macOS User Guide
- Welcome
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- Connect to the internet
- Browse the web
- Adjust the volume
- Take a screenshot or screen recording
- View and edit files with Quick Look
- Jot a Quick Note
- Set up Screen Time for yourself
- Set up a Focus to stay on task
- Edit photos and videos in Photos
- Use Visual Look Up for your photos
- Get directions in Maps
- Create a recording in Voice Memos
- Use trackpad and mouse gestures
- Use the Touch Bar
- Use Touch ID
- Use keyboard shortcuts
- Get macOS updates
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- What is Family Sharing?
- Set up Family Sharing
- Set up other users on your Mac
- Set up Screen Time for a child
- Share purchases with your family
- Make a FaceTime call
- Use SharePlay to watch and listen together
- Send text messages
- Share a calendar with your family
- Find what people shared with you
- Find your family and friends
- Play games with your friends
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- Use Continuity to work across Apple devices
- Stream audio and video with AirPlay
- Use a keyboard and mouse or trackpad across devices
- Use your iPad as a second display
- Hand off tasks between devices
- Insert photos and documents from iPhone or iPad
- Insert sketches from iPhone or iPad
- Copy and paste between devices
- Use Apple Watch to unlock your Mac
- Make and receive phone calls on your Mac
- Send files between devices with AirDrop
- Sync music, books, and more between devices
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- Manage cookies and other website data in Safari
- Use Private Browsing in Safari
- View privacy reports in Safari
- Understand passwords
- Reset your Mac login password
- Create and autofill strong passwords
- Keep your Apple ID secure
- Set up your Mac to be secure
- Use Mail Privacy Protection
- Guard your privacy
- Pay with Apple Pay in Safari
- Use Sign in with Apple for apps and websites
- Protect your Mac from malware
- Control access to the camera
- Find a missing device
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- Change your display’s brightness
- Connect a wireless keyboard, mouse, or trackpad
- Connect other wireless devices
- Connect a display, TV, or projector
- Add a printer
- Use the built-in camera
- Use AirPods with your Mac
- Save energy on your Mac
- Optimize storage space
- Burn CDs and DVDs
- Control accessories in your home
- Run Windows on your Mac
- Resources for your Mac
- Resources for your Apple devices
- Copyright
If Time Machine remains in the “preparing” stage on Mac
After the initial backup, Time Machine backs up only files and folders that have changed since your last backup. Time Machine displays a “Preparing...” message while it compares your current files and folders to those in the most recent backup.
The length of preparation time that Time Machine requires depends on the amount of information on your Mac, the size of the backup, and the speed of the connection between your Mac and the backup disk.
The preparation stage can also take longer if:
The previous Time Machine backup was interrupted.
The Mac wasn’t shut down properly.
A disk was disconnected from your computer before being ejected.
A software update was recently installed.
You used your Mac for several days without performing a backup. This can happen if the backup disk was disconnected.
Antivirus software can also cause backups to require more time. Make sure your Time Machine backup disk is excluded from virus scanning.