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Adjusting System and Application Settings

In Mac OS X, System Preferences is a central location for making adjustments to everything from your personal work environment to network settings.
 
To make settings easy to find, the various system preferences are organized into categories. If you prefer, you can also order the system preferences alphabetically, or if you’re having trouble figuring out just which preference to use, type a keyword in the search field and Mac OS X will highlight the best matching preferences.
 
 
 
Tips Step-by-Step
 
 

Access preferences from the menu bar

Some preferences, such as Sound, Displays, and Date & Time will allow you to add a menu bar item, giving you quick access to the preferences you use most. Adding a preference pane to the menu bar is as simple as selecting an option in the preference pane.

Some applications will add additional preference panes

In addition to the Mac OS X preferences you might notice some additional preference panes added by third-party applications. Additional preference panes will show up in the Other section of the System Preferences window.

Some preferences can be locked

In some of the preference panes in System Preferences you might notice a small lock icon in the bottom-left corner of the window. This lock lets you know that the preference can be locked to prevent changes. If the preference is locked, a password will be required to unlock the preference and make changes.

Make changes to System Preferences
  1. From the Apple menu choose System Preferences.
  2. Click the Displays icon to make changes to your display.
  3. Click “Show displays in menu bar,” and notice an icon appear in the menu bar.
  4. Click Show All to return to the main System Preference window.
  5. Click the Energy Saver icon to make adjustments to your Mac’s power use.
  6. Click the Show Details button to make specific adjustments to when your display, hard disk or computer go to sleep.
  7. Use the sliders to adjust the amount of time before your computer or display go to sleep.
  8. From the System Preferences menu choose Quit System Preferences.
  


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