OS X El Capitan For Dummies

Book description

Get up to speed on the latest Mac OS

Getting a new Mac and not knowing how to use it is like getting a remote controlled car for Christmas with no batteries. OS X For Dummies powers your understanding of the latest Mac operating system through straightforward, fun content that covers the basic features and functions you need to know. An essential text if you're not already familiar with Apple technology, this resource walks you through the fundamentals of Apple's Mac OS, shows you how to customize your workspace, work with the Dock, leverage the Finder and Finder Tabs, understand files, folders, and tags, find things with Spotlight, use Mission Control and Launchpad, organize your life through Calendar, Reminders, Notes, and Notifications, and much more.

Apple is one of the most popular technology companies in the world, known for its ability to combine power and stability with style. Since all of Apple's products function according to its proprietary operating system, it's essential that you understand how to use the OS to make the most of your tech toys.

  • Take your communication to the next level with email and messaging capabilities
  • Enjoy multi-media entertainment by surfing the web and accessing movies, music, ebooks, and digital photos
  • Let your creative side run free with Text Edit
  • Create a seamless digital experience by connecting a printer, running multiple displays, networking, file sharing, backing up and restoring your system, and keeping your machine safe with Gatekeeper

OS X For Dummies breaks down Apple's Mac operating system into bite-sized pieces, allowing you to digest small morsels of information that guide you in navigating your new Apple gadget.

Table of contents

    1. Cover
    2. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Conventions Used in This Book
      3. Foolish Assumptions
      4. Beyond the Book
      5. Icons Used in This Book
      6. Where to Go from Here
    3. Part I: Introducing OS X El Capitan: The Basics
      1. Chapter 1: OS X El Capitan 101 (Prerequisites: None)
        1. Gnawing to the Core of OS X
        2. A Safety Net for the Absolute Beginner (or Any User)
        3. Not Just a Beatles Movie: Help and the Help Menu
      2. Chapter 2: Desktop and Windows and Menus (Oh My!)
        1. Touring the Finder and Its Desktop
        2. Anatomy of a Window
        3. Dialog Dealie-Boppers
        4. Working with Windows
        5. Menu Basics
      3. Chapter 3: What’s Up, Dock?
        1. A Quick Introduction to Your Dock
        2. Customizing Your Dock
      4. Chapter 4: Delving Deeper into the Finder and Its Desktop
        1. Introducing the Finder and Its Minions: The Desktop and Icons
        2. Aliases Are Awesome!
        3. The View(s) from a Window
        4. Finder on the Menu
        5. Customizing Finder Windows
        6. Digging for Icon Data in the Info Window
    4. Part II: Inside El Capitan (or How Stuff Works)
      1. Chapter 5: Have It Your Way
        1. Introducing System Preferences
        2. Putting a Picture on the Desktop
        3. Setting Up a Screen Saver
        4. Putting Widgets on the Dashboard
        5. Giving Buttons, Menus, and Windows a Makeover
        6. Adjusting the Keyboard, Mouse, Trackpad, and Other Hardware
        7. Styling Your Sound
      2. Chapter 6: The Care and Feeding of Files and Folders
        1. A Quick Primer on Finding Files
        2. Understanding the OS X Folder Structure
        3. Saving Your Document Before It’s Too Late
        4. Open, Sez Me
        5. Organizing Your Stuff in Folders
        6. Shuffling Files and Folders
        7. The Incredible New iCloud Drive
      3. Chapter 7: Four Terrific Timesaving Tools
        1. With a Quick Look
        2. Spotlight on Finding Files and Folders Faster
        3. Blast Off with Mission Control
        4. Launchpad: The Place for Applications
        5. Customizing Your Launchpad
    5. Part III: Getting Things Done in El Capitan
      1. Chapter 8: Organizing Your Life
        1. Keeping Track with Calendar
        2. Reminders: Protection Against Forgetting
        3. Everything You Need to Know about the Notification Center
        4. Use Notes for Making Notes
      2. Chapter 9: (Inter)Networking
        1. Getting Connected to the Internet
        2. Browsing the Web with Safari
        3. Audio and Video Calls with FaceTime
      3. Chapter 10: Finding People and Places
        1. Collecting Your Contacts
        2. Maps Are Where It’s At
      4. Chapter 11: Communicating with Mail and Messages
        1. Sending and Receiving Email with Mail
        2. Communicating with Messages
      5. Chapter 12: Sharing Your Mac and Liking It
        1. Introducing Networks and File Sharing
        2. Setting Up File Sharing
        3. Access and Permissions: Who Can Do What
        4. Connecting to a Shared Disk or Folder on a Remote Mac
        5. Changing Your Password
        6. More Types of Sharing
    6. Part IV: Getting Creative in El Capitan
      1. Chapter 13: The Musical Mac
        1. Apple Music and iTunes Match Rock!
        2. Introducing iTunes
        3. Working with Media
        4. All About Playlists
      2. Chapter 14: The Multimedia Mac
        1. Playing Movies and Music in QuickTime Player
        2. iBooks on the Mac
        3. You’re the Star with Photo Booth
        4. Viewing and Converting Images and PDFs in Preview
        5. Importing Media
      3. Chapter 15: Words and Letters
        1. Processing Words with TextEdit
        2. Font Mania
      4. Chapter 16: Publish or Perish: The Fail-Safe Guide to Printing
        1. Before Diving In …
        2. Ready: Connecting and Adding Your Printer
        3. Set: Setting Up Your Document with Page Setup
        4. Print: Printing with the Print Sheet
        5. Preview and PDF Options
    7. Part V: The Care and Feeding of El Capitan
      1. Chapter 17: Features for the Way You Work
        1. Talking and Listening to Your Mac
        2. Automatic Automation
        3. A Few More Useful Goodies
      2. Chapter 18: Safety First: Backups and Other Security Issues
        1. Backing Up Is (Not) Hard to Do
        2. Why You Need Two Sets of Backups
        3. Non-Backup Security Concerns
        4. Protecting Your Data from Prying Eyes
      3. Chapter 19: Utility Chest
        1. Calculator
        2. Activity Monitor
        3. Disk Utility
        4. Grab
        5. Grapher
        6. Keychain Access
        7. Migration Assistant
        8. System Information
        9. Terminal
      4. Chapter 20: Troubleshooting OS X
        1. About Startup Disks and Booting
        2. Recovering with Recovery HD
        3. If Your Mac Crashes at Startup
    8. Part VI: The Part of Tens
      1. Chapter 21: Almost Ten Ways to Speed Up Your Mac Experience
        1. Use Those Keyboard Shortcuts
        2. Improve Your Typing Skills
        3. Resolution: It’s Not Just for New Year’s Day Anymore
        4. A Mac with a View — and Preferences, Too
        5. Get a New, Faster Model
        6. You Can Never Have Too Much RAM!
        7. Get an Accelerated Graphics Card
        8. Get a Solid-State Drive (SSD)
        9. Get a New Hard Drive
      2. Chapter 22: Ten Great Websites for Mac Freaks
        1. The Mac Observer
        2. Macworld
        3. AppleWorld.Today
        4. TidBITS
        5. Download.com
        6. Alltop
        7. Apple Support
        8. Other World Computing
        9. EveryMac.com
        10. dealmac
    9. About the Author
    10. Cheat Sheet
    11. Connect with Dummies
    12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: OS X El Capitan For Dummies
  • Author(s): Bob LeVitus
  • Release date: October 2015
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119149613