Customizing Your Dock

For Mac users, there is one characteristic of an Apple computer that must be well understood: the dock. By default, the tool bar at the bottom of your screen is the dock, and it contains applications, running programs, and folders. Here are a few quick guidelines you should know to fully understand this feature.

First, the layout of the dock is simple. Your available Mac applications appear on the left side, and your Trash and minimized files appear on the right. The two sides are clearly divided by an solid or dotted line.

Second, a single click on one of the icons will open the program or file you wish to view. You can also drag and drop items from your desktop, the Internet, or other programs you are using directly to the dock. This will allow you to open or save them in a particular application.

Finally, you can drag applications from your Finder window and drop them in the dock so that they are visible at all times. Your favorite programs can now be opened with a single click. Rearranging your icons is easy, just click on one and drag it left or right to set up your ideal display.

Mac Performance Tips

After purchasing a Mac notebook or Mac desktop, there are expectations for it to run smoothly without any problems. But, in order to keep up your Mac’s performance level over time, you must treat it correctly and maintain a clutter-free system. The most obvious answer is to purchase more RAM, but for those of us on a budget, the following tips will keep your Mac speedy.

Avoid using an animated desktop background. Although it looks great, it uses a lot of memory. Use a fixed background or solid color to keep up performance levels.

Remove or close unimportant dashboard widgets. Widgets available on your dashboard unfortunately consume memory that your Mac uses to run smoothly. Select essential widgets that will be used daily and leave the others behind.

The automatic protection features on most utilities can also be disabled to improve performance The utilities that are monitoring your system for performance or viruses use processor cycles that are needed for your Mac to run.

Removing nonessential fonts is another good solution. These extra fonts will consistently degrade Mac OS X performance, taking up space and slowing down the processes that your Mac needs to complete.

Always perform regular maintenance on your Mac to keep performance levels at their best. Following these quick and easy tips can create a faster and more efficient Mac Operating System.

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Tips For Cleaning Your Mac

Keeping your Mac clean is an essential element of properly caring for your computer. Leaving your Mac with a dirty screen and keyboard can disrupt the functionality of this precious gadgetry. There are several great ways to clean your Mac and keep it working even longer.

The best cleaning solution for the LCD Display screen and keyboard is rubbing alcohol, but it is important to never to spray any type of liquid directly onto any computer component. Always spray it on a cloth and then use the cloth to clean the desired area. Also, make sure the cloth is not over saturated so that it does not drip down the screen or into the keyboard. Q-tips are very efficient to clean the corners of the screen as well.

Make sure to keep your Mac clean and never eat, drink, or smoke while using it. If crumbs, liquid, or pet hair do end up getting into the keyboard, use a vacuum attachment and gently clean up the messy areas.

Check back for more helpful tips on using your Mac!