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Working with files, terminal and AI on a Mac.
Mac desktop icons: organizing a layout that resets
Organizing Mac desktop icons keeps failing because the layout is stored per display and three View menu commands do different jobs. Here is which one to pick and why.
Mac address commands: why two of them disagree
Looking up an address on a Mac from the command line gives two different answers for the same Wi-Fi card. Here is which command reports what, and how to read the result correctly.
Mac search for file extension, done accurately
How to run a mac search for file extension that returns only that extension: the Finder criterion most people miss, the scope trap, and the command line equivalents.
Choosing a file format a Mac and Windows both accept
A working guide to mac windows file format questions: which disk format Disk Utility will create, what exFAT gives up, and the file names that break the moment they cross to Windows.
Mac unzip of a Windows zip: fixing garbled file names
A Windows zip opened on a Mac gives garbled or missing file names. Here is what actually fails, which built in command already handles it, and how to send zips back.
Mac X Finder: which of the old advice still works
A mac x finder search returns pages written across twenty years of macOS. Here is what changed, what did not, and how to tell a stale instruction before following it.
A zip made on a Mac that will not expand
When a zip made on a Mac refuses to expand, the error, a .cpgz file, or a silent failure each point at a different cause. Three commands separate a damaged archive from a limited extractor.
File management software for a Mac
Mac file management software splits into five categories that solve different problems. Here is what each one does, what macOS already includes, and how to pick without buying four apps.