I have some Word-documents that I am working on and now I can’t find one of them any longer… I’ve searched on my Mac, but I can’t find the file I’m looking for… I was almost certain I had saved it, but I must have overwritten it or saved it under a different name or something since I can’t find it any longer… I’ve been on this for about an hour and I’m completely stressed out since I’m afraid the file is gone forever and I need to completely redo it…
Do you have any suggestion that might help ?
Answer : This is not a definite solution for anyone who has as lost Word-document, but it’s an ultimate ‘stress saver’ (a.k.a. ‘life saver’) for anyone who is used to saving Word-documents on his/her Mac :
If you do a quick save of a document in MS Office nowadays — be it a Word .docx, a PowerPoint .pptx or an Excel .xlsx — Office defaults you to saving it on your OneDrive, even if you never use your OneDrive…
So, here’s how to check if your ‘lost’ Word-document was ‘accidentally’ saved to your OneDrive ( note : this solution is nearly identical for PowerPoint & Excel ) :
do not close MS Word if you have lost a Word-document ; the chances of still being able to recover the Word-document are extremely decreased if you close of re-open MS Word since that partially wipes the temporal memory…
with MS Word still open, go to “File” in the top menu bar
in the pulldown menu that appears, click on “Open Recent”
in the nested pulldown menu that appears, click on “More”
in the “Microsoft Word” titled window that appears, scroll down the list of recently opened and/or edited documents to find your ‘lost’ file
if you have any idea of the last date you have worked on the ‘lost’ file, quickly scroll down to that date
when you find the ‘lost’ file in this list, see that ‘OneDrive’ is listed as the saved location, then click on the file name and the document will open (if you can’t find it in this list, not all is lost, but you will have to search the ‘recovered files’ first ; this post will hopefully help you on that)
when the document is open on your screen, scroll through it to check if actually is the ‘lost’ file and the correct/recent version of it
if so, go to “File” in the top menu bar
in the pulldown menu that appears, click on “Save as” or “Save a Copy”
in the window that opens, make sure you select a location on your Mac to save the document to, then click “Save”
that’s it… you now have your ‘lost’ document back and saved to your Mac
I have a Canon CanoScan 5600F scanner that worked great with my previous Mac, but now I have upgraded to a new M1 Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma.
I’ve looked on the Canon website and searched the internet, but there is no macOS 14 Sonoma compatible driver available for this scanner.
Is there any way to use this CanoScan 5600F scanner in macOS 14 Sonoma ?
Answer :
Yes, there is …and it still works this way on Intel i5/i7-Mas running macOS 14 Sonoma, and almost certainly on M1 (and M2) Macs also (since it worked on M1/M2-Macs in macOS 13 Ventura) :
note that despite the fact that both are versions from 2018, these will still work with macOS 14 Sonoma
goto your downloads folder
first, double-click on the file named msd_-mac_cs5600f-14_11_5h-ea8_2.dmg
this will mount the ScanGear_CanoScan 5600F_141105.pkg
again, click on that and version 14.11 of the ScanGear driver installer will open
now, follow the on-screen directions and the latest ScanGear driver will be installed
then, double-click on the file named misd-mac-ijscanner2-4_1_4-ea21_3.dmg
this will mount the Canon IJScanner2_040104.pkg
again, click on that and version 4.1.4 the IJScanner2 driver installer will open
now, follow the on-screen directions and the latest IJScanner2 driver will be installed
when done, click on the Apple-logo top-left in the top menu bar
in the pulldown menu that appears, click on “System Settings”
in the window that opens, scroll down in the menu list on the left and click on “Printers & Scanners”
if the CanoScan 5600F is already listed in the Scanners chapter, click it
if not, click the “Add Printer, Scanner or Fax” button first to add the scanner
when done, click the CanoScan 5600F in the Scanners chapter
when the scanner details open on the right, click on the “Open Scanner”-button
now, the built-in macOS ImageCapture.app will open and it will immediately do a preview scan of whatever is in the scanner
NOTE : you might run into a small problem every once in a while ; when the automatic scanning preview starts, you might get an error saying “Scanner reported an error – Cannot communicate with scanner for these reasons: – Scanner is turned off. – USB cable is disconnected. Please check and try again.” If so, just flip the scanner’s ON/OFF-switch in OFF-position manually and then back into ON-position. Then click “OK” in the error message window, then click the “Overview” button in the ImageCapture window. That should help in making the scanner preview work again.
Question : Back in the good old days of MacOSX we used to have direct access to our scanners using a one-click link (or ‘alias’) on the Desktop or in the Dock that was easily recognisable through a custom name and custom icon… most of the time this was referred to as the Desktop Scanner feature… But with the introduction of macOS 13 Ventura that changed, Apple decided to make everything worse and more complex… access to Scanners was now hidden behind layers of multi-clicks… [click] Apple menu [click] System Settings [scroll down] Printers & Scanners [click] preferred scanner [click] Open Scanner… And then the Image Capture application will open…
Anyway… in macOS 13 Ventura it was still possible to create a customised link in the Dock to have some kind of Desktop Scanner… but in macOS 14 Sonoma even that does no longer work… with some hocus-pocus you might be able to create a working link with a customised name, but the icon won’t be customisable, so quickly finding the correct scanner isn’t easy… Utter & unnecessary bogus… Why ???
Isn’t there any option to have a ‘good old’ Desktop Scanner ?
Answer : Yes, it is still possible to get a Desktop Scanner with a customised name and icon… but it’s no longer possible to get it in the Dock, you can only get it on the Desktop… and it takes some work to set it up…
Note : since macOS 14 Sonoma uses the Signed System Volume (SSV) to protect original Apple Apps from being tampered with… it is no longer possible to even customize the icon of alias to an original Apple App and put that in the Dock…
To create a Desktop Scanner for an already installed scanner, do this :
in macOS, click on the Apple-icon (top-left) in the upper menu bar
in the pulldown menu that appears, click on System Settings
in the window that opens, scroll down the menu bar on the left and click on Printers & Scanners
then, on the right, in the Printers chapter, click on the scanner you want to create a Desktop Scanner for
in the window that opens, click on Open Scanner and the Image Capture app will open and the Image Capture app icon (an icon of a generic grey photo camera in front of a black background with tiny photos on it) will appear in the Dock ; if you did not have it installed in the Dock previously, it will be in the ‘recent apps’ chapter of the Dock (between the ‘docked apps’ on the left and the ‘docked files, links & folders’ on the right)
in the Dock, CMD-click on the Image Capture app icon and a finder window will open highlighting the Image Capture app (in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder)
now, CTRL-click on Image Capture in the Dock
in the popup menu that appears, click on Make Alias
in the smal grey popup Finder window that appears asking for your password, typ your computer password (the password you use to unlock your Mac from sleep) and click OK
then, drag&drop the “Image Capture alias” that was just created and highlighted in the Finder window onto your Desktop
then, on your Desktop, CTRL-click on the alias named Image Capture and in the pulldown menu that appears, click on Get Info
in the Image Capture Info window that opens, at Name & Extension, change the name to the name of the printer you want to have the Desktop Scanner for
then, find the custom icon you want to give to your Desktop Scanner and drag&drop it onto the tiny icon top left, if it’s an .icns icon file, or copy-paste it from another Get Info window it it’s a JPG, PNG or folder icon
>> if you already have a custom icon for your scanner, use that one
>> if you do not have a custom icon for your scanner yet, search in Google Images for “icon [name of your scanner]” and download that as a .icns icon file or as a .jpg, .jpeg or .png picture
now, if you don’t already have one, create a new folder on your Mac (e.g. inside your Documents folder), name it “Custom Icons” and save your custom scanner icon there, as you will probably need this again for every mayor upgrade of macOS from now on…
now, back in the Image Capture Info window, make sure you put a checkmark at “Locked” (just above the “More Info” chapter) to make sure you do not accidentally delete the Desktop Scanner
then, close the Image Capture Info window using the tiny red button top left
and in the Applications (Finder) window that is still open, you will see the “Image Capture alias” is still there… so, CTRL-click on it, choose “Move to Bin” and type your computer password in the popup window to remove it… then close the Applications (Finder) window
now you have a one-click Desktop Scanner on your Desktop, just like the old days !
move the Desktop Scanner to the most convenient place on your Desktop and you’re done…
Question : Back in the good old days of MacOSX we used to have direct access to our printers using a one-click link (or ‘alias’) on the Desktop or in the Dock that was easily recognisable through a custom name and custom icon… most of the time this was referred to as the Desktop Printer feature… But with the introduction of macOS 13 Ventura that changed, Apple decided to make everything worse and more complex… access to Printers was now hidden behind layers of multi-clicks… [click] Apple menu [click] System Settings [scroll down] Printers & Scanners [click] preferred printer [click] either Printer Queue or Options & Supplies… And then the Print Center application will open… (where Options & Supplies can be accessed by clicking on the ‘sprocket’/’gear-wheel’ icon…)
Anyway… in macOS 13 Ventura it was still possible to create a customised link in the Dock to have some kind of Desktop Printer… but in macOS 14 Sonoma even that does no longer work… with some hocus-pocus you might be able to create a working link with a customised name, but the icon won’t be customisable, so quickly finding the correct printer isn’t easy… Utter & unnecessary bogus… Why ???
Isn’t there any option to have a ‘good old’ Desktop Printer ?
Answer : Yes, it is still possible to get a Desktop Printer with a customised name and icon… but it’s no longer possible to get it in the Dock, you can only get it on the Desktop… and it takes some work to set it up…
Note : since macOS 14 Sonoma uses the Signed System Volume (SSV) to protect original Apple Apps from being tampered with… it is no longer possible to even customize the icon of alias to an original Apple App and put that in the Dock…
To create a Desktop Printer for an already installed printer, do this :
in macOS, click on the Apple-icon (top-left) in the upper menu bar
in the pulldown menu that appears, click on System Settings
in the window that opens, scroll down the menu bar on the left and click on Printers & Scanners
then, on the right, in the Printers chapter, click on the printer you want to create a Desktop Printer for
in the window that opens, click on Printer Queue and the Print Centre app will open and the Print Centre app icon (a dark grey generic printer icon) will appear in the Dock ; if you did not have it installed in the Dock previously, it will be in the ‘recent apps’ chapter of the Dock (between the ‘docked apps’ on the left and the ‘docked files, links & folders’ on the right)
in the Dock, CMD-click on the Print Centre app icon and a finder window will open highlighting the Print Centre app (in the Utilities folder in the Applications folder)
now, CTRL-click on Print Centre in the Dock
in the popup menu that appears, click on Make Alias
in the smal grey popup Finder window that appears asking for your password, typ your computer password (the password you use to unlock your Mac from sleep) and click OK
then, drag&drop the “Print Centre alias” that was just created and highlighted in the Finder window onto your Desktop
then, on your Desktop, CTRL-click on the alias named Print Centre and in the pulldown menu that appears, click on Get Info
in the Print Centre Info window that opens, at Name & Extension, change the name to the name of the printer you want to have the Desktop Printer for
then, find the custom icon you want to give to your Desktop Printer and drag&drop it onto the tiny icon top left, if it’s an .icns icon file, or copy-paste it from another Get Info window it it’s a JPG, PNG or folder icon
>> if you already had a custom printer icon available on this Mac before you upgraded to macOS 14 Sonoma, you might be able to find it in Finder > Go > Computer > [My Computer] > Library > Printers > Icons (or maybe in any other folder inside that same Printers folder) ; if so, it will be an .icns icon file
>> if you already have a custom icon for your printer, use that one
>> if you do not have a custom icon for your printer yet, search in Google Images for “icon [name of your printer]” and download that as a .icns icon file or as a .jpg, .jpeg or .png picture
now, if you don’t already have one, create a new folder on your Mac (e.g. inside your Documents folder), name it “Custom Icons” and save your custom printer icon there, as you will probably need this again for every mayor upgrade of macOS from now on…
now, back in the Print Centre Info window, make sure you put a checkmark at “Locked” (just above the “More Info” chapter) to make sure you do not accidentally delete the Desktop Printer
then, close the Print Centre Info window using the tiny red button top left
and in the Utilities (Finder) window that is still open, you will see the “Print Centre alias” is still there… so, CTRL-click on it, choose “Move to Bin” and type your computer password in the popup window to remove it… then close the Utilities (Finder) window
now you have a one-click Desktop Printer on your Desktop, just like the old days !
move the Desktop Printer to the most convenient place on your Desktop and you’re done…
Question : I have a some Google Nest Security-cams with battery installed. They work great, but as they run on internal batteries, they need to be recharged once in a while. Most of the time recharging works great, and immediately after connecting the charging cable the distinctive pling is sounding and de cam’s LED lights up. But other times nothing happens (or at least nothing seems to happen) and even in the GoogleHome.app there is no indication that the Google Nest Cam is charging (which should be expected).
What is wrong ?
Answer :
There is a small chance your Goole Nest Cam (Battery) might be broken, but if the GoogleHome.app says “battery empty” that usually isn’t the case, and you can assume that the problem is one of these four reasons or a combination of them :
The Google Nest Cam (Battery) is too cold This happens when the Google Nest Cam (Battery) is installed outdoors and the temperature outside is so low that the Cam is feeling really cold when you hold it in your hands. The remedy is to unmount the Cam, take it inside and let it get to room temperature before you try to charge it. (in short : just wait…)
The Google Nest Cam (Battery)‘s connector is too dirty This happens because there is always dirt in the air and the connector is magnetic so it will always collect some dust over time, especially outdoors. The remedy is to unmount the Cam, take it inside and clean out the connector hole with some soft cloth that has been moistened with an extremely tiny drop of water, before you try to connect the charging cable to charge it. (in short : clean the connectors)
The Google Nest Cam (Battery)‘s battery is completely empty This happens when you forgot to recharge the Google Nest Cam (Battery) just after the battery ran flat, because even when the battery is ’empty’ the Cam will keep trying to operate and the longer you wait to recharge, the emptier the battery gets. If the GoogleHome.app indicates the battery is empty, it will still be able to provide enough power to switch the Cam back on when you connect the charging cable, but if the battery has been empty for some time, there will be so little power left that the Cam will stay in hibernation ‘sleeper mode’ for some hours before being able to switch on. The remedy is to unmount the Cam, take it inside, connect the charging cable and wait… this way, it might even take more than 48 hours to fully charge a completely empty battery ; if the GoogleHome.app indicates “slow charging” or an estimated charging time above 48 hours, make sure you are using the original Google Nest Cam charger & cable, let it go and check after 4 hours or more, if the estimated charging time hasn’t come down by then, reconnect the charging cable (in short: just wait & reconnect if charging is extremely slow)
The Google Nest Cam (Battery)‘s connector cable is slightly off This happens because the cable comes from in from the front of the Cam and the best way to keep an unmounted Cam stable is to have the front facing downward, but in doing that (or something alike) you may slightly twist the connector so little that the electric connectors disconnect even though the magnetic connector stays in place, and you will not easily notice. The remedy is to double check that the charging cable is exactly in the right position when you connect it and that you double check the connection stays okay when you move the Cam after connection the charing cable ; if you are not sure that the connection is okay, reconnect the cable until you are sure. (in short : make sure the charging connector is put in correctly)
I have a 2018 Mac mini with a Space Grey housing and I love the color. Now time has come to upgrade to a new Mac mini with an M1 or M2 processor, but for some mysterious reasons Apple doesn’t sell the Mac mini in Space Grey any longer… you can get any color as long as it’s old-fashioned aluminium-white…
Is there any way to get the internals of a M1 or M2 Mac mini into a Space Gray Mac mini housing from 2018 ?
Answer :
Mh… well, yes and no… it can be done, but not in the way you would ideally envision it… there are 3 options that get you close and work :
Option 1 : Get an M1 or M2 Mac mini’s internals out of it’s housing and build that into a Space Grey 2018 Mac mini housing… this can be done, as the size is nearly identical so it will fit inside, but it will not be perfect as the inner suspension and fixation layout is different, the front LED is extremely hard to swop as it has a different connector… and you will loose your Apple warranty…
If you want a ‘proof of concept’, there are some YouTube videos on this, that you should definitely have a look at before you consider attempting this : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9md09BcQiE
So… if you don’t want to break your Apple warranty, there are 2 alternative options :
Please note that we get a small kick-back fee from Amazon for referring you to their website, but you will still get their best price so this does not affect you.
Question : I have received a Word document from someone else and it has a large table in it that spreads over multiple pages. But the table consists of various chapters, so it would be more logical to split the table up into smaller tables. So one small table for each chapter. That would make the table’s content far easier to read and understand when reading it form paper after having it printed out.
Is there any way to split an existing table in a Word document ?
Answer : Yes, there is… and it isn’t hard to do ; if it’s a large table spreading across multiple pages you might even want to split it both vertically and horizontally.
To split a table vertically (to divide it into an upper and a lower table) in Word 16 (from Office 365 and Office for Mac 2021 & 2019), do this :
open the document in Word
scroll down to the table you want to split
in the table, select the cell that should be the first (upper left) cell of the lower table after the split
then goto the top menu bar (the one that is fixed, not the one that is floating with the window) and select “Table” (in-between “Tools” and “Window”) and select “Split Table” from the pull-down menu that appears
now the table has been split vertically into an upper and a lower table
That’s it ! …and of course you can repeat this as many times as you like 😉
To split a table horizontally (to divide it into a left and a right table) in Word 16 (from Office 365 and Office for Mac 2021 and 2019), do this :
open the document in Word
scroll down to the table you want to split
if the table spreads across the page from the left to the right page margin, you will need to make some separation space first, to do that do this :
> select the entire table and resize the width a little to the right, enough to have the space that you eventually need in-between the separated tables is on the right of the original table first (in short : squeeze the entire table a little)
then, make sure there is at least two empty lines (of no text) below the table (in short : put the cursor behind or directly under the table and hit the ENTER-key 2 times, to create 2 empty lines)
then, select all cells of the table that you want in the right table after the split ; they will turn blue
then, drag the upper left blue cell ; that part of the table will now start moving along with your cursor
drag your cursor below your table and release ; now you will have the split table that you would like on the right below the split table that you would like on the left
then, hover over the lower table with your cursor
when the drag-sign (little square with vertical and horizontal arrows inside) appears, select it and drag it
when the dashed outline of the lower table starts moving with your cursor, drag it to the right of the upper table and release if it’s in place
if it’s hard to get both tables aligned, you can use the zoom-slider in the bottom-right corner to zoom in and/or you can temporarily switch on page grid lines (not table grid lines) ; to switch on (and off) page grid lines, do this :
> in the top bar of the Word document window, select “Layout” so a blue line will appear under it, then in the icons bar click on “Align” (in-between “Selection Pane” and “Group”) and select “View Gridlines” from the pulldown menu
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