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How to Sync Desktop and Documents Folder to iCloud on Mac

Monday March 15, 2021 10:10 am PDT by
In macOS, you can sync any files on your Mac desktop and in your documents folder to iCloud so that you can access them on any other devices signed in to ‌iCloud‌ with the same Apple ID. In other words, you can start a document on your Desktop, and you'll be able to work on it later on your iPhone or iPad, or even through a browser on another computer via the ‌iCloud‌ website. Here's how to ...
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How to Automatically Empty Trash on Mac

Monday March 15, 2021 10:04 am PDT by
Whenever you move a file on your Mac to the Trash, it stays there until you manually right-click (Ctrl-click) the trash icon and select Empty Trash. This system offers a useful fallback method if you decide you don't want to delete a file, because it allows you to return a file to its original place using the Put Back option (accessed via a right-click on the trashed file in question). In...
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How to Launch the Intel Version of a Universal Apple Silicon App

Friday March 12, 2021 2:51 pm PST by
Macs powered by Apple silicon, such as the M1 MacBook Pro, can run both iOS apps and Mac apps, but they can also run x86-64 software that's been built to work on Intel architecture, thanks to something called Rosetta 2. Rosetta 2 is the translation layer that enables a Mac with Apple silicon to use apps built for an Intel-based Mac. The first time you launch an app that requires it, an alert ...
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How to Check Your Apple MagSafe Charger's Firmware

Friday March 12, 2021 2:46 pm PST by
If you've got your hands on an Apple-branded MagSafe Charger, you can follow the steps below to check the current firmware version that your charger is running. Apple occasionally sends‌ firmware updates to accessories over the air that contain bug fixes and improvements, so this is a good way of checking that your charger is up-to-date. Perhaps more importantly, if you're able to follow...
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How to Make Sure Your Apple MagSafe Charger is Genuine

Friday March 12, 2021 2:44 pm PST by
If you've got your hands on an Apple-branded MagSafe Charger, you can follow the steps below to check the current firmware version that your charger is running. Apple occasionally sends‌ firmware updates to accessories over the air that contain bug fixes and improvements, so this is a good way of checking that your charger is up-to-date. Perhaps more importantly, if you're able to follow...
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How to Find Your Powerbeats Pro Serial Number and Check Firmware

Thursday March 11, 2021 3:15 pm PST by
If you've recently updated your PowerBeats Pro or are thinking of doing so, you can follow the steps below to check the current firmware version your wireless earphones are running. Apple will occasionally send ‌firmware updates for its audio accessories over the air, though the software should install automatically if you follow these general guidelines. The method described below will also ...
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How to Enable or Disable Optimize Mac Storage

Wednesday March 10, 2021 2:34 pm PST by
In macOS, Apple includes a feature that can optimize the storage on your Mac by reducing the amount of space that data takes up on your Mac's internal drive. It does this by offloading certain files, data, and documents to iCloud and iCloud Drive when space on your Mac is running low. If you have a lot of ‌iCloud‌ storage space and a high-speed internet connection, Optimize Mac Storage is a...
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How to Disable Tab Previews in Safari on Mac

Monday March 8, 2021 3:05 pm PST by
In Safari 14, Apple introduced a new feature called tab previews, where hovering your mouse pointer over a non-active browser tab shows an image preview of the tab's contents. Apple doesn't provide an option in preferences to disable tab previews, which isn't great if you find the feature less than useful or downright distracting. Fortunately, there's an undisclosed but fairly simple way to ...
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How to Clear Safari Reading List

Monday March 8, 2021 2:53 pm PST by
In Apple's Safari browser for iOS and Mac, the built-in Reading List feature is a great way to save web pages that you want to read at a later time. Pages added to your Reading List are synced over iCloud to any other devices logged in to your Apple account, and Safari also includes an option that lets you to access pages in your Reading List even when you're offline. But how do you remove...
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How to Fix the 'Steam Needs to Be Online to Update' Mac Error

Tuesday January 11, 2022 4:27 pm PST by
After installing macOS Big Sur updates, some Mac owners have been running into an error when attempting to install Steam: "Steam needs to be online to update. Please confirm your network connection and try again." Unfortunately, this is a long-running Steam issue that Mac users have been experiencing for at least 10 years now, and there's no single centralized fix, and it's not entirely...
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How to Transfer Your Apple iCloud Photos to Google Photos

Thursday March 4, 2021 8:02 am PST by
If you're looking for a quick and easy way to transfer your iCloud photos to Google Photos, look no further. Apple now offers a service that's designed to streamline the process of moving your photos and videos to Google's cloud platform. Keep reading to learn how it works and how to get started with it. First of all, make sure that Apple's iCloud-to-Google ‌Photos‌ transfer service is available ...
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How to Watch YouTube on a Third-Generation Apple TV

Wednesday March 3, 2021 11:57 am PST by
Beginning March 2021, YouTube officially ended support for its YouTube app on third-generation Apple TV models. If you own the older set-top box, which launched in January 2013, you'll be unable to access the video platform directly via the official YouTube ‌Apple TV‌ app. (You're also basically in the same situation if you own the second-generation ‌Apple TV‌, which doesn't have an App Store at...
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How to Sort Liked Songs in Spotify By Genre or Mood

Tuesday March 2, 2021 10:38 am PST by
If you're a big Spotify fan, you undoubtedly know that whenever you "Like" a song in the mobile app using the heart button, these songs are automatically added to your Liked Songs collection. While it's always been possible to play the collection straight through like a playlist or tap individual songs to listen to them, Spotify recently added new filters that allow you to play only the...
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How to Erase an M1 Mac

Tuesday March 2, 2021 10:25 am PST by
This article explains how to erase (or format) the built-in startup disk of a Mac with Apple silicon. Note that erasing your Mac permanently deletes all files on it, so follow the backup advice carefully. If you plan to give away, sell, or trade in a Mac, erasing your Mac should be the final step. First, Back Up Your Data Before you do anything, you should back up the files on your Mac. You ...
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How to Turn Off HomePod Mini Proximity Notifications and Vibrations on iPhone

Saturday February 13, 2021 10:00 am PST by
With the launch of iOS 14.4, Apple added a new feature for the HomePod mini that's designed to provide haptic feedback when your iPhone 11 or 12 is near the speaker to facilitate the simpler handing off of songs from one device to another. When moving your ‌iPhone‌ closer to a ‌HomePod mini‌ after installing the iOS 14.4 update, the ‌iPhone‌ vibrates quicker and quicker as it gets closer to the...
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How to Change Siri and Audio Volume on HomePod

Friday February 12, 2021 11:42 am PST by
The HomePod and the HomePod mini are designed to automatically adjust the volume of the Siri assistant based on the level of noise in the room, but you can also verbally adjust ‌Siri‌'s volume level separately from the volume level of the media that's playing. This how to walks you through the commands that you need to specifically adjust ‌Siri‌'s volume as needed. How to Change ‌Siri‌'s Volume ...
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How to Disable Reddit's Annoying 'Open in App' Safari Popup

Thursday February 11, 2021 3:30 pm PST by
Anyone who has ever attempted to open a link to popular social networking site Reddit has probably run into the website's annoying popup that prompts the link to open in the app rather than letting you see the website. These popups are frustrating, but luckily there's a quick and easy way to disable them once and for all in the Reddit settings. Here's how: Open the Reddit app in Safari. ...
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How to Use WhatsApp on Your Mac

Thursday February 11, 2021 8:21 am PST by
Despite strong competition from the likes of Telegram and Signal, WhatsApp remains the most popular messaging platform by a mile. At the last count in 2020, the Facebook-owned service had more than 2 billion WhatsApp users around the globe and rising. If you consider that it had 1.5 billion users in 2018 and 1 billion in 2016, then the number of active WhatsApp accounts has been increasing...
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How to Change Your Preferred Music App Using Siri in iOS 14.5

Thursday March 4, 2021 9:18 am PST by
Apple in the iOS 14.5 beta added a new option to help Siri learn to select your preferred audio apps for listening to music, podcasts, and audiobooks, a feature that will undoubtedly be appealing to non-Apple Music fans. When you ask ‌Siri‌ to play a song, album, podcast, or book, ‌Siri‌ will prompt you for your preferred app. This is not a default setting, but ‌Siri‌ will use this information to...
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How to Stop Websites From Asking For Your Location in Safari

Thursday February 4, 2021 5:05 pm PST by
Quite often when browsing the web in Safari, you'll see pop-ups asking you for permission for websites to use data about you, such as your location. There can be good reasons for this – if you're searching for local information such as the nearest grocery store or restaurant, then it makes sense for you to share your location data to get the most relevant results for your area. On the other ...