All Questions
128,225
questions
3007
votes
8
answers
2.5m
views
Why am I getting an “invalid active developer path” when attempting to use Git after upgrading to macOS Sonoma?
After upgrading to macOS Sonoma, I tried to run git from Terminal but it kept giving me the following error:
xcrun: error: invalid active developer path (/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools), missing ...
- 66.5k
974
votes
11
answers
1.1m
views
List of all packages installed using Homebrew
Is it possible to and how do I get a list of all the packages installed on my Mac using Homebrew? I am not interested in packages installed outside of Homebrew.
- 11.6k
854
votes
9
answers
860k
views
How can I permanently add my SSH private key to Keychain so it is automatically available to ssh?
It seems that ssh-add -K ~/.ssh/id_rsa will load your key but will ask for the password each time you reboot.
I am looking for a solution that would not require me to re-enter the key password ...
- 29.5k
696
votes
14
answers
583k
views
How to find cause of high kernel_task cpu usage?
Occasionally my machine will have a kernel_task instance max out the CPU:
This can last from minutes to sometimes hours. The machine is effectively unusable in this state. Restarting doesn't help; a ...
- 12.5k
619
votes
12
answers
379k
views
How to separate "mouse" and "trackpad" settings?
In System Preferences > Mouse there's a setting "Scroll direction: natural", which I don't like, so I unset. The problem is that this also unsets the setting for Trackpad, which I do like.
How can ...
- 9,359
607
votes
156
answers
340k
views
Please share your hidden macOS features or tips and tricks
Do you know any hidden or little-known nice feature of macOS (née Mac OS X)? It doesn't matter what it is—maybe just a short terminal command or a keyboard shortcut. Share your experiences on ...
589
votes
15
answers
725k
views
Shortcut for toggling between different windows of same app?
I opened two Google Chrome windows (because I am using multiple Gmails) and when I do the Cmd ⌘ Tab ⇥ shortcut it just shows me other applications that I opened but does not show me the other Chrome ...
- 5,893
555
votes
13
answers
202k
views
Remap "Home" and "End" to beginning and end of line
Most of my computing time is spent in Linux (with occasional time in Windows). On these platforms the Home and End keys universally jump to the beginning or end of the current line.
I am gradually ...
- 7,053
529
votes
3
answers
303k
views
What is the difference between `brew` and `brew cask`?
So, what is the difference between brew and brew cask?
I know that homebrew is a package management software. But what kind of software can I get there? Is it open source software and commercial ...
- 5,529
527
votes
8
answers
312k
views
How do I disable Chrome's two-finger back/forward navigation?
Chrome supports two-finger swipes left/right in order to browse back/forward in the browser history. Unfortunately, Chrome handles this differently to other macOS applications, and it's far too easy ...
- 24.2k
509
votes
12
answers
244k
views
iTerm - going one word backwards and forwards
Would it be possible to configure iTerm 2 to go backwards and forwards one word through the curent text in the command line using a keyboard shortcut?
- 10.6k
478
votes
15
answers
305k
views
git auto-complete for *branches* at the command line?
On my Linux machine I have autocomplete for branches with Git.
[Note we are talking about git branch completion, not bash completion (e.g. commands, files, etc). Thus NOT Lane's answer at all]
For ...
- 17.3k
476
votes
2
answers
161k
views
How to prevent Mac from changing the order of Desktops/Spaces
You may have encountered a situation in which Mac changes the order of desktops based on some events like alerts on a program or a web page in browser.
How could I disable this logical change?
Note: I'...
- 4,978
464
votes
7
answers
486k
views
Why does my dock keep moving back to my other monitor?
I have a larger, external monitor connected to my MacBook Pro and have arranged it such that the dock is in the external monitor (via System Preferences > Displays > Arrangement, by dragging the white ...
- 4,947
454
votes
7
answers
650k
views
How can I create a symbolic link in Terminal?
What command is used to create a symbolic link/soft link?
- 4,549
429
votes
1
answer
594k
views
How do I launch Finder from terminal or command line [duplicate]
I use command line a lot, like most programmers.
I want to be able to launch Finder, Safari or any other application for that matter from command line e.g.
finder .
where it will start Finder ...
- 4,291
426
votes
15
answers
620k
views
mds and mds_stores constantly consuming cpu
mds and mds_stores are constant CPU consumers even when I think nothing should have changed on the hard drive.
Activity Monitor:
I have a circa 2009 Macbook Pro with lots of software installed over ...
- 4,425
420
votes
9
answers
135k
views
Using Alt/Cmd + Right/Left Arrow in iTerm [duplicate]
Is it possible to move between words in iTerm using Alt + Right/Left Arrows ?
Now if I press Alt+Left I will get '[D' and '[C' if I press Alt+Right.
- 5,215
420
votes
5
answers
346k
views
What is the difference between .bash_profile and .bashrc?
To make an alias for the Terminal in OS X, you can either put the aliases in .bash_profile or .bashrc. What is the difference between the two and why would I choose to put aliases in one and not the ...
- 38.4k
404
votes
133
answers
245k
views
Got any tips or tricks for Terminal in Mac OS X?
One tip or trick per answer.
My favorite is
open .
Opens the folder you're currently browsing in Finder. You can also pass URLs, images, documents or else to open.
If you specify a program name ...
397
votes
13
answers
237k
views
How can I trigger a Notification Center notification from an AppleScript or shell script?
I'd love to be able to take advantage of 10.8's Notification Center features in AppleScripts and shell scripts I write.
Is there a built-in command or a third-party library I can use from either an ...
- 28.7k
390
votes
13
answers
324k
views
How can I configure Mac Terminal to have color ls output? [duplicate]
How can I configure Mac Terminal to have color ls output?
I am using MacOS 10.5
lucius
389
votes
9
answers
1.3m
views
How do I find my IP Address from the command line?
I know you can do ifconfig | grep inet, but that shows you several IPv4 addresses. How do I get the specific one for SSHing et al?
- 4,959
371
votes
7
answers
268k
views
How do I recompile Bash to avoid Shellshock (the remote exploit CVE-2014-6271 and CVE-2014-7169)?
Given that Bash 3.2 (the version shipped by OS X) is vulnerable to the remote execution exploit known as "Shell Shock" (CVE-2014-6271 and CVE-2014-7169) how do I rebuild Bash and secure my system ...
- 2,735
369
votes
4
answers
492k
views
How do I stop the Adobe Creative Cloud app from auto-launching on login?
How do I stop the Adobe Creative Cloud app from auto-launching on login? I don't see any option of stopping this, and for some reason it's not in OS X's user login options.
- 4,809
364
votes
39
answers
225k
views
What Window Management Options exist for OS X?
I'd like to do something with my windows on OS X, where something includes options like re-arranging, moving, re-sizing, remembering positions, cloning across Spaces, etc. What options exist?
Rules
...
350
votes
13
answers
624k
views
How do I downgrade node or install a specific previous version using homebrew?
I'm using brew. I have node installed, using brew. I want to use an earlier version of node.
Online, I find instructions such as, for example:
cd /usr/local/Library/Formula
brew remove node --force
...
- 3,809
348
votes
6
answers
129k
views
How can I disable animation when switching desktops in Lion?
I would very much like to disable the sliding animation that occurs when switching desktops via ctrl+→/← or ctrl+[number] in Lion. This was previously accomplished in previous versions ...
- 3,481
342
votes
4
answers
221k
views
What are the practical differences between Bash and Zsh?
With the news that Catalina will default to Zsh instead of Bash, I'm finding lots of results telling me about the switch, and that it may cause problems with shell scripts, but I'm not familiar enough ...
- 5,638
341
votes
6
answers
948k
views
How can I list my open network ports with netstat?
I would like to list my open network ports in Terminal with built in commands. As what I know, netstat is the command to use. But I'm struggling to get any useful information out of it.
How can I ...
- 6,112
336
votes
17
answers
796k
views
How to combine two images into one on a Mac?
Say I have two photos (or any images), for example with the following dimensions:
+----------+ +----------+
| | | |
| | | |
|320 x 428 | and |...
- 6,633
315
votes
8
answers
715k
views
How to change computer name so terminal displays it in Mac OS X Mountain Lion? [duplicate]
When I setup my computer I named it "Scott's MacBook Pro". And so when I go to System preferences->Sharing, it says Scott's MacBook Pro there as my computer name. However, opening up a terminal gives ...
- 5,585
310
votes
14
answers
524k
views
Can I get the CPU temperature and fan speed from the command line in OS X?
Is there a command I can run from the command line in OS X to get the current CPU temperature and/or the fan speed(s)?
To be more specific, I'd like to be able to get the same info available in the ...
- 3,348
309
votes
3
answers
193k
views
Hotkey to show hidden files and folders in File Open dialog?
This question is very similar to Is it possible to always show hidden/dotfiles in Open/Save dialogs?. How to show hidden files and folders in finder? is also related. However, I don't want to always ...
user83961
296
votes
7
answers
129k
views
Applications Don't Show Up in Spotlight
Spotlight has stopped showing any results for my Applications. I've tried reindexing and removing the index so it rebuilds it. No change. I've tried adding Applications to the Privacy tab and removing ...
- 3,165
284
votes
17
answers
309k
views
What do I type to produce the command symbol (⌘) in Mac OS X?
What combination of keys do I press to produce the command symbol (⌘) on Mac OS X?
(I copied the above symbol from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Command_key.)
- 4,559
284
votes
29
answers
526k
views
How to create a text file in a folder
In windows I right click and then there is an option to create a text file.
How to do so in mac?
- 3,391
281
votes
14
answers
542k
views
Why doesn't .bashrc run automatically?
I put some alias commands in my .bashrc file, so that they might be loaded everytime I open a new Terminal window. Yet this doesn't happen.
I have to select run script: in the Terminal>Preferences&...
- 4,313
281
votes
7
answers
132k
views
"File Open" dialog is missing sidebar items
I'm having the strangest issue since updating to OS X El Capitan. My "Open File" dialogs show the sidebar but all my main (and useful) locations are missing. Take a look at this screenshot. This ...
- 2,921
279
votes
4
answers
1.6m
views
How to Retrieve the Wi-Fi Password of a Connected Network on a Mac
I need to find the password for a Wi-Fi network that I am already connected to. I'm using a MacBook Pro that's running OS X Lion. Any guidance is appreciated.
- 2,913
266
votes
13
answers
145k
views
How can I save tabs in iTerm 2 so they restore the next time the app is run?
Can I save tabs on exit in my iTerm 2, so I don't have to open same directories again after restart?
Like Chrome does, for example.
I couldn't find such option in settings. Maybe "Arrangements" is ...
- 3,943
265
votes
3
answers
182k
views
What is the "rootless" feature in El Capitan, really?
I have just learned about the "Rootless" feature in El Capitan, and I am hearing things like "There is no root user", "Nothing can modify /System" and "The world will end because we can't get root".
...
- 8,565
263
votes
8
answers
745k
views
How can I manually delete old backups to free space for Time Machine?
I use a Time Capsule for backup and now I want the drive to back up data from an extra Mac. But the drive is filled up with old backups from Mac 1. There simply is not enough space available for the ...
- 2,802
262
votes
5
answers
499k
views
Can I open files in TextEdit from the Terminal in Mac OS X?
I frequently find that a Terminal command to open a file in TextEdit would be very handy. Does such a command exist on Mac OS X?
- 2,779
262
votes
7
answers
198k
views
How to replace Mac OS X utilities with GNU core utilities?
I found there is some differences between the utility command I used on the mac OSX and linux. I want to make my experience united.
How could I replace all my mac utilities with GNU utilities?
- 2,785
261
votes
11
answers
240k
views
How to use terminal to copy a file to the clipboard?
I got a file on desktop, file name is ded.html. To copy the file, I click the file and press cmd+c.
Now how would I do the same thing using terminal ?
- 2,895
253
votes
15
answers
528k
views
Where can I find the installed package path via brew
I installed some packages via brew. But I can not find where they are.
I can not get access by typing hping on terminal
% brew install hping
(git)-[master]
Warning: hping-3.20051105 already ...
- 2,749
250
votes
22
answers
350k
views
Is there a Mac OS X Terminal version of the "free" command in Linux systems?
On Linux, I often use the free command to see the current amount of free and used memory in the system. For example:
$ free
total used free shared buffers cached
...
- 5,485
249
votes
13
answers
335k
views
Why are dot underscore ._ files created, and how can I avoid them?
I am using different operating systems on different machines on different locations. I am using a USB flash disk to keep my files (source codes etc.).
I am new to Mac OS X and now I realize there are ...
- 2,998
248
votes
7
answers
137k
views
Make the green full screen window icon on Yosemite maximize windows
On Mac OS X Yosemite the green icon in every window:
is by default used to make the application full screen.
How do I make it work the same way as in previous versions of Mac OS X, i.e. to maximize ...
- 10.6k