Category Archives: macOS (OS X, MacOS X, MacOS, System)

software running on Apple Macintosh computers with various versions of the Macintosh Operating System :
System 1.0 – 7.5
MacOS 7.6 – 9.2
MacOS X 10.0 – 10.7
OS X 10.8 – 10.11
macOS 10.12 and newer

fixed : how to connect an external display (or iMac) to my new USB-C only MacBook Pro ?

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Question :

I have to work from home right now, so I would like to connect my MacBook Pro to an external display, but I have a new MacBook Pro that only has USB-C ports…

How do I do that ?

 

Answer :

First, you need to know if your MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro has Thunderbolt 3  (TB3) or regular USB-C.  Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) and regular USB-C (USB 3.1 gen 2) connectors look exactly the same, but Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) runs at 40Gbps instead of 10Gbps for regular USB-C. Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) can handle a 5K-display or two 4K-displays at once, but regular USB-C can only handle one 4K-display.

The 12″ MacBooks from 2015/2016/2017 have regular USB-C (just like the iPad Program 2018/2020) that is NOT Thunderbolt 3 (TB3) capable

The MacBook Air from 2018/2020 and the MacBook Pro’s from 2017 and newer have Tunderbolt 3 (TB3)

Then, you will need a display-connector-cable that converts USB-C to something that your monitor can handle :

If your external screen is a 4K- or 5K-display with USB-C/Thunderbolt 3-input, use this cable (or something similar) :

Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 3 cable  [ buy from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon DE ]

If your external screen has an HDMI-input (e.g. if it’s a recent display or if it’s a TV), use this cable (or something similar) :

USB-C 4K@60Hz to HDMI cable  [ buy from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon DE ]

If your external screen has a DVI-input (e.g. if it’s a slightly older or more expensive display), use this cable (or something similar) :

USB-C to DVI cable  [ buy from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon DE ]

If your external screen has a DisplayPort-input (e.g. if it’s a slightly older or more professional display), use this cable (or something similar) :

USB-C to DisplayPort cable  [ buy from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon DE ]

If your external screen had a MiniDisplayPort-input (e.g. if it’s an old iMac with Target Display Mode* support), use this cable (or something similar) :

  • * = only few iMacs have Target Display Mode support :
    • iMac 27″ 2009 to iMac 27″ 2014 (MiniDisplayPort/Thunderbolt 1)
    • iMac 21,5″ 2011 to iMac 21,5″ 2014 (MiniDisplayPort/Thunderbolt 1)
    • note : iMac Retina 4K and iMac Retina 5K do not have support for Target Display Mode !
    • visit the Apple website for more info on Target Display Mode
    • newer iMacs can be used as an external screen using Wireless Screen Sharing when connected to the same WiFi network, but that could be laggy (where cabled Target Disk Mode will never have lag)

USB-C to MiniDisplayPort cable  [ buy from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon DE ]

If your external screen has a VGA-input (e.g. if it’s a really old computer monitor or a beamer), use this converter (or something similar) to connect to a regular VGA-cable :

USB-C to VGA adapter  [ buy from Amazon USA, Amazon UK, Amazon DE ]

 

When you have gotten hold of the right connection cable, do this :

  • shut down both your MacBook* and external display**
    • * = MacBook, MacBook Air or MacBook Pro that only has USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 ports
    • ** = external display, iMac or beamer
  • connect your MacBook* to your external display** using the proper cable mentioned above
  • switch on your external display**
  • switch on your MacBook*
  • make sure your MacBook* is connected to the wall power adapter
  • connect a mouse and keyboard to your MacBook** either using USB (with a USB-to-USB-C connector) or using Bluetooth
    • any basic USB-to-USB-C connector will do, here is a suggestion
    • if your MacBook* only has 2 USB-C ports, you either need to use a Bluetooth mouse & keyboard, or your need a USB-C port hub (port multiplier) like this :
  • if your external display** has various input options, make sure it is set to receive the input from your MacBook*
  • then, close your MacBook*’s lid, so your entire desktop screen will be visible on the external screen
  • usually, the macOS Display Preferences window will now be on-screen, if it is not, open the System Preferences (in the Apple-menu top left) and click on the Displays-icon to open it
  • in the Preferences window that is named like your external display, click on the Display-tab
  • then choose ‘Default for display’ (if you click on ‘Scaled’ once, you will see that macOS has automatically chosen the optimal resolution for your this external display** with your MacBook*, if that is not the maximum screen resolution listed, you might want to change this, but usually you just choose ‘Default for display’)
  • now you are good to go…

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

 

fixed : external display goes black when I close my MacBook

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Question :

Since I need to work form home at this moment, I have connected an external display. It works great and I now have a far better overview than I had on my tiny MacBook Pro screen. Now I have connected a USB-keyboard and a wireless mouse, so I would like to close my MacBook’s lid while I’m working on the external display. But, somehow, every time I close my MacBook’s lid, the connection to the display is lost and the display goes black…

What is going on ?

 

Answer :

To prevent your battery from draining while you are not using your MacBook, all connections are cut off when the lid is closed (since you cannot access the keyboard or the screen when the lid is closed). This also means that the connection to your external display will be cut off whenever you close your MacBook’s lid.

However : since your MacBook’s battery will no drain as long as extra power is provided, this shut down feature will not be activated as long as your MacBook is plugged into the wall charger. So, there’s your answer : just plug your MacBook into external power, and your external display will not go black when you close the MacBook’s lid.

Note : if you already have your MacBook connected to external power and your external display still goes black, see this post.

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : Password Dragon won’t run in macOS 10.15 or newer

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Question :

I’ve been using Password Dragon passwordmanager for years and I’m very satisfied with it. But since I’ve upgraded my Mac to macOS 10.15 Catalina, it won’t run anymore.

I’ve called Apple Support and they’ve told me that it is because it’s a Java-app, not a true macOS-app, an that they’re not supporting that…

I desperately need acces to my passwords in Password Dragon…

What can I do ?

 

Answer :

The fact that it’s a Java-based app is not the real problem (as long as you have the latest version on Java installed on your Mac). The real problem is that since macOS 10.15 Catalina, macOS has very strict security and privacy settings (compared to any previous version of macOS, OSX or MacOSX).

To get Password Dragon running in macOS 10.15 Catalina or newer, do this :

  • click on the Apple-icon in the top menu bar
  • in the pulldown menu, click on “System Preferences”
  • when the “System Preferences” window opens, make sure you are in the main window (if not, click on the ‘dots-on-a-grid’-button in the top bar)
  • click on the Java-icon
  • in the Java Control Panel window that opens, select the Update-tab
  • then click on the ‘Update Now’-button and put a checkmark at “Check for updates automatically”
  • when you are told that you are running the latest version of Java, go back to the main System Preferences window (by clicking on the ‘dots-on-a-grid’-button in the top bar)
  • in the System Preferences window, click on Security & Privacy (the iron Home icon with the circular dial in it)
  • in the Security & Privacy window, click on the ‘Privacy’tab
  • then, in the list on the left, click on ‘Files and Folders’
  • in the list that appears on the right, scroll down to ‘java’ and make sure there’s a checkmark in the check box at “Documents Folder”
  • now, close the System Preferences window and open the PasswordDragon.app

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : new EyeTV 4 (64bit) freezes at startup

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Question :

Since I upgraded to macOS 10.15 Catalina, I had to buy the new version of my beloved EyeTV app. So after buying the all new EyeTV 4 (64bit) at Geniatech (who took over EyeTV from Elgato) I installed the app, but whenever I try to run it, I get an “Application not responding” error. I have tried reinstalling the app, but that doesn’t help. I’ve also tried to download and install a newer version, but that doesn’t help either. Deleting the preferences (using the EyeTVreporter.app) doesn’t help either. Even uninstalling EyeTV and all associated files completely (using the EyeTVreporter.app) and then reinstalling doesn’t fix this either…

This is so strange, because EyeTV 4 Beta was running fine on this same Mac…

What can I do ?

 

Solution :

The problem is not in EyeTV, it’s in the new extremely strict security and privacy settings that are new to macOS 10.15 Catalina.

To fix this, do this :

  • quit the EyeTV app by clicking on it’s icon in the Dock while pressing the ALT-key on your keyboard
  • in the popup menu, the regular ‘Quit’ option will now turn into ‘Force Quit’
  • click on ‘Force Quit’ and make sure EyeTV app is quit (so there is no longer a black dot below it’s icon in the Dock)
  • click on the Apple-icon in the top menu bar of your screen
  • from the pulldown menu select System Preferences
  • make sure you are in the System Preferences window (main window), if not, click the  ‘dots in a grid’-button in the top menu bar of the window
  • in the System Preferences window, click on Security & Privacy (iron Home icon with circular dial on it)
  • in the Security & Privacy window, click on the ‘Privacy’ tab
  • in list on the left, click on ‘Files and Folders’
  • in the list that now appears on the right, scroll down to EyeTV and put a checkmark at ‘Documents Folder’
  • if you get a popup warning “EyeTV will not have access to files in your documents folder until it is quit” click the “Quit Now”-button
  • then close the System Preferences window
  • and restart the EyeTV 64bit app

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : where is the Show Thumbnails option in Microsoft Word for Mac ?

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Question :

I am loosing track of what I’m doing in the multi-page Word document that I’m working on. It’s over 20 pages and I am referring to info I have written on various previous pages, so I keep scrolling back and forth to find the exact pieces of text I have previously written…

It would be great to have a Show Thumbnails option like I have in Pages, Preview and Acrobat Reader, but I can’t find anything similar in Word.

Is it possible to have something similar in Word ?

 

Answer :

Yes, there is a Show Thumbnails option in Word ( Word 365 / Word 16 for Mac ). It’s just that Microsoft didn’t name it Show Thumbnails and put it somewhere deep inside the menu-structure where you won’t find it if you don’t know that Microsoft calls it Navigation Pane… here’s how to activate it :

  • open Word.app
  • don’t go to the top-of-screen Word application menu bar
  • go to the menu bar of the Word Document window
  • click on the View tab
  • then put a checkmark at “Navigation Pane”

…that’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : Canon scanner “Cannot communicate with scanner” error in macOS 10.15 Catalina

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Question :

I have been using my Canon CanoScan 5600F scanner for many years with my Mac, and it has always been working great. However : now, in macOS 10.15 Catalina I keep getting error messages that the scanner cannot be found…

The exact error message is this : “Scanner reported an error Cannot communicate with scanner for these reasons: – Scanner is turned off. – USB cable is disconnected. Please check and try again.”

Sometimes I manage to get things working by replugging the USB-cable and switching the scanner OFF and back ON, but that solution doesn’t last…

What can I do to solve this ?

 

Answer :

even though Canon does not list support for your the CanoScan 5600F for macOS 10.15 Catalina, the Canon driver that used to work in MacOSX 10.7 Lion through macOS 10.14 Mojave still works in macOS 10.15 Catalina, so if you do not have this driver already, download it here

NOTE : this solution is tested to work for the Canon CanoScan 5600F scanner, but will probably work as well for other CanoScan and LiDE scanners that run into the same problem and error message

To solve your problem, do this :

  • go to Apple-icon (top left in the menu bar) and click on “System Preferences” from the pulldown menu
  • in the “System Preferences” window, click on “Printers & Scanners”
  • in the list on the left, at “Scanners”, select your CanoScan scanner
  • then, click on the Minus-button at the bottom of the list on the left, to delete the scanner from the list
  • now, switch OFF your scanner and unplug the USB-cable from the scanner and from your Mac
  • then, go to Apple-icon (top left in the menu bar) and click on “Restart…” from the pulldown menu
  • when prompted, UNcheck the option to reopen all open windows and restart your Mac
  • then, plug the USB-cable back into your scanner and your Mac and switch your scanner back ON
  • when your Mac has restarted, open System Preferences
  • in the “System Preferences” window, click on “Printers & Scanners”
  • in the list on the left, at the bottom, click on the Plus-button
  • in the window that opens, select your CanoScan scanner from the list and click the “Add”-button
  • you can now select your CanoScan scanner from the list on the left and click on the “Open Scanner” button on the right to open it
  • now, the “Scanner” window will open and you will be able to scan

You could be okay now, but you still might encounter this ‘Cannot communicate with scanner’ error again… in that case, do this :

  • click the OK button in the pulldown window that reports the error
  • then, option-click (right-click) on the scanner icon in the Dock
  • if your Scanner icon is not always visible in the Dock, do this first :
    • in the popup-list, select “Options”
    • in the next popup-list, make sure that there is a checkmark at “Keep in Dock”
  • now, close the Scanner window by clicking on the red button top left
  • then, reopen the Scanner window (by clicking on the scanner icon in the Dock)
  • now, the Overview Scan (preview scan) will start automatically as expected
  • if not, just repeat this process a little slower than you did before 😉

Note 1 : it seems like this problem is caused by macOS 10.15 Catalina cutting off all USB-connected devices when it puts your Mac in sleep mode (at the moment of writing there seems to be no simple way to adjust this in macOS…)

Note 2 : if you cannot live with getting this error once in a while, and you cannot wait for Apple and/or Canon to come up with a definite solution… have a look at the VueScan scanner-app

That’s it !

enjoy 😉

fixed : how to center the text inside a table in macOS Notes.app

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Question :

I have placed a table in one of my notes in macOS Notes.app. I have managed to expand the table by adding some rows and columns, and I have put text in any cell I wanted to,   but… all text is automatically lined out to the left, and I want it centered inside the cell…

How do I do that ?

 

Answer :

Contrary to what you might expect, text layout tools in Notes.app can’t be found in the taskbar of the Notes-window (you may have noticed that the “Aa”-button will even be greyed-out once you start editing text with a table). The text layout tools are in the screen’s upper control bar :

to center any text (not just text in a table’s cell) in Notes.app, do this :

  • select the text (or the cell the text is in)
  • then press the [CMD]+[SHIFT] +[ \ ] key combo on your keyboard
  • or go to : upper taskbar (the one that has Apple-icon, Notes, File, Edit, Format, View, Window, Help) –> Format –> Text –> Center

That’s it !

enjoy 😉