to copy the content, nor where to paste it since I do not have that folder in the Library that you mention.

I do not use iCloud. I do have files backed up on an external drive, but don't know how to use it.

I know this sounds like a mess and it seems to be.

If you use Time Machine, just open the Contacts app, and THEN go to Time Machine (Click on the menubar icon / Enter Time Machine)

Once there, you can "travel in time" to an older date and find the missing contact. This is where you select the contact and click "Restore".

You don't need to restore a folder or file, but the contact (in the Contacts app) itself.


Lock macOS with a password from bash Is there a way to lock macOS so that waking it up requires the user’s password? (Even If normally the password won’t be requested if it is waked up in, say, 1 hour)

This should work on most versions

#!/bin/bash

PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/bin

"/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession" -suspend

sleep 5

pmset sleepnow

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to sleep'

exit 0

The -suspend line will switch to the login screen (which takes a few seconds, hence the sleep 5 before the next command).

The pmset line will sleep the display.

The osascript line will sleep the computer.

Only the -suspend line is necessary to require the password, so you can choose to include the other lines, or not, as you wish.


What is the point of 'sync music' in iTunes if I have to click 'make available offline'? Used to be, I bought music in iTunes and then sync'ed it to my phone. If I didn't have enough space on the phone, I'd only sync certain playlists. Then I always had the music on my phone, even if in airplane mode or off wifi. Now I do that but it doesn't sync all the music. Apparently I have to go to each playlist on my phone and click 'make available off line'. This is tedious as I have numerous playlists. (But it is not all my music that is in iTunes, because I don't have the space on the phone.) So if I must do both, I must consult the list of playlists that have been sync'd, open each one on the iPhone and click 'make available offline'.

I am often not on Wi-Fi, for instance if I'm driving or taking a walk or on an airplane. Why should most of my music cease to be available? This is music I purchased. Why is there an implicit assumption that we are always on Wi-Fi?

Question 1: What is the point of having both 'sync' and 'make available offline'?

Question 2: Is there any way to just use 'sync' and have the music behave as before the advent of iCloud, ie. be available on my phone regardless of whether I have Wi-Fi?

I hope you only use iTunes purchases not Apple music.
So the answer for your first problem is,
that If you sync them, they will be available on all of your devices. However, making them available offline means that you can listen to your music wherever you go. You do not have to be connected to WiFi. So sync only add them to your Music app automatically. Point is that some people don't have enough space to download every song since their library is like 20GB. So they use Wi-Fi to download their song when they needed.
Answer for second question :
So as far as I know , they now use iCloud to sync all of your music to your every device through iCloud. So whenever you purchase some music it will automatically being available on your iPhone. Then you have select download if you wanna listen offline.
If you like to make them automatically download to your phone without touching download for every single song, just goto Settings -> Music -> Under downloads turn on "Automatic Downloads" . That would automatically download your songs.
Since you have DRM enabled songs on your device ( Purchased from Apple) you cannot simply do whatever you want. If you want to play with them as before they use iCloud, you have to manually download that song from internet and add them to iTunes. Then sync to your iPhone. Otherwise as Apple Supportive person told me there will be no option because, you run out of space.
If you don't like to manually do what I said, you have to do keep itunes purchases only synced. But that will not solve your problem. If this ain't clear enough just add a comment. Thanks.


Is it possible to install macOS onto external SSD on a Mac running Ubuntu? Currently I am running only Ubuntu on my MacBook Air. Many have suggested I reinstall or install macOS on an external drive in case I ever need to troubleshoot, or in case something goes wrong. How can I install macOS on an external SSD from Ubuntu itself? Is this possible or do I need to use a friend's Mac?

In case Ubuntu didn't start up or break for whatever reason, would it be as simple as plugging in the SSD with the macOS and then pressing Option (Or optionally Alt) to boot from the SSD?

It is quite simple to install macOS on an external drive using macOS Internet Recovery.

Plug in the external drive.
Turn on or restart your Mac, then immediately hold down ⌘ + R keys.
Release the keys when you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.
macOS Utilities window similar to the one below will be displayed.

Proceed to erasing the external disk by selecting Disk Utility and clicking continue.
Select your device or volume in the sidebar of Disk Utility.
Click the Erase button or tab.
Complete these fields:

Name: Enter a name for your disk, such as "Macintosh HD".
Format: Choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS.
Scheme (if available): Choose GUID Partition Map.

Click Erase to begin erasing your disk.
When done, quit Disk Utility to return to the utilities window. You're now ready to install macOS.
Choose Reinstall macOS (or Reinstall OS X) from the utilities window.
Click Continue, then follow the onscreen instructions. You'll be asked to select your disk. Select the external disk (identify it with the value supplied for Name in step # 8).
Click Install. Your MacBook Air will restart after the installation is complete.

Voila! Your bootable external disk is now ready.

Yes, if you are unable to boot into Ubuntu for whatever reason, you can simply plug in the external SSD with the macOS installed and then press and hold Option (Alt) to boot from the external SSD?

To boot from the external disk:

Turn on or restart your MacBook Air with the external disk connected.
Press and hold the Option key immediately.
Release the Option key when you see the Startup Manager window.
Select your startup disk, then click the arrow under its icon, or press Return.


How can I change the iTunes login for my iPad? I am giving my iPad to my wife. How do I change the current itune login which is my ID to my wife's itune ID so she can perform the updates or download any apps?

This is easily done form the iPad itself, you can just enter the iTunes or AppStore app on the iPad, scroll to the bottom of the frontpage, and press the button labeled "Apple ID:[your email here]". A box will pop up, where you can choose to log out of the currently logged in Apple ID. You will then be able to press the same button again, and then log in with your wife's ID.

Good luck :)


Purchased MacBook Pro a day after Yosemite release but got Mavericks instead I know they probably have stocks to finish, but I waited precisely one day after the presentation of Yosemite (October 16) to order my new Mac hoping it will come with Yosemite preinstalled.

Bummer, it came with Mavericks.

So what do I do next?

Simple!

First you open the Mac App Store.
It should be the blue 'A' icon in your dock.
You can sign in by going to the Quick Links section at the side and click sign in.
Here you enter your Apple ID and password when prompted.

Then go to Updates at the top and OS X Yosemite should show up.
Then you click Free Upgrade and it should download and install.
Once it's finished installing you can open it and go through the procedures in the installer.


2009 MacBook Pro 15 inch display upgrade I love my current 2009 15 inch MBP but I'm looking to upgrade the display. My understanding is that I cannot upgrade to a retina but is it possible to upgrade to a higher resolution than the current screen? I do a lot photo editing and would love to have a little better screen. I'm not looking to upgrade to a new MBP. I already have a new 27in mac that I use for editing but thats in my office. When I'm home and just looking to edit a few photos it would be nice to be able to use my MBP. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

This is not going to be possible. Each display is not just a display, it's an entire display module and the whole module needs to be compatible (e.g. cabling connector and length, hinges, etc).

You could get more than the native 1440x900 resolution by using an external monitor (up to 2560x1600), but I'm sure you'd already know that.


iPad: getting back to initial screen after watching podcast I use the iPod application on my iPad to watch podcasts most days, but after watching a podcast it seems impossible to get back to the initial screen (which shows when the app is launched) without quitting the app and starting it up again. Is there some sort of secret to getting back the the initial screen?

You don't specify if it's an Audio podcast or a Video podcast.

in a Video Podcast, the iPod App quits and Video app lunches with the selected Video Podcast, so when you press the DONE button you are in the Videos app

iPod-app

on tap on the Podcast, opens in Videos app

Videos app http://www.balexandre.com/temp/2010-09-22_0911_001.png

so, you can't go back because you are actually in other app... though the new iOS 4.2 makes that easy ;)


MacBook Pro gives slight electric shock I just bought macbook pro 16 and I get mild shock when charging and when I touch surface.
Is this to be expected or do I need to have it serviced?

It's not a normal thing.
Sometimes I get a bit of shock when my Macbook Pro 2017 put in charge in a place that the grounding is not good. I usually wear rubber slippers or not touching a wall or floor.
Maybe something wrong with your electricity grounding. Try to charge another laptop in your place, or try to charge your Macbook Pro in other places.
If the problem exists wherever you try to charge your Macbook Pro, you can ask the place where you bought your Macbook.


How can I stop Homekit devices being unresponsive in the Home on iOS (but not macOS or vendor apps) I have a bunch of Homekit devices (some plugs and lightbulbs), and they're all happily configured in the Home app on my iPhone (14.1). Periodically (daily), some of them will stop being responsive in Home and just say "Not Responding". This will happen on multiple iPhones in the house, not just mine. Typically it'll clear up later in the day several hours later.
However, the devices are always just fine using either the vendor app on the same iPhone, or using the Home app on my Mac.
I've tried killing the app to make it refresh, to no avail.
All devices have been upgraded to latest firmware. All iOS and macOS devices are on the latest OS releases.
Devices are:
Yeelight bulbs
Wemo plugs
VOCOlinc plugs
Wifi signal in the areas they're in is strong, and they're controllable just fine if I don't use the Home app, so it's not a signal issue either.
Any other tips or tricks?
It's pretty irritating to have scenes only half work when a bunch of the devices just fail to respond.

The solution is to get a device to act as a HomeKit Hub like a spare iPad, an AppleTV or a HomePod speaker†.
I was experiencing this same issue until I got an AppleTV and used that as my Hub.  Once that device was on the network continually "talking" to the devices, they never "stopped responding" again.  I'm using more "mainstream" devices like Leviton, Lutron, GE, and Phillips.  I even had some of the newer brands like Weemo and Yeelight as you did, but found them even more flaky.  I have Ikea in the house, none of it has an electrical cord (there's only so much compromise I'm going to make and devices with 120V of mains current running through it isn't one of them).
It's not how strong or weak your WiFi is nor is how often you refresh your apps - it's how frequent (infrequent actually) it sends out traffic to update the Apps. If you're app on your phone misses it, it see's it as not responding.  I could usually fix it by issuing a command, having it fail, wait a couple minutes and the device would then become responsive. When I put the first AppleTV in, the issue completely went away.
My advice is two fold:

Implement a Hub device
Stick to more conventional brands.

† iPad 3rd Gen or later, iPad Air or later, iPad mini or later, AppleTV HD or 4K, or HomePod is required to act as a home hub.


What is the correct usage of working folders and bookmarks in Versions (Subversion Client) for local repositories? I have been using Versions, the popular Subversion client for OS X, to connect to remote Subversion repositories. These remote repositories you keep as bookmarks on the left side bar. However, when it comes to local repositories, I have to admit I am still a bit clueless. I see Versions has in addition to bookmarks, the concept of working folders. I am unsure if working folders are meant to be used separate of bookmarks or if working folders are meant to be placed inside bookmarks. What is the correct way to set up and check out a local repository?

Is the local repository folder A meant to stay separate from the folder B containing the files I want to keep under version control? Can folder B be a subfolder of A? Also, as far as how it works internally: Where are the past versions of files kept in the file system?

I created a local repository using Versions and I saw on my file system that many Subversion system files and folders were created on the local repository folder. Nowhere did I see the usual "branches", "tags" and "trunk" that I usually find on remote repositories that have already been created. Are those created by hand?

Some clarification on the barebones basics of local repositories would be appreciated. I am hoping to find out the correct workflow from set up to starting with my first check out. Thanks.

I have used Versions, but I prefer Cornerstone 2.  It is a much more robust client.

A repository is a folder stored on a computer (local or remote.)  It contains all the data regarding the version control of a set of files, stored in a data structure that most people don't need to understand.

A working folder is a folder on your local system that contains a copy of the files that are stored in the crazy data structure that is the repository.

So, if you have a local repository, that folder is stored on your hard drive.  You should never need to access this from the Finder or the Terminal, or well, through any means whatsoever other that through your SVN client (Versions).

In order to work with the files stored in that local repository, use Versions to "Check Out" a working copy of the files.  These files will go into a second folder somewhere on your filesystem.  These files you can access directly using whatever application floats your boat.  After making changes to the files, you go back to Versions and check the files into the repository.  This action creates a second version of the files within the crazy data structure that is your repository.

Using Versions, you can then move back and forth through these various versions of your files.   Whatever version you want to work form is then loaded into your working copy or you can check out a second working copy if you want to work with a different version of the files, while keeping your current working directory as well.

Here is how I arrange my SVN repositories and working directories.

First:  The repositories are all stored in ~/svnroot.  I have a couple of types of projects that I use SVN for, so the structure looks like this.

~/svnroot/scripts/project1
~/svnroot/scripts/project2
~/svnroot/documentation/project3
etc etc etc

Keep in mind that in each example above, the last part of the path above is the actual repository.

Second: Then I create working copies of these repositories.   I keep those in the same structure in my home directory.  It looks like this.

~/scripts/project1
~/scripts/project2
~/documentation/project3
etc etc etc

Note the absence of the svnroot directory in these examples... Also, keep in mind that the last part of the path above is the directory that is under version control, otherwise referred to as the Working Copy.  These are the files you can edit to your heart's content.

Then, to keep things organized, I create the scripts and documentation directories in the sidebar of Versions and put the entries for the working directories and repositories in here.

I will try to remember to provide a screenshot when I get home tonight.

Third:  Now, put the files you want under version control into the Working Copy folders in the Finder.   Back to Versions and check the files into the repository.  Now you are all set and should be able to work.

Versions does not generate tags, branches, and trunks.  If you want to use them in your project, create each folder in the Working Copy, and then check them into the repository.  In order to create a tag or a branch, you will want to check the Versions website.  Their help documentation covers that item... and it needs to be done in the repository view, not the working copy view.

http://versionsapp.com/support

Oh, and "Bookmarks" is just the term that Versions uses to keep track of your repositories and working copies in the sidebar of the main window.


Can I prevent music through an AirPod from pausing when a single pod is removed? Right now, when I remove one AirPod from an ear, the currently playing track pauses in the other ear.

Instead, I want to continue playing the track.

My control over this using bluetooth settings is quite limited, so I'm hoping there is another location to investigate to disable this feature.

Head into Settings > Bluetooth > AirPods > Turn Off Automatic Ear Detection feature

When the automatic ear detection feature is turned off, audio will continue to play even fi you take the AirPods out of your ears.


How to set noatime for startup drive in Mountain Lion? I've followed instructions to set the noatime flag in Lion so I can reduce SSD usage but it isn't working for me on Mountain Lion.

I'm still seeing this after restarting:

$ mount | grep " / "
/dev/disk0s2 on / (hfs, local, journaled)

Has anyone got any suggestions how to mount the startup drive with mount flag noatime?

Ok, I think I've got it working.

Add the file /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.nullvision.noatime.plist with contents:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN"
        "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
    <dict>
        <key>Label</key>
        <string>com.nullvision.noatime</string>
        <key>ProgramArguments</key>
        <array>
            <string>mount</string>
            <string>-vuwo</string>
            <string>noatime</string>
            <string>/</string>
        </array>
        <key>RunAtLoad</key>
        <true/>
    </dict>
</plist>

Run these:

sudo chown root:wheel /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.nullvision.noatime.plist
sudo chmod 644 /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.nullvision.noatime.plist
sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.nullvision.noatime.plist

The permissions have to be set to that for launchctl not to complain.

Then you've got this on restart:

$ mount | grep " / "
/dev/disk0s2 on / (hfs, local, journaled, noatime)

You can check if it runs by looking in the console:

29/07/12 2:55:45.334 PM sudo[978]:     Aram : TTY=ttys000 ; PWD=/Library/LaunchDaemons ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/bin/launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.nullvision.noatime.plist


How to extend a window over display/workspace in Yosemite Is there a way to extend a window over one display in OS X Yosemite, i.e. to make it larger than one display?

System Preferences -> Mission Control -> Untick "Displays have separate Spaces" and restart.

After restart, you will be able to have 1 window expand over 2 displays.


Java 8, Update 73 not installing I'm following the procedure on Oracle's website to install Java 8, update 73. When I get to step 5 in the procedure and click "Next," the installer window quietly shuts down without and without an error message and Java never installs. I have tried disabling SIP to no avail.

Uninstalling existing JRE per these instructions and installing the latest Java Development Kit from here did the trick.


Can't buy anything through the app store on mac? I am trying to download Lion through the Mac App store, but its telling me that my payment method has been declined. I don't know what to do.

I've updated all my payment details and every time I check and re-enter my details again and again and each time I get the message "Your payment method was declined". I have no idea why this is. I regularly purchase items off the internet with the same payment method, and yet it just doesn't work with the app store!

On the internet apple store it seems to let me change my info without a hitch, is there something I'm doing wrong on the actual app store?

Thanks

you have to check with your "payment method" provider, e.g. credit card issuing company...


Can iOS be configured so apps do not create screenshots when the app suspends? I notice in iOS, often times when I open an app, such as YouTube, the first thing that it shows is a screenshot of that app from one of the more recent things I was doing with the app.

When I multitask back to the app, the OS loads these images before the app is fully running and able to process input.

But it strikes me as useless, since the buttons on the app don't even function at that stage, and it even does this for apps that don't fully restore state so you see it go back to a main screen after showing you what you were doing in the app before. It's also a security concern because I could be writing in a password-protected note or something and it shows up briefly when opening the app, or an old YouTube video screenshot could show up when I'm opening the app.

How can this "featured" be turned off in iOS.

There's no global switch in iOS 9 or earlier. The app developers can decide, what the app show during loading.

If you see security issues or just feel that the experience using this feature is poor, the only remedy today is to contact the developer. Many professional apps like 1Password and Apple notes are coded to not disclose secure information in a temporary app image.

Another option would to be to send feedback to Apple or a bug report detailing any lapses or explaining how this should be an optional control. Apple could change this in future OS if a case were made well enough or by enough people.


Updating Xcode looping the download process In my trial to update my Xcode 7 to Xcode 8 on macOS Sierra:

I have opened Appstore and searched for Xcode.
Beside the Xcode app I found the Install button and clicked it.
The 4.4GB Xcode finished download as per the gauge stuck to the bottom of the launchpad icon after waiting for 30min.
I didn't find the Xcode icon inside launchpad.
I tried to search Xcode but search didn't return any Xcode app.
I opened Appstore again to open the Xcode from inside Appstore.
I spotted the Xcode app in purchases of Appstore and found Install button instead of Open button beside it to my dismal.
I've gone ahead and clicked Install button and downloaded(4.4GB) again.
Now at 99.9% download failed. Appstore said

Now in the launchpad I am happy to see a Xcode icon but I also found a broken icon downloading something which is 4.4GB; Obviously its Xcode.

I am able to get rid of the broken icon by long clicking the icon and clicking the popped up 'X' on the jiggling icon.
I have encountered same issue a year ago when I updated Xcode6 to 7. This is definitely a serious bug; I have to download Xcode twice each time i try to update it.
I have filed a bug in bug reporter to which no one responds.
So I think its I'm the only one who is having the issue as I might have tampered something in the macOS. The App store still shows Install button besides the Xcode instead of Open button though its already got installed and I am using it. How to let know the Appstore that latest Xcode is already installed?

I had issues to download Xcode 8 from App Store too. Just when is going to finish installation process, something happened and Xcode started downloading again.

I just needed Xcode 8 installed as fast possible. So I just passed to another step.

Thank you Apple, for dev apps there is a alternative to download them. Any version of Xcode and its tools, you can download through developer.apple.com, to check all tools that you can download come to this link. If you just need Xcode 8 this link is your friend.

Now I have Xcode 7 and 8 in my system. You can delete your old Xcode 7 if you want.

Sure, you need at least a free apple dev account to download them. Just enter your appleID and agree to Apple terms.

Note: App Store shows me to update Xcode, maybe because I still have Xcode 7 installed.


Restart airport router via command line Is there any way to restart an apple router via the commandline?

Problem: My airport express starts to "give out" every day or so. I usually have to unplug it for a couple of seconds and then plug it back in. By "give out" I mean it isn't connected to the network and is flashing a yellow light. So, I'm looking for an automatic way to restart the express. I've looked into snmp and it doesn't seem like there's a way to send commands, it's only for stats it seems.

To clarify:

I do not care using Command line, or any other means of remotely resetting the router.

It's not possible to access the Airport Express from the command line.

If you want to dig into SNMP and are comfortable with Java, you can look at the code for the latest version of the Linux version of Airport Utility on Ubuntu Launchpad.


Command Tilde not working I'm using MacBook pro 15 with Yosemite 10.10.3.
I can't get CMD + Tilde to work. In keyboard shortcuts it appears to be on.

What's the problem here?

The tilde key was placed in a different place in the keyboard than the place I'm used to. Works like charm.


What Firewall settings needs to be enabled for Airdrop? Which option in the built-in firewall in System Preferences needs to be enabled to allow AirDrop to receive files on a Mac?

The Mac can currently see iPhone's and other devices in Airdrop, but does not show on the iPhone as a target for Airdrop.

Open System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> Firewall
Select Firewall Options
In the list set "sharingd" to "Allow Incoming Connections"

Alternatively, tick "Automatically allow built-in software to receive incoming connections"


There is a process called SH using 100% of my CPU I checked the Activity Monitor and noticed 2 processes called sh that were eating my CPU.

What apps are related to these processes and how can I stop them from eating all CPU?

sh is a shell, a program that provides a command-line interface to your computer. It can be used either interactively, or as an interpreter for script files, such as the famous periodic maintenance scripts. Some such script is likely running in this case, and may be stuck for some reason.

You should be able to find out what script that is by using Inspect on the sh processes in Activity Monitor and looking at the Open Files and Ports tab. A file listed there with the .sh extension is a shell script. Its name will hopefully give you a clue as to its purpose; you can also open it as text and inspect it.


OS X Samba file sharing continuously asks for password I'm trying to share my MacBook's files via Samba sharing. I've set it up in Settings, but can't connect to the machine from another computer!

On the other computer I set up the connection with the correct IP address, username and password. Then when I try to connect, it shows a dialog in which the server asks for password. Then I enter the correct password, and shows the dialog again and again. If I dismiss the dialog, the client shows a this message:

  Logon failure: incorrect username and password

However I'm sure the username and password are correct. (If it matters, the client is just an android tablet with a samba client app. The same app handles Windows shares without any problem.)

Has anyone faced a similar problem?

My OS X version is Mavericks.

Samba passwords are managed separately from your regular account password. Have you set-up your user to enable samba sharing in the options menu? You need to do it once otherwise the login won't work.

In the File Sharing preference pane tick the checkbox next to the user you want to enable file sharing for and a window will pop-up asking you to authenticate.

As soon as this is done you should be able to login from your android tablet.

UPDATE

The root cause of the issue might be that 10.9 uses a new SMB2 Stack completely written by Apple (SAMBA is not used anymore). Apple's SMB2 implementation is not compatible with many other SMB2 NAS products on the market today while Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 work just fine. In short, it's an Apple bug.

As a workaround you can force OSX to use SMB1 instead of SMB2 using a configuration file:

Open up the Terminal
Paste the following line followed by a return key (command should be one single line)

echo "[default]" >> ~/Library/Preferences/nsmb.conf; echo "smb_neg=smb1_only" >> ~/Library/Preferences/nsmb.conf

Explanation:

A file called nsmb.conf is created in your home directory at the path ~/Library/Preferences/
It adds the lines to force the use of SMB1 protocol instead of Apple's SMB2 (this is slower but more stable)


Decreasing Image Size with Minimal Quality Loss? I have a few scanned in images of some some pages that I need to digitise. They're each roughly around 5.1MB with 600 DPI, but I can't really afford to have scans so large because I only have around 16GB to last for another 7 months.

I want to decrease the image size but I need to have minimal quality loss of the image. Can this be done?

Just use Preview, and select Adjust Size from the Tools menu.


Using PdfLatex in OS X? This thread here mentions MacTex but it is 2 GB in size and I am trying to find something as small as Apple's open command for modularized preview. How can I get something like pdflatex in OS X? Something like open-style modularized create for OS X?

Try BasicTeX which includes pdflatex and all the usual tools, but is only 64M.

For a description of what it contains, see BasicTeX.pdf.


iCloud sync keeps deleting my information! Ever since I started syncing my Contacts and Calendars on my Mac with iCloud, I've noticed that stuff sporadically disappears.

I've had to re-add an event to my Calendar 3 times now, and many of my Contacts mysteriously vanish after a couple of days.

The only other device that syncs with iCloud is my iPhone, but I still lose events and contacts even if I don't make any changes on my iPhone.

What is going on, and how do I prevent this data loss?

Per Emil's suggestion, I contacted Apple's support team for assistance.  They recommended that I enter all my contacts into iCloud directly (via icloud.com), then delete my iCloud account from all my devices and finally set up iCloud for each device again.

It's been a few days, and so far, the problem seems to have gone away (:


Is there a way to do SMS from the PC with iOS? Is there a way to implement handoff to iOS so my PC running windows can send iMessage/SMS through bluetooth and iOS cellular data connections. This is analogous to MightyText on PC does  to Android hardware and cellular service.

I know I can do iMessage on the Mac, but I do not own that hardware and would also like to do SMS from my PC over iOS.

There is currently no way to send SMS from a PC or a Mac.

As you mentioned you can currently send iMessages from a Mac, and you will be able to send both iMessages and SMS from a Mac once OS X Yosemite is released (according to apple.com)

EDIT:

A quick Google search for "send iphone sms from pc" found this: http://www.myphonedesktop.com/


Pages: Is it possible to change stylesets? In MS Word it is possible to change style-sets, so I can switch between making different documents.

Is this option, or something similar, available in Pages?

As it is now, I have to start every document with the default style, and change every title, body etc.

After some extensive searching, the only solution I have found to this problem is that you have to save styles with templates. It is not possible to save stylesets as you do in MS Word.

This means that you have to create a new document, set up the different text styles, and then save it as a template. The next time you create a new document in Pages, you will find your template under "My templates".

I have sent a mail to the developers, and hopefully they will change this in the future. Sometimes you want to change styles after you have written the document, and this is not possible in Pages without a lot of copy-pasting.


Shortcut - El Capitan Dialog Box switch between option How do we switch between options in confirm dialog boxes on El Capitan.
Older OSXs was switching by using spacebar. Not working anymore.

Go to System Preferences then select Keyboard.

In the Shortcuts tab you will find an option for "Full Keyboard Access". Set the radio button for All Controls.

When confronted with a dialog box with buttons, Tab will now work to change focus between the buttons.  This setting can be turned off by key combination of ⌃ control+F7 (hold down the fn function key too if needed.)


freeing up storage space on Iphone 6plus my emails are taking up 4.9 gb on my iphone 6 plus(16gb)
when i deleted a year's e mails from one of my account on my desktop. nothing changed on the iphone.
Please advise...

Welcome to the community Joel. Unfortunately your question really hasn't provided much detail, so this answer may go into more detail than you wanted.

POP v IMAP

First of all I am guessing that you're using what's called a POP email account and that you've probably set your email clients up to not delete emails from the server. This is only a guess because your question provides little detail.

Both POP (Post Office Protocol) and IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) allow users to download their email from an email server. However, POP simply downloads email to your computer, and usually (but not always) deletes the email from the remote server. This is the way email accounts were always set up originally, but problems arise when you have more than one device (desktop, laptop, tablet or phone) you want to access your mail from. This means you have to delete or file or mark as read, etc etc the same email on every device.

IMAP, on the other hand allows you to keep your email on a remote server. This two-way protocol also allows you to synchronise your email among multiple devices, especially useful since most people have at least two devices - their laptop and smartphone. Basically, if you're using IMAP and mark an email as read, it gets marked as read in your web based inbox or other email clients too (because the changes are happening on the server, not just locally). However, this won’t be the case if you are using POP, because your emails are downloaded to your PC and the changes won’t reflect on the server.

However, there are reasons why you may prefer POP. For example, depending on the email server, storage space for your messages may be limited. Also, reading messages while offline requires use of your e-mail program's Offline mode (assuming it has one). And, in some cases, accessing and working with emails can be slower when using IMAP.

In summary, both protocols offer their advantages and disadvantages. Today many will argue that POP is deprecated and IMAP is the only way forward, but in reality there are still very good arguments for using POP over IMAP. In the end, it gets down to what you value personally.

Your situation

Now you should be able to see why I said I'm guessing that you're using a POP email account. Basically, if you were using an IMAP account you would have seen the emails you deleted on your desktop also disappear from your iPhone.

Now, I'm not saying you should change from POP to IMAP, I'm just explaining what has happened in your case and why.

So, if your goal was to free up space on your iPhone, then you need to do it directly on your iPhone, rather than on your desktop. However, if your goal was to reduce space on both, then you will need to do it separately on both, or consider changing your setup to use IMAP instead.

If you'd like to change your setup and need help in doing so, it'd be best to post another question providing more details of your situation and asking for advice on that.

Steve Chamber's suggestion may work

Just a quick word on Steve's comment re your question:

  The easy way would be to delete the account from the phone. That will
  remove all the data. then re-add the account and any deleted data
  won't be there.

Steve's suggestion may also help you achieve what you want if you haven't got a lot of emails still on your server. For example, if you've set up your email clients so that emails remain on the server for only a day or week after being downloaded, then Steve's suggestion may be a quick fix because your iPhone will only re-download a smaller number of emails. However, if your email clients are not deleting emails from the server, or leaving them on the server for a long time before deleting, then Steve's suggestion won't be very helpful.


Magnify entire dock instead of where the cursor is? Is it possible to magnify the entire dock when putting the cursor over it, instead of just magnifying where the cursor is? When putting the cursor over the dock, the whole dock would become the magnified size. If so, how?

Yes and no.

You could get most of the functionality by:

Turn Hiding on - you now need to mouse over to grow it.
Turn Magnification off - since all the dock needs to be the same size
Making the dock super large when it's visible - so when you mouse to it, it's zoomed to your preference.

No, in that you can't have a small bit of the dock on screen and then have that visible dock get larger when your cursor is on it.


to seperate school account or keep together her itunes account my daughter has an ipad Mini and an Iphone which has games on it, she will now be getting an iPad air for SCHOOL , we do not want all of her apps from the other 2 devices on there, should I give her a different itunes account for the school iPad?

Even using the same Apple ID there is no requirement to load the same apps onto different devices.

I have an iPad and iPhone with my AppleID and completely separate sets of apps on them.

Assuming you're using iCloud, it might help to have the same email address accessible on both.

You can download apps with a different account to the one setup on the device for iCloud as well, which is another consideration.

You could create different iTunes accounts to distinguish between school and home purchases, and still use the same iCloud account for email, calendars, etc.

It depends on your ultimate requirements as to which media you want accessible on which machine - sharing music, photos, email, calendars, apps, books, etc.

Generally, it's easiest to share the same iCloud account, and App store accounts, but you can split them out as required.


Can not restore Time Machine back up I created a time machine backup to a USB drive, encrypted partition, subtracting the OS (since i figured we'd reload OS anyway). I then took the mac to the Apple Store, where they changed the bad hard drive out.

When I got back, I tried to restore from the backup. At first I tried on bootup, but that didn't seem to do anything (did encrypted backup hurt me here?) then I loaded the mac back, added my account, updated some software, and tried to recover. I went into "Enter Time Machine" selected my Users folder, and clicked Recover. It did some calcs, said there was a huge amount of data to copy, and looked like it was chugging through - 1 hour progress bars and whatnot. But, i don't see any data on my hard drive.

I should be restoring like to like (10.7.4 => 10.7.4). I can see all the files on the drive, should I just do a file copy? Is there something i'm missing? Or should I do migration assistant - i didn't see the volume on Migr.Asst. before, may have been an issue with encryption.

My guess is no, but is there any way of removing encryption?

For future notes:

I punted. Neither TimeMachine nor MigrationAssistant worked. I mounted the volume and just used rsync.

In the unlikely event that someone else is interested, I have a followup question on the restore.


Is delegation of a calendar possible on using Office 365 and any client whatsoever on Mac? I am looking for any way for OS X users to use Office 365's exchange calendaring service to delegate / share a calendar with another user on Office 365.

I have researched the MS knowledge base which states that for delegation, you need both an Exchange server (which I presume Office 365 is) and either Outlook 2010 or 2013 - neither of which run on OS X. If I have to, I could get to these software to temporarily sign in and set up the delegation, but I don't want to run Windows day in and day out and need a native OS X solution.

Short of running Windows virtually day to day, can OS X users use delegation features of Office 365?

Delegate access is available in Outlook 2011 but not in Outlook Web App, nor in Apple's Mail client.

Here are the instructions:

How to set up 365 with Mac and Exchange server.


Creating iPad screenshots required for Apple Store submission I don't have a 12.9" iPad Pro, but the store requires iPad images with the dimensions of 2048x2732.  Is it possible to create an accurate screenshot image in that size without the use of the physical iPad?

You can run the app in the Simulator that comes with Xcode. Set it up as a 12.9" iPad Pro and grab screenshots using the built-in tool.


Deleted partition in Windows 8.1 (bootcamp) and now macos won't boot I made this partition to move my data to Windows

I deleted the partition because it was basically useless.. When I deleted the partition the recovery drive showed up... I think the boot disk was that partition.. Please help I do not wanna lose any data..

Your best bet at this point is to perform some formal data recovery.

I've used Data Rescue 4 & 5 with good success.
https://www.prosofteng.com/mac-data-recovery/

I've also used MiniTool's products, on the PC side to recover Mac data.
https://www.minitool.com/data-recovery-software/free-for-mac.html

You can either boot your mac into Target Disk Mode if you can another Mac available. Or, you can create bootable recovery media from either vendor. The third option would be to have professional data recovery done, but that is expensive.

--

The obvious lesson here is that a) always have a backup of your important data, especially if you are messing around with partitions. b) Don't make changes to partitions on the Windows side.

Cloud backups are so cheap these days there's really no sense in not having it, just in case.


How can I disable animation when switching desktops in El Capitan? I would like to disable the switching animation when switching the desktop in mac os El Capitain.
Do you know how to do that?

Thank!

There is a program named TotalSpace, that has the feature you need. Once installed, you should open it up, go into "Transitions" and disable "Use transitions", this will remove the animation you get when you switch Workspace (aka Dekstop)

If you're on OS X 10.11.x El Capitan or later, you will also need to disable a feature known as "System Integrity Protection" which prevents you to edit or access system files. To disable it:

Restart the Mac, then boot it in recovery mode, by holding down cmd (or Windows key) and R keys, before hearing the sound of your Mac startup. Hold them down for 5 secs.
Click on "Utilities" on the top of your screen, then select terminal.
On the new opened window, enter csrutil enable --without debug .
Reboot
Enjoy :)

csrutil enable --without debug is the better solution suggested by [http://totalspaces.binaryage.com/elcapitan][totalspace].


Does one Thunderbolt port mean I can only add one additional screen? My iMac (mid 2011) looks to have one Thunderbolt connection. Does this mean I can only add one additional screen?

Thunderbolt is a serial bus and can be chained, so only having one port does not mean you can only have additional monitor. Assuming the Thunderbolt monitor has two Thunderbolt ports you can use the second one to chain the two monitors in series Thus having 3 monitors (2 external and one from your iMac).

How many monitors (and which resolution)can be driven by your iMac depends on your specific model though.


White Screen – nothing works after NVRAM reset I can't boot my iMac (27", late 2012) and only get to see the white screen.
Nothing works, CMD+R, CMD+ALT+Shift+R, Shift, C, CMD+S, ALT … I can hear the startup chime, screen goes white and stays white. I pressed the keys at least for 60 seconds. Neither another NVRAM reset nor a SCM reset brings my Mac back to life.

I tried to use an external HD (bootable, Sierra install on it) but … well ALT key won't bring me the boot selection.

Seems like nothing works.
I would like to reinstall my Mac (I've got a TM backup).

Ok, holding N while booting did the trick (Apples NetBoot server).


Is the iCloud service upload only? Does the iCloud service upload and download data or does it only upload and if so how fast will it be using a 3MB/s line?

Does it upload everything from my iPad or only the installed application names which are then downloaded from the Apple servers?

Both. Upload and download. Upload speed depends entirely on your networks limitations.

Let's take a scenario. You have an iPhone, an iPad, and a Mac. You enable all of iCloud's features, including Photo Stream. You take a picture on your iPhone of your dog. As soon as that picture is saved to your camera roll and your phone is connected to wifi, it sends it to iCloud.

When you access your iPad, the photo will be there waiting for you under the Photo Stream group. But that doesn't mean it's downloaded to the device just yet. You will first have to tap on the thumbnail to view it and at that time, it will be stored locally on the device. From that point, even if you remove the photo from Photo Stream, say using iCloud.com, it will still be stored on your iPad (and any device that has downloaded the image). Because Photo Stream removes content that's 30 days old, over time, it will be the case that photos may be stored on some devices, but not others.

This applies to your Mac as well. Depending on whether you have enabled Photo Stream in the iCloud preference pane, you'll also need to enable it in either iPhoto or Aperture to fully make use of the service. In the respective app's preferences, you can tweak how it manages the service.

Keep in mind this only works for pictures taken after you've enabled the feature. So if you disable it and take a photo, that remains locally stored, never to be transferred to Photo Stream.

Things like documents and calendars sync instantly. So if you make a change in Address Book on your Mac, the changes will be pushed to iCloud. Once you open the app on your iPad, for example, it will download the updates. It's unclear at this time if Apple's servers push the changes to devices connected to the Internet. Calendar too. iCloud will try to keep all your settings ubiquitous across all your devices so you don't have to worry about syncing or manually transferring the new contacts you added on your iPad to your phone or Mac. It's meant to be as seamless and unobtrusive as possible, and require as little user activity and management as possible.

Now most people are still conceptualizing iCloud as a sync service, but it's not. The master version of any file is kept on Apple's servers, and then fed to any device that needs it (read: any device that is deemed to either not have the file at all or simply lack the updated version). Most people think because you made changes to your calendar events on your Mac, that that data is held as the master and pushed through iCloud to your other devices (this is traditional sync), but that's not the case. It's fed to iCloud yes, but it's iCloud that takes it, holds onto it, and delivers it to any device that needs it; your Mac is no longer involved once it sends the necessary information. It's all iCloud from then on, and this is why you'll be greeted with a notice when you disable the calendar feature on your Mac (or any device) that it will wipe all local content. Since iCloud holds the master files, any device that is detached from the "network" will have their data removed in kind (some, like Address Book) won't but the majority will have their local contents deleted. This serves to strengthen iCloud's control (or dominance in the network) and denounces any device that is removed from its fold, so to speak. And if you think about iCloud as a true cloud service, this makes perfect sense, as you wouldn't typically be disconnecting devices unless they were no longer of use to you (when say you upgrade your iPad 2 to the next generation, or when you buy a new Mac to replace your old one). While critical things will remain (contacts), most files won't survive a disconnection from iCloud.

As for storing backups of your applications, and other miscellany, that too replaces your local content. All your app settings, game saves, etc. become part of iCloud. And again, once they are there, your local data becomes just another extension of the service. You can view what it stores by going into Settings > General > Usage. It will show you a breakdown of your content (and the respective amount of space it takes).

iCloud is meant to replace local data and move everything into the cloud so you can access it from any device and a wireless connection. It de-regulates local data, so to speak, as a result. It's a bit confusing at first, but once you understand the general principle, it becomes much clearer to understand as a whole.


Why does WhatsApp require so much space for iCloud backup? When backing up Whatsapp History to iCloud, Whatsapp required nearly the same amount of free space as the total backup. i.e If Whatsapp need to back up 1.8 GB of data to iCloud it will need 1.8GB of free space on the iPhone.

Is there anyway to get around that? I simply dont constantly have 1.8GB of free space.

I would be more worried if the backup of my data takes less space than the data itself. If you want to reduce the size of the backup (and the data), start with deleting videos and pictures contained in WhatsApp conversations.


Inconsistency for Gmail and Exchange in Mail.app My Mail.app is configured for Gmail and Exchange.

The Exchange shows subfolders directly inside Inbox, but Gmail has separate Googletab below Mailboxes tab.

Why does Mail.app show subfolders in different places? Is it possible to make it consistent (preferable like for Exchange)?

MacOS version is Sierra.

Mail.app just mimics whatever structure is defined on the respective mail server. In Gmail folders are just labels (or saved searches for labels) so they show up outside of Inbox (as do iCloud folders actually, even though those are not searches).

If you want to unify the way folders are represented you probably should checker whether Exchange allows to create folders outside of Inbox.


Cannot logon to iCloud.com - stuck on verify email dialog Today when i logon to icloud.com I get asked to verify my email. I have never got that question before. And when I fill in the email, it says "You cannot configure an apple-ID with this email address - try with a different one". This is my primary email, and it has worked before. I even tried with both @me and @icloud.com but it will not accept any of them.

I spoke with Apple Support. They did not see any obvious reason for initially not beeing able to log on to iCloud. I told about my workaround to use iPhone to login, and changing the ID from @me.com to @icloud.com.
They were not able to help me switch back from @icloud to @me as my primary id. It might be because some days between changes are needed. They said I could still logon both with the primary and secondary id, and that it did not have any major consequences. So we closed the issue without further investigation. Now, several months later I tried to change back to @me.com as my primary id for curiosity. First I got an error message, but then it worked on the second try. Next time I will probably call Apple Support first thing, without experimenting too much with this ID.


Does Mavericks Support MTP? Does Mavericks add support for MTP devices e.g. Android/Windows Phone?

I cannot find any mention of it.

Mavericks does NOT support MTP natively.  You can use Android File Transfer for MTP file system access or one of many other apps like Dropbox, or AirDroid for file sharing that does not use MTP.


How do I mount ejected external USB flash storage? Suppose that we connect our flash USB drive to a MacBook, then eject this storage from Finder sidebar. Now I want to remount this storage without unplugging and replugging it into the computer, but the disk is no longer listed with diskutil list command.

The problem you describe was initially the intention for me to write an app that allows you to manage your drives from the menu bar. It is called Mountain and you can get it here.

Hope you enjoy it!!

UPDATE: The only way to re-mount ejected external USB flash drives is to unload and load the USB mass storage kernel extension:

kextunload /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext

Followed by:

kextload /System/Library/Extensions/IOUSBMassStorageClass.kext

Be aware that this will re-mount ALL external USB drives..


How does integration between macOS and iOS work if they are not releases from same year I just got a MacBook and it was running OS X Yosemite out of the box. My iPhone is running iOS 10. They don't integrate together very well. Then I updated my MacBook to macOS Sierra. Now they're perfect together!

If I upgrade my iPhone to iOS 12, while running macOS Sierra on my MacBook Pro, will they still work perfectly together?

Does Apple recommend to only use matching OS (macOS and iOS released in parallel in the same year)? (I'm sure they recommend to update to the latest available version but I am not ready for macOS Mojave yet).

The essential element here is the iTunes version. Older versions of iTunes sometimes play not so well (or not at all) with recent iOS versions. So if you get a new iOS version on your phone you may need to install an update of iTunes as well in order to enable your Mac and your Phone to talk to each other.


X11 app no longer opening since 10.10.3 After upgrading to 10.10.3 X11 applications are not opening anymore from the terminal.

The X11 symlink in /usr is correct

$ ls -l /usr/X11
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  wheel  8 Aug  7  2014 /usr/X11 -> /opt/X11

I reinstalled XQuartz (2.7.7)

$DISPLAY is set

$ echo $DISPLAY
/private/tmp/com.apple.launchd.mXmpHGFD7q/org.macports:0

Opening applications from the X11 menu (e.g. Applications -> Terminal) works.

Opening them from the Terminal app does nothing. Applications (e.g. xterm, emacs, ...) are stuck

What could I try?

Update

If I disconnect an external display then even the application opened via X11 menu are not working anymore. I have to close X11 and reopen it.

Try installing the XQuartz package on MacOS Forge. I personally have had problems with Macports XQuartz and Yosemite, however the standard installer works perfectly for me. Or maybe try using the xorg-server package from Macports.


Mojave 10.4.3 WiFi problems I updated to Mojave 10.14.3 last weekend at home. When I brought my MacBook Pro into the office Monday morning it showed it was connected to my office network, but there was no connection. I restarted the MacBook and it connected flawlessly. When I brought it home that night it said it was connected to my home network but it wasn't. Restarted and connected fine. Four days later it's still doing this every time I switch networks. Not a huge deal, but kind of a pain. Any suggestions?

You can try to remove the network interface in "System Preferences > Network", select the network that isn't working, then press the "-" button.

And then add it back again by pressing the "+" and selecting "Wi-Fi" and naming it "Wi-Fi".


Recover deleted voice memos How can I get back voice memos that I deleted from my iPhone 6?

You can only get them back if you happen to have a recent ( iTunes / iCloud ) backup of your device before you deleted those memos.