Archive: Mac-N-Talk
2025
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: How to capture audio from WhatsApp using Loopback; navigating among and reading messages in the Mac mail app; cannot find an installed app in the Applications folder but App Store says open rather than download; do TextEdit documents open in Duxbury on Mac; how to show file extensions; how to read an email that just says text; accessing the iBUG Mac Training videos; quickest way to get to the main region when you open a webpage in Safari; does using Print with Command-P automatically connect to a wireless printer; keyboard command to mute and unmute speech on VoiceOver; new layout in VoiceOver utility for command customization; VoiceOver Option key commands to adjust rate and volume now work after latest macOS update; problem with old USB-A Apple keyboard being sporadically recognized by the Mac; user Authentication message has gone away after latest update; work arounds for VoiceOver saying application when display turns off; working with files on an external drive is slow because the drive has to wake up; general recommendations on local Mac backup.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: Mac only charges to 80% and says charging on hold: how to fully charge battery; interacting with the list of messages in Mail and deleting doesn't automatically move to the next item; how to set up a Mac so opening the lid doesn't cause it to boot up automatically; how to apply headings in Pages and TextEdit; Loopback description; improvement in Rogue Amoeba products; how to convert YouTube videos; beware of sites that download other content or apps instead or in place of converted videos; unable to read pasted URL when using YouTube to MP3 from MediaHuman; problem converting some music videos that seem to be protected by YouTube; how to put Mac on airplane mode while on an airplane or is it best to leave the Mac powered off; why TSA in some countries asks for devices to be powered on; deactivate WiFi in Control Center to reduce battery; how to remove mute button from the touch bar; removing items from the touch bar is difficult with VoiceOver; set a keyboard command to toggle mute/unmute; unmute system sound via one of the volume shortcuts: either VO-Equals or VO-Dash; Touch Bar settings: Showing hardware or software controls; how to copy a book downloaded from BARD on to a flash drive; losing sound in Amadeus Pro when editing; iPhone may be utilized as a mobile hotspot connection for the Mac; Lightning AirPods Max received update; recommendations for shutting down the Mac after an update; user prompted for password in the middle of a Mac update; error when saving Amadeus file: application storage has been depleted; viewing applications in Activity Monitor.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: How to register for the Mac Training course; How to migrate a 12-year-old MacBook Pro to new M3 Mac; Caution against using Time Machine backup with Migration Assistant on a new computer; Problems with Magic keyboard after going into System Settings > Keyboard: Left Arrow doesn't move back as expected in Amadeus Pro and Control key doesn't stop VoiceOver from pausing speech, also, what are default values for Key Repeat and Delay Until Repeat; Flyer created on Mac is difficult to read on Windows; Availability of new voice commands and iOS apps on recent Mac mini and latest macOS; Philosophically difficult to understand how to do things with VO after learning JAWS (e.g., using VO-Shift-Down Arrow); How to send a message in the Messages app; How to open a downloaded file in Safari; Difference between Command- Option-L in Safari and Finder; Mantis braille display keeps triggering Caps lock on Mac; Observation that Windows keys (e.g., Shift-F10 are used in Microsoft applications on Mac; No VoiceOver feedback when typing in Microsoft Word; Strategies for using Google Sheets and problems accessing content when Sheet allows users to edit; macOS Sequoia 15.3 released, how to check for updates; Has anyone tried Copilot with Microsoft Word? Mac demo: Downloading and installing Mac apps from the web including explanation of differences between PKG and DMG files, Exploration of Mac App store and iOS apps available on the Mac; Notable features or improvements in latest macOS update; Difference between VO-J, VO-Command-J, and speculation as to the meaning of "jump to linked item".
2024
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: How to get rid of message about using USB braille devices when the Mac starts up; how to eliminate notifications from something that doesn't have an app; current websites or apps to convert YouTube videos; VoiceOver commands for screen recording on the Mac; how to get an Intel Mac out of recovery mode; How to increase the volume of people on Zoom when on a call; using the Speech Attributes Rotor to Decrease VoiceOver Volume; How to transition from using Windows to Mac and tutorials on specific Mac topics; YouTube to Mp3 Converter still working on Sonoma; YouTube apps versus the website: which is easier for specific tasks; Numpad Commander Alternatives to VO Commands; how to help other Mac users through a remote service; how to make ringtones on the Mac with Garage Band or other apps that work well with VoiceOver commands; trouble getting one track to focus in Amadeus Pro when doing multi-track editing; Amadeus Pro: adjusting the selection and command for knowing lapsed time between marker and insertion point; opinions of Apple Intelligence features on the Mac.
Facilitator: Chanelle
Topics: Getting acquainted with a Mac Laptop keyboard after being a PC user; considerations for purchasing an external keyboard; learning names and locations of keys via Keyboard Help; accessing the VoiceOver Quick Start Tutorial; purposes/uses for VoiceOver Commands help; online resources for learning keyboard commands; finding app-specific commands via the menu bar; how to tell whether ethernet is active; what services require WiFi;; toggling WiFi on/off in the Control Center; how to force quit an app; advisability of updating to macOS Sequoia; searching all Mail messages on the Mac; creating email rules for moving messages into folders and advantages of moving items manually; how to select text on a website with advertisements; toggling between rich text and plain text in TextEdit; Brave Browser accessibility with VoiceOver; trouble Using Trackpad Rotor in Safari; how to have less hints and VoiceOver speech; differences between iOS VoiceOver rotor and web rotor; how to quickly answer a FaceTime call; online resources for Mac courses; view all the songs in a playlist on Apple Music; how to play recents on Apple Music; is backup with Time Machine still necessary.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: Concern about not updating to Sequoia: what was email from RIM about; what is RIM (Remote Incident Manager); How to get signed up for the Mac class; How to activate Siri using the touch bar or keyboard; Is there a tone to let you know Siri is listening when you enable Hey Siri; Advantages of switching to a Mac in terms of VoiceOver and other accessibility features and compatibility with LibreOffice/other Windows apps used by sighted colleagues; Magnification on Mac versus Windows; Dark Mode on the Mac; Keyboard command to turn on Smart Invert/Invert Colors; Command-Option-F5 to bring up a menu to choose accessibility settings; How to connect Zoomax EReader to the Mac; Is it possible to connect the Humanware EReader to the Mac; What does VO-V stand for; Demo: Adding voices to the Speech Attributes rotor in macOS Sequoia; How to make VoiceOver stop talking; How to delete an email message; How to use Function keys without having to touch the touch bar; Key assignments when using Windows keyboard on Mac; Unable to type in the final field of a web form requiring initials; Keyboard commands for moving through form fields; How to download Google Chrome for Mac; Audio cannot be heard after Loopback update; How to set up VoiceOver languages and auto detect language change; How to download voices in other languages.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: How to copy a link from an email and save it for future use; How to set up VoiceOver Preferences on a MacBook Air 2018; How to interact and select something in a table; Using the Trackpad two finger swipes to interact and uninteract; Should automatic updates be turned off; Printing an envelope with TextEdit; Demo: how to enable Reader on a webpage in Safari; How to stop VoiceOver speech; Experiences with using Be My AI for getting help on the Mac; Advantages and considerations when using RIM for screen share; How to generate table of contents links based on sections of a Pages document; Tip: Use Alexa's ChatGPT skill to ask about Apple information; Tasks that are easier to do on the Mac versus iPhone; Differences between the Messages app on Mac and iOS; Opening a website from macOS Safari on the iPhone using Handoff; Differences between list view and column view in Finder; How groups in Finder work; Visual appearance of column and list view; What is safe to delete and how to accomplish it; How to turn off accidental toggling of Mission Control; Easier keyboard alternatives to Mission Control; Voice Control as an alternative for using the Mac; Ease of using Braille on the Mac.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen:
Topics: Working around quirks of the Mail Send Later feature; what to do when editing Word documents shared by others: compatibility in TextEdit and Pages; learning curve for Word on Mac: ribbon, footnotes, spellcheck, and keyboard commands; screen reader and PDF files on an older 2013 Mac; how to react to and delete messages in the Messages app; the m commands: menu bar, shortcut menu, menu extras, and actions menu); converting or exporting Pages documents to Word; using advanced features such as breakout rooms in Zoom on the Mac; checking audio and video settings in Zoom; finding settings in other apps like Teams; how to use streaming services on the Mac; YouTube in Safari: navigating via headings and locating tabs; how to add an email sender to contacts; adding a contact in Messages on Mac; creating keyboard shortcuts for menu items; how to create keyboard commands using the function keys on the extended Magic keyboard with numeric keypad; features of the Satechi Bluetooth Extended Numeric Keypad; dismissing popups and dialogs on the Mac; uses for the numpad; advantages of the Apple Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen:
Topics: Best Mac to purchase for the long-term; Differences between entry level MacBook Pro and other models; MacBook Pro doesn't speak when opening the lid; Advantages and disadvantages of having a password; What are Tab Groups in Dropbox and how to navigate them; How to get unstuck when navigating on the Mac in general; Problems moving through Mail messages list and reading individual messages; New spatial audio feature in Zoom; How to download third-party applications; How to show file extensions and why screen reader users need them; How to add an app to the dock; Advantage to developers of using DMG or PKG; Clarification of difference between PKG and DMG; Downloading Zoom by going to a link to join a meeting; How to update Zoom; How to find out what permissions an app needs after removing them; How often should one run App Cleaner and is there a good antivirus program for the Mac; App Store versus other apps; Malware Bytes accessibility with VoiceOver; Remote Incident Manager on Mac; New macOS Features: Pros and Cons; Turning Trackpad Commander off resolved issue with inability to navigate and read messages in Mail.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: How to dismiss alerts that pop up when filling out web forms; caution when using suggested strong password on Southwest.com; why is one site more accessible in other browsers; how to enroll in the Mac Training class and find the YouTube channel; how to install Chrome; text replacement works in Chrome but not Safari; Amadeus Pro: how to set multiple markers in a file and see time between them; has anyone had success with Logic Pro on the Mac; is it possible to turn off Zoom alerts on the iPhone as you can on the Mac; use crown button on AirPods to mute microphone in Zoom on Mac; why is there no keyboard command to mute VoiceOver speech; how to create a mute command; what is the most efficient way to move through and fill out a form; preferences for when to use Quick Nav; how to access and change number formats for data in Numbers; use Control+F5 to move to and interact with the toolbar in any app; other useful Mac keyboard shortcuts and where they are found in System Settings; why does the Finder open on restart; latest macOS Sonoma bug: Finder always launches with the last window that was open before Mac restart; pressing the button twice on AirPods brings up Siri and does not mute or unmute microphone on Zoom; Mac Studio description: comparison to Mac Mini; best method for clearing RAM and shutting down; how to learn new commands and gestures without getting overwhelmed; resources, mindset, and strategies for learning the Mac
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics : Can you purchase a Mac on Amazon; How to make an alias to a link in Safari; How to add or remove a widget with VoiceOver on Mac; can Jaws go on the Mac; How to get to Messages on a Mac; Why would you want a widget on the Mac; Differences between mac and iOS widgets; How do you write and format a resume on the Mac; VO command to determine font and formatting; Is there a way to fix a corrupted update file on the Mac; What is the process of installing an app from a website; Differences between PKG and DMG; How to deal with an app that doesn't seem to open (specific example is Pontes Media Downloader); What is the start speaking item in the edit menu in Pages; Difference between pressing arrow keys by themselves and using modifiers with arrows; Difference between information provided by VO commands vs keyboard commands; Shortcut for starting dictation; Proper method for ejecting removable media from the Mac; How to prevent message about drive not ejected completely when computer goes to sleep; VoiceOver freezes when opening the lid so the password click sound isn't heard; Why do option-m and option-s sometimes make beeping noise; Settings in power and battery options pertaining to drives.
Facilitator: Chanelle Allen
Topics: Using PC keyboard on Mac, what are the equivalents for Mac keys; Behavior of Mantis Braille display keys on Mac; Heading navigation in Pages with the rotor; How to check for software updates; Difference between New Folder and New Smart Folder in the file menu of the Notes app; Why does everyone not like Notes and is there something better; Use cases for Notes; How Notes are stored; Can't find Software Update in System Settings; VoiceOver stops when typing in TextEdit and Down Arrow only moves one word at a time; Trouble with Loopback and ACE (audio capture engine); Where do TextEdit documents reside by default; What is loopback; Problems with VoiceOver breaking up pronunciation of words in Notes app; How to do screen recording on the Mac; ; Syntax for sending an email to Apple accessibility; How to make a new folder; Why use TextEdit; Features of Drafts for Mac; How to use collab feature on Pages; How to pass the audio from the iPhone to the Mac; Sounds That Go Through when iPhone is connected to Mac QuickTime.
Facilitator: Chanelle
Facilitator: Chanelle