Your top questions to Mac 911–and some answers

With Macworld’s Mac 911 column, we take your questions and do our greatest to assist. We love being the place you come to to be able to discover solutions to nagging issues. Whereas the Mac 911 title predates iOS, iPadOS, and iCloud, we’re completely satisfied to reply questions on all these matters in addition to macOS and any Apple {hardware}, software program, or service.

We may help prevent a while should you seek the advice of this listing of probably the most generally requested questions we obtain. This tremendous FAQ gives transient solutions to points that symbolize a considerable portion of all the e-mail we obtain, together with hyperlinks to our full-length columns with extra particulars. A few of these columns date again a couple of years, however they continue to be updated for the steps it is advisable to take, even when the looks of some interface parts has modified.

Deal with Pictures and iCloud Pictures

Ever since Apple launched Pictures for macOS, we’ve obtained a enormous variety of questions concerning the Pictures apps for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, in addition to iCloud Pictures (previously iCloud Photograph Library).

As a normal tip, should you’re searching for assist in managing Pictures for macOS libraries, I extremely advocate Fats Cat Software program’s PowerPhotos. Amongst different issues, it could migrate iPhoto and Aperture libraries. PowerPhotos can be the one device that may merge Pictures libraries, and works with Apple’s database format to seek out and take away duplicates. For its $30 price ticket, you get each PowerPhotos and a duplicate of iPhoto Library Supervisor, which may help prep or handle iPhoto libraries.

Listed here are the questions requested most incessantly about Pictures and iCloud Pictures.

• “I can’t delete a photograph.” A quite common downside is that the Pictures app in iOS/iPadOS doesn’t allow them to delete a picture. This usually pertains to a earlier sync by way of iTunes that continues to be in impact even should you forgot that you just ever used iTunes for media synchronization. See “The way to delete pictures in iOS when the trash can icon is grayed out.”
• “If I delete a photograph, will I delete it in every single place?” If iCloud Pictures is enabled on the machine from which you’re deleting a picture or video, then sure: it’s deleted on all your gadgets (iPhones, iPads, and Macs) logged into the identical iCloud account which even have iCloud Pictures enabled.
• I deleted pictures they usually got here again! See “The issue with deleting pictures out of your machine with iCloud Photograph Library enabled” and “Should you delete a photograph from iCloud Photograph Library, is it gone endlessly?”
• “I wish to retailer my Pictures library on an exterior drive.” See “The way to transfer an Apple Pictures for OS X library to an exterior drive” and “The way to copy your Pictures Library and preserve its group.”
• “I wish to again up my iCloud Pictures however I don’t have a completely hooked up drive that’s massive sufficient to retailer the total decision of my photos and movies.” See “The way to make an area backup of your iCloud Pictures synced library.”
• “I deleted pictures and movies in Pictures, and need them again.” Pictures has a Just lately Deleted album that retains media for 30 days, from which you’ll restore objects. Nonetheless, should you emptied that album or it’s been greater than 30 days, you’ll be able to solely retrieve the lacking media from backups.
• “How do I again up iPhone pictures and video with iCloud Pictures turned off?” The reply is in this column.
• “I turned iCloud Pictures off and wish to flip it again on. What’s going to occur to my libraries?” You’ll wind up with a merged superset of all of your media, as I clarify in “What occurs to your pics should you had iCloud Pictures off, however flip it again on?”
• “iCloud Pictures stopped syncing.” Right here’s learn how to repair it.
• “I by chance modified the date and/or time on a bunch of photos and movies in Pictures for macOS! Can I roll this again?” You’ll be able to’t carry out an undo, however you’ll be able to repair the issue with a sensible albums. Seek the advice of “The way to repair incorrect date and time corrections in Pictures.”
• “After syncing pictures from two gadgets I didn’t imply to, can I untangle a mixed iCloud Pictures library?” Sure: I present methods to determine which pictures and different media belong to which account in “The way to untangle a merged set of iCloud Pictures.”

Erase, revive, restore, and reinstall macOS

After Pictures, we get lots of questions associated to macOS, significantly coping with cleansing up a system on the market or restoring one which appears to have gone kaput. Let’s begin with erasing a Mac, by chance or deliberately erasing information, or a Mac that received’t begin up macOS or boot in any respect:

• “I’m promoting my Mac. How do I wipe it correctly earlier than sale?” I like to recommend making at the least one, if not two, full backups that you just confirm for accuracy, after which comply with our directions: “The way to put together a Mac on the market or a return to an employer.” With a Mac working macOS 12 Monterey, you should use an easier “erase all” choice—learn “There’s a brilliant straightforward approach to clean-install macOS Monterey.”
• “I can’t restart my new Mac into restoration mode.” Apple’s new M-series Macs, beginning with the Apple silicon M1 chip, have a completely completely different approach to entry the particular restoration mode used for troubleshooting, sharing simply volmes on the startup and different hooked up drives with out beginning up in macOS, and ensuring system safety settings. See “The way to discover each troubleshooting boot mode on an M1 Mac.”
• “I by chance deleted all my information. How can I get them again?” Should you don’t have any backups by way of Time Machine, an internet hosted backup, or synced variations of your information, learn this column for extra concepts. The information could also be gone for good. (It is best to beginning backing up immediately: learn “The way to create a backup technique with terabytes of information.”)
• “I can’t get macOS to start out.” If the recoveryOS quantity in your drive stays lively, you’ll be able to energy up with the appropriate mixture of keys for an Intel Mac or an Apple Silicon M-series Mac, and use macOS Restoration to reinstall macOS. If it’s lacking, on an Intel Mac, you’ll be able to strive web Restoration. With an Apple Silicon M-series Mac, if the Mac is non-responsive, it’s important to use both the “revive” or “restore” choices, which require entry to a different Mac, the proper peripheral cable, and an web connection; learn “The way to revive or restore an unresponsive Mac from one other Mac.” It’s also possible to attempt to reinstall macOS from an exterior USB drive: see “The way to create a bootable macOS Huge Sur installer drive. (We have now articles on learn how to create installers for older variations of OS X and macOS, too.)
• “My Mac received’t present a drive or restoration choices.” Should you get a flashing query mark, your drive might have failed or turn into broken. You could possibly use web restoration with an Intel Mac or the revive/restore choices for an Apple silicon Mac. Apple suggests a number of different choices, too. If none of that works, search out assist from Apple Help or a restore store that works on Macs.

Discover solutions to different frequent macOS questions

Listed here are a couple of different questions that generally come up round macOS.

• “My Mac says Wi-Fi not put in. Why?” This one is a poser, because it could possibly be a community configuration corruption downside in macOS (or OS X), a {hardware} failure, or one thing else fully. I’ve some recommendation in “What to do when your Mac says Wi-Fi {hardware} isn’t put in” and “The way to repair a lacking Wi-Fi entry in macOS.” Sadly, it’s usually a {hardware} failure that will require restore or substitute of the principle circuit board. In its place, you should buy a $25 USB-based Wi-Fi adapter, the Edimax AC1200, although it requires USB Kind-A. As of April 2022, the required driver is simply accessible for macOS releases via 10.15 Catalina.
• “Why am I seeing a message that claims ‘Wi-Fi is paused’?” It’s not your Mac (or iPad or iPhone), however a router you’re linked to that’s blocking your entry. The answer is in “What to do when your Mac exhibits a Wi-Fi message that claims your machine is paused.”
• “My keyboard received’t let me kind sure keys.” Check out “Your Mac received’t kind U, I, O, J, Okay, L, and M? Right here’s why” and “What to do whe you caot kind certai letters o your MacBook.”
• ”The place did All My Information disappear to within the Finder?” Individuals liked the Finder’s All My Information” search, which appeared by default within the sidebar and when opening new tabs or home windows. For unknown causes, Apple dropped it after macOS 10.13 Excessive Sierra, changing it with a a lot worse Recents choice, which is extra restricted in some ways. You’ll be able to add a substitute for All My Information by following a couple of not-that-complicated steps in “The way to use Highlight’s question language to create an All My Information-like characteristic.”
• “I can’t discover my FileVault Restoration Key!” No worries, except you want it to reset a login. Seek the advice of “The way to discover your FileVault restoration key in macOS” and in addition “Is your macOS FileVault Restoration Key present? Right here’s learn how to verify.” If it is advisable to entry your Mac by way of the Restoration Key, learn “The way to unlock your Mac with its Restoration Key and FileVault lively.”
• “I’m following your directions to unenroll from macOS beta releases, and it’s not working.” Whereas now we have directions at “The way to depart the macOS beta program,” a number of readers haven’t been capable of get this to work.
• “How can I break up one shared macOS account into two separate ones?” Should you’ve been utilizing a macOS account that’s shared with a number of different individuals, I supply methods on splitting them into two in “The way to break up a macOS account into two.”

Work out your most shows (and develop it)

Apple has a lot selection amongst its Macs about what number of exterior shows you’ll be able to add and of what selection, we’ve collected that info—plus a bonus.

Handle Time Machine snapshots and volumes

Apple took Time Machine via a transition throughout its shift from the HFS+ (MacOS Prolonged) drive format to its trendy APFS (Apple Submitting System) that phased in beginning a couple of years in the past. You might need an outdated Time Machine quantity formatted as HFS+ or an older Mac utilizing that format on its startup quantity. Interacting with APFS might be tough—as can managing snapshots saved on the native quantity or as a part of Time Machine backups.

Decide the appropriate cable, adapter, or dock

The USB-C jack/plug format is a delight for being compact, customary, and reversible throughout its lengthy entry—no extra fumbling with the oblong USB Kind-A plug to make sure it’s the appropriate manner “up”! However as a result of USB-C can be utilized for USB 3.1 and three.2, USB4, Thunderbolt 3 and 4, and DisplayPort, in addition to docks and hubs, confusion abounds.

• “What’s the appropriate port or cable to make use of?” One in every of our most typical class of questions is how to determine what port or cable is correct for connecting docks, exterior drives, Macs to different Macs, and including different peripherals. You’ll be able to learn this normal information to understanding USB and Thunderbolt, “Be taught to untangle USB and Thunderbolt,” together with which cables work finest for the 2 requirements. If you wish to add a drive to your Mac, “Which Mac port is the very best to make use of for exterior storage?” will information you to the very best mixture of value and throughput.
• “Why does my exhausting drive unmount after I plug it different periperhals right into a dock hooked up to my Mac?” Your dock might lack the required energy to deal with all of the gadgets you’re attaching. Work out necessities utilizing “When shopping for a USB-C dock, verify if it could present sufficient energy to your peripherals.”
• “How can I exploit my Apple USB SuperDrive with a USB-C connection?” The SuperDrive has some odd energy traits that make it incompatible with some adapters and docks. Yow will discover out learn how to join a SuperDrive efficiently in “The way to join an Apple USB SuperDrive to a more recent Mac.”

Kind out Apple ID points

Whereas the Apple ID account has existed for a few years now, Apple nonetheless provides no approach to merge, break up, switch, or principally manipulate most of what’s related to an account. You’ll be able to’t break up purchases amongst two accounts for individuals who shared one; you’ll be able to’t merge synced knowledge, purchases, or different info from two or extra accounts into one. Because of this, we get various Apple ID questions on a regular basis. Listed here are the most typical.

“Why is Apple telling me that my ‘Apple ID has not but been used with the App Retailer’?” This most likely began cropping up in late 2021 and we’ve had fairly a couple of reviews of it. Our greatest recommendation might be discovered right here, however it’s possible you’ll must contact Apple on to resolve it.

“I’ve two Apple IDs (or my companion/partner/and so forth. and I every have one).” Many individuals have wound up with two Apple IDs that handle completely different components of their Apple expertise due to how Apple launched completely different companies. I exploit one account that was registered first as an iTools account, for all of my synchronization, whereas one other, which began as my private electronic mail tackle, for iTunes and App Retailer purchases.

Many individuals additionally write in as a result of two or extra individuals of their household grouping (whether or not a pair or together with youngsters or mother and father or others) have distinctive Apple IDs they usually wish to share purchases or info amongst them, questioning if Household Sharing is an efficient choice.

There’s actually nothing you are able to do about any of those conditions, however individuals who have been informed this prior to now by Apple and supposed gurus like yours really proceed to ask, as a result of it’s so irritating and appears unreasonable.

I do have some normal recommendation, nevertheless:

• If what you’re doing is working however annoying, you need to study to just accept it, as a result of it appears unlikely Apple will ever change this. I’m typically annoyed in organising new gadgets or coping with surprising password requests for iCloud, the App Retailer, and different Apple properties as a result of my two-account state of affairs, however it does work reliably. I haven’t misplaced any knowledge, and I can all the time entry my purchases.
• Should you’re utilizing electronic mail by way of iCloud with one account, and have all of your purchases on one other, you’ll be able to transition every little thing besides electronic mail to your buying account, and swap to have every little thing sync via that account for iCloud. You’ll be able to tie iCloud in iOS, iPadOS, and macOS to the acquisition account, and arrange an email-only connection in your email-focused iCloud account. I recommend a plan in “Are you able to merge synced knowledge from a number of Apple IDs?” and “The way to merge two macOS accounts into one.”
• Household Sharing may match in some circumstances, although I don’t love the implementation. Chris Breen wrote up a transition suggestion in 2014 that also works, however not for everybody.

“I share an account with another person; can we break up it in two (as a result of they’re now an grownup little one of mine, I and the opposite individual have break up up, we now need separate accounts)?” That is really simpler than merging two accounts into one, with the exception that objects bought in a single account stay with that beginning account. Nonetheless, different knowledge might be migrated; learn “What to do when breaking apart a shared Apple ID account.” And, if the individual you’re separating out into one other account is a part of a Household Sharing group, they will retain entry to most or all the purchases within the Apple ID they had been previously a part of; see “The way to break up up an Apple ID amongst relations and ahead their electronic mail.”

“I’ve an Apple ID in a single nation; how can I modify the nation for that Apple ID’s registration?” You’ll be able to, however you lose entry to all of your purchases. You’ll be able to preserve separate Apple IDs which are registered in several international locations, however that may be problematic if you wish to swap amongst them to entry completely different purchases or knowledge, as I clarify in “The way to use completely different iTunes accounts for various languages.”

No, Siri, no!

Siri has limitations round appropriately spelling belongings you communicate and appropriately announcing phrases and names. There are some workarounds.

• “Siri received’t spell one thing appropriately.” Siri might transcribe a reputation or phrase incorrectly. You’ll be able to add the appropriately spelled model of the phrase or title to a contact title, and that may sort things. It’s also possible to swipe down on the Siri display screen and sort to right misspelled phrases in its model. It’s presupposed to get higher over time as you make these corrections, however Siri nonetheless transcribes “Offie” as an alternative of the app “Authy,” regardless of what number of occasions I right it.
• “Siri received’t pronounce my title or another person’s title appropriately.” You’ll be able to inform Siri that it obtained it flawed, and Siri gives various pronunciations from which you’ll choose, or you’ll be able to add a phrase or title to a contact and use a hidden phonetic discipline in Contacts to offer the proper approach to say it. Sadly, this doesn’t all the time work, both, to guage by reader reviews.

Sorry, we are able to’t aid you with correcting Apple Maps

As a result of now we have written about learn how to report errors in Apple Maps to Apple, many hasty and informal discoverers of Macworld’s website imagine we both are Apple or have a magic conduit to that land of fruit and aluminium. We don’t.

Nonetheless, we do have this column that explains learn how to file corrections your self—or, should you don’t have an Apple machine, learn how to get somebody with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac to file a correction for you. Learn “Apple Maps lists your location incorrectly? You’ll be able to report it.”

Ask Mac 911

We’re all the time searching for new issues to resolve! E mail yours to mac911@macworld.com, together with display screen captures as acceptable and whether or not you need your full title used. Not each query will probably be answered, we don’t reply to electronic mail, and we can’t present direct troubleshooting recommendation.