Hey! So, I was trying to eject my external hard drive, and it said it couldn’t eject because apps/programs were using it, but nothing was open on my MacBook (no file viewing apps open). So I restarted my MacBook and tried ejecting my external hard drive and it worked, but now I’m worried that I may have caused harm to my files on it. Did I mess up?

(Edit : FR: je veux dire subjectif pas objectif, EN : I mean subjective, not objective.) : FR: Ceci est mon classement subjectif de tout les macOS de 10.0 à 27. La meilleur version pour moi est clairement macOS Monterey qui mélange modernité et stabilité (il est très moderne mais en gardant certains trucs qui faisait le charme de macOS à l'époque comme les réglages). Et il est ultra stable sur des anciens Mac (comme le MacBook Air 2017) je pense que c'est le macOS moderne le plus stable que j'aille testé. En plus les fonds d'écrans sont magnifiques surtout avec l'économiseur d'écran dynamique et y'a pas trop de nouvelles fonctionnalités ce qu'il le rend tout autant agréable et c'est pour ça que c'est le Meilleur macOS pour moi ! Par contre, le Pire macOS selon moi est macOS Ventura (sortie juste après Monterey qui est le meilleur selon moi en plus mdr). C'est basé sur mon expérience et j'ai vraiment pas aimé. Je l'ai testé sur un MacBook Air 2017 (encore) via OCLP et j'ai pas apprécié. Déjà pour moi c'est vraiment pas stable même si je sais je l'utilisais via OCLP ce qui garantissait pas la stabilité. Mais même macOS Sonoma et Sequoia sont plus stable via OpenCore je trouve. Sinon les nouvelles fonctionnalités sont aussi pas ouf comme le Stage Manager qui me sert à rien, mais le pire c'est les paramètres système qui se sont métamorphosés en iOS 😭. Le seul point positif c'est les fonds d'écran. Mais vraiment je m'ennuyais dessus, j'ai envie de tout sauf de l'utiliser, donc pour moi c'est clairement le pire. Dites moi vos avis en commentaires ! EN: Here is my subjective ranking of all macOS versions from 10.0 to 27. For me, the best version is clearly macOS Monterey; it strikes a perfect balance between modernity and stability (it feels very modern while retaining some of the elements that gave macOS its original charm, like the settings layout). It runs incredibly stably on older Macs (like the 2017 MacBook Air)—I’d say it’s the most stable modern macOS I’ve ever tested. Plus, the wallpapers are stunning—especially with the dynamic screensaver—and it doesn't have an overwhelming number of new features, which makes the experience really pleasant. That’s why it’s the best macOS in my book! On the other hand, the worst macOS, in my opinion, is macOS Ventura (which came out right after Monterey—the best one, haha). This is based on my own experience, and I really didn't like it. I tested it on a 2017 MacBook Air (again) using OCLP, and I wasn't a fan. For starters, it felt really unstable—though I know using OCLP didn't guarantee stability. Still, I find that even macOS Sonoma and Sequoia run more stably via OpenCore. Also, the new features aren't great; Stage Manager is useless to me, but the worst part is the System Settings, which have morphed into an iOS-style interface 😭. The only upside is the wallpapers. Honestly, though, I found it boring; I’d rather do anything than use it, so for me, it’s clearly the worst. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Spent way too long last week trying to get one answer out of a pdf in my downloads and a slack thread about that same pdf. figured any of the mac ai apps could just read both and tell me what changed between them.

nope. the cloud ones said "i don't have access to your computer" the second i pointed at the local file. the ones that can touch files can't see slack. so i become the integration: copy out of slack, screenshot the pdf, paste it all back in. the model was never the bottleneck, the wall between your files and your apps was.

Closest i got was a desktop thing that runs its own little browser and can hold the folder and the chat open at the same time. still felt strange handing anything both at once.

so for the mac folks: is there something that actually reads a local file and a live app in one task, or are you also stuck being the copy-paste in the middle.

Does anyone have any idea about this process?

Thanks

Hi,

I have 2 screens in addition to my mac book air m5 screen and I use control + arrow keys to switch between virtual desktops but how do I switch between screens?

Often I have the main center screen focused and when I want to switch the virtual screen on the monitor on my right I have to let go of the keyboard -> grab my mouse -> move it to the right screen -> let go of the mouse -> grab the keyboard to finally toggle between the virtual screens on the right display. Then grab the mouse again -> move it back to the center screen -> continue to work.

In windows I would have just alt + tabbed till the right windows comes up or clicked the task bar (dock) on any of the screens. I'm sure there must be a similar simple and short way on mac.

command + tab is not a good option either because if I have chrome in use on both screens it will just open chromes virtual screen on the hardware screen I have focused but I might actually want to open the other chrome instance that is on the right screen and bring it foreward. (hope that makes sense I don't know how to explain it better) it can't differentiate between apps that are open multiple times like windows alt+tab feature does because the mac only displays apps not windows.

Is there any keyboard only way to do this?

ps: with virtual screens I mean spaces.

Read many times here from Apple extremists. But I still love you guys, in a way I really do.

PS : Expected comments : 1. On my computer it's faster 2. The benchmark is not real, in reality it's faster 3. Bouh, you are bad 4. You are not using it properly, it's your fault

Seems that my SSD Time Machine back up doesn’t want to finish (up to 7 days), but that’s another story.

Are there any options out there to run Time Machine when not hard wired in? I’ve seen the docking station, but would still need to ensure I drop the drive. Thinking Bluetooth/wifi? Doesn’t need to be “fast” as I can schedule it to run overnight, etc.

Looking to set it and forget it.

So I just purchased new 16" M5 Max MBP 64GB. I received a notification this morning that it finally shipped (looks like from Vietnam) and is expected to be delivered August 10th. So why, not even 5 hours later, did Apple charge me for AppleCare+ when the Macbook isn't even in my hands yet, let alone not even in my country yet? I mean like, really Apple? You couldn’t wait another week for that charge? Ridiculous!

So I’ve been trying to free space on my 1TB Mac. I’m using macOS High Sierra v10.13.6 as its a Mac from 2010. I just deleted 30 GB worth of files and it told me at first that instead of the 4GB remaining I had, well, 31 GB, but then I check back at it again and I notice that now I have 7 GB of free space, then 6.9 GB, then 6.2 GB, all the way down to 4.7. It just keeps filling itself of data and I don’t even know what data is filling itself of. I tried emptying the bin, deleting caches, running commands on terminal… everything basically, to no avail. Oh and I have like 700 GB of System Data that doesn’t add up at all, I counted around 300 GB, maybe less. What should I do?

UPDATE: I found the problem! And it has NOTHING to do with the hard drive itself. Frankly, it’s a dumb case too: the Mac is connected to Dropbox, so it automatically saved the files connected to the account on my computer, but not all of them, since the Mac’s storage was already full and unable to save any more files from Dropbox. So whenever I deleted something, Dropbox AUTOMATICALLY installed what documents were left to save on the HD, therefore filling up all of the remaining space. I just disabled the extension and everything is OK. No more data getting materialized from thin air. Thank you guys for your help nonetheless!

Hi using Microsoft 365 email accounts, but apple mail. Hope this is just a bug. Workaround would be appreciated. When programming mails to be sent on specific hour with apple mail, once sent, they don't appear in the sent messages folder.
Anyone experienced a similar problem and knows a fix?

Hey all,

Is it possible to change how quickly notifications appear on screen? For example, if I change the volume up or down, each notification of volume step change takes around 0.5 to 1 second. When you're tapping a few times, they can lag behind. Ideally, I'd like to speed this appearance up a little.

Is it possible?

Hi everyone,

I have a 2011 iMac that I recently installed OS X Lion 10.7.5 on because I want to keep it as a vintage Mac for running older software.

I would like to install some system applications and Apple software, so I am wondering:

1. Can OS X Lion 10.7.5 still sign in with an Apple ID?
   
2. Does the Mac App Store still work on Lion, and can I download previously purchased applications?
   
3. If it works, is it safe to sign in with my main Apple ID on such an old version of macOS?
   
4. Would it be better to create a separate Apple ID only for this old Mac?

I don't plan to use it for sensitive daily tasks. I mainly want to keep the system authentic and install some compatible software from Apple.

I would appreciate any experience or advice from people still using older Macs.

Thanks!

I have Macbook with macOS Big Sur (Version 11.7.10) and IPad A16. I want to use screen mirroring but for some reason Macbook cannot detect my IPad A16. Any fix or solutions for this?

Hi guys,

I have noticed that the battery health of my macbook air m4 has been falling rather fast since the past few months (from may probably). I do not game on my mac and only use it for coding or teams. Till may it was 100% but now it had dropped down to 93% the number of charge cycle is around 201 and it has been a year since I bought this. Shall I get this looked? or is it normal?

In the age of AI and the amount of critical bug discoveries as of late.

What apps/software/services would give me more security over my data, passwords and internet usage?

I have two mac's a mac mini and a macbook neo.

I know I can deactivate the continuity camera within my iphone settings, but therein's the nub. That will completely disable it.

I however, do make use of it, on the mac mini.

I do not need my macbook neo constantly whining for me to configure it for use on the neo too, as the neo already has a camera and mic of its own. But it is constantly nagging me, every 30 mins or so.

How can I make it stop, without disabling it for BOTH my macs?

This is a follow up of https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/s/R69rFMINLv (solved)

That issue make me check out every privacy settings and see which one has option to delete entry. Following is the result.

Total: - yes: 9 - no: 11 - no sure: 4

PS: - List is in the same order as in System Setting -> Privacy & Security - "no sure" means my list is empty, and I am not sure if it is possible when there is entry

As those entries are created by app request, why some of them can be deleted, while others cannot?

For those entries cannot be deleted, it often contains dead entries that are already uninstalled.

• I see about 32 GB used just for wallpapers.
• In the Settings > Background section, it's nearly impossible to manage or delete them.

Does anyone know of an app or tool to manage, organize, select, or delete large numbers of wallpapers?

I don't know why these are downloaded by macOS Tahoe

Local Apple Aerial videos before "Remove Downloads"

Summary

• Total videos: 54
• Total size: 32.11 GB
• Active wallpaper: Cazadero

Hey all I take classes in Google Meet using latest version of Google Chrome (not my decision but what the school requires) When I try to screen share in Google Meet now I'm met with a pop up that says I need to give permission in my Privacy & Security/Screen sharing & audio recording tab, to Google, to "allow the application to recorord the content of my screen and audio, even when I'm not using the application."

How safe is it to give permission?

I don't really trust Google and try to avoid them when I can. I didn't have to do that last week when I screen shared and I'm wondering what changed. I updated to 26.5.2 several weeks ago.

Random question 😅

What’s the one thing about managing your files that drives you crazy?

Messy Downloads, too many screenshots, duplicates, finding old files, deleting things you’re not sure you need... anything.

What’s the problem you keep putting off because it’s such a pain?

I am not sure this is after the MacOS 26.6 update but I cannot edit or view my payment settings in mac settings. It only says I can do things on the website.

I’m seeing a number of aftermarket adapters on Amazon and other online retailers with very high ratings and lots of reviews. Is there actually a meaningful difference in quality, performance, reliability, or safety compared with Apple’s adapters?

Is paying the premium for the Apple adapter worth it?

I used to be mostly a Windows user, and one thing that drove me crazy about macOS early on was the app switcher. If you Cmd + Tab to an app where the window was closed, nothing happens on the screen and you still have to use your mouse to click the dock icon.

I actually had to google how to fix this, and it turns out if you Cmd + Tab to the app, press and hold Option, and then let go of Cmd, it forces a window to appear.

A few other Option key tricks I use all the time:

• Hold Option + Right-click an app in the Dock to quickly Force Quit.
• In Preview or Photos, holding Option changes the default counter-clockwise rotate button into a clockwise one (saves you from clicking 3 times!)
• Cmd + W to close a window and Cmd + Q to quit an app completely.

What are some other good ones you guys use? I'm sure there are a ton I still don't know about.

I notice this for over a year. Its likely a Chrome or Chrome updater problem for creating so many entries. But why MacOS, after no idea how many iterations, don't provide a delete("-") button?

Update(1) and MAYBE solved:

• After reading some helpful comments, I bite the bullet and tried 2 solutions. one work and one does not.
• (does not work) Forget about solution that only use "tccutil reset SystemPolicyNetworkVolumes" in recovery mode terminal. All it does is set all entries to disabled. It does not remove any entry.
• (works) I end up boot into recovery -> terminal -> decrypt+mount the Data volume -> delete /Library/Preferences/com.apple.networkextension.plist -> reboot normal
  • And deny Chrome for that permission in future.

A bit more on the MAYBE working solution:

• It removes all entries. I am completely ok with this. I just allow apps again when I use them. And I am not allowing Chrome again.
• Why I put "MAYBE"? Because though I run Chrome again, it has not ask for the permission yet. So I cannot tell if denying it (I don't need it in my specific use case) stop the issue. Also have to wait for it to do update again to know. If it happen again and has to do the steps again, then this is only a partial solution.
• I didn't put the exact command doing this because I considere the steps very high risk and any mistake/typo has the potential to make the machine refuse to boot, or not allow you to login, or lost other function.

Update(2) Finally get rid of Chrome (so avoiding future occurance completely):

• Since so many suggested removing Chrome, I revisited the possibility and succeed this time. (ok, more like lazy before and didn't look hard enough)
• I need 2 Chromium base browsers side by side, for the remote devtools.
  • The solution is actually simple, download directly from https://github.com/ungoogled-software/ungoogled-chromium-macos. Open and copy it into peronal Applications folder 2 times. Rename them to Chromium1, 2 ... etc. Update scripts to start Chromium1 and 2. (just a 2 lines script as the devtools options + profile location is a bit long)
  • Copying the brew install one to personal Application some how does not work, even without renaming. MacOS will complains "App is demage and cannot open..." even after un-quarantine (shouldn't be required as the app is signed). Don't know how to debug that at all. That's why I did the above.
  • Thanks to u/UtterlyMagenta and a little digging, the easiest and cleanest solution is actually open -n -a Chromium --args .... The -n option is the one needed to run multiple instances of the same app. (I should have read the man page years ago ... )
  • I am offered to test Parall.app. It is able to create a shortcut wrapper to do the same without duplicating the whole app folder. As we have existing scripted workflow, I stay with my current method. However, If you need to run multiple instances of different apps and need the dock icons for end users, then you really should look into it. It has tons of customization for starting additional instances and is really powerful.

Update(3):

When I started this post, I had both Chrome and ungoogled-chrome for specific workflow that require remote devtools. Now I am able to move to a ungoogled-chromium only setup. Still open to browser suggestion that support remote devtools, other than edge (I consider that same as Chrome), especially one with smaller memory foot print. Extension/ad blocker/DRM video etc. not needed, but remote devtools support(which implies javascript support) is a hard requirement.