How to Master Timesaving Macintosh Tricks

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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One of the reasons Mac addicts love their computers is because Macs are so, well, lovable (and easy to use). Here are some of Digital Goddess Kim Komando's favorite tips to help you love your Mac even more.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Macintosh Computers
Mac OS 9.0

Mac OS 8.5's Help Center Search Shortcuts

Step 1

Try any one of a slew of special characters you can use when conducting a search: You will save time and get better results right from the start.
Step 2

Use the plus symbol (+) to find pages that list both words. For example, if you want to learn about the Control Strip, enter "control + strip."
Step 3

Use the Or symbol (|) to find information on either of two subjects. If you wanted to view links that included information about video or audio, you'd type "video | audio" (without the quotes).
Step 4

Try the Not symbol (!) to narrow your search. To find links that include video but not audio, you'd type "video ! audio."
Step 5

Use parentheses to group objects for a compound search. For example, typing "(hotdogs + mustard) ! relish" loosely translates to, "Give me a hotdog with mustard but hold the relish."

Mac OS 8.5 Application Switcher

Step 1

Click the Zoom box in the title bar of Application Switcher to shift between the standard palette and the icons-only view.
Step 2

Option-click the Zoom box to swap between large and small icons.
Step 3

Option-Shift-click the Zoom box to switch between horizontal and vertical views.
Step 4

Hold down the Command key and drag to move the Application Switcher around.
Step 5

Hold down the Option key while clicking another application to hide the current application.

Window Icons in OS 8.6

Step 1

Realize that those new folder icons in a Windows title bar aren't merely "window dressing." Get it? Window dressing? Man, I kill myself.
Step 2

Move these folders to the desktop, to the Trash, or to another window by dragging the folder icon.
Step 3

Create an alias of the folder by pressing the Command and Option keys while dragging the icon to a new location.
Step 4

Make a duplicate of the folder by holding down the Option key while dragging the icon.