Daniel Hruska Apple tries to keep its apps simple, so many actions are hidden in the menu bar, which even allows search items inside. In some cases, the Option (or Alt) key can be pressed to display additional functions. Sometimes you have to press it before bringing up the menu, sometimes you can do it already with the menu open. Combined with Shift, even more possible actions can appear.
Network connection details
Do you need to easily find out your IP address, router IP address, connection speed or other details? Simply clicking on the Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar is not enough, you need to hold Option at the same time. In addition to the range of technical data, you can open wireless network diagnostics or turn on Wi-Fi logging.
Bluetooth details
In a completely analogous way, more detailed information can be obtained regarding Bluetooth on the Mac as well as paired devices.
Checking the battery status
Until the third time, we will stay in the right part of the menu bar - additional information about the battery can be displayed in the same way, i.e. actually only one additional information. This is the battery status and ideally you should see "Normal".
Finder options
Every user who has switched from Windows to OS X will run into this thing almost immediately. It is a classic file extraction that works differently in the Finder. Although the Command-X shortcut can be used to extract without problems when working with text, this is no longer the case for files and folders. To cut and move, you need to press Command-C as you would copy and then Option-Command-V, not just Command-V. If you use the context menu, after pressing Option "Insert Item" will change to "Move Item Here".
More changes will appear in the context menu: "Information" will be changed to "Inspector", "Open in application" to "Always open in application", "Group by" to "Sort by", "Quick preview of item" to "Presentation" ”, “Open in new panel” to “Open in new window”.
Merging folders
Need to merge folders with the same name into one but keep their contents? That's not a problem either, you just have to hold Option while dragging one folder into the directory with the other folder. The only condition is that the folders must have different contents.
Keeping application windows after closing
Click the application name item in the menu bar and press Option. Instead of Quit (Command-Q), Quit and Keep Windows (Option-Command-Q) will appear. This means that after closing the application, the system remembers its currently open windows and opens them again after restarting. Similarly, in the Window menu, you will find an option to minimize all application windows (Option-Command-M).
System information
The basic menu is hidden under the apple icon in the upper left, where the first item is called "About this Mac". However, not many people know that when Option is pressed, it changes to “System Information…”.
Resize all Finder columns
If you're using Column View (Command-3), from time to time you need to expand multiple columns at once. It's easier than holding Option while zooming - all columns will zoom.
Thanks for the article. : ) Off topic, I'm just wondering if there is an uploaded background somewhere that is on the desktop screens. :)
Wallpaper please here: http://freakyframes.deviantart.com/art/Quiet-Ambient-2-188354619
I would be quite interested. When I hover over the apple symbol without the alt it says "restart..." or "shut down...". When I hold alt, the dots are not there. Why is it like this?
Dots mean a dialog box follows. The system will then ask you if you really want to restart/shut down the computer. Without dots, it will not ask you and will perform the action straight away.
One more tip that comes in handy sometimes – pressing Option will change the full screen icon to the original plus sign in the application window.
Alt-clicking outside the active window will quickly minimize the active window to the dock without animation. :)
Also alt Time Machine and alt Loudspeaker provide interesting options :-)
Useful article. Thanks.