News, Tips, and Tricks
For Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.
Paste without Formatting on the Mac
When you copy text from a Web page, PDF, or word processing document, OS X usually includes formatting, so the words you paste may be 56 point blue italic if that was what the source text looked like. That may be appropriate at times, but often you want the text to...
PSA: Add a Medical ID to Your iPhone for Emergencies
Did you know that an iPhone can store medical information that could save your life, or help you save someone else’s? Learn how to create your Medical ID on our blog, and be sure to teach family, friends, and colleagues how to access this information in case of emergency too!
Apple Previews New Operating System Features at WWDC
This fall, Apple users can look forward to exciting new features in macOS Sierra (the new name for OS X), iOS 10, watchOS 3, and tvOS 10. Read a roundup of the major changes on our blog.
What is a Retina Display?
You’ve seen the term in Mac names—iMac with 5K Retina display, MacBook Pro with Retina display, and so on. But what is a Retina display, and why should you care? The short answer is Retina displays are high-resolution screens on which graphics are extra sharp and text...
11 Steps to Ultimate iPhone Battery Life
There’s nothing worse than running out of iPhone juice at an inopportune moment, but if you follow our 11-step program, you can extend your iPhone’s battery life significantly.
Goldilocks and the Three PDF Apps: Which Is Right for You?
Whether you’d like to fill out and sign PDF forms, rearrange PDF pages, or otherwise manipulate PDF files, you have three excellent choices on the Mac: Preview, PDFpen, and Acrobat Pro DC. But they range in price from free to $450.
Use Quick Look to Peek inside Files and Folders on Your Mac
If you’ve ever found yourself opening file after file, looking for the right one, you’ll be pleased to learn that there’s a better way: OS X’s Quick Look feature. With a single keypress, you can peek inside nearly any file on the Mac, making it easy to compare files, sort photos, and more.
Find on Page in Safari in iOS
Picture yourself looking for something specific on a long Web page on the small iPhone screen. Did you know that you can search through just the text of the page? Tap the Share button, and in the bottom row of icons, swipe left until you see Find on Page. Tap that,...
Type Accented Characters and URLs Faster in iOS
Did you know that many keys on the small iPhone keyboard are hiding additional characters? To type an O with an umlaut, for instance, press and hold the O key, and a popover appears with accented variants of O. Without lifting your finger, slide it over the Ö and then...
Four Apple OS Releases This Week: Should You Update?
Apple has quietly released minor updates to all four of its operating systems: OS X, iOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Should you update, and if so, when? We have the answers you need, along with tips for updating on our blog.
Find System Preferences Faster by Sorting Alphabetically
By default, System Preferences in OS X organizes its preference panes by category. However, it doesn’t label the categories, making the organization nearly inscrutable. If you have trouble finding the Accessibility preference pane, for instance, which ends up in the...
Why IMAP Is Better than POP for Email
In today’s multi-device world, where you might check email on your Mac at work, your iPhone while out and about, and your iPad in the evening, you shouldn’t be trashing or filing each message on each device—once is enough.