Cover image for Sierra: A Take Control Crash Course

Sierra: A Take Control Crash Course

Author Scholle McFarland
Release Date: 2016/10/01
ISBN: 9781492018179
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Book Description

Learn macOS 10.12 Sierra with Mac expert and former Macworld editor Scholle McFarland!

Head into the wilds of Sierra with confidence with the detailed "What's New in Sierra" list found this this Crash Course. You'll also learn about big new Sierra features like Siri, app tabs, Desktop and Documents folder syncing, Universal Clipboard, and Apple Pay in Safari. Particularly important is the book's discussion of Optimized Storage, which can save a lot of space on a Mac with a small drive, but should be enabled only when you understand its implications.

Our favorite chapter is "Discover the Little Things in Sierra," which explains keeping folders on top of file listings, new text shortcut features, link and video previews in Messages, Picture in Picture, and the somewhat involved steps for setting up Auto Unlock with an Apple Watch. Also, don't miss Scholle's troubleshooting advice, which covers a wide range of misbehavior, from a frozen app to a frozen Mac.

You'll also benefit from the book's coverage of core Mac topics. Thanks to a magazine-like layout with lots of steps, lists, and screenshots, you can find just the info you need, whether it involves understanding iCloud Drive, managing your menu bar effectively, configuring Notification Center to be useful, getting the most out of your Finder window's sidebar, dealing with the Dock, pinning tabs in Safari, or any of a myriad of other helpful subjects.

Whether you want to browse for a few tips or go deep, you'll learn about...

  • The hidden trick to getting your Mac to respond to "Hey, Siri!"
  • All the things Siri can do for you on the Mac
  • Improving your writing with Sierra's new text shortcuts
  • How to watch a video--even from YouTube!--while you pretend to get work done
  • The steps necessary to set your Apple Watch up to unlock your Mac automatically
  • Using Apple Pay with an iPhone--while shopping online in Safari on your Mac
  • How to sort folders on top of files in Finder windows... Or not.
  • The best ways to work with Sierra's new tabs in apps beyond Safari and the Finder
  • Using Handoff to move a task from your Mac to your iPhone, or vice-versa
  • Moving data between your Apple devices with Universal Clipboard
  • Understanding where your Desktop and Documents folders go when synced
  • How you access synced Desktop and Documents folders from other devices and older Macs
  • How to set up Finder window sidebar favorites, and where to find those same favorites in a Save dialog
  • What to do if your Mac won't turn on, if you get the spinning beachball of death, or if you need to repair your disk--and how to easily find out if your Mac still has AppleCare
  • And much more!

Table of Contents

  1. Read Me First
    1. Formats and Updates
    2. Finding System Preferences
    3. What’s New in This Version
  2. Introduction
  3. Sierra Quick Start
    1. What’s Changed
    2. System-wide Tools
    3. Updated Apps
    4. Finder Fundamentals
    5. iCloud & Continuity
    6. Troubleshooting & Account Essentials
  4. What’s New in Sierra?
    1. Interface Changes
    2. Cross-device Features
    3. System-wide Tools
    4. Apple Apps
    5. Fundamentals
  5. Discover the Little Things in Sierra
    1. Watch While You Work
    2. Take Advantage of Text Shortcuts
    3. Watch Out for Auto-correct!
    4. Unlock Your Mac with Your Apple Watch
    5. Add New References to Dictionary
    6. Keep Folders on Top When Sorting in the Finder
    7. Make Your Mac More Accessible
    8. Do More with Contacts
    9. Filter Your Email
    10. Store Fewer Attachments Locally
    11. Preview Links and Play Videos in Messages
    12. Share Big Feelings with Big Emoji in Messages
    13. Tapback in Messages
    14. Turn Off Read Receipts in Messages
  6. Say Hello to Siri
    1. Enable Siri
    2. Get Started
    3. Change Siri’s Voice or Language
    4. Find Files with Siri
    5. Work with System Preferences and Information
    6. Do Tasks with Apps
    7. Get Answers to Questions
    8. Ask Siri What You Can Ask
  7. Find More Faster with Spotlight
    1. Start a Search in Spotlight
    2. Preview Your Results
    3. Search Using Natural Language
    4. When Natural Language Doesn’t Come Naturally
    5. What Can You Find?
    6. Find (Just) Files Faster
    7. Omit Types of Results
    8. Exclude Files from Spotlight
    9. Consider Spotlight Suggestions and Privacy
  8. Cut Clutter with New App Tabs
    1. Create a New Tab
    2. Try Other Ways to Create New Finder Tabs
    3. Move between Tabs
    4. Move Files between Finder Tabs
    5. Turn Tabs into Windows
    6. Merge a Mess of Windows
    7. Close Your Tabs
  9. Master the Menu Bar
    1. The Apple  and App Menus
    2. The Status Menu
  10. Command the View
    1. Open Mission Control
    2. Put Everything in Its Space
    3. Split View
  11. Keep Current with Notification Center
    1. Control Notifications’ Look
    2. Turn Off Notifications Temporarily
    3. Designate Quiet Time
    4. Explore the Sidebar
    5. What to Do in Notifications View
    6. Set Up Notifications View
    7. Check Out Today View
    8. Customize Today View
  12. Do More with the Dock
    1. Learn the Lay of the Land
    2. Use Dock Icons
    3. Add an Item to the Dock
    4. Remove a Dock Item
    5. Why Not Move Your Dock to the Left or Right?
    6. Change Your Dock’s Orientation
    7. Try More Dock Tweaks
    8. Dash to Your Downloads
    9. Tackle the Trash
  13. Customize the Finder Window Sidebar
    1. What the Sidebar Can Do
    2. What’s in the Sidebar
    3. Set Up Your Sidebar
    4. Reorganizing Sidebar Items
    5. How to Use the Sidebar
    6. Finder Tags and the Sidebar
    7. Access the Sidebar in Open and Save Dialogs
  14. Update Your Safari Smarts
    1. New! Apple Pay for Safari
    2. New! More Searchable Bookmarks
    3. New! Better Plug-in Control
    4. New! Open Recently Closed Tabs
    5. Find a Lost Tab with Tab View
    6. Pin Your Go-to Sites
    7. Essential Safari Shortcuts
  15. Note Your Thoughts
    1. See Notes on All Your Devices
    2. Create a New Folder
    3. Create a Note
    4. Format Text
    5. Make a Checklist
    6. Attach Photos and More
    7. New(ish)! Lock a Note
    8. New! Share Notes with Others
    9. Search for Notes
    10. Browse Your Attachments
    11. Export and Share Notes
    12. Delete a Note
  16. Move Easily between Devices with Handoff
    1. Handoff Requirements
    2. Set Up Handoff
    3. Switch Devices
    4. Troubleshoot Handoff
    5. Turn Handoff Off
  17. Juggle Information with the Universal Clipboard
    1. Requirements
    2. What Works
    3. What Happens
    4. Tips for Copying and Pasting Images
  18. Turn Your Mac into a Speakerphone
    1. Set Up Calling
    2. Receive a Call on Your Mac
    3. Make a Call from Your Mac
    4. Navigate Automated Phone Systems
    5. Hold All Your Calls
    6. Adjust Where Calls Go
    7. Turn Phone Features Off
  19. Share Files with AirDrop (and More)
    1. AirDrop Requirements
    2. Turn On Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
    3. Get Ready to Share
    4. Send a File
    5. What Happens on the Recipient’s Device?
    6. When in Doubt: Try Other Sharing Methods
  20. Navigate iCloud Drive
    1. What iCloud Drive Can Do
    2. Turn On iCloud Drive
    3. Size Up Your Storage
    4. Save a File to iCloud Drive
    5. Access iCloud Drive Files
    6. Turn Off iCloud Drive
  21. Manage Your Storage
    1. Store in iCloud
    2. Optimize Storage
    3. Empty Trash Automatically
    4. Reduce Clutter
  22. Avoid Problems with User Accounts
    1. Know Your Accounts
    2. Welcome Visitors to the Guest Account
    3. Create Managed Accounts for Kids and Novices
    4. Create a Troubleshooting Account
  23. Troubleshoot Mac Problems
    1. Zap a Frozen App
    2. Solve Slowdowns
    3. Tame Troubled Startups
    4. Try Disk Utility’s First Aid
    5. Turn to macOS Recovery
    6. Erase and Reinstall Sierra
  24. About This Book
    1. Ebook Extras
    2. Registering Your Ebook
  25. About the Author
  26. About the Publisher
  27. Copyright and Fine Print
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