Mac - Make Tech Easier

4 Creative Things to Do With an Old Mac

Charlie Fripp — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 19:25:00 +0000

Technology moves at an incredible pace, and it’s often challenging to balance the need for a faster gadget with your budget and the latest in consumer tech. If you have decided to upgrade your Mac, you may be wondering what to do with your old Mac. This guide offers a few options that won’t cost much to repurpose your old MacBook.

Tip: cannot decide which MacBook to get? Discover the key differences between a MacBook Pro and MacBook Air.

1. Use It as a Media Server

One of the best uses for an old laptop, whether a MacBook or Windows device, is to turn it into a media server. Several online options let you do this, but Plex is probably the most well-known.

While there is a paid option, a free Plex account gives you all the functions to set up a fully functioning media server from your old MacBook. Plex is compatible with movies, music, and photos... Read more

6 Fixes for Touch ID Not Working on Mac

Sydney Butler — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 00:25:00 +0000

Have you found yourself in a pinch with Apple’s typically reliable Touch ID? We’ve all been there. Apple’s nifty MacBook fingerprint scanner does a fantastic job until suddenly, it doesn’t. This guide takes a look at six troubleshooting strategies for your Mac’s Touch ID, should it become unreliable or unresponsive.

1. Check Your Fingers

Check your fingertips, and make sure there is no debris on them that would prevent the Touch ID sensor from reading your prints. This could be a cut or other temporary wound, dirt, grime, or any number of things that can get between your whorls, ridges, and the biometric sensor. Make sure you haven’t had your hand in that bag of cheese puffs before attempting to unlock your Mac.

Image source: Unsplash

Tip: have other keys on your keyboard become unresponsive? We have several fixes for the escape key not working on your Mac.

2. Freshen... Read more

How to Download Torrents From Terminal on Mac

David Morelo — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 19:25:00 +0000

Downloading torrents using your Mac’s Terminal app may seem cumbersome, but there’s at least one good reason the command line makes sense for this particular task: efficiency. Downloading torrents via Terminal uses significantly fewer system resources than traditional GUI-based torrent clients, and that’s great, as torrents can take a long time to download. This tutorial shows how to get started!

Tip: still getting familiar with torrenting? Check out our picks for the top five BitTorrent clients for macOS.

Installing Transmission CLI on Mac

To download torrents from Terminal, you’ll need the right tool for the job. We’re using “Transmission CLI,” a command-line interface (CLI) version of Transmission, a popular multi-platform torrent client.

The installation process is straightforward if you have the Homebrew package manager already installed on your Mac. If you haven’t installed Homebrew yet, check out our comprehensive guide on how to get it up and running. Once you have Homebrew installed, follow these steps:

Launch the Terminal app, type in the following command:

Read more

How to Play Quake 1, 2, 3, and 4 on Apple Silicon Macs

David Morelo — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 05:25:00 +0000

As dedicated successors to the groundbreaking Doom series, the Quake games have etched their names in the annals of first-person shooter fame since their debut in 1996. Known for their pulse-pounding action, eye-popping 3D graphics, and online multiplayer capabilities, the first four entries in the series are still worth exploring today. With modern Quake engine ports and virtualization, you can experience these adrenaline-fueled adventures right on your state-of-the-art Apple silicon Mac. Learn how in this detailed guide.

Tip: hungry for more retro FPS action? Check out how to play Doom 1, 2, and 3 on Macs with Apple silicon.

How to Run Quake 1 on Apple Silicon Macs

The original Mac version of Quake 1 no longer works on Apple silicon Macs, even if you have Rosetta 2 installed. Fortunately, you can experience the unique medieval atmosphere of Quake 1 on your Apple Silicon Mac using vkQuake, a modern port of the original game engine that offers improved compatibility, better graphics, and other enhancements. Follow these steps to get started:

Download the signed and notarized... Read more

How to Change the Default App Icons on Mac

David Morelo — Wed, 19 Jul 2023 05:25:00 +0000

You’ve carefully chosen your desktop background, organized your folders, then one little icon in your dock throws off your entire Mac aesthetic. Fortunately, Apple lets you change default app icons and tailor them to your style. This tutorial shows you how to do it!

Tip: need the default macOS icons for a project? You may be interested in our guide on how to extract Mac app icons.

How to Manually Set a Custom App Icon in macOS

Exchanging default app icons in macOS for custom icons is an easy way to improve your Mac experience and personalize your interface. Follow the instructions below regardless of whether you’re using macOS 13 Ventura or a much older version of Apple’s operating system. Follow the steps below.

Download a custom app icon in the .icns file format from a website like macOSicons. Alternatively, use a .jpeg or .png image.

How to Play The Sims 4 on Mac for Free

Abdul Wahab Asif — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:25:00 +0000

The Sims 4 has gained immense popularity among gamers, and Mac users can take part in the fun with a few simple clicks. Steam doesn’t offer native support for The Sims 4 on Mac, but you can still enjoy this virtual life simulation game through an app called “Origin,” all without spending a dime. This detailed guide covers the steps you can follow to play The Sims 4 on Mac for free.

Mac System Requirements for The Sims 4

While the Steam version of The Sims 4 is formatted for Microsoft Windows, and therefore incompatible with macOS, Mac users can still enjoy the game through the Origin app. Origin also supports Apple Silicon Macs. To ensure smooth gameplay on The Sims 4, your Mac should meet the following system requirements:

Operating System: macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) or later. macOS Ventura is recommended for maximum compatibility.
CPU: Intel Core i3 (i3-3225) 3.3 GHz with 2 cores and 4 threads or better. All Apple Silicon Macs are also compatible.
RAM: requires a minimum of 4GB... Read more

How to Install 32-Bit Linux On An Old Mac

Miguel Leiva-Gomez — Mon, 17 Jul 2023 15:25:00 +0000

The launch of macOS Catalina ended Apple’s support for 32-bit hardware, an event that was a long time coming but rendered millions of systems unable to run an up-to-date version of the operating system they were designed for. In another universe, this may have spelled doom for you if you owned an old Mac system, but in this one, there’s always Linux to come to the rescue!

We’ll show you how to breathe some new life into that computer and avoid adding e-waste by installing a Linux distro on it!

Picking a Distro

While looking for Linux distros to install on your old Mac, you may have noticed that most of them only support 64-bit systems. Many distros that still ship 32-bit versions are either obscure, have very small passionate communities that aren’t very welcoming to newcomers, or haven’t been maintained in ages.

You’re not completely out of luck, though. There are three mainstream distros that will still work on a 32-bit machine without issues:

1. Debian

This is the old “tried-and-true” distro... Read more

Mac Studio vs. Mac Pro: 6 Notable Differences

Abdul Wahab Asif — Wed, 12 Jul 2023 05:25:00 +0000

Apple’s recent announcements at WWDC 2023 have left creative professionals buzzing with excitement. Apple unveiled two enticing desktop machines for creative professionals: the powerful Mac Studio and the mighty Mac Pro, both featuring the most advanced Apple silicon chips yet. This guide compares these two powerhouse desktops in detail to help you make the right decision for your professional needs.

Design and Portability

The design and portability of the Mac Studio and Mac Pro are strikingly different. While the Mac Studio offers a more portable and space-saving design, the Mac Pro is a stationary tower. The Mac Studio comes in two variants: the M2 Max chip and M2 Ultra chip, weighing 5.9 and 7.9 pounds, respectively.

Image source: Pixabay

The Mac Studio with M2 Ultra has a power-hungry chip that runs hotter, requiring a dense copper heat sink in place of the aluminum heat sink found in the M2 Max model. With a compact height of only 3.7 inches, it presents a relatively portable option.... Read more

How to Hide and Unhide Photos on Mac

Abbaz Uddin — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 05:25:00 +0000

In today’s age, where our personal lives intertwine with technology, privacy becomes a crucial aspect of our online activities. When it comes to privacy on Macs, securing your personal photos may take precedence. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to hide and unhide photos on a Mac using the Photos app and alternative methods.

Tip: make sure you fully secure your Mac if you are concerned about privacy.

How to Hide Photos on Mac Using the Photos App

The built-in hide feature on Macs can be used throughout the Photos app. To hide photos using the Photos app on your Mac, follow the steps below.

Open the Photos app.

Your photo library folder will open.
Select the photos you want to hide from the Library folder, and right-click to find the “Hide Photo” option.

Note: you can do this for multiple photos at once. When you hide a picture, it is... Read more

How to Change the Hard Drive “Read Only” Permission on Mac

Abdul Wahab Asif — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 15:25:00 +0000

If you’re frustrated by the “Read Only” permission issue when trying to access your external hard drive on your Mac, you’re not alone. Many Mac users encounter this common problem when attempting to transfer data to or from an external drive. The cause of this inconvenience is often an incompatible format that limits permissions on the drive. Mac users who connect the same external drive to their Windows PCs, smartphones, or TVs often face this issue. This tutorial shows how to change the hard drive “Read Only” permission on your Mac.

Preliminary Fixes

Back Up Your Data: before proceeding with any solutions to change the “Read Only” permission error on your Mac, it’s important to safeguard your data. Be sure to back up the contents of your external drive to a secure location, such as on your Mac or another computer.
Try a Different User Account: use a different user account that has appropriate permissions to access the hard drive by default. Create a new user profile on your Mac, or switch to a different existing user account. Either way, ensure the... Read more

How to Play Doom 1, 2, & 3 on an Apple Silicon Mac

David Morelo — Fri, 07 Jul 2023 21:25:00 +0000

The Doom video game series is one of the most iconic video game franchises in history, embodying the essence of the first-person shooter genre. Its timeless gameplay mechanics, memorable levels, and varied enemies provide a thrilling gaming experience. Best of all, the first three Doom games can run flawlessly on your Apple silicon Mac! This tutorial shows how to properly configure your Mac to play these iconic games.

Tip: interested in playing more video games on your Apple silicon Mac? Check out these top Apple Arcade games.

How to Run Doom 1 and 2 on an Apple Silicon Mac

The original commercial distributions of Doom predate OS X, so they no longer run natively on Apple Silicon Macs. Thankfully, several enhanced ports of the Doom engine have been created by fans of the franchise, with GZDoom being the most popular port in the Doom community.

In addition to addressing compatibility issues, GZDoom adds a ton of new quality-of-life (vertical aiming, crosshair, etc.) and behind-the-scenes (OpenGL renderer, scripting capabilities, etc.) features that make Doom 1 and 2 more enjoyable... Read more

How to Remove an Image Background on Mac

Abbaz Uddin — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 21:25:00 +0000

In today’s visually-driven world, images play a vital role in getting your message across. You don’t have to be a graphic designer or professional to remove the background from an image on Mac. macOS provides a host of built-in features to remove the background of an image, and it is easier than you think. This step-by-step guide shows how to easily remove the background of any image on your Mac.

How to Remove the Background Using Built-in Mac Tools

macOS provides multiple ways for you to remove the background of an image on your Mac. The following methods are focused on the latest version of macOS. If you haven’t already, update to macOS Ventura. However, many of the steps will work similarly, even if you’re using an older version of macOS.

Finder Quick Actions

Click on the “Finder” icon from the Dock.

Right-click on the image with a background you want to... Read more

How to Uninstall Default Apps on Mac

David Morelo — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 05:25:00 +0000

If you’re anything like us, you enjoy the sleek design and user-friendly features that come with macOS Ventura. But what about those preinstalled apps that just sit there, taking up valuable space, that never get a click? We’re looking at you, “Stocks” and “Chess.” While dragging and dropping third-party apps into the Trash folder is a breeze, the same can’t be said for those that came bundled with macOS. That’s why we’ve prepared this guide that shows how to uninstall default apps on Mac.

The Difficulties of Removing Default Mac Apps

You may be wondering why it’s so difficult to uninstall these default Mac apps. There are two main reasons:

Apple wants to protect users against their own mistakes: imagine that you accidentally uninstall a critical app, like Safari, then can’t browse the Internet to find a solution to reinstall it. By making these default apps tough to remove, Apple is essentially making sure you don’t erase yourself out of a backup plan.
Cybercriminals have one less attack vector to exploit: if it were easy to remove default... Read more

4 Ways to Stop Mac Wallpaper Changing After a Restart

Abdul Wahab Asif — Tue, 04 Jul 2023 21:25:00 +0000

If you’ve ever customized your Mac’s wallpaper, only to find it mysteriously changing back to the default image after every restart, you know how frustrating it can be. It’s a common issue among Mac users, mostly caused by the “Dynamic Wallpaper” or “Change picture” features being enabled by mistake. This guide covers four practical and effective ways to stop your Mac wallpaper changing after a restart.

Why the Wallpaper on Your Mac Changes After a Restart

Dynamic Wallpapers: if you have a Dynamic wallpaper set as your default, it will change frequently throughout the day, often correlating with the sunrise and sunset, based on your current location. Built-in Dynamic Wallpapers feature natural landscapes and abstract images.

Multi-Monitor Setups: when you connect an external display to your Mac, the wallpaper settings may adjust to accommodate the different screen resolutions or configurations. To resolve this, disconnect the external display from your Mac, and choose your preferred wallpaper. Reconnect the external display and restart the Mac.

Outdated Version of macOS: running older versions of macOS can result in software glitches that can... Read more

7 Ways to Fix macOS Error Code 102

David Morelo — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 15:25:00 +0000

Were you met with macOS error code 102 while downloading a software update on your Mac? This guide dissects the probable reasons behind this error code and walks you through simple, yet effective, methods to resolve it.

Preliminary Fixes for Error Code 102

Before we start tackling slightly more complicated fixes, let’s cover a handful of Mac troubleshooting classics. These are tried-and-true methods that serve as our first line of defense against a wide range of errors, including macOS error code 102:

Restart your Mac: Go to the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen, and select “Restart.”
Check your Internet connection: error 102 can sometimes be a sign of an unsteady or weak Internet connection. Use an online Internet speed test site to check whether you’re getting the download/upload speeds you should be getting.
Restore from a backup: if you have Time Machine enabled on your system, you can use the Migration Assistant tool to restore your Mac to an earlier state.

Tip: having trouble... Read more

How to Install Unreal Engine on Mac

Daniel Bott — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 05:25:00 +0000

Unreal Engine is a free 3D computer graphics game engine developed by Epic Games. It has been used in a variety of games and has seen adoption by other industries, most notably the film and television industry. If you are playing games from Epic store, you might need the Unreal Engine on your system. This guide walks you through the process of installing Unreal Engine on your Mac.

Prerequisite

Before downloading and installing Unreal Engine, ensure that you have enough available storage on your Mac, as the application size is quite big. You should have at least 40GB free for the application. You’ll also need to install Xcode, as it is a necessity for running Unreal Engine.

Tip: learn how to find out how much storage you’ll need on your Mac.

Download Xcode

To run Unreal Engine, you’ll need to have Xcode downloaded on your Mac:

Open the App Store on your Mac and search for Xcode.
Click “Get” to download it.

6 Ways to Run Linux Software on Mac

David Morelo — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 05:25:00 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to dip your toes into the vast ocean of Linux software, but you enjoy the comfort of your Mac, then you’re in the right place. Today, we’re going to break down six methods of running Linux software on your Mac – making it easy to experience the power of open-source software and turbo-charge your Mac at the same time.

Tip: Did you know that all versions of macOS, including macOS Ventura are UNIX-based operating systems? Learn more about UNIX vs. Linux and how they are different by discovering our guide.

1. Use the MacPorts Package Manager

MacPorts is a community-driven package manager designed to simplify the process of compiling, installing, and upgrading open-source software on your Mac. It provides access to thousands of ready-made ports of Linux software, and you can get started with it in a few simple steps:

Apple’s Xcode Command Line Tools is a prerequisite for using MacPorts. You can install Xcode by opening Terminal on your Mac and run the command: xcode-select --install
The Read more

How to Connect Multiple Monitors to an M1 or M2 MacBook Air

David Morelo — Thu, 29 Jun 2023 05:25:00 +0000

The Apple silicon-based MacBook Air laptops shine when used to get stuff done on the go, but they have one significant limitation that greatly limits their potential for use at home or in the office: they can’t natively connect to more than one external monitor. The good news is that this shortcoming can be circumvented using third-party solutions.

Tip: not sure which MacBook you have? Check your Mac’s serial number to find out.

Requirements for Connecting Multiple Monitors to M1 or M2 MacBook Air

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s lay the groundwork by going over the requirements for connecting multiple monitors to an M1 or M2 MacBook Air.

M1 or M2 MacBook Air

Obviously, you need an M1 or M2 MacBook Air. Specifically, we’re talking about the 2020 MacBook Air (M1) and the 2022 MacBook Air (M2). These models, despite their state-of-the-art processors, support only one external monitor with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz.

5 Ways to Fix S.M.A.R.T. Errors During macOS Installation

David Morelo — Wed, 28 Jun 2023 05:25:00 +0000

Whenever a major release of macOS becomes available, the air gets filled with a mix of anticipation and excitement. But as every seasoned Mac user knows, system updates aren’t always as straightforward as clicking “Install.” Sometimes the digital path to new features is marred by unexpected hurdles, and S.M.A.R.T. errors are among them. In this guide, we uncover the meaning behind S.M.A.R.T. issues during macOS installation and show how to fix them.

S.M.A.R.T. Errors During macOS Installation

You’re face-to-face with a message that’s throwing a spanner in your macOS installation works. It reads as follows:

This disk has S.M.A.R.T. errors.  This disk has a hardware problem that can't be repaired. Back up as much of the data as possible and replace the disk.

Image source: Unsplash

What does this mean? S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) is an early warning system built in to your hard drive. It’s like your drive’s crystal ball, predicting potential hardware... Read more

4 Ways to Select Multiple Photos on a Mac

Natalie dela Vega — Mon, 26 Jun 2023 21:25:00 +0000

Managing multiple images can be time-consuming if you cannot select them all simultaneously. This process can be quite cumbersome, especially if you need to manage different photos across various albums. This quick tutorial will teach you how to select multiple photos on your Mac to help you manage your media in a few simple clicks. Let’s get started!

1. Select Multiple Photos Using Click and Drag

This method of selecting multiple photos is best recommended if the photos you are working with are in the same range or next to each other, as you’ll drag your cursor until the last photo you want to manage is selected. Follow these steps:

Open the Photos app.

Locate the album you would like to manage.

Find an empty space in the album’s window, then click using your trackpad or mouse, and hold... Read more