Trademark Acknowledgments

Contact Us

Credits

About the Author

Author’s Acknowledgments

How to Use This Book

Who This Book Is For

This book is for the reader who has never used this particular technology or software application. It is also for readers who want to expand their knowledge.

The Conventions in This Book

Steps

This book uses a step-by-step format to guide you easily through each task. Numbered steps are actions you must do; bulleted steps clarify a point, step, or optional feature; and indented steps give you the result.

Notes

Notes give additional information — special conditions that may occur during an operation, a situation that you want to avoid, or a cross reference to a related area of the book.

Icons and Buttons

Icons and buttons show you exactly what you need to click to perform a step.

Tips

Tips offer additional information, including warnings and shortcuts.

Bold

Bold type shows command names, options, and text or numbers you must type.

Italics

Italic type introduces and defines a new term.

Teach Yourself VISUALLY™ macOS™ Sierra

Chapter 1

Learning Basic macOS Tasks

macOS (formerly OS X) has a few basic tasks that you need to know to make the rest of Mac chores faster and easier. These chores include starting and managing applications, searching your Mac for documents and data, saving your work, and fundamental file operations such as opening, printing, and copying.

Start an Application

Start an Application Using Launchpad

Locate the Mouse Pointer

Switch Between Applications

View Running Applications with Mission Control

Run an Application Full Screen

Split the Screen with Two Applications

Search Your Mac

Voice-Operate Your Mac with Siri

Save a Document

Open a Document

Print a Document

Copy a File

Move a File

Rename a File

Delete a File

Open a Folder in a Tab

Open a Document in a Tab

Start an Application

To perform tasks of any kind in macOS, you use one of the applications installed on your Mac. The application you use depends on the task you want to perform. For example, if you want to surf the World Wide Web, you use a web browser application, such as the Safari program that comes with macOS. Before you can use an application, however, you must first tell macOS what application you want to run. macOS launches the application and displays it on the desktop. You can then use the application’s tools to perform your tasks.

Start an Application

Using the Dock

If the application that you want to start has an icon in the Dock, click the icon to start the application.

You can position the mouse pointer () over a Dock icon to see the name of the application.

Using Spotlight

Click Spotlight ().

Start typing the name of the application you want to start.

macOS displays a list of matching items.

When the application appears in the results, click it to start the program.

Using Finder

Click Finder ().

The Finder window appears.

Click Applications.

Note: You can also open Applications in any Finder window by pressing  +  +  or by clicking Go and then clicking Applications.

Double-click the application you want to start.

Note: In some cases, double-clicking the icon just displays the contents of a folder. In this case, you then double-click the application icon.

The application appears on the desktop.

macOS temporarily adds a button for the application to the Dock.

The menu bar displays the menus associated with the application.

Note: Another common way you can launch an application is to use Finder to locate a document you want to work with and then double-click that document.

Start an Application Using Launchpad

You can start an application using the Launchpad feature. This is often faster than using the Applications folder, particularly for applications that do not have a Dock icon.

Launchpad is designed to mimic the Home screens of the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. So if you own one or more of these devices, then you are already familiar with how Launchpad works.

Start an Application Using Launchpad

Click Launchpad ().

The Launchpad screen appears.

If the application you want to start resides in a different Launchpad screen, click the dot that corresponds to the screen.

Launchpad switches to the screen and displays the applications.

If the application you want to start resides within a folder, click the folder.

Launchpad opens the folder.

Click the icon of the application you want to start.

macOS starts the application.

Note: To exit Launchpad without starting an application, you can press .