Since Lion's release, we've been collecting tips on reverting changes found in Lion back to behavior found in Snow Leopard. Now some might argue its better to get used to the stock installation, but if that's not you, here are the tips we've seen.

scroll1
Natural Scroll: This change seems to have generated the most outcry. In Lion, Apple has reversed the normal scrolling direction for trackpads and scroll wheels. In the past, the metaphor has been that swiping down has caused the page to scroll up. Now, swiping down means scrolling down. It takes a few days to get used to, but if you can't there's an option to revert back.

Key Repeat: @mikeindustries (requires Terminal):

To turn off Lion's stupid ban on key repeating, quit apps and type "defaults write -g ApplePressAndHoldEnabled -bool false" in Terminal.

New Window Animations: @tomasf (requires Terminal):

Want to turn off window opening animations in Lion? defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSAutomaticWindowAnimationsEnabled -bool NO

Don't Save: @tomasf (requires Terminal):

Restore ⌘D to mean "Don't Save" in Lion! defaults write NSGlobalDomain NSSavePanelStandardDesktopShortcutOnly -bool YES

Resume: Disable resume in Lion.

Spaces: Assigning apps to one space or all spaces.

classic mail
Classic Mail: Lion's Mail takes on a distinct iOS look, but the classic Mac OS X Mail look is available through a checkbox preference in Mail.

Front Row: Mad Hatter has instructions on how to re-enable FrontRow on Lion, though we've heard some mixed results about it working. - Use at your own risk, we've heard it has caused problems.

LimeiBook86 posts some instructions which duplicate ones we have shown here, but also includes restoring Finder Window's Path and Status Bar as well as turning off Dashboard as a space.

Top Rated Comments

Tastydirt Avatar
175 months ago
Anyone figure out how to make the mouse wake the computer from sleep? This is a major annoyance for me.

Just requires a click instead of mouse movement for me, IMO this is much better as it greatly reduces the chance of accidentally waking your Mac up.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisH3677 Avatar
175 months ago
The most stupidest things that i ever hear is articles "how make new thing work like old". Apple always was company with advanced technology. If Apple change something they always know why and because.

The most stupidest things that i ever hear is people who blindly accept everything Apple does as the best way.

Just because Apple "know why and because" they've made a change, doesn't make it right. And certainly not right for everyone.

Check your EULA. There is no condition of owning Apple products that you must agree with and like everything Apple does.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kolax Avatar
175 months ago
"Turn off Lion's stupid ban on key repeating"?? I you kidding me?? :eek: This is the one of the small and useful function, than F.. Windows will never had.

It's a reasonable thing that people would want to turn again.

"Disable resume in Lion"! :eek: Sure! Thank Steve, that you add disable function for your new great OS, now all people around the world can turn it off!! Btw who can tell me how to disable stupidest touchscreen on my iPad?

Resume might be useful to some, but I don't want my last used things to reappear when I re-open that app. Might have personal stuff there, or open a document that you don't want to work on, so you end up having to close it anyway.

So, dear Mac users, if you are true :apple: user remember - all new functions is always look strange (because they new), but after some time, you will accustomed and THIS new functions became a great canyon between your Mac and others pfsht.

I'm not a 'true' Apple user by your definition, but I'm a power user. And small changes like ones described here can really interrupt my workflow. Whether I have to "re-learn" isn't always the case, I've got my workflow adapted to how previous OS X versions worked. Lion has changed a lot of that, some for the better, some of the worse.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GSPice Avatar
175 months ago
Here's an idea, rather than make Lion act like Snow Leopard. Stick to Snow Leopard.
Answers like this don't require any critical thinking or intellectual honesty. It's the kind of stuff people skip over in google's search results.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AAPLaday Avatar
175 months ago
Some people really don't like change, now do they?

Only if its for the better ;)
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
John.B Avatar
175 months ago
If you have slow Mac don't install Lion! Or upgrade the Mac
Maybe you didn't get the memo, but there are seriously cool security enhancements in Lion as well as that whole iCloud thing coming in iOS 5 in September, not to mention document revisions and a very cool new implementation of FileVault. Just to name a few.

I'll never understand people who insist on dictating how others should use their computers... :rolleyes:
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...