Using the Apple Menu and Dock as opposed to the Windows Start Menu and Taskbar
- The equivalent on a Mac to the Start button on the bottom left in the Windows interface is the small Apple logo in the top left on the toolbar. (snapshot here filename:apple logo.jpg)
- The Dock at the bottom of the screen is an advanced version of the Taskbar on the bottom of the Windows interface. Apple provides a certain number of applications they suggest as most useful already on the bottom. If you wish to remove an Application from the dock, all you have to do is hit Control and click on the Application icon (the equivalent of right clicking on a mouse), choose Options and then hit Remove from Dock. (snapshot filename: removing an app from dock.jpg) If an Application is open and you would like to add it to the Dock to access it easier later, hit Control and click on the Application icon, hit Options, and then choose Keep in Dock.
- There are two folders to the left of the Trash on the Dock. If you click on the Applications folder, you will see all of the Applications on your computer. (snapshot filename: application folder on dock.jpg) If you click on the Documents folder, you will see all of the documents you have in that folder. These folders are an easy way to access your Applications and documents.
- The right side of the dock also holds all your minimized windows. To open the window again, just click on its icon on the Dock.
- The Trash is the metal trash can icon, which is the last icon on the right hand side of the Dock. To delete an item, either drag the item to the Trash OR hit Control and click the item and select Move to Trash. (screenshot filename: deleting an item.jpg) To empty the trash, click the Finder menu button on the toolbar at the top of the desktop and select Empty Trash. (screenshot filename: empty trash.jpg)
- Unlike on a PC, closing the window of an Application on a Mac does not guarantee quitting the application. To quit an application, you need to click the name of the open Application on the toolbar at the top of the screen, and select Quit "Application" (Instead of the word Application, the name of the Application you are currently running will appear here; IMPORTANT: to close an Application, it needs to be the active Application, meaning you can see the name of the application on the toolbar at the top) (snapshot filename: quit an application.jpg)
- On a PC, you use Windows Explorer to browse through files and folders on your computer. On a Mac, you use an Application called the Finder. It is a blue icon that is always the first icon on the left hand side of the Dock. Open the Finder to view all files on your computer. (screenshot filename: .jpg) On the left side of the Finder window is the sidebar, which allows you to move throughout your computer files with ease. Clicking the Macintosh HD under the DEVICES section is the equivalent of opening My Computer on a PC. Under the Macintosh HD will show any additional devices attached to the computer. Under the SHARED section displays any shared or networked items. The PLACES section shows common places on the computer, such as the Desktop and Documents folders. The SEARCH FOR section provides an easy way to search for files based on when they were opened or the type of file they are.