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Tom Nelson

Tom Nelson
179 posts
Writer
Tom has been an enthusiastic Mac user since the Mac Plus. He’s also been known to dabble in the dark side, otherwise known as Windows, and has a well-deserved reputation for being able to explain almost anything to anybody. Tom’s background includes more than 30 years as an engineer, programmer, network manager, software tester, software reviewer, database designer, and computer network and systems designer. His online experience includes working as a sysop, forum leader, writer, and software library manager.
Mac option key glyph with text saying "It's an option"

It’s an Option: Hidden Mac Features

If you enjoy discovering hidden features of your Mac, then it’s a good idea to get acquainted with the Option key. The Option key is like that special book in a library that, when moved, causes a secret door to swing open. In this case, the secret that is revealed is a Mac feature that is hidden from most users.

Purple mac smart folder icon with yellow lightbulb on light purple background

Smarter Smart Folders

Smart Folders have been around in one form or another since OS X Tiger. For a while, the Finder’s sidebar included a dedicated Search For section, with predefined Smart Folders that displayed apps and documents you used "Today," "Yesterday," or "Past Week." There were also Search For entries for "All Images," "All Movies," and "All Documents." These smart searches were a popular feature and served as an introduction to what Smart Folders could do. Now it's time to dig a little deeper and discover some of our favorite saved searches.

macOS Finder logo with Tips logo

10 Fantastic Mac Finder Tips

They may not all be fantastic, but these 10 Finder tips can help you become a master of Finder finesse. The Finder, of course, is the main way you find, organize, and make use of files on your Mac. These...

Activity Monitor - Energy, Disk & Network

Using Activity Monitor Part 2: Energy, Disk, and Network

The Activity Monitor app can be used to troubleshoot your Mac, as well as evaluate how well your Mac is performing overall or with specific running processes (apps). In Using Activity Monitor Part 2, we’ll take a look at using this utility to explore your Mac's energy use, disk performance, and network performance.

Activity Monitor – CPU & Memory

Using Activity Monitor Part 1: CPU and Memory

Activity Monitor is one of my favorite apps, although when my Mac is running as it should, I hardly ever use it. But when there’s a need to troubleshoot problems, check performance, or see if an upgrade, such as additional RAM or...

Mac Gatekeeper icon with Apple logo

How to Work With and Around Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper, part of the Mac's security system for ensuring files you download or install on your Mac are safe to use, has been around in one form or another for quite a while. Primarily intended to prevent various forms of malware from...

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