Stop Programs Loading When macOS Starts

If a bunch of applications are slowing your Mac down, here’s how to take control.

The last thing you I need when starting up your Mac is half of the applications deciding they need to open before you can do anything else. It's not that you don't want any application to start when your Mac does, but way too many do this by default, which means you have to wait longer before you can use your machine to do important things.

Disable Reopening Windows on Boot

Your Mac, by default, will reopen all windows after you restart. Disabling this is the best first step to having fewer applications start at boot. While some people appreciate picking up where they left off, others might prefer to choose which apps to open first. The simplest way to change this setting is to uncheck the Reopen windows when logging back in checkbox before restarting.

This setting will stay the same the next time you restart. Note that in the event of a crash, your Mac will still offer to reopen your windows when you boot it up.

Check System Settings

With macOS 13 Ventura, you can find all applications set to start when you log in to System Settings, which you can open by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner and then clicking System Settings. Head to General in the left-hand sidebar and then click Login Items.

At the top of the panel, you’ll see all the applications that are set to open as soon as your Mac starts. You can remove any of these by clicking them and then clicking the minus button below the list. You can also add applications if there’s anything that doesn't currently open at boot that you wish would.

Below this, you’ll find a list of apps allowed to run in the background. This section is a little confusing, but to summarize, some applications need to run in the background of your system in order to function. Some of these show up in your menu bar; others don’t. Many entries here do things like update software you’ve installed, so keep that in mind.

In some cases, there will be an “i” icon to the left of the switch. You can click that icon to be brought to the actual file that is set to launch at login. This is useful if you recognize the application but know for a fact that you uninstalled it, you can simply delete the file.

Feel free to scroll through and disable anything you're sure you don't need running, but be careful. In some cases, this might prevent an application you use from functioning the way you expect. If there's an application here you know you don't want running, though, go ahead and toggle it off. (And consider uninstalling it altogether.)

Credit: wired.com

macOS Big Sur Is Here

Apple Bytes: 

macOS Big Sur, the latest version of the world’s most advanced desktop operating system, is now available to Mac users as a free software update. Big Sur introduces a beautiful redesign and is packed with new enhancements for key apps including Safari, Messages, and Maps, as well as new privacy features.

Big Sur delivers a spacious new design that makes navigation easier, while putting more controls at users’ fingertips. From the curvature of window corners to the palette of colors and materials, the thoughtful design will benefit everyone from first-time Mac owners to the most demanding pros. Dock icons retain their Mac personality while also appearing more consistent across the Apple ecosystem for a more cohesive look and feel. And a new design for apps makes it easier for users to stay focused on their content and interact with apps. Buttons and controls appear when needed and recede when they are not - reducing visual complexity and bringing the most relevant content to the forefront.

The biggest update to Safari since its original launch in 2003 makes the world’s fastest browser even faster while maintaining industry-leading battery life. Safari’s JavaScript engine helps it outperform other browsers on Mac and PC, and loads frequently visited sites an average of 50 percent faster than Chrome. And on new Macs with M1, Safari is now up to 1.5x speedier at running JavaScript and nearly 2x more responsive. Streaming on popular platforms is more vivid and clear with the addition of both YouTube and Netflix in 4K HDR. Redesigned tabs make navigating Safari faster and more efficient by showing more tabs onscreen, revealing page previews when hovering over tabs and displaying favicons by default for easy identification.

Messages on the Mac offers new tools to help users manage their favorite group conversations and fun, engaging ways to express themselves. Users can pin conversations to the top of their Messages list for fast access, and search has been completely redesigned to help users quickly find links, photos, and matching terms. Messages for Mac also works seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, so conversations stay in sync.

Maps has been entirely redesigned and brings exciting new features for exploring the world on the Mac. Users can discover places to visit and things to do with Guides from brands they trust, as well as create custom guides of favorite restaurants, parks, and vacation ideas to share with friends and family. Look Around provides an immersive 360-degree view of a destination, and new detailed indoor maps help with navigating major airports and shopping centers. And for the first time, cycling and electric vehicle trips can be routed on a Mac and sent directly to iPhone to have when on the go.

Privacy is at the core of the Mac experience, and Big Sur expands on its industry-leading privacy to bring new levels of transparency and give users more control over their data. Coming later this year, the Mac App Store will include a new section on each product page showing a developer-reported summary of the privacy practices of an app. Inspired by the convenience and readability of food nutrition labels, the information offered includes the types of data the apps might collect - such as contact information, or location - and whether they are shared with third parties for tracking.

macOS Big Sur is available as a free software update. For more information, including compatible Mac models, visit apple.com/macos/big-sur.

Read the entire news release > HERE

How To Personalize Your macOS Desktop By ...

... Replacing File And Folder Icons With Other Images

Apple Bytes: 

If the macOS desktop is looking a little boring, or is in need of a little more personalization than just a change of background image, one solution could be to change how files, folders, and apps look.

Changing the appearance of an icon can be performed as a way to jazz up a stale desktop, but it also serves a number of other useful purposes as well. When staring at a sea of identical-looking blue folders in Finder, it could help to identify a specific one you need to access by making it stand out from the rest, or by making each folder's icon give some clue to its contents aside from its name.

Switching the icon can also be used as part of a practical joke or to hide documents in plain sight, such as by making the thumbnail of one image look like it's something completely different. No matter what reason you have for changing an icon, the process itself is quite easy to perform, and to undo.

Changing the icon (select any image to enlarge)

The first step is to make a copy of the image you want to use for the icon in the clipboard.

Open the image in your selected image editor, or in Preview, select the portion of the image you want to use, and then copy it by either going to Edit in the menu followed by Copy, or by using the Command-C keyboard shortcut.

Navigate to the file, folder, or app that you want to change, right-click it, and select Get Info to bring up its information window. This can also be done by selecting the file, then going to the menu to select File and then Get Info.

At the top left of this information window will be a small icon. Click it to highlight the small icon with a border.

Lastly, paste the image onto the selected icon, by either selecting Edit in the menu then Paste, or by using the Command-V keyboard shortcut.

At this point, the small icon will change to the pasted image, updating the appearance of the file at the same time.

Copying another icon

If you plan to reuse an icon already in use by another file or folder, it is a similar but slightly different process.

Summon the information window for the file you want to copy the icon from using the Get Info instructions above. Select the small icon, and copy it by using Edit then Copy in the menu, or the Command-C keyboard shortcut.

Once copied, close this window and open the information window for the file you want to alter. Select the small icon, then paste using the keyboard shortcut Command-V or by selecting Edit then Copy in the menu.

Again, both the small icon in the window and the regular icon will change to use the copied graphic.

Restoring the icon

Changing the icon back to its initial form is slightly easier, started by bringing up the information window using the same Get Info instructions as above.

Once in the information window, select the small icon, and either select Edit then Cut in the menu, using the shortcut Command-X, or by pressing Delete.

More info

There are some exceptions to this, such as Apple's Calendar app, which cannot have their icons changed.

If you want to change the icons for apps on the Dock, you will need to change them within the Applications folder. You then need to remove the app from the Dock by dragging it off, and then re-add it by dragging the app from the Applications folder to the Dock.

Credit: appleinsider.com

Ransomware Targeting Mac Users Also Steals ...

  ... Your Passwords and Credit Card Information

Apple Bytes: 

For just about as long as there have been computers, there have been people creating tiny pieces of software designed to steal information from other computers. Sometimes that involves stealing money, while other times it's just for the sake of gathering personal information.

Sometimes it's both.

There is an entire industry that exists to try and prevent these little pieces of software from infecting your computer and ruining your day (or worse). That's how we get anti-virus software, VPNs, and firewalls. Of course, if you use a Mac, you've pretty much always just ignored all of that because generally speaking, most of the viruses--as those little pieces of software are known--were made for Windows-based PCs.

Yes, there have been a few that affect macOS but you're more likely to get a sensible answer to a question from Siri than have your Mac infected with a virus. It just doesn't happen very often.

Which is why it's bad news that a new ransomware attack is targeting Macs. Known as ThiefQuest, the malware was discovered by Dinesh Devadoss, a researcher at K7 Lab.

Ransomware is software that encrypts a targeted computer's files and demands a ransom in exchange for the decryption key. Usually, these attacks target local governments or hospitals, or large corporations with large networks of computers. When the ransomware infects the network, the entire thing is encrypted, meaning the organization is essentially paralyzed until it pays up.

So, it's not something you really want on your MacBook Pro.

As if that wasn't bad enough, this particular virus is actually a combination of both ransomware and a keystroke tracker which allows the hacker to monitor a user's keyboard strokes and capture login credentials or payment information. That makes it potentially even more malicious, though putting them together also makes it less dangerous, at least in practice.

Ransomware is definitely bad news, and having someone snooping on your passwords or credit card information is potentially even worse. Except, once your computer's files are encrypted and a ransom note pops up on your screen, it's not all that likely that you're going to start logging into your bank account or Facebook profile. That means the malware isn't likely to actually capture any information from you.

Also, as of now, it appears that the ransomware is being distributed through compromised versions of software installers found on torrent sites. So far it's been discovered in installers for security software Little Snitch, a DJ tool called Mixed In Key, and Ableton, which is a live music production tool. In other words, if you're pirating software, you're putting yourself at risk.

The good news is, it isn't likely that you'll become infected in the normal course of using your Mac. If you only install software that you get from a trusted source like the Mac App Store, or that has been "signed" or verified by Apple, you can avoid many of the risks of installing malware. Sure, that usually means actually, you know, paying for the software you use, but as they say, you get what you pay for.

And sometimes you end up paying a lot more.

Credit: Inc.com