Quick Guide: Apple MacOS

Apple MacOS is an operating system for Ithaca College owned computers running on Macintosh. This quick guide provides information on how to use some of the features offered. 

Audience

This article is intended for staff, faculty and students

Platform

Apple MacOS

Connect to Mentor

1. Click Go in the Finder menu.
2. Choose Connect to Server… from the drop-down menu.
3. Type smb://mentor into the Server Address textbox. You can click the plus (+) to add this server to your “Favorite Servers” list for easy access in the future.
4. Select the volume you’d like to access (e.g., “Home”).
5. Click OK.

Configure Multiple Displays

1. Open System Preferences/System Settings.
2. Click Displays.
3. Under the Arrangement tab, you will find options for managing the arrangement and behavior of multiple displays
4. To identify which display is represented by each blue box, click and hold on the blue box. This will display a red border on both the blue box and the actual display it represents.
5. Click and drag the blue boxes, arranging the displays to match their actual position on your desk.
6. The white bar displayed on one of the blue boxes represents your main screen (the display where the dock will be located). You can click and drag this white bar to any of the blue boxes.
7. Check Mirror Displays if you’d like all of your displays to show the same main screen.

Create an Alias

1. To create an alias (shortcut), right-click or control-click the item you want to alias to. An alias can be created for all types of items, such as files, folders, and applications
2. From the pop-up menu, select Make Alias.
3. An alias with the same file name appended with the word “alias” will be created in the same location as the original item. (e.g., “Report” becomes “Report alias”)

Customize Your Dock

1. Open System Preferences/System Settings.
2. Click Dock / Desktop & Dock.
3. Set your preferences for the following options:
   • Size: Controls the icon size.
   • Magnification: Enables or Disables magnifying the icon size when you move your cursor over an icon on the Dock. You can also adjust the intensity of magnification.
   • Position on Screen: Choose whether your dock will be on the left, bottom, or right side of your display.
   • Additional Settings: Allow you to change behaviors, such as automatically hiding the Dock.

Customize Finder Preferences

1. Click Finder in the menu.
2. Select Preferences… from the drop-down menu.
3. Set your preferences for the following options:
   • The General tab allows you to show/hide system icons on your desktop (e.g., external disks).
   • The Tags tab allows you to manage tags, which are used to easily group and access files or folders.
   • The Sidebar tab allows you to decide which items are displayed in your Finder sidebar.
   • The Advanced tab offers advanced options, such as showing all filename extensions.

Customize Mouse Preferences

1. Open System Preferences/System Settings.
2. Click Mouse.
3. Check Scroll direction: Natural if you want screen to move in the opposite direction of the scroll wheel. Deselect this option if you want the screen to move in the same direction as the scroll wheel
4. Adjust the Tracking, Double-Click, and Scrolling sliders to customize the speed of each.
5. Set the action attributed to the various buttons of your mouse. This option will vary with the type of mouse or pointing device that is connected to your computer.

Customize Sound Preferences

1. Open System Preferences/System Settings.
2. Click Sound.
3. If you have a device for sound output other than the built-in speakers (e.g., external speakers), you must select the device in the Output tab for sound to play through your external device.
   • Move the Balance slider bar to adjust the balance of your audio output.
4. If you have a device for sound input other than the built-in microphone (e.g., webcam), you must select the device in the Input tab for your computer to use the external microphone of your device.
   • Move the Input Volume slider bar to adjust the sensitivity of your external microphone.
   • Check Use ambient noise reduction to help filter unwanted audio picked up by your input device.
5. Adjust the Output Volume and Mute options within any of the tabs in this preference pane.
6. You can Show volume in menu bar by checking the option at the bottom of the preference pane.