5 Mac OS X Default Settings to Instantly Change

Posted on Tuesday, January 11th, 2005 at 6:43.

Here are five default settings in Mac OS X that I instantly change on any new install.

  1. Turn on file extensions. We live in a Windows dominated world. Accept this fact and turn on file extensions. This option is found in Finder > Preferences : Advanced
  2. Turn on Full Keyboard Access. When I use Windows, I rarely ever touch the mouse because I can control almost every menu via the keyboard. You can control the menu bar in Mac OS X by hitting Control+F2 and using the arrows. To navigate dialog boxes, you must enable Full Keyboard Access in Apple > System Preferences : Keyboard & Mouse : Keyboard Shortcuts. Now when presented with a dialog box, you can tab between buttons and use the space bar to select. This also allows you to control drop-down form elements in Safari.
  3. Flash the screen when alert sounds. If you often work in noisy environments where you cannot hear system noises or work in quiet environments where you have your speakers low or muted, having the screen flash when there is an alert is often a better indicator that something needs your attention. To enable, go to Apple > System Preferences : Universal Access : Hearing
  4. Block Pop-up Windows. In Safari, select Block Pop-up Windows under the application menu.
  5. Enable Tabbed Browsing. In Safari, go to Preferences : Tabs to enable.

Updated: Thanks to several people for pointing out that you can use Control+ F2 to navigate the menu bar with the arrow keys.

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5 Responses to “5 Mac OS X Default Settings to Instantly Change”

  1. MVC says:
    2005/01/11 at 11:38

    You can control the menu bar from the keyboard. Press Control-F2 and use the arrows to naviigate.

  2. tony martin says:
    2005/01/11 at 15:02

    I use Windows XP at work, and by default, file extensions are OFF. If it can be off on Windows, I’m keeping them off on my Mac. Just because they are off, and you don’t see them, does not mean they don’t exist.

  3. Jeremiah says:
    2005/01/11 at 15:05

    Right, and I get files from Windows XP users named “Word File.doc.doc” all the time. XP users should enable file extensions as well.

  4. David Troyer says:
    2005/01/11 at 18:31

    Thanks MVC! ::awesome::

  5. rick says:
    2005/01/11 at 21:14

    If Full Keyboard Access is on, you don’t have to use the arrow keys to navigate menus: you can also type the first few letters of a menu item’s name. Also, some web browsers other than Safari (including OmniWeb from http://www.omnigroup.com) let you navigate popup menus in Web forms this way without opening the menu (so, for example, typing an address in a web form is nice and quick regardless of whether State is a field or a popup: just type “seattle wa 98105″ or whatever).

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