• Hands-On Mac (Audio)

  • By: TWiT
  • Podcast

Hands-On Mac (Audio)

By: TWiT
  • Summary

  • Hands-On Mac explores and explains the Mac — and beyond! From clever Terminal commands to little-known iOS settings, Mikah Sargent shares all the best tips and tricks for your Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch. You'll get all the details on Apple's apps and the best apps in the App Store, you'll learn about awesome accessories for your Apple devices, and you'll explore updates to Apple's operating systems — including iOS, macOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Hands-On Mac is your one-stop shop for Apple know-how. You can join Club TWiT for $7 a month and get ad-free audio and video feeds for all our shows plus everything else the club offers...or get just this podcast ad-free for $2.99 a month. New episodes every Thursday.
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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Episodes
  • HOM 171: Apple File System & Hyperspace
    Feb 27 2025

    Save space harmlessly on macOS! Mikah Sargent explores Hyperspace, a clever Mac app that helps users reclaim disk space without deleting any files. Unlike traditional cleaning apps, Hyperspace leverages the APFS (Apple Protected File System) to optimize storage by identifying opportunities to create space-saving clones of duplicate data. Traditional systems create entirely new files for each version, while APFS cleverly maintains one copy of the base data with different metadata references, saving significant space.

    Users who have had their Macs for a long time or work with mixed file systems are most likely to benefit from Hyperspace, as they may have files that aren't optimized for APFS. The Hyperspace app (from Hypercritical) is free to download and scan with, but reclaiming space requires either a one-time unlock or subscription payment.

    Hyperspace: Reclaim Disk Space - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hyperspace-reclaim-disk-space/id6739505345?mt=12

    Hypercritical: Hyperspace - https://hypercritical.co/hyperspace/

    Host: Mikah Sargent

    Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

    Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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    15 mins
  • HOM 170: macOS Print Center Walkthrough
    Feb 20 2025

    In this episode of Hands-On Mac, Mikah Sargent explores the Print Center utility in macOS - an essential but often overlooked tool for managing printers and print jobs. Mikah gives a comprehensive walkthrough of the app's features, showing how it can help troubleshoot printer issues and manage your printing needs without requiring bloated third-party software.

    Accessing Print Center - Mikah demonstrates multiple ways to open the utility, including using Spotlight (Command+Space), the menu bar search icon, or navigating through Finder to Applications > Utilities

    Viewing connected printers - The sidebar displays all connected printers with status indicators

    Adding new printers - Mikah shows how to add printers using the plus icon, explaining the three connection methods

    Connection protocols - AirPrint is recommended when available as it makes the printer accessible across all Apple devices, not just Macs

    Printer management options - The interface allows pausing print jobs, viewing detailed printer information, and checking supply levels for ink or toner

    Scanner integration - For multifunction printers, Print Center provides access to the scanning functionality through the Image Capture app

    Right-click menu options - Users can make a printer the default, add it to the Dock for quick access, or remove and re-add printers for troubleshooting

    System Settings integration - The Printers & Scanners section in System Settings provides similar functionality but with additional options like printing test pages

    Job history tracking - Print Center keeps records of completed print jobs, helpful for remembering which printer was used in multi-printer environments

    Printer webpage access - Mikah highlights how Print Center provides direct links to printer web interfaces, avoiding the need to install bloated manufacturer software

    Manage printers and print jobs - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/manage-printers-print-jobs-center-mac-mchl33bd189d/mac

    Host: Mikah Sargent

    Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

    Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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    13 mins
  • HOM 169: Flaky Bluetooth on Your Mac? Here's How to Fix It
    Feb 13 2025

    Mikah Sargent shares essential tips for troubleshooting Bluetooth issues on your Mac in this episode of Hands-On Mac. Learn how to resolve connectivity problems and get your devices working smoothly again with these step-by-step instructions.

    In this episode, Mikah covers:

    - Restarting your Mac: The simplest and often most effective first step in resolving Bluetooth issues
    - Toggling Bluetooth on and off: Quickly turning Bluetooth off and back on in the System Settings can help re-establish connections
    - Unpairing and repairing devices: "Forgetting" a previously connected device and setting it up again as new can fix persistent problems
    - Accessing advanced Bluetooth information: Holding the Option key while clicking the Bluetooth icon in the menu bar reveals device addresses and firmware versions for connected peripherals
    - Force quitting Bluetooth processes: Using Activity Monitor to quit the "bluetoothuserd" background process can help reset the Bluetooth system when other methods fail
    - Checking for device-specific issues: Ensuring your Bluetooth devices are fully charged and running the latest firmware can eliminate connectivity troubles
    - Minimizing interference: Keeping potential sources of interference, like microwaves, away from your Bluetooth devices can improve stability

    By following these troubleshooting steps, you'll be well-equipped to tackle most Bluetooth problems on your Mac and keep your wireless peripherals connected and working reliably.

    Bluetooth settings on Mac - Apple Support - https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/bluetooth-settings-on-mac-blth8111/mac

    Host: Mikah Sargent

    Download or subscribe to Hands-On Mac at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-mac

    Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit

    Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.

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    9 mins

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