Work and Play: Introduction

After you've become familiar with the interface, you're ready to start using your Mac. But before you get started on the software, you need to master the basics of using your Mac. We're talking about creating user accounts, installing and upgrading software, ejecting media, saving files...the little things we call Mac essentials.

Then it's on to some of the great things that came with your computer. Each lesson introduces you to a different app or Mac OS feature and gives you an overview on how to use it effectively. Feel free to choose only the lessons you want to learn in this section. The only "required" reading is Lesson 1: Mac Essentials—if you're not yet up to speed on how to use a Mac.



This section will show you the basics of using your Mac.
Then you'll get to know the applications and features you'll find on your computer. 

Lesson 1: Mac Essentials—Did you know that your Mac is smart enough to update its own software? Or that Spotlight can search files such as documents, emails, dates in iCal, and webpages that you've visited. 

Lesson 2: Automator—Wouldn't it be nice to have your own personal robot that could take care of all the nitty-gritty, repetitive tasks you do each day? Meet Automator.

Lesson 3: Dashboard—Like desktop toys and tools? Dashboard is a cool feature of OS X v10.4 or later that lets you get quick access to a world of widgets at the press of a key. 

Lesson 4: Boot Camp—Run Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7 at native speed on your Mac! Boot Camp Assistant automatically sets up your hard drive, leaving all your Mac data in place, while creating a separate partition for Windows. Boot Camp even burns a disc of all the drivers you’ll need and automatically installs them as part of the Windows installation.

Lesson 5: Address Book—Keep your friends, and family close by preserving and managing their contact details in Address Book.

Lesson 6: Safari—Enjoy your web experience with Safari. This web browser offers plenty of features to make your Internet activity more efficient, including fast page loads, built-in Google search, pop-up window blocker, and AutoFill automation.

Lesson 7: Time Machine—Lost a file, or saved over that really important presentation? Wish you could go back in time to retrieve it? Use Time Machine to restore files from automatic backups.

Lesson 8: iCal—Forget jotting down appointments and to-do lists on sticky notes and calendars. iCal can help you remember everything coming up in your—and anyone else's—life. 

Lesson 9: iChat—Long-distance phone bills and text-messaging charges can be a thing of the past. With iChat, you can text, audio chat, and video chat with others using your Internet connection.

Lesson 10: File Sharing—Got a file or folder on your Mac that you need to transfer to another computer?  File Sharing is the answer.

Lesson 11: VoiceOver—For those with visual or learning disabilities, VoiceOver provides a spoken English interface that makes it easier to get around the Mac.

Lesson 12: Preview—Use Preview to view a PDF, but Preview does more than simply show you the document. You can search for and copy text, view photo and fax files, play slideshows, and more.

Lesson 13: TextEdit—You don't necessarily need a pricey word-processing application to take care of your text needs. TextEdit provides text and formatting tools, graphics and movie handling, spell check, and can even speak your text back to you.

Lesson 14: QuickTime Player—QuickTime is the digital-media standard when it comes to playing just about every kind of audio, video, and image file format. If accessing online multimedia is your goal, QuickTime Player will get you there. 

Take me back to the Mac 101 index