Hands-On Mac (Video)
88 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 months ago - ★★★★★ - 44 ratingsHands-On Mac explores and explains the Mac — and beyond! From clever Terminal commands to little-known iOS settings, Mikah Sargent shares all the best tips and tricks for your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. You'll get all the details on Apple's apps and the best apps in the App Store, you'll learn about awesome accessories for your Apple devices, and you'll explore updates to Apple's operating systems — including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Hands-On Mac is your one-stop shop for Apple know-how. You can join Club TWiT for $7 a month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $2.99 a month.
New episodes every Thursday.
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Episodes
HOM 19: Make Free iPhone Ringtones - How to Make Ringtones With Mac
July 24, 2020 19:00 - 11 minutes - 134 MB VideoSick of paying for Ringtones? You can make any song a ringtone for free on your Mac! Here's how: Open Apple Music, or iTunes on older Macs. Open Music -> Preferences click Files, click Import Settings and choose AAC Encoder, High-Quality 128k Select a track to use as the source. On the Get Info > Options tab set start and stop times to 40 seconds or less Use File > Convert > Create AAC version. Right-click on the new copy and click Show in Windows Explorer or Finder. Change the file ...
HOM 18: Mac Keyboard Magic
July 17, 2020 19:00 - 11 minutes - 109 MB VideoWant to learn some powerful Mac keyboard shortcuts and how to create your own? Last week we spent some time in the Keyboard system preference pane, but you may have noticed many more features in there. Let's explore. Keyboard → Modifier Keys Text - abbreviations and completions Shortcuts - macOS comes with a ton of keyboard shortcuts, but you can add your own, or modify them as needed here If you want to create a keyboard shortcut to launch an application or perform a more complex acti...
HOM 18: Mac Keyboard Magic - Mac Keyboard Shortcuts, Modifier Keys, Text Abbreviations
July 17, 2020 19:00 - 11 minutes - 109 MB VideoWant to learn some powerful Mac keyboard shortcuts and how to create your own? Last week we spent some time in the Keyboard system preference pane, but you may have noticed many more features in there. Let's explore. Keyboard → Modifier Keys Text - abbreviations and completions Shortcuts - macOS comes with a ton of keyboard shortcuts, but you can add your own, or modify them as needed here If you want to create a keyboard shortcut to launch an application or perform a more complex acti...
HOM 17: Getting Your Mac to Read to You
July 10, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 143 MB VideoAs usual, go to the Accessibility System Preference pane to see Speech option. Select the "Speak selected text when the key is pressed" checkbox. By default, speaking is enabled when you press Option-Esc. Choose a voice. Alex is the default but there are many others. For full screen-reading capability (like JAWS) you can turn on voice over. If you'd like to convert web pages and text tiles to recordings stored in Apple Music, open the Keyboard system preference pane and select the Short...
HOM 17: Getting Your Mac to Read to You - Mac Text-to Speech Accessibility Features
July 10, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 143 MB VideoAs usual, go to the Accessibility System Preference pane to see Speech option. Select the "Speak selected text when the key is pressed" checkbox. By default, speaking is enabled when you press Option-Esc. Choose a voice. Alex is the default but there are many others. For full screen-reading capability (like JAWS) you can turn on voice over. If you'd like to convert web pages and text tiles to recordings stored in Apple Music, open the Keyboard system preference pane and select the Short...
HOM 16: Should I Get a New Mac Now or Wait? - Mac transitions to ARM-based Apple Silicon
July 03, 2020 19:00 - 17 minutes - 331 MB VideoShould you buy a Mac now? Should you wait for the new Apple Silicon Macs? Here's what we think. TWiT's Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac. Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac Discuss episodes in the TWiT Community. Sponsor: LastPass.com/twit
HOM 16: Should I Get a New Mac Now or Wait?
July 03, 2020 19:00 - 17 minutes - 331 MB VideoShould you buy a Mac now? Should you wait for the new Apple Silicon Macs? Here's what we think. TWiT's Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac. Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac Discuss episodes in the TWiT Community. Sponsor: LastPass.com/twit
HOM 15: Mac Voice Dictation Needs Work - How to get your Mac to Listen to You... Badly
June 26, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 80 MB VideoDictate your messages and documents on Mac Say the name of the punctuation mark, such as "exclamation mark." Say "new line" (equivalent to pressing the Return key once) or "new paragraph" (equivalent to pressing the Return key twice). After you say "new line," the dictated text appears when you're done dictating. Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hand...
HOM 15: Mac Voice Dictation Needs Work
June 26, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 80 MB VideoDictate your messages and documents on Mac Say the name of the punctuation mark, such as "exclamation mark." Say "new line" (equivalent to pressing the Return key once) or "new paragraph" (equivalent to pressing the Return key twice). After you say "new line," the dictated text appears when you're done dictating. Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hand...
HOM 14: Aliases, What Are They Good For?
June 19, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes - 139 MB VideoAn alias can be used anywhere you can use a file or folder Soft Links (ln -s original alias) can cross the file system, allows you to link between directories, has different inode number and file permissions than original file, permissions will not be updated, has only the path of the original file, not the contents. Hard Links (ln original copy) can't cross the file system boundaries (i.e. A hardlink can only work on the same filesystem), can't link directories, has the s...
HOM 14: Aliases, What Are They Good For? - Aliases, soft links, and hard links explained
June 19, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes - 139 MB VideoAn alias can be used anywhere you can use a file or folder Soft Links (ln -s original alias) can cross the file system, allows you to link between directories, has different inode number and file permissions than original file, permissions will not be updated, has only the path of the original file, not the contents. Hard Links (ln original copy) can't cross the file system boundaries (i.e. A hardlink can only work on the same filesystem), can't link directories, has the s...
HOM 13: 12 Hidden Free Fonts in Catalina - How to Get 12 Free Fonts for Your Mac
June 12, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes - 178 MB VideoSteve Jobs loved typefaces and typography. He says his love began when he audited a calligraphy course at Reed College. I'm glad he did because one of the things that have distinguished the Mac since its beginning is its beautiful typefaces. macOS comes with hundreds of beautiful fonts, but you may be interested to learn that if you have macOS Catalina, and I know you do by now, there are a dozen more hidden fonts that are just a download away. Some of these fonts are for other languages, ...
HOM 13: 12 Hidden Free Fonts in Catalina
June 12, 2020 19:00 - 14 minutes - 178 MB VideoSteve Jobs loved typefaces and typography. He says his love began when he audited a calligraphy course at Reed College. I'm glad he did because one of the things that have distinguished the Mac since its beginning is its beautiful typefaces. macOS comes with hundreds of beautiful fonts, but you may be interested to learn that if you have macOS Catalina, and I know you do by now, there are a dozen more hidden fonts that are just a download away. Some of these fonts are for other languages, ...
HOM 12: Inside the Mac Filesystem
June 05, 2020 19:00 - 22 minutes - 188 MB VideoThe macOS filesystem is trickier than it looks! But once you know a few simple things, finding files on your Mac can be easy. Here is one place to start - Apple documents its file system here: https://twit.to/hom12 Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac. Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac Discuss episodes in the TWiT Community. Sponsor: expressvpn.com/hom
HOM 12: Inside the Mac Filesystem - How to Navigate Your Mac Filesystem
June 05, 2020 19:00 - 22 minutes - 188 MB VideoThe macOS filesystem is trickier than it looks! But once you know a few simple things, finding files on your Mac can be easy. Here is one place to start - Apple documents its file system here: https://twit.to/hom12 Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac. Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac Discuss episodes in the TWiT Community. Sponsor: expressvpn.com/hom
HOM 11: Using an iPad as a Second Monitor
May 29, 2020 19:00 - 6 minutes - 129 MB VideoIn years past programs like Duet Display and the hardware-based Luna Display let Mac users use their iPads as second displays. But these programs were "Sherlocked" by Apple when they released Sidecar for MacOS Catalina and iOS 13. Duet and Luna are still around because they can do different things than Sidecar. For example, Duet works with Windows 10 as well as macOS. And Luna doesn't require the Mac and iPad use the same iCloud account. Both work with older versions of macOS, as well. Bu...
HOM 11: Using an iPad as a Second Monitor - How to use an iPad as a Monitor
May 29, 2020 19:00 - 6 minutes - 129 MB VideoIn years past programs like Duet Display and the hardware-based Luna Display let Mac users use their iPads as second displays. But these programs were "Sherlocked" by Apple when they released Sidecar for MacOS Catalina and iOS 13. Duet and Luna are still around because they can do different things than Sidecar. For example, Duet works with Windows 10 as well as macOS. And Luna doesn't require the Mac and iPad use the same iCloud account. Both work with older versions of macOS, as well. Bu...
HOM 10: Using FileVault to Secure Your Data - How to Encrypt your Data with Filevault
May 22, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 133 MB VideoFilevault is Apple's proprietary full-disk encryption technology. It uses XTS-AES encryption, the industry-standard used by Microsoft's BitLocker, and the open-source Veracrypt among many others. It's fast, secure, and thanks to hardware support built-into all Macs with the T2 chip, it protects you without impacting efficiency or performance. Filevault is so efficient that it's on by default on all Macs sold today. Why would you want to turn on Filevault on an older Mac? Suppose you lose y...
HOM 10: Using FileVault to Secure Your Data
May 22, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 133 MB VideoFilevault is Apple's proprietary full-disk encryption technology. It uses XTS-AES encryption, the industry-standard used by Microsoft's BitLocker, and the open-source Veracrypt among many others. It's fast, secure, and thanks to hardware support built-into all Macs with the T2 chip, it protects you without impacting efficiency or performance. Filevault is so efficient that it's on by default on all Macs sold today. Why would you want to turn on Filevault on an older Mac? Suppose you lose y...
HOM 9: Homebrew Bundle: Set Up a Mac Fast - Install Multiple Mac Programs Fast with Homebrew
May 15, 2020 19:00 - 11 minutes - 134 MB VideoThis episode requires Homebrew, so if you haven't yet installed it, watch last week's Hands on Mac and install it now. Then open the Terminal and type `homebrew bundle` to install the bundler. If you've been using homebrew you can automatically write a bundle with the command `brew bundle dump` add the —describe switch to get a comment before each item in the brewfile describing its use `brew bundle dump —describe` Last week we mentioned a cool tool called `mas` - if you've installe...
HOM 9: Homebrew Bundle: Set Up a Mac Fast
May 15, 2020 19:00 - 11 minutes - 134 MB VideoThis episode requires Homebrew, so if you haven't yet installed it, watch last week's Hands on Mac and install it now. Then open the Terminal and type `homebrew bundle` to install the bundler. If you've been using homebrew you can automatically write a bundle with the command `brew bundle dump` add the —describe switch to get a comment before each item in the brewfile describing its use `brew bundle dump —describe` Last week we mentioned a cool tool called `mas` - if you've installe...
HOM 8: Homebrew: macOS Package Manager - Homebrew Installs Apps from the Terminal
May 08, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 158 MB VideoHomebrew Installs Apps from the Terminal Host: Leo Laporte For full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac/episodes/8 Sponsor: hover.com/twit
HOM 8: Homebrew: macOS Package Manager
May 08, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 158 MB VideoHomebrew Installs Apps from the Terminal Host: Leo Laporte For full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac/episodes/8 Sponsor: hover.com/twit
HOM 7: Spotlight on Spotlight - Spotlight Does More Than You Think!
May 01, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 174 MB VideoThe only problem with the Mac's GUI interface is that it may take some digging to find the file or application you want to use. But Apple has a fix for that: Spotlight, and it's the easiest way to open anything on your Mac. Press command-space and start typing. You can launch applications, documents, even emails, with a few keystrokes. Command-option-space launches a Finder window for searching. But there are a few little known shortcuts that make Spotlight even more useful. Use the kin...
HOM 7: Spotlight on Spotlight
May 01, 2020 19:00 - 12 minutes - 174 MB VideoThe only problem with the Mac's GUI interface is that it may take some digging to find the file or application you want to use. But Apple has a fix for that: Spotlight, and it's the easiest way to open anything on your Mac. Press command-space and start typing. You can launch applications, documents, even emails, with a few keystrokes. Command-option-space launches a Finder window for searching. But there are a few little known shortcuts that make Spotlight even more useful. Use the kin...
HOM 6: MacBook Air 2020 Review - Leo looks at the new Macbook Air, the good, the bad, and the ugly webcam.
April 24, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 210 MB VideoLeo looks at the new Macbook Air, the good, the bad, and the ugly webcam. Starting at $999 ($899 education pricing) with dual-core 1.1Ghz i3, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold. My machine, as configured, with quad-core 1.2 Ghz i7, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB storage, $1849 All models include real ESC key and TouchID (no TouchBar) and two T3 ports on the left, headphone jack on the right. The new Magic keyboard with scissor switches isn't the best I've ever used, but it's ...
HOM 6: MacBook Air 2020 Review
April 24, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 210 MB VideoLeo looks at the new Macbook Air, the good, the bad, and the ugly webcam. Starting at $999 ($899 education pricing) with dual-core 1.1Ghz i3, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage in Silver, Space Gray, and Gold. My machine, as configured, with quad-core 1.2 Ghz i7, 16 GB RAM, and 1 TB storage, $1849 All models include real ESC key and TouchID (no TouchBar) and two T3 ports on the left, headphone jack on the right. The new Magic keyboard with scissor switches isn't the best I've ever used, but it's ...
HOM 5: Fun With Mac Terminal Commands
April 17, 2020 19:00 - 21 minutes - 179 MB VideoDid you know that hidden in your Mac is a powerful Unix-style command line? Open up the Terminal, and try out these simple commands: cd: change directory ls: list the current directory's contents chmod: change the permissions of the files in this directory man: gives a manual on how to use any command tldr: Too Long; Didn't Read - gives a short and simple description of any command sudo: do a command as the superuser (admin) rm: remove file or directory - be careful with this one! sudonvram...
HOM 5: Fun With Mac Terminal Commands - Terminal Commands for Your Mac
April 17, 2020 19:00 - 21 minutes - 179 MB VideoDid you know that hidden in your Mac is a powerful Unix-style command line? Open up the Terminal, and try out these simple commands: cd: change directory ls: list the current directory's contents chmod: change the permissions of the files in this directory man: gives a manual on how to use any command tldr: Too Long; Didn't Read - gives a short and simple description of any command sudo: do a command as the superuser (admin) rm: remove file or directory - be careful with this one! sudonvram...
HOM 4: Get to Know Your Terminal
April 10, 2020 19:00 - 7 minutes - 113 MB VideoHidden deep in your Mac lies a Linux command line. Welcome to the Terminal: the most powerful tool on your Mac that you aren't using! On this episode of Hands-on Mac, Leo runs you through some basic commands: how to change directories with cd, list their contents with ls, and get help with man. Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac! Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac Sponsor: h...
HOM 4: Get to Know Your Terminal - Fun With the Mac Command Line
April 10, 2020 19:00 - 7 minutes - 113 MB VideoHidden deep in your Mac lies a Linux command line. Welcome to the Terminal: the most powerful tool on your Mac that you aren't using! On this episode of Hands-on Mac, Leo runs you through some basic commands: how to change directories with cd, list their contents with ls, and get help with man. Leo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac! Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac Sponsor: h...
HOM 3: The Ins and Outs of Gatekeeper
April 03, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 156 MB VideoGatekeeper is a behind the scenes utility that first shipped in Mountain Lion. It's designed to protect you from rogue programs and verify downloads before you run them to keep you safe. It's probably the single most important and powerful defense against malware on macOS. But it can get in your way when you are trying to install programs that don't come from Apple. In Catalina, Apple dialed up the safety to 11. They took away the ability to install programs from anywhere. Only programs tha...
HOM 3: The Ins and Outs of Gatekeeper - Install apps from anywhere on your Mac
April 03, 2020 19:00 - 10 minutes - 156 MB VideoGatekeeper is a behind the scenes utility that first shipped in Mountain Lion. It's designed to protect you from rogue programs and verify downloads before you run them to keep you safe. It's probably the single most important and powerful defense against malware on macOS. But it can get in your way when you are trying to install programs that don't come from Apple. In Catalina, Apple dialed up the safety to 11. They took away the ability to install programs from anywhere. Only programs tha...
HOM 2: Protect your Mac with Lulu - Lulu is Outbound Protection for Your Mac
March 27, 2020 19:00 - 6 minutes - 106 MB VideoThe best outbound firewall for Mac! Apple's macOS comes with an excellent firewall that blocks inbound traffic, but what about outbound traffic? The first thing malware installed on your Mac will do is contact a command and control server. For that reason, it's also good to have outbound protection. Enter Lulu. For years I've recommended Little Snitch to do this, but it's not free, and it can really swamp you with connection requests. Too many warnings are almost as bad as too few. We get ...
HOM 2: Protect your Mac with Lulu
March 27, 2020 19:00 - 6 minutes - 106 MB VideoThe best outbound firewall for Mac! Apple's macOS comes with an excellent firewall that blocks inbound traffic, but what about outbound traffic? The first thing malware installed on your Mac will do is contact a command and control server. For that reason, it's also good to have outbound protection. Enter Lulu. For years I've recommended Little Snitch to do this, but it's not free, and it can really swamp you with connection requests. Too many warnings are almost as bad as too few. We get ...
HOM 1: BetterTouchTool - Making the Touchbar Useful
March 20, 2020 16:59 - 9 minutes - 153 MB VideoLeo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac. folivora.ai - Great Tools for your Mac! For a long time, I thought the MacBook Pro Touchbar was a useless gimmick. Until I found BetterTouchTool. $7 for two years. Or $21 for a lifetime license. Now my Touchbar is actually useful. But BTT takes some time to configure. You can get it just how you want it - with a couple of hours of fiddling - or you can download the free GoldenChaos toolbar and be...
HOM 1: BetterTouchTool - Making the Touchbar Useful - BetterTouchTool Makes the Touchbar Better
March 20, 2020 16:59 - 9 minutes - 153 MB VideoLeo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac. folivora.ai - Great Tools for your Mac! For a long time, I thought the MacBook Pro Touchbar was a useless gimmick. Until I found BetterTouchTool. $7 for two years. Or $21 for a lifetime license. Now my Touchbar is actually useful. But BTT takes some time to configure. You can get it just how you want it - with a couple of hours of fiddling - or you can download the free GoldenChaos toolbar and be...
Introducing Hands-On Mac!
March 10, 2020 21:00 - 1 minute - 38.6 MB VideoLeo Laporte gives you helpful tips to get the most from your Mac every week on Hands-On Mac. Host: Leo Laporte Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac