Questions tagged [mac]

Hardware related questions of computers sold/made by Apple. Use [macos] for the operating system, and use [mac-address] for MAC addresses instead.

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288 votes
5 answers
142k views

What's the equivalent of Linux's updatedb command for the Mac?

If I want to use the locate command on a Linux machine, I usually run sudo updatedb first to update the database. I can run the locate command on OS X 10.5 but I can't find updatedb. What's the ...
Thierry Lam's user avatar
  • 4,307
257 votes
5 answers
377k views

How to find files with certain text in the Terminal

I'd like to find all files that contain a certain string of text. How would you do that in the Terminal?
Svish's user avatar
  • 39.5k
247 votes
15 answers
336k views

Looking for HTTP debugging proxy for Mac similar to Fiddler on Windows [closed]

In previous jobs when I've worked on a Windows machine, I've used Fiddler for viewing HTTP transactions and debugging. I'm specifically looking to monitor the HTTP transactions for an ajax site I'm ...
241 votes
4 answers
311k views

How to add user to a group from Mac OS X command line?

I am trying to add a user to a group from the command line but can't figure out how. Specifically this is on Mac OS X Server version 10.5.8. The user is 'john', the groups are 'admin' and 'wheel'.
Meltemi's user avatar
  • 6,957
209 votes
4 answers
199k views

How do you run a SSH server on Mac OS X?

How do you run a ssh server on Mac OS X?
Pablo Fernandez's user avatar
183 votes
9 answers
113k views

Mac: 3 monitor setup: My desktop set keep switching places between monitors

Situation: I have a MacBook pro MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2014) And have 2 External Monitors ASUS VS247 Display connected via thunderbolt. On each monitor, I have multiple Desktops/Spaces ...
Sai Phaninder Reddy J's user avatar
162 votes
16 answers
287k views

What keyboard shortcuts move, resize, and maximize windows under Mac OS X?

I just checked http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_keyboard_shortcuts but the following "Window management" entries are blank for Mac OS X: Move the focused window Resize the focused window ...
Philip Durbin's user avatar
156 votes
9 answers
506k views

How can I scan the local network for connected devices in Mac OS?

I'm basically looking for something like this but available on Mac. I am using Mac OS X 10.6. I am trying to connect a new workstation to our wireless multifunction printer and I'm having a hell of a ...
macek's user avatar
  • 6,205
155 votes
8 answers
75k views

How can I get control+left arrow to go back one word in iTerm2?

I was reading up in the Linux manual and I noticed that it said I could use control+left and control+right to move forward and back words in the terminal while editing. "Pressing Ctrl plus the Left ...
cwd's user avatar
  • 18.1k
153 votes
2 answers
193k views

How do you re-install a package with Homebrew (Mac)?

Struggling to find good Homebrew documentation (or tutorial)... In the mean time I need to reinstall ImageMagick that was installed with Homebrew (brew install imagemagick) and not sure if I should ...
Meltemi's user avatar
  • 6,957
149 votes
5 answers
175k views

How to selectively route network traffic through VPN on Mac OS X Leopard?

I don't want to send all my network traffic down to VPN when I'm connected to my company's network (via VPN) from home. For example, when I'm working from home, I would like to be able to backup all ...
newtonapple's user avatar
  • 1,593
139 votes
14 answers
276k views

How to minimize all windows in macOS?

I am a recent refugee from Windows land (at least on one of my PCs). One thing I really miss in macOS is the ability to minimize all windows. I can't seem to find the shortcut that does it, or even a ...
AngryHacker's user avatar
  • 18.6k
131 votes
9 answers
272k views

Is there a way to listen to the input sound on Mac OS X?

Is there any easy way to listen to the input on a Mac? For example, assume I have a microphone hooked up to the input (i.e. line in) of my Mac, and I have headphones hooked up to the output of my ...
Senseful's user avatar
  • 4,240
129 votes
4 answers
128k views

How does one switch between windows on VIM?

I'm using both Vim and MacVim (or well, trying to). I installed the Tagbar plugin but find it impossible to switch to the actual Tagbar window to make my selection. I've been reading loads about ...
Naatan's user avatar
  • 1,385
118 votes
2 answers
349k views

Keyboard Shortcut to Maximize Current Window / Application in OSX [duplicate]

I am using OSX 10.9.1. Is there a keyboard shortcut to simulate the maximize and minimize functions that you normally find on the top left hand corner of the screen? I read some of the other ...
Lloyd Banks's user avatar
  • 1,557
110 votes
11 answers
17k views

Securely erasing all data from a hard drive

I am about to sell my old desktop PC and I am cautious about some of my sensitive information being available to the purchaser, even after reformatting the hard-drive, using data recovery software. ...
Josh Hunt's user avatar
  • 21.3k
109 votes
7 answers
146k views

Increase the maximum number of open file descriptors in Snow Leopard?

I am trying to do something that requires a large number of file descriptors sudo ulimit -n 12288 is as high as Snow Leopard wants to go; beyond this results in /usr/bin/ulimit: line 4: ulimit: ...
Chris Poole's user avatar
  • 1,849
109 votes
5 answers
296k views

Create a tar file for compressing files and directories on Mac OS X

I'm new to Mac OS X and am not sure how to do this: I have three directories. I want to create a tar/zip file of them so that I can attach them to an email. Any ideas?
sagarkothari's user avatar
  • 4,985
106 votes
6 answers
266k views

Utilize extra mouse buttons in Mac OS X

I have a wireless USB mouse by Anker (https://www.anker.com/products/98ANWVM-UBA) with a few extra buttons that I would like to take advantage of on my Macbook Pro (running OS X 10.11.6). On their ...
Logan's user avatar
  • 1,833
106 votes
8 answers
268k views

Search through text files in Mac OS X

Is there a way to search through all the text files in a folder (and subfolders) for a specific string or bit of text in Mac OS X?
Paul Sheldrake's user avatar
105 votes
6 answers
164k views

"reload" mac audio drivers without rebooting

I have an external audio interface (M-audio fast track c400). In order to get my macbook to recognize it (display in audio/midi setup), I have to reboot, which is a hassle. I have had other m-audio ...
RyanM's user avatar
  • 1,173
101 votes
4 answers
130k views

Where do I get the pdflatex program for Mac?

I'm trying to convert Jupyter notebook to .pdf on Mac. However, it tells me nbconvert tailed: pdflatex not found on PATH So, I went looking around and someone said, "Install mactex because this ...
Wayne Werner's user avatar
  • 2,323
100 votes
15 answers
78k views

zsh starts incredibly slowly

ZSH takes about a second and a half from creating a new terminal window to being ready. I'm pretty sure that the culprit is compinit. I haven't been able to find good documentation on compinit, but ...
Eli's user avatar
  • 1,103
100 votes
4 answers
90k views

Keyboard Shortcut to Right Click in Mac OS X

Is there a keyboard shortcut for right clicking in Mac OS X? If not, when using the built in spell check, is there a way to drive spelling correction via the keyboard? Also if not, is there a third ...
Alana Storm's user avatar
  • 1,737
100 votes
3 answers
67k views

"Google Software Update would like to control this computer..." What?

For the first time (that I've seen), some piece of Google's software updater is now asking for permission to control my computer. I couldn't find any other mention of this on the web, so I don't know ...
Craig Otis's user avatar
98 votes
9 answers
245k views

How do I burn an ISO on a USB drive on Mac OS X?

what's the best way to get an ISO "burned" to a USB stick on a Mac? Restoring using Disk Utility does not work. The ISO is ubuntu mini.iso. It is the minimalist install ISO for installing ubuntu. It ...
Jason Marcell's user avatar
96 votes
4 answers
107k views

An application to easily pick a color in Mac OS X and get the hex value [closed]

I'm looking for a way to easily pick a color from anywhere on the screen in Mac OS X and get the value as a hex code (like #ACC782 ). OS X has a built in system "color picker" and I found a ...
cwd's user avatar
  • 18.1k
96 votes
5 answers
344k views

Command Line SSH restart Mac OSX Mountain Lion

How can I restart the SSH service via the command line on Mac OSX Mountain Lion please? Using ps aux | grep 'ssh', I was able to deduce that the process is most likely /usr/sbin/sshd. From here I ...
James Webster's user avatar
95 votes
6 answers
47k views

Turn off Microsoft apps 'Microsoft AutoUpdate' app on a Mac

Microsoft used to just do a system notification you could easily disable. Now they launch the Microsoft AutoUpdate program process once per day. This interrupts whatever you are doing to put the focus ...
Mike Riess's user avatar
  • 1,051
95 votes
11 answers
30k views

Cross-platform file system

I would like my external drives to be readable and writable from Linux, Mac OS X and Windows. FAT32 works, but the 4 GB file size limit is a showstopper these days. Are there any alternatives?
Console's user avatar
  • 2,672
94 votes
8 answers
101k views

How do I configure custom URL handlers on OS X?

I've been reading a lot online about custom URL handlers / custom protocol handlers such as: Launching External Applications using Custom Protocols under OSX OS X URL handler to open links to local ...
cwd's user avatar
  • 18.1k
93 votes
10 answers
240k views

How can I run an application with command line arguments in Mac OS

Is there any easy way to append command line arguments to an application on a Mac? For example, to run Opera in kiosk mode or to use a different profile in Firefox, I can type $ /Applications/Opera....
Andrew's user avatar
  • 2,469
91 votes
5 answers
192k views

How do I get the size of a Linux or Mac OS X directory from the command-line? [duplicate]

What command do I use to find the size of all the files (recursively) in a Linux or Mac OS X directory?
Daryl Spitzer's user avatar
91 votes
6 answers
239k views

Command to 'gzip' a folder?

I am new to Mac command prompt stuff. How do you create a gzip of a folder in Mac OS X? I was told by a few folks that if you want to create a gzip of a folder you should 'tar' it first and then 'gzip'...
thndrkiss's user avatar
  • 1,053
91 votes
9 answers
170k views

Hotkey to Mute Mic on Mac OS X?

Is there a hotkey I can use or configure to mute the mic on a 13" MacBook Pro (MPB)? I would prefer an icon or notification to confirm that it is set (even if I need to toggle the option).
wag2639's user avatar
  • 7,134
87 votes
5 answers
9k views

What is the name of the 8 white squares surrounding resizable views?

I came across this annoying moment while writing a how-to article and realized I didn't know the name of those white squares that surround views. Here some images for clarification. Windows ...
Android Admirer's user avatar
85 votes
7 answers
51k views

Mac OS X Terminal: mouse support?

Is there a native option (ie. without installing extra soft/package/plugins) to enable mouse support in the Terminal app? Actually, I'm using a lot vim with the option set mouse=a (activating mouse ...
avetis.kazarian's user avatar
85 votes
4 answers
96k views

How would I remap Mac CMD to CTRL keys in Remote Desktop Connection for Mac application?

I sometimes have to use Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection for Mac for remote access to a Windows 7 machine from an iMac running MacOS X 10.6.6 (Snow Leopard). Making the mental switch to use the ...
Greg R.'s user avatar
  • 1,884
84 votes
14 answers
105k views

.bashrc not sourced in iTerm + Mac OS X

I am using iTerm in Mac OS X 10.6. It seems when I open iTerm, neither .bashrc nor .bash_profile is sourced. I can tell because the aliases defined in .bashrc are not set. How to fix?
Computist's user avatar
  • 2,957
83 votes
11 answers
287k views

How to get vertical split of terminal in Mac to execute different actions?

Every once in a while I see people using what looks like terminal in their Mac, except that in what seems to be one window they have a vertical 'split.' On one side of the split, they have emacs or ...
Tony Stark's user avatar
  • 2,340
81 votes
8 answers
86k views

How can I see a visual overlay of shortcut keys I've pressed?

I've seen several screencasts (recorded on Mac OS X) which show a nice little "toast" indicating which shortcut key is being pressed by the screencaster, typically in the middle of the screen. Is this ...
lyricsboy's user avatar
  • 912
80 votes
6 answers
102k views

How many cores does my Mac have?

I am confused, because when I see my mac about window, I see That I have 1 Processor and 4 cores. But when I run htop, I see 8 cores What am I missing?
daydreamer's user avatar
  • 1,165
80 votes
11 answers
28k views

How to disable the Option-Space key combination for non-breaking spaces?

How to disable the annoying Option-Space key combination for non-breaking spaces? This is very very annoying in Eclipse or the terminal as I often type the non-breaking space instead of a regular one....
Malax's user avatar
  • 1,065
78 votes
14 answers
108k views

Remap Copy and Paste shortcuts on a Mac

I use Windows at work and a Mac at home. One of the biggest issues is the difference between the copy paste shortcuts on Windows vs the Mac i.e. Ctrl + C & Ctrl + V on Windows and on the Mac its ...
Linzdp's user avatar
  • 925
77 votes
16 answers
339k views

How to enable Bluetooth in Mac with shortcut or command line?

I accidentally disabled the Bluetooth on Mac OS. I can't enable it because my Bluetooth based keyboard and mouse are now disabled. I found a USB based keyboard I can use, so how can I enable ...
user avatar
77 votes
13 answers
145k views

Reset Mac OS X Windows Position after de-attaching external monitor

Using Mac OS on multiple monitor is great, but after removing external monitor (2nd monitor) usually windows position originally on the external monitor doesn't get re-positioned to default monitor. ...
hendrasaputra's user avatar
76 votes
9 answers
57k views

How can I delete Time Machine files using the commandline

I want to delete some files/directories from my Time Machine Partition using rm, but am unable to do so. I'm pretty sure the problem is related to some sort of access control extended attributes on ...
Tim's user avatar
  • 1,387
73 votes
4 answers
111k views

How to re-map command and option keys on Mac OS X with a PC-keyboard?

in my keyboard the command key is mapped to the windows key (I'm using a regular PC keyboard) so I only have a left command, because the space on the right is occupied by the useless Fn key. I've ...
Petruza's user avatar
  • 3,873
73 votes
6 answers
108k views

Is there any way to set the priority of a process in Mac OS X?

I have a background process running at 100% CPU on Mac OS X. All other applications are very slow because of it. I'd like to set this process to take no more than 50% so that my applications can run ...
Daniel Cukier's user avatar
72 votes
7 answers
552k views

Is there a way to list—and kill—running processes on Mac OS X in a Windows “Ctrl+Alt+Delete”-like way?

So, what do you do on a Mac when a process (as opposed to an application) is hogging CPU, swamping your machine, and you need to kill it? I know you can use top or open “Applications > Utilities > ...
AP257's user avatar
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