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Thoughtful, detailed coverage of everything Apple for 34 years
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Category: Problem Solving

Adam Engst 24 comments

You Can Now Migrate Purchases Between Your Apple Accounts

No, it’s not April Fools’ Day. After decades of requests, Apple has finally introduced a feature allowing users to migrate purchased apps, music, and other content between their Apple accounts.

Adam Engst 23 comments

TipBITS: Bring macOS Text Replacements Back to Life

Adam Engst explains how to troubleshoot when macOS text replacements mysteriously stop working in specific apps and shares a simple solution that’s often overlooked.

Adam Engst 149 comments

Do You Use It? What’s Your Backup Strategy

This week’s Do You Use It? poll asks how you could recover your data and get back to work in the event of a disaster ranging from a corrupted file to a house fire.

Adam Engst 153 comments

It’s Time to Move On from Bootable Backups

Adam Engst investigates how macOS 15.2 Sequoia introduced a bug in Apple Software Restore that breaks bootable backups of M-series Macs. He provides guidance for adapting your backup strategy to accommodate a world without bootable backups.

Adam Engst 3 comments

Sequoia Fixes App Store Update Notifications

With macOS 15 Sequoia, Apple has addressed a long-standing issue by letting update notifications open the App Store’s Updates screen. It’s a small improvement that improves the user experience when updating apps from the Mac App Store.

Adam Engst 21 comments

macOS 15.2 Sequoia Breaks Bootable Backups in SuperDuper

If you rely on a bootable backup of your Mac and haven’t yet updated to macOS 15.2 Sequoia, hold off. Those who have already updated can protect their work with a data-only backup.

Adam Engst 42 comments

Modern CSV Lets You Manipulate CSV Files Directly

If you regularly work with CSV files, you should investigate Modern CSV, a cross-platform app that allows direct manipulation of data using menu commands, avoiding the trouble of importing them into a spreadsheet and writing formulas. While Modern CSV is powerful, it lacks a Mac-like interface, and the current version can’t print.

Adam Engst 1 comment

How to Determine What Apps and Content You’ve Bought from Apple

Adam Engst shows how you can access your Apple purchase history to uncover when and for how much you purchased apps and content, providing insights into your past Apple transactions.

Adam Engst 30 comments

AppBITS: Online Check Reports Internet Outages

This Mac utility can monitor your Internet connection’s stability with minimal resource use, helping you track and respond to outages.

Adam Engst 10 comments

AppBITS: FileUtils Turbocharges the Finder

If you want more from the Finder, check out FileUtils. It offers options for immediate and secure deletion of files, support for more compression formats, more powerful batch renaming, file checksums, and more path formats.

Adam Engst 11 comments

Guided Access Turns Your iPhone or iPad into a Sharable Single-App Tool

Want to let someone use an app on your iPhone or iPad without sharing your passcode? Try the Guided Access feature that’s hidden deep within iOS and iPadOS. It prevents users from straying into other apps and keeps your notifications private.

Adam Engst 12 comments

Restoring Office Document Associations after Sequoia Upgrade

If you’re having trouble opening Word and Excel files after upgrading to macOS 15 Sequoia and the latest version of Microsoft Office, reassociating the documents with their apps will fix it.

Adam Engst 16 comments

How Gmail Users Can Configure an Email Alias in iPhone Mail

Frustrated by having to reveal his backend Gmail address, Adam Engst figures out how to configure Mail on the iPhone to use a Gmail alias.

Adam Engst 8 comments

How to Avoid Sequoia’s Repetitive Screen Recording Permissions Prompts

Despite online criticism that continued through multiple betas of macOS 15 Sequoia, Apple has maintained the monthly permissions prompts for screen recording permissions. Adam Engst explains why these prompts reduce security and are examples of poor interface design before suggesting a way of eliminating them for a period of time.

Adam Engst 10 comments

Helium Is the iPhone’s Kryptonite

Not that you were planning on seeking it out, but Apple recommends that you keep your iPhone and Apple Watch away from high concentrations of helium.