If you’re just getting started with OS X, learning how to navigate the interface is
a great place to start.
First we’re going to take a look at the desktop, which is the screen you see here.
It includes a desktop background, also known as your wallpaper…the menu bar at the top…and
the dock at the bottom.
The dock is where you’ll find shortcuts to some of the folders and applications on
your computer; for example, iTunes, Safari, and Finder.
To open any of the items on your dock, just click the icon.
There are actually several different ways that you can navigate to files, folders, and
apps the OS X - the Finder feature is just one of them.
We’ll talk more about how to use Finder later, though.
For now, I’m join to close the window by clicking the red button in the upper left
corner.
Let’s check out Launchpad instead, which you can also find on your dock.
As you can see, Launchpad gives you access to all of your applications at once, making
it easier to find and access the programs on your computer.
To open a program, click the one you want.
Exiting applications is just as easy.
Let’s zoom in on the menu bar so you can see how it works.
To exit an application, click the name of the app in the upper left corner…the choose
Quit from the menu.
Also on the menu bar is the Apple icon.
This gibes you access to your system preferences…recent files, folders, apps, and much more.
You’ll also use the Apple icon whenever you want to restart or shut down your computer.
On the right side of the menu bar, you’ll find an icon that looks like a magnifying
glass.
This opens a feature called Spotlight, which you can use to search the contents of your
computer if you’re having trouble finding something.
Just type what you’re looking for (for example, a file or an app), and you’ll get a list
of search results.
The last icon on the menu bar opens the Notification Center, which has been included in each version
of OS Ten since Mountain Lion.
Here you can keep track of the alerts you receive for different applications, including
events on your calendar, reminders, and more.
The Notification Center can be customized to show as few or as many alerts as you want.
The desktop itself is one more place where you can store files, folders, and even shortcuts
for easy access.
This time, however, to open an item, you'll need to double-click your mouse.
Some apps have a full-screen mode that you can activate by clicking the double arrow
in the upper right corner.
This causes the window to expand, so you can focus on the application without any other
distractions.
To return to normal view, press Control+Command+F on your keyboard.
Not all apps support this feature, but it's available in several of the apps that come
pre-installed on your computer.
The last thing I'd like to talk about is using your mouse in OS Ten—specifically a feature
called natural scrolling.
You can learn more about how it works by going to System Preferences…
then choosing Mouse or Trackpad depending on what you have.
In this case, we'll choose Mouse.
As you can see from the demo, natural scrolling is basically the reverse of traditional scrolling.
It's almost like you're pushing the content up and down on the page.
This may seem awkward at first, but it's actually how many touchscreen devices work.
Natural scrolling is the default setting, but you can always disable it using the checkbox
here.
I recommend trying it both ways to see which one you prefer.
While you're in this window, you can also take a look at multi-touch gestures.
For example, here's one that lets you go back and forth between pages using a simple swipe.
OS Ten supports many different types of gestures, including pinches, taps, and double-taps,
depending on what your mouse or trackpad is capable of.
Each gesture performs a specific task.
To learn more, I recommend visiting this resource again once you become more familiar with OS
Ten.
That covers the basics.
Now that you know your way around, you can start using OS Ten, and taking advantage of
everything it has to offer.