Stop Apps From Opening When Turning On Your Mac

Hi, and welcome to my office!

Today I will be talking about how to prevent applications from automatically opening every time you turn on your Mac.  This can be very annoying.  Luckily there is a quick and easy fix!  There are two places to check that controls these options.

Location 1

1. Search for "System Preferences" 
2. Click "Users & Groups"
3. Select "Login Items" tab
4. Remove anything you don't want opened on startup.

Location 2 

• When turning off or restarting your computer there will be a box that says "Reopen windows when logging back in."  Uncheck this box.

Finding the Model Identifier on your Mac

This information is relevant if you are checking compatibility with hardware you were considering upgrading with. Otherwise, it's good to know how to access this information.

1. Open the “” menu

2. Click “About This Mac”

Note: You will be able to find the model at the top of this window.

3. Click “System Report…”

4. The “Model Identifier” will help you determine what upgrades will be  compatible with your mac. The numbers at the end are what determines the model identifier

Personalize Your Dock on your Mac

How to set up your Dock

System Preferences is awesome in that it allows targeted customization of specific features on a Mac.  The Dock is found on the side or bottom of the screen and is the bar that allows for quick access to your favorite applications, files, and folders.  This is one of the first things that you will want to customize on your system by allowing shortcuts and keeping clutter away from the desktop.  These are all just customization preferences, and there will be an explanation of what each one does and how they work.  In the end it is all up to your personal preference.

Opening Dock Preferences

1. Open the "" menu at the top left corner of your screen.
2. Select "System Preferences"



A faster way of opening "System Preferences" or any application is by performing a Spotlight Search

3. Open "Dock."

Size

• You can adjust the size of the applications that appear in the Dock

Magnification

• By enabling Magnification, you can have the Dock magnify the icon when you drag the mouse over it.  You can adjust just how much or little it magnifies.

Positioning

• You can choose whether your Dock appears on the left of the screen, the bottom center, or the right of the screen.  

Minimizing Windows Effect

• Genie vs. Scaled effect is purely aesthetic.  It is seen when you minimize a window to the Dock.  Scale is a little more bland in my opinion, but test them both to see what you prefer.

Other Preferences

• Double click the top of a window to minimize
• Shows whether you want an application to minimize to the dock or the application icon
• Lets you know when an application is open or needs your attention
• Hiding the dock gives extra desktop space
• "Indicator lights" tell which applications are open.  

Dock Organization

• Saving Applications to Dock
• You can either drag-and-drop and application to the Dock, OR if the application is already open, you can Right-click > Options > "Keep In Dock"
• Saving Folders to Dock
• If you want to keep a folder in your Dock, Simply drag-and-drop it to the Dock.  Applications and Folders are separated in the dock by a dividing line, make sure to drag it to the Folder part of the divide (the side with your recycling bin).
• Organization
• To organize your dock so that applications are near each other, just drag-and-drop them to where you want their position to be.
• Removing Items from Dock
• Just Drag the application or folder you want to remove from the Dock to outside the Dock.  Wait for the application to turn transparent and say "Remove."  Then let go of the mouse to remove it form the Dock.
• NOTE:  Doing this will only remove the application from your Dock, not from your computer.  you will still be able to find the removed application in the applications folder.  

Useful Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

Welcome to my office, today I’m going to teach some shortcuts on the keyboard that can give incredible control over your Mac.  Practicing and integrating these shortcuts can increase the speed in which you interact with your computer.  After mastering these shortcuts, you will find it's often faster than using your mouse!

Keyboard shortcuts

    Keyboard shortcuts will significantly increase the speed in which you can perform actions on your computer.  Here is a list of keyboard shortcuts that are useful for the average user.

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Cut, Copy, Paste.

The Ability to take text from one document and 'paste' it onto another document is one of the first commands I recommend learning and mastering. The difference between 'cut' and 'copy' is important when you are writing a document. 'Cut' removes the text to the clipboard, whereas 'copy' keeps the text and simultaneously copies it to the clipboard.

Copy:  "Command" + "C"

Cut:  "Command" + "X"

Paste: "Command" + "V"

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Text Manipulation

Manipulating text without using your mouse can be a very useful skill to have. These are just the basics, We'll get into more complex ways to highlight or manipulate your text in a later article.

Bold Text: "Command" + "B"

Italicize Text: "Command" + "I"

Underline Text: "Command" + "U"

Select all text: "Command" + "A"

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Window Manipulation

Knowing how to open new windows, or close windows without having to use your mouse can save boatloads of time. Again These are just some basics, there are many more ways to manipulate windows.

Open New Window: "Command" + "N"

Open New Tab: "Command" + "T"

Close Tab/Window: "Command" + "W"

Create New Folder (Finder): "Command" + "Shift" + "N"

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Application Manipulation

Applications can do some pretty cool things, but its always nice to know how to use them faster.

Open Preferences: "Command" + ","

Open Spotlight: "Command" + "Space"

Print: "Command" + "P"

Quit Application: "Command" + "Q"

Redo: "Command" + "Y"

Undo: "Command" + "Z"

Save: "Command" + "S"

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Screenshots

Whether you're having a problem with your computer and want to send a picture or just want to show someone a snippet of your screen, screenshots are a very useful ability to be aware of.

Whole Screenshot:  "Command" + "Shift" + "3"

Targeted Screenshot: "Command" + "Shift" + "4"

Find Anything Instantly on Your Mac!

Welcome to my office.  Today I'm going to discuss useful ways to search your mac for anything using a wonderful background application called 'Spotlight.'  Performing a Spotlight Search can drastically increase the speed in which you would be able to open things over searching for it manually.

The application "Spotlight" searches your mac for all relevant Files, Folders, and Applications to the keyword you type in.  This makes it very useful to quickly access anything as fast as you can type it!

Performing a Spotlight Search.

1. The little secret behind the power of searching at your very fingertips is found in the program on the menu bar called Spotlight! Spotlight is a powerful plug-in that lets you search your mac for anything (drum roll please).
2. Command + Space

3. Type to search

4. Enjoy  

Personalize your Desktop on your Mac

Your "desktop" is pretty much exactly what it says.  It provides a virtual desk for which to put your current projects.  Changing the appearance of your desktop gives your computer a nice personalized touch.  This video gives a quick concise walkthrough on changing the appearance of your desktop.  If the video is too fast, below is a step-by-step walkthrough that breaks down the steps.

Changing your Desktop: Method 1  (Easiest)

1. Right-click anywhere on your desktop.  A dropdown menu will appear.
2. Select "Change Desktop Background..."
3. Browse and Select your favorite background from Apple's default desktops.
4. If you want your own personal desktop you can choose one by pressing the "plus" (+) at the bottom left of the window, and select the folder where your custom desktop is.  
5. You have the option for the desktop to change pictures  after a certain amount of time from the folder you select.

Changing your Desktop: Method 2

1. In the top left, select the apple menu and click "System Preferences..."
   
   
   
2. In the top left, select "Desktop & Screensaver."  From this you can follow the remaining directions from Method 1.

Upgrade RAM on 2010-2012 MacBook Pro

Upgrading your RAM is one of the easiest upgrades you can do on any Mac computer.  RAM is like your short term memory. 

This is by far the fastest and least expensive mac upgrade.  This quick how-to video will walk you through the necessary steps in 2 minutes.  Upgrading memory of your computer is something that will take you about 20 minutes total.  If you want your computer's multitasking abilities to be greatly improved, or are already thinking of buying RAM to increase the performance of your mac.  Watch this video to see just how easy it actually is!

You can find some good inexpensive RAM on Amazon Here

This memory upgrade allows your computer to multi-task much faster.  This video shows how to upgrade the RAM of a Mid 2010 MacBook Pro from 2 x 2GB RAM to 2 x 4GB RAM, effectively doubling its memory to 8 GB RAM.  This memory upgrade video works up to the 2012 model, even though the video is of a 2010 model.

What is RAM?

RAM stands for Random Access Memory and serves as temporary memory or storage for an operating system so that it does not have to re-retrieve any of the data you are working with.  The higher your RAM the more multitasking your computer can handle without freaking out.  

RAM upgrade

• Upgrading your RAM is one of the cheapest do-it-yourself upgrades that will dramatically boost your computer’s performance.  
• Also, it is one of the only hardware upgrades you can perform on your mac without voiding warranty.

Purchasing the correct RAM

1. Start by identifying your model number / model ID in your computer
2. Use a reputable retailer to find RAM that will be compatible with your computer.  Both newegg and Other World Computing are good online stores that help you find exactly what you are looking for. I found some compatible with my 2010 model on Amazon
3. Once your new RAM arrives is when the fun begins!!

Installing MacBook Pro RAM

1. Turn off computer.  (if you don’t know how to turn off your computer, I don’t encourage performing this upgrade quite yet)

2. Use a towel or something to provide a soft, static-free zone to make sure you don’t injure your laptop.

Begin by removing the 3 screws on the top right near the ‘elbow’ of the computer.  You will know you have the correct screws if they are the 3 longer ones.

• It helps to have a dish or shot glass to put your screws in.
• Find the tools to open up your computer

4. Lightly pull apart the two tabs holding in the ram. They should pop out easily

5. Then pull and slide them out.  There should be 2 chips.

6. Replace the RAM with your upgraded RAM. Again there should be 2 chips

7. You’re finished performing your upgrade! Now just screw your computer back together!  Make sure to put the longest 3 screws in first.