Tutorials
How to Output Stereo Audio in Mono
Matt Cone January 5, 2021
Recently I replaced my aging Bose QC25 headphones with a pair of AirPods Pro headphones. Both products are a major upgrade from the stock earbuds that ship with iPhones, but the high-quality audio output also means that you can hear every imperfection in the music. For example, older tracks that …
How to Force Quit Mac Apps
Matt Cone January 4, 2021
Under normal circumstances, you can quit applications on your Mac by pressing the Command and Q keys or selecting Quit from the application’s menu. But sometimes an application is frozen and just won’t quit. When that happens, you can force quit the application on your Mac to completely …
How to Change Your Mac's DNS Servers
Matt Cone January 4, 2021
Your Mac uses something called the Domain Name System (DNS) to access websites. It’s a system invisible to you, the user, and most people don’t even know it exists. But if the DNS servers you’re using are slow or unavailable, websites will load slowly or won’t load at all. …
How to Switch the Control and Command Keys
Matt Cone January 3, 2021
One of the most subtle differences between a Mac and a PC is also one of the biggest: the functionality of the control key on the keyboard. When you buy a Mac, you’ll need to start using the command key instead of the control key. For example, instead of pressing Control-S to save and …
How to Open the Library Folder on Your Mac
Matt Cone January 3, 2021
Your Mac contains thousands of hidden files and folders that you’ll probably never need to access. We explained how to access all hidden files and folders in another tutorial, but there’s an easier way to access one of most important hidden folders on your Mac, called the Library folder. …
How to Change Your Mac's Startup Disk
Matt Cone January 3, 2021
When your Mac turns on, it loads the operating system on the designated startup disk, a hard disk or partition containing the macOS operating system. Normally, the startup disk is set as the hard disk inside of your Mac, but you can use an external hard drive, USB thumb drive, or DVD as your startup …
How to Connect an iPhone to a Wi-Fi Network
Matt Cone January 1, 2021
If you’re a new iPhone owner, one of the first things you’ll want to learn how to do is connect your iPhone to a wireless network. That’s because there are certain times when your cellular data connection just won’t cut it, even if you have an unlimited data plan. Using …
Make Your iPhone Ask to Join Wi-Fi Networks
Matt Cone April 11, 2013
By default, your iPhone automatically connects to known wi-fi networks. (To stop an iPhone from automatically connecting, you can tell your iPhone to forget a wi-fi network.) But what happens if you take your iPhone to a new location? You’ll need to manually connect your iPhone to a wi-fi …
Controlling AirPort Network Access with Time Limits
Matt Cone April 9, 2013
If you own an AirPort base station, you can use the Timed Access feature to control the days and times when users access the internet. This could come in handy in a variety of situations. For example, if you own a cafe and provide free wi-fi access, you can configure the AirPort to block all access …
How to Find Your iPad's MAC Address
Matt Cone March 28, 2013
Your iPad’s Wi-Fi interface has a permanent, unique serial number called a media access control (MAC) address. Some universities and employers may request your iPad’s MAC address to monitor or limit your access to certain Wi-Fi networks. MAC addresses can also be used for less nefarious …