Top Downloads and Posts for Mac of 2015
Another year passed, which meant another iteration of OS X. While Apple didn’t make any major moves with the Mac this year, there was still a lot to talk about. Here are our best Mac posts of the past year.
Excellent alternatives to boring stock Mac apps
Mac comes with a lot of software. Some of them are awesome, but some of them are too basic. It’s a snag with a lot of default Mac software: it’s easy, but once you want to do something else with it, you’re out of luck. So, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite replacements for the usually workable but generally tedious OS X default software.
How to fix the annoyance of OS X El Capitan
With the release of any new operating system, you will always find some quirks. El Capitan is a fairly small update that doesn’t have a lot of annoyances, but they still exist. Here’s how to fix some of the more annoying problems.
Top Secret Features in OS X El Capitan
OS X El Capitan lacks many important features, which means that most of the cool stuff is hidden under the hood. Let’s take a look at some of the lesser known features.
How to set up and use the Apple New Photos app in OS X Yosemite
Last week, Apple released an update for Yosemite that includes a new Photos app . This app is a working replacement for iPhoto and does a much better job of organizing your photos without overwhelming your system resources. Here’s how to use it.
Lifehacker Pack for Mac: Our List of Essential Mac Apps
There is no shortage of useful, interesting applications for the Mac, but some of them are simply indispensable. In this year’s Annual Lifehacker Pack for Mac, we highlight the best downloads for productivity, communication, media management, and more.
Should I upgrade to Mac OS X El Capitan?
Dear Lifehacker, OS X El Capitan is out today. Looks good, but this is still an upgrade, and any upgrade has a chance to go bad. You guys have used this; What do you think? Is it ready for primetime, or should I wait for the next patch to fix the bugs that people will inevitably find?
Should you install beta versions of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan?
Dear Lifehacker, I’m not a developer or anything like that, but I’m very excited about the new improvements in iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan . How safe is it for them to install beta versions ? What happens if I do this?
Best Second Screen App for iPad
Using iPad as a second screen is a great way to increase your productivity by adding a little extra screen real estate. Our favorite way to do this on iOS is Duet Display because it’s lag-free, easy to set up, and has a good array of customization options.
How to Control Anything on Mac with iPhone
Controlling a computer from a mobile device is nothing new, but over the past year or so, there have been several notable iOS and Mac apps that have made it truly amazing. Let’s take a look at some of the best apps that put your Mac in the palm of your hand.
Best Duplicate File Finder for Mac
Your photo library is a complete mess. Your downloads folder is a mess. Your music folders are riddled with so many duplicates that you can’t tell what’s new and what’s left of Napster. We all have too many duplicate files on our computers that we don’t need. To get rid of them on your Mac, we recommend Gemini.
How to set up OS X to protect your privacy
Setting up a new computer is tricky, but if you care about privacy, it gets even trickier. This is especially true with the Mac, which hides all sorts of things behind the scenes. Whether you’re setting up a new system or installing a new version of OS X, now is a good time to check your privacy settings.
Safari’s private browsing mode saves URLs in an easily accessible file
If you are using Safari on your Mac for personal browsing, you might want to stop. MacIssues specifies that all URLs you visit privately are still stored in a database file that anyone on your computer can view.
Customize the OS X Yosemite login screen
The login screen on Mac is pretty boring, but if you want to customize it, blogger Jacob Salmela will show you an easy way to do it.
Jumping Ship from Photoshop to Pixelmator: Switch Guide
Pixelmator is now our favorite image editing app for Mac because it’s incredibly cheap ($ 29.99) and almost as powerful as the much more expensive Adobe Photoshop. But if you switch from Photoshop, you will notice that things work a little differently. Let’s take a look at how to do some of the most common Photoshop things in Pixelmator so you can get started using them right away.
I have been using dictation and voice control for a week. That’s what happened
It seems like everywhere you look, voice control and dictation are added to every app, operating system, and game console. We love to joke about how bad it works, but I decided to dive into my head to see what it would be like to actually use it … for everything. Here’s what happened.
Adware Medic removes adware from Macintosh
Mac: While Mac computers are not often infected with malware, they are not immune. If you don’t have a good antivirus software for Mac installed or something has slipped away, Adware Medic fixes common annoyances.
How to burn OS X El Capitan to USB stick
Upgrading to OS X El Capitan from the App Store is easy enough, but downloading the software multiple times is not a good idea if you have multiple Macs or Hackintosh computers. Here’s how to burn El Capitan to a USB stick instead.
All new OS X El Capitan features in two minutes
OS X El Capitan is here , and while you wait for the download to complete, you can check out its new features as well. Let’s take a look at all the new things and some of the things that have changed since OS X Yosemite.
Some Mac apps now come with firmware, so hone your BS detector
There is a popular belief that Mac does not have the same malware and malware problem as Windows. However, with the advent of the Mac over the past few years, this is no longer the case. Our friends at How-To Geek explain how OS X malware works and how to avoid it.
Why ResearchKit is the most exciting thing Apple announced yesterday
Apple announced a few things yesterday , but ResearchKit, the company’s new platform for medical research and healthcare, is clearly the technology with the greatest potential to actually improve people’s lives. Similar services are already in operation around the world to help doctors and patients manage symptoms and improve health. This is why it matters and how it can actually make a difference in healthcare.
How to turn on OS X’s spotlight with a flashlight
When we first started talking about Flashlight, it was still in beta testing . Even then, it was a promising way to improve OS X Yosemite’s Spotlight with more search results. The app is now a lot more mature and with tons of plugins it’s incredibly powerful. Let’s take a look at how to set it up and find some of the most useful plugins.
Convert Your Old Mac Into A Cheap VPN With OS X Server
VPN subscriptions cost money, and they often require a little research to find out if they are legal . If you have an old Mac, you can use it by turning it into the simplest DIY VPN, perfect for browsing securely on public Wi-Fi or grabbing files from your home computer on the go.
The Difference Between Your Mac’s Different Wait Cursors
Nobody likes to see a beach ball (aka spinner, aka spinning pizza, aka spinning wait cursor ) in OS X, but have you ever wondered why you see different ones from time to time? Or, when things get really weird, can you sometimes see the clock ticking? It turns out the answer has to do with the app you’re working with.