All guides
Every guide on Mac Field Guide, 34 in total, grouped by topic. Filter by topic, macOS version or kind of guide.
Topic
Version
Kind
Windows 2
- How to snap windows on a Mac: halves, quarters and keyboard shortcutsmacOS can snap windows to halves and quarters on its own since macOS 15 Sequoia. Here's how to drag, click and use keyboard shortcuts to tile, and what to do when snapping doesn't work.
- How to close windows faster on Mac, including from Mission ControlEvery built-in way to close one window, all of an app's windows, or quit, plus the one thing macOS can't do: close a window from Mission Control.
Dock 2
- Mac Dock keeps moving to the other monitor? How to keep it on one screenThe Dock follows your pointer to whichever display you push against the bottom edge of. Here's why it happens and three ways to keep it on one screen.
- Dock not showing on your external monitor (or missing entirely) on MacHow to bring the Dock to an external display, and what to do when the Dock disappears or won't show at all, including the reset command.
Spaces and Mission Control 4
- Mission Control lag and black screens on macOS 27: every fix that worksOn macOS 27 Golden Gate, Mission Control and Spaces can stutter, show black screens on a second display, or lose desktop thumbnails. Here are the fixes in order, from a one-click workaround to resetting Spaces.
- Turn off the Spaces animation on Mac, switch desktops faster, and stop them rearrangingHow to replace the sliding Spaces animation with a quick fade, jump straight to any desktop with a shortcut, speed up Mission Control, and stop macOS reordering your Spaces.
- How to set up and change hot corners on MacWhere to find hot corners in System Settings, what each action does, how to stop triggering them by accident, and the Terminal commands behind them.
- Stage Manager not working or laggy on Mac: fixes and settingsHow to turn Stage Manager on and off, change how it groups windows, deal with lag, and what to know about moving the strip to the other side.
Displays 1
Settings 7
- How to make Liquid Glass less transparent on Mac (macOS 27 and Tahoe)macOS 27 has a slider for how clear Liquid Glass is. Tahoe offers Clear or Tinted and Reduce transparency. Exact steps for each version, and which setting helps readability most.
- How to stop apps opening at startup on Mac (login items, every version)Remove apps that open when you log in, and background items you don't need, in System Settings on macOS 27, Tahoe, Sequoia and Sonoma, plus the other places startup apps hide.
- How to take a screenshot on Mac, and change where screenshots are savedEvery Mac screenshot shortcut, how to copy a screenshot instead of saving it, change the save folder, turn off the floating thumbnail and the window shadow, and record the screen.
- How to turn off notifications on Mac, per app or all at onceStop notifications from one app, hide them while screen sharing, silence everything with Focus, and turn off notification previews on macOS 27, Tahoe and Sequoia.
- How to customize Control Center on Mac (macOS 27, Tahoe and Sequoia)Add, remove and rearrange controls in Control Center, and choose which ones also appear in the menu bar. Steps for macOS 27 and Tahoe, where you edit Control Center directly, and for Sequoia.
- Where did Launchpad go? How to find and open apps on macOS 27 and TahoemacOS Tahoe replaced Launchpad with an Apps view in Spotlight. How to open it, browse apps by category, add it to the Dock, and the fastest other ways to open apps.
- Which of my Mac apps still need Rosetta? How to find Intel-only apps before support endsmacOS 27 is the last version with full Rosetta support, so Intel-only apps will stop working on Apple silicon. Find them in System Information or Activity Monitor, and what to do about each.
Troubleshooting 7
- Can my Mac run macOS 27 Golden Gate? The full compatibility listmacOS 27 Golden Gate runs only on Macs with Apple silicon. The full list of supported Macs, how to check yours in ten seconds, and what to do with an Intel Mac.
- Can't update your Mac? Fixes for macOS updates that won't download, install or finishWhat to do when macOS 27 or a Tahoe update doesn't appear, gets stuck on Preparing, fails to download or hangs during install, from storage checks to the full installer and Recovery.
- Mac slow after updating macOS? Why it happens and how long it lastsA Mac often feels slow, hot or noisy for a day or two after a macOS update while it re-indexes. How to tell when that's done, and what to try if it stays slow.
- Mac microphone not working in Zoom, Teams or Meet? Fix it in this orderWhen people can't hear you on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Slack on a Mac: check app permission, the selected microphone, AirPods behaviour and the audio service, step by step.
- Spotlight not finding files or apps on Mac? Rebuild the indexWhen Spotlight misses files, apps or emails you know exist: check what's excluded, wait for indexing after an update, and rebuild the Spotlight index from System Settings or Terminal.
- "App can't be opened" or "is damaged" on Mac: how to open it safelyWhat macOS means by "can't be opened because Apple cannot check it", "is damaged and can't be opened" and "unidentified developer", and how to open an app you trust using Open Anyway in Privacy & Security.
- How to downgrade from macOS 27 to macOS TahoeYou can go back from macOS 27 Golden Gate to macOS 26 Tahoe, but it means erasing the Mac. What to back up, the two ways to install Tahoe on Apple silicon, and how to get your files back.
macOS updates 7
- macOS 27 Golden Gate: the biggest changes, and what to check before you updateWhat actually changed in macOS 27 Golden Gate compared with macOS 26 Tahoe: Liquid Glass controls, the new Siri, menu bar changes, the end of Intel support and Rosetta, plus what to check before updating.
- macOS 27 known issues and fixes (updated for 27.2)The problems people actually hit on macOS 27 Golden Gate, which update fixed what, and the workaround for each: Mission Control lag and black screens, external displays, menu bar apps, battery drain, Spotlight and more.
- macOS 27.2: what's new, what it fixes, and should you install itmacOS Golden Gate 27.2 (build 26B123, 26 October 2026): new Siri AI languages, redesigned brightness and volume sliders, Suggestions in Messages, 263 security fixes, and the issues it doesn't fix yet.
- macOS 27.0.1: the first bug-fix update for Golden GatemacOS 27.0.1 (build 26A434, 28 September 2026) was a small bug-fix update. What we know it changed, what users said it didn't fix, and why you should go straight to 27.2 now.
- Every macOS 27 and macOS 26 Tahoe update, with release datesA simple list of every macOS Golden Gate and Tahoe release since September 2025: version, build, date and what mattered in each, with links to our notes for each update.
- macOS Tahoe 26.7: security update for Macs staying on TahoemacOS Tahoe 26.7 came out alongside macOS 27 on 14 September 2026, with 28 security fixes and no new features. Why Intel Macs should install it, and how to stay on Tahoe without being nagged to upgrade.
- macOS Tahoe problems: Liquid Glass, battery drain, slowdowns and install errorsThe most common problems after updating to macOS 26 Tahoe and what to try first: toning down Liquid Glass, battery drain and slowness in the first days, and installs that fail.
App comparisons 4
- The best window managers for Mac in 2026, compared fairlyRectangle, Magnet, Moom, BetterSnapTool, Loop, Amethyst, AeroSpace, yabai and more, compared by how they work, price and macOS 27 support, with what macOS now does on its own.
- Menu bar managers on macOS 27: which work, which broke, and the built-in optionmacOS 27 changed how the menu bar is drawn, breaking Ice, Bartender 6 and others. The status of each menu bar manager, what macOS 27 now does itself, and how to choose.
- Apps that improve the Mac Dock: window previews, taskbars and tweaksAdd window previews, a Windows-style taskbar or extra Dock settings on Mac. DockDoor, uBar and others compared fairly, plus the hidden Dock settings you can change without any app.
- How to keep all your Mac apps updated: App Store, Homebrew and updater apps comparedApps from outside the App Store update themselves in different ways. The free tools that check everything at once, including Latest and Homebrew, compared fairly with paid options.
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