An application is a piece of software that helps you perform a task. There is no difference between a program and an application.<\/p>\n
Contents<\/p>
By default, all the applications are placed in a folder labeled Applications<\/em>, which is located at the top of the folder tree in your hard drive. However, this is just a convenient storage place, as you can put an application wherever you\u2019d like on your Mac.<\/p>\n Within the\u00a0Application<\/em>\u00a0folder, there is another folder labeled\u00a0Utilities<\/em>. A utility is an application for technical tasks, such as setting something up or diagnosing a problem.<\/p>\n If you regularly use a particular application, you can drag its icon onto the\u00a0Dock\u00a0to access it quickly. Likewise, you can drag a shortcut to an individual application onto your desktop. If you want quick access to your Applications folder, there are a few options:<\/p>\n .<\/p>\n When an application is up and running, you\u2019ll find all its menus at the top of the screen. The first menu will display the name of the application. It contains everything relating to it \u201cas a whole\u201d, information about the app, such as preferences, options for quitting or closing, and its location.<\/p>\n The application menu also includes\u00a0Services<\/em>. Many users ignore this feature of OS X, but it can be very useful, as it provides quick access to a number of utilities and tools. If you are listening to a track in iTunes, for example, and you want to quickly look up the artist via Google, you can highlight the name of the artist and click Services \u2013 Search With Google<\/em>. If you are typing something in a program with no spell-check feature, select Services \u2013 TextEdit \u2013 New Window Containing Selection<\/em>. The text will appear in TextEdit<\/em>, where you can quickly check the spelling. To customize the way that your Mac\u2019s Services menu works, choose Services \u2013 Services Preferences<\/em> in any application..<\/p>\n If you’re working with multiple applications and windows simultaneously, you may find yourself rooting around for a particular pane. There are a couple of tricks that make it much easier to quickly access the application, window or file that you’re looking for…<\/p>\n This keyboard shortcut allows you to access all the apps which are currently open on your Mac. Hold down the\u00a0Command key<\/em>\u00a0and press the\u00a0Tab<\/em> key. A bar will appear in the center of the screen, displaying all the applications you have opened. Keep holding down the\u00a0Command Key<\/em>,\u00a0and cycle between these applications with repeated clicks of the\u00a0Tab key. When you find the app you want to access, release the keys.<\/p>\n If you want to cycle through the open apps in the opposite direction, add Shift to the combination. You can also keep holding down the\u00a0Command key<\/em>\u00a0and select one of the icons with your mouse.<\/p>\n If you cycle through applications with the\u00a0Command key and Tab<\/em>, you can hit\u00a0Q\u00a0to quit a highlighted program. You can also hit H to hide a program. This is a great way to quickly close lots of programs or clear the decks.<\/p>\n Note, however, that this shortcut will ignore minimized windows. It also won\u2019t work for all applications.<\/p>\n The\u00a0OS X Expos\u00e9\u00a0<\/em>exposes open windows and the desktop by keyboard shortcuts. To do so, try one of the following:<\/p>\n Another useful way to cut through the clutter is to hide all the windows of your applications, except the one you\u2019re working in. These options appear in the menu for an application. However, it\u2019s more convenient to hold down the Option key<\/em>, in order to hide the application you are leaving. You can also hold down the Command key + Option key<\/em> when clicking to a different application via its icon on the Dock<\/em>, or via an open window, if you want to hide all but the application you are selecting.<\/p>\n To minimize or hide an individual window, minimize it to the Dock<\/em> by clicking the yellow button on its top-right corner. To minimize all the windows within an application, including Finder, hold the Option key<\/em> while clicking the yellow button.<\/p>\n If you find the way windows \u201cmelt\u201d down into their minimized state a bit too cute, change \u201cGenie\u201d to \u201cScale\u201d in the\u00a0Dock\u00a0pane of System Preferences..<\/p>\n Spaces\u2019 features allow you to set up a number of different virtual working areas on your Mac for different applications, and for different activities. Its basic idea is to minimize clutter by limiting which active applications and windows are visible at any one time. You might create one \u201cspace\u201d for work applications, another for video and music, and another for email and chat.<\/p>\n To get started, open\u00a0System Preferences<\/em> \u2013 Expos\u00e9 & Spaces<\/em>\u00a0and click the\u00a0Spaces<\/em>\u00a0tab. Check the\u00a0Enable Spaces<\/em> box to get the Spaces<\/em> up and running.<\/p>\n You are now ready to start adding spaces to your grid using the buttons in the top section of the panel, and assigning different commonly used applications to always open into a specific space using the lower half of the panel.<\/p>\n After you do that, you can go back to using your Mac as usual. Your applications and windows will now move in and out of view when you need them. What\u2019s more, there are various different ways to move between your new spaces.<\/p>\n Click F8 to reveal the bird\u2019s eye view, and then either use the mouse or arrow keys to navigate to the one you want, then hit Return<\/em>. When previewing all your spaces in the bird\u2019s eye view, click and drag individual spaces to rearrange them on the screen.<\/p>\n Click the\u00a0Spaces\u00a0<\/em>menu bar icon and select a space from the list.<\/p>\n Click the\u00a0Dock<\/em>\u00a0icon of any application associated with a specific space to be taken to that space. Note that if an application is currently closed, clicking its\u00a0Dock<\/em>\u00a0icon will both launch the application, and take you to the associated space.<\/p>\n Use the keyboard shortcuts\u00a0^1, ^2, ^3, ^4, etc., to go directly to a space.<\/p>\n Use the keyboard shortcuts ^ arrows to toggle between the various spaces.<\/p>\n In bird\u2019s eye view, you can drag individual\u00a0Finder\u00a0<\/em>and application windows between different spaces, even when the application is already associated with a certain space. This is useful for keeping a space tidy when working with multiple documents from a single application.<\/p>\n Within\u00a0System Preferences<\/em> \u2013 Expos\u00e9 & Spaces<\/em>, check the\u00a0Show Spaces\u00a0in menu bar box. This offers a quick and easy way to switch between spaces, and open\u00a0Spaces Preferences<\/em>.<\/p>\n You can create up to 16 spaces arranged 4 x 4. However, anything more than six almost defeats the purpose, as it can become a drag to keep track of where things are and switch quickly between applications.<\/p>\n Check the When switching box<\/em> at the bottom of the panel, if you want the relevant space to come to the front when you click the icon of an application associated with that space.<\/p>\n Some applications can take you through a step by step installer process. However, in the majority of cases, installing software on Mac OS X involves simply dropping a single file or folder into the Applications folder<\/em> (or somewhere else if you prefer). If you don\u2019t want an app that you\u2019ve downloaded to be available to other users on your Mac, put it in your home folder, not in the\u00a0Applications\u00a0<\/em>folder.<\/p>\n To uninstall an app, drag the file to the trash. Installing and uninstalling applications is a\u00a0very user-friendly element of OS X.<\/p>\n It is very easy to share applications. Just copy a file or folder from someone else\u2019s Applications folder into yours, and generally it should work with no issues. However, be aware that you may break the terms of the license agreement in this case.<\/p>\n Also keep in mind that when you drag an application to the Trash<\/em>, some residual files may be left in your Mac\u2019s Libraries<\/em>. This is harmless, but you may want to delete them and clean the Mac if you\u2019re short of disk space. The \u201creadme\u201d file that usually comes with an app, though not always, may contain the names of all files relevant to that app. You could also use\u00a0Spotlight\u00a0to search for the name of the application to locate files that are no longer useful. However, you must be certain that you can delete these files, and that they are not used by other apps!<\/p>\n Be warned:\u00a0Small and easily installed applications, such as widgets, offer an obvious way in for malicious software, so avoid any widgets that look remotely suspicious..<\/p>\nHow to Launch and Quit<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Application Menu<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Switching Apps and Windows<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
The Mother of All Shortcuts: Command Key-Tab<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Expos\u00e9<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Hiding Applications<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
How to Minimize Windows<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Spaces<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
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Installing and Uninstalling<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n
Links<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n