Precision Technology Services

Miscellaneous Tips and Tricks for Mac OSX :

Last Updated : September 2015

Here are some of handy tricks and tips I've collected.

• Adware Medic Removes Macintosh Adware
• Customize the Login Screen on OS X
• Instantly Add an App or File to the Mac Dock with a Keyboard Shortcut
• Countdown Adds a Simple Timer to Your Menu Bar
• Write Text in Any Editor and Send it Anywhere with Keyboard Maestro
• Set a Default Finder Window Size with a Relaunch
• How to add recently used apps, docs, and more to your Mac's Dock
• How to make a bootable OS X 10.10 Yosemite install drive
• How to Add Gatekeeper Exceptions from Command Line in Mac OS X
• Find the Wi-Fi Password for Your Current Network with the Command Line
• This USB Hub Includes Your Too-Thin Laptop's Missing Ethernet Port
• Latest OS X update allows you to enable TRIM for third-party SSDs
• Enable the Xbox One Controller to be used on a Mac
• 4 Wi-Fi Tips from Former Apple Wi-Fi Engineer
• Mac keyboard shortcuts
• Mountain Manages External Volumes from Your Menu Bar
• Windows 7 on Mavericks via Bootcamp and USB
• Shortcat is a keyboard tool for Mac OS X that lets you "click" buttons and control your apps with a few keystrokes.
• 100 OS X Mavericks Keyboard Shortcuts
• The MacOS X kernel extension, preventing sleep when you close the lid
• gfxCardStatus is an unobtrusive menu bar app for OS X that allows MacBook Pro users to see which apps are affecting their battery life by using the more power-hungry graphics.
• XtraFinder - free Finder tweaks, including Show Folders at Top in the Finder
• Shuttle Is a Simple SSH Client that Lives in Your Menu Bar
• Add a “Permanently Delete" Option to Your Mac
• Making a bootable USB key from an .iso image on Mac OS X
• Darryl's Mac Manuals and Takeapart Guides
• See the Size of All Your Folders in OS X's Finder
• BirdDrop Puts Twitter in Your OS X Menubar
• Horcrux Automatically Downloads and Backs Up Your IMAP Email
• Farensius adds weather to your Mac menu bar
• SecondBar put the File menu on additional monitors
• Lab Tested: The ramifications of additional memory on a Mac
• Pupil for Retina display Macs makes it easy to switch screen resolutions
• MLPostFactor Installs Mountain Lion on Older Macs
• Mac OS X Shortcuts! A Tiny Guide
• Optimizing MacOS X Lion for SSD's
• Reddit Notifier Puts Reddit Alerts in your Mac’s Menubar
• Unlock Old School Arcade Games in Your Mac’s Terminal
• Your Apple computer keeps a screen shot of nearly every website you view if using Safari
• Fusion Drive recovery partition: Solving an Apple mystery
• USB Screen Lock Requires a Physical USB Drive to Unlock Your Mac
• Reddit.com's master list of resources for new Mac users
• How to move your iTunes library to a NAS (Updated)
• XtraFinder add Tabs and features to Mac Finder
• Installing Windows via Boot Camp on a large (2.2 TB or larger ) Drive in Lion (10.7) and later
• Sidekick Automates Your Mac’s Settings Based On Your Location
• Airport Location records dozens of settings by taking a Snapshot of your computer just the way it is setup at that time.
• Is it possible to have on-battery and on-charger brightness profiles for a MacBook
• Display Menu shows a status item in your menu bar that lets you change your display settings with a single click.
• QuickRes is the quickest and easiest way to switch between screen resolutions on your Mac.
• Using Slate: A Hacker's Window Manager for Macs
• WavTap Records Your Computer’s Audio with the Press of a Keyboard Shortcut
• Display Menu brings back Mountain Lion's screen resolution to your menu bar
• Print Out This OS X Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheets for Your Less Tech-Savvy Friends and Family
• Use tmutil to take control of Time Machine in Mountain Lion
• QuickLock Is A Better Way To Lock Your Mac
• Lingon and launchd can keep crucial apps always running
• QuickRes Sharpens Your Non-Retina Mac at Low Resolutions, Quickly Changes Settings on Retina Displays
• NewsBee Puts Your Favorite Feeds In Your Mac’s Menubar
• Puush Automatically Uploads Screenshots or Files for Incredibly Quick Sharing
• Keep Your Mac Display Awake As Long As You’re In Front of the Webcam
• RSS.app uses Mountain Lion's Notification Center to alert you of new posts.
• Shortcat is a keyboard tool for Mac OS X that lets you "click" buttons and control your apps with a few keystrokes.
• Amelita Puts Useful Commands and Actions in Your Mac’s Menubar
• Automatically connect to a network drive when your computer starts up or wakes from sleep
• Notification Hacking with Scheduled Notifications utility
• ResolutionTab Switches You to HiDPI Mode on Your Non-Retina Mac
• Permanently Disable Notification Center in OS X Mountain Lion
• 43 Amazingly Gorgeous Secret Wallpapers Hidden in OS X Mountain Lion
• News Notifications Adds RSS Feeds to Mountain Lion’s Notification Center
• How to Burn OS X Mountain Lion to a DVD or USB Flash Drive
• Lion DiskMaker for creating Lion / Mountain Lion usb disks to install
• New command line tools in Mountain Lion manage encryption, sleep and sharing
• Get Mountain Lion Hacker-Friendly with This Huge List of Command Line Tricks
• Enable AirDrop Over Ethernet, Even on Unsupported Macs and Hackintoshes
• SwitchResX Enables Resolution Switching From Your Mac’s Menubar
• ScreenRecycler lets you create VNC-accessible virtual desktops on your Mac
• Bartender will roll up menu bar items into one little drop-down menu bar item.
• Private Eye Is a Network Monitor That Keeps a Watch on Incoming and Outgoing Connections
• Battery Time Remaining Brings More Battery Info to Mountain Lion’s Menu Bar
• WaveTap snags audio on your Mac with a keyboard shortcut
• Dual-boot Linux on your Mac
• Mountain Growl Pushes Growl Notifications to Notification Center
• NoSleep Prevents Your MacBook from Sleeping When You Close the Lid
• Automatically Delete a DMG When You Eject It
• SlimBatteryMonitor - A better menu bar battery monitor
• AppleJack system troubleshooting assistant for single user mode
• Force Mac OS X to Automatically Reconnect to VPN
• Battery Status Puts Apple Wireless Keyboard, Trackpad, and Magic Mouse Battery Life in Your Menu Bar
• How to access OS X's built in password generator
• Customize Mountain Lion with Mountain Tweaks
• Wi-Fi Scanner tool in OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion
• Get the Save As... command back on OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion
• TrackPad++ - make Mac trackpad work better in Windows
• Transfer Music from iPhone/iPad/iPod to computer
• Discover hidden features in iOS's built-in apps
• Command line tweaks for Mac OSX
• hfsxplorer - Work with Mac volumes and .DMG files on Windows and other platforms
• Enable AirDrop in Mac OSX Lion on unsupported machines (and ethernet)
• Envelope - a Reddit client for Mac OSX
• Customized defaults script for Mac OSX Lion
• View current print jobs and manage print queue on Mac OSX
• Restore behavior allowing screen off while lid open on MacBooks in Mac OSX Lion
• WiFi Diagnostics Tool in Mac OSX Lion
• Control the volume of your Mac startup sound with this Settings Preference Pane
• Remove drop shadows from OSX screenshots
• TunnelBlick - OpenVPN client for Mac OSX
• Print documents to PDF in your DropBox shared folder
• logkext -- freeware barebones keylogger for OS X that hooks into the kernel
• Bypassing the EFI Firmware Password on a Mac
• TinkerTool adjusts settings for Mac OSX
• Chax - mods and add-ons for iChat
• Typing special characters on the Mac
• Using the Mac keyboard to control internet music sites
• Apple Serial Number Info
• Make OS X Load Your Desktop Before You Log In
• Keyboard shortcuts for Mac OSX
• Secrets - Hidden settings for Mac OSX
• Spirited Away - Hides unused applications automatically after they are idle for a while.
• Making use of extra mouse buttons on third party mice in Mac OSX
• Little known options for the OSX login window
• HyperSpaces - customizes Spaces for easier switching and recognition
• Warp - use the mouse to switch between Spaces
• Notational Velocity - stores and retrieves notes
• SuperDuper bootable backups
• SizeUp
• ForkLift File Manager
• Window Wrangler
• Top 50 Terminal Commands for Mac OSX
• TotalFinder
• Enabling native NTFS write features in OSX v10.6
• Screenshots in Mac OS X
• Disk Inventory X - Shows Disk Space Usage
• MenuWeather - Weather in the Menu Bar
• Drag-and-drop Printing on the Desktop
• Optimizing OS X Mail.app Performance
• Enabling hidden options in Mac OSX Screen Sharing
• 30 Fantastic Geeky Tricks to Get The Most From Your Mac

Here's an applescript I wrote for locking my Mac, I use it daily:

on run
do shell script "/System/Library/CoreServices/Menu\\ Extras/User.menu/Contents/Resources/CGSession -suspend"
end run

Save it as a service using automator, and then set a keyboard shortcut in System Preferences -> Keyboard. I'm using Shift-Command-L.

I find this method far better than the old keychain access trick because it doesn't require an extra icon in your menu bar; it's invisible, and as an added bonus, you get a neat animation. Enjoy!