Opening the "Displays" or "Sound" sections of System Preferences!
Opening System Preferences each time you want to change your Displays or Sound settings can be a pain, especially if you often hook up your Mac to an external display or you often want to change the sound inputs and outputs (like when recording a podcast or maybe for Skype). There is however a really quick way of getting to the right spot instantly. If you hold down "Option" and change the volume, it will open System Preferences in the Sound section. The same is true when you hold down "Option" and change the brightness. It will open the display settings. These two keyboard shortcuts can really speed things up.
posted by Frederic Tremblay at
8/28/2007
17 Comments:
This is a great tip. Thanks!!
I do have an odd question though...So what exactly happens when you use the [OPTION] key at the same time you move the slider up and down to change the volume using the icon on the menu bar?
Amazing tip! By the way, on a MacBook Pro (as I just found out) you can press "Option" and one of the keyboard brightness keys and go to the keyboard and mice settings.
i have a totally unrelated question but i wasn't sure where to ask. sometimes i want to drag a file from an opened application (like iphoto) to my desktop but all my opened applications are in the way and i have to move each one, one at a time, to get a space on my desktop to drag to. is there an easier way?
i have a totally unrelated question but i wasn't sure where to ask. sometimes i want to drag a file from an opened application (like iphoto) to my desktop but all my opened applications are in the way and i have to move each one, one at a time, to get a space on my desktop to drag to. is there an easier way?
Why not use Desktop Expose? (I think it's F12 by default.) To change it, go to System Preferences>Dashboard & Exposé
Hope this helps
MacTipper
My Mac-Tipping Blog
Sardough: Actually, using Expose will hide all windows. If you want to keep the running application but get rid of the others, the best way is to use "Hide Others". The shortcut is "Option - Command - H".
MacGeek
Actually, it's F11 not F12. (My bad.)
MacTipper
My Mac-Tipping Blog
The best way is to set up your hot corners. That way you can drag the file to the top corner, which lets you see only your desktop, then drop your file onto the desktop. Hot corners are set up under System Preferences.
I am loving this one, thanks
Good one MacGeek....makes me wonder if MacTipper even has a Mac with his posts today. I guess others are right.....he is just here to advertise his shameful blog.
seriously, where's the brightness key? i don't see any on my keyboard ><
Great tip. I notice however that the option key and the {brightness or volume} keys have to be pressed on the same keyboard. Explanaiton: I have a MacBookPro on a stand at the office and use an external keyboard to work. If I try the combination of keys using both KBs, it doesn't work. But on the same KB, great! Thx.
deakin, on the full size keyboard the brightness keys are F14 and F15
cool tip !!
thanks, man
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Another tip that pertains to this issue is to hold down both the Command and Option keys at the same time, and then click the program you are using (iPhoto in the example) in the dock. This will hide all other programs but iPhoto, allowing you to see the desktop and drag your file from iPhoto. hth!
deakin: on a macbook pro (probably a macbook as well) that's F1, F2 - or if you choose the F keys to do their normal function (in the settings) then it's fn+F1, fn+F2.
dvsjr, that's a great tip.. but how do you undo it? (when we're done with the desktop)
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