What You Can't See Mac OS
In OS X Yosemite or later, you can also use Handoff to move Safari pages between your Mac and your iOS devices. Learn how to set up and use iCloud for Windows. Published Date: February 25, 2021. Hold the option key down while booting, see if OS X appears and select it to boot from, then reset the StartupDisk in System Preferences again. If that doesn't work, I suspect a hosed GUID partiton table, backup what you can out of Windows to a external drive and disconnect.
- Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode that you find in both Windows and Mac operating systems. It prevents some of the usual background processes from running, which can make it easier to sniff out bugs on a PC and can keep your computer from loading some of the programs that may be causing it problems during booting on a Mac.
- Windows Gives You Better Customization: Windows devices can be bought from any company you.
Is your Mac up to date with the latest version of the Mac operating system? Is it using the version required by a product that you want to use with your Mac? Which versions are earlier (older) or later (newer, more recent)? To find out, learn which version is installed now.
If your macOS isn't up to date, you may be able to update to a later version.
Which macOS version is installed?
From the Apple menu in the corner of your screen, choose About This Mac. You should see the macOS name, such as macOS Big Sur, followed by its version number. If you need to know the build number as well, click the version number to see it.
Which macOS version is the latest?
These are all Mac operating systems, starting with the most recent. When a major new macOS is released, it gets a new name, such as macOS Big Sur. As updates that change the macOS version number become available, this article is updated to show the latest version of that macOS.
If your Mac is using an earlier version of any Mac operating system, you should install the latest Apple software updates, which can include important security updates and updates for the apps that are installed by macOS, such as Safari, Books, Messages, Mail, Music, Calendar, and Photos.
What Mac Os To Use
macOS | Latest version |
---|---|
macOS Big Sur | 11.3 |
macOS Catalina | 10.15.7 |
macOS Mojave | 10.14.6 |
macOS High Sierra | 10.13.6 |
macOS Sierra | 10.12.6 |
OS X El Capitan | 10.11.6 |
OS X Yosemite | 10.10.5 |
OS X Mavericks | 10.9.5 |
OS X Mountain Lion | 10.8.5 |
OS X Lion | 10.7.5 |
Mac OS X Snow Leopard | 10.6.8 |
Mac OS X Leopard | 10.5.8 |
Mac OS X Tiger | 10.4.11 |
Mac OS X Panther | 10.3.9 |
Mac OS X Jaguar | 10.2.8 |
Mac OS X Puma | 10.1.5 |
Mac OS X Cheetah | 10.0.4 |
Macworld reader Lon has a problem finding a file on his Mac. He needs to remove it to avoid a compatibility problem, and no amount of Spotlight searches nor browsing through folders can find it.
Spotlight should let you find nearly any file you create or store in macOS with ease, but it doesn’t always work that way. There’s a way to search comprehensively through your macOS drive (or drives) using the Terminal, but I think of it as a last resort, because it involves tricky syntax and can be slow. It also may match a lot of files you’re not interested in.
In the Terminal, a command called find
can perform a comprehensive and deep search across everything, including system files and other stuff that we don’t need to interact with and macOS doesn’t readily expose to users. (Find is something I’ve used for decades, and it feels like a tool designed for a computer with a teletypewriter attached.)
In this example, let’s assume I’m looking for a file I know is named easysolutions.mdl
, and I’m going to search on just easysolutions
as the unique portion. The search pattern I show below is case independent, so uppercase and lowercase letters get matched regardless of what you specify. If you need to use a space, enclose the text in quotation marks, like 'easy solutions'
.
- Launch Terminal, which you’ll find in Applications > Utilities.
- Switch to superuser, which requires an administrative account. You enter
sudo su -
and press Return, and then enter the administrative password. If it’s the first time you’ve usedsudo
, macOS also warns you about the dangers of having system super powers. - You can include part or all of a file name in the search. Type exactly
find / -name easysolutions -print
- This may take some time to process. It could be several minutes as macOS matches against every one of hundreds of thousands or millions of individual files. Each result appears as a separate entry.
- When you see the file appear, it will be proceeded by its full path name. Copy the path from the first
/
to the last/
before the file name, like/Library/Application Support/BingoBongo/settings/preferences/config/
- Now in the Finder, choose Go > Go To Folder, and paste in that path.
- The folder will open. In some cases, you may have to authorize opening the folder, entering an administrative account name and password.
- If you’re sure the file you see is the one you want to delete, move, or interact with, you’re all set.
During this find operation, you will see entries you can ignore, like:
What You Can't See Mac Os X
find: /path/name/here/filename.txt: Operation not permitted
or
find: /dev/fd/3: Not a directory
Even though you’re a superuser, the underlying Unix operation system and Apple’s specific modifications prohibit some kinds of operations.
Once you’re done, return to Terminal and press Control-D or type exit
and press Return to leave superuser status. (The #
at the far left will change to a $
.)
Ask Mac 911
We’ve compiled a list of the questions we get asked most frequently along with answers and links to columns: read our super FAQ to see if your question is covered. If not, we’re always looking for new problems to solve! Email yours to mac911@macworld.com including screen captures as appropriate, and whether you want your full name used. Every question won’t be answered, we don’t reply to email, and we cannot provide direct troubleshooting advice.