How to Install Mac OS X Yosemite on a USB Flash Drive

You might want to try out Yosemite but not modify your primary Mac. You can install Yosemite on an external drive (at least 8GB, but 16GB is better). For the best experience, you should install Yosemite on the fastest external drive you can, otherwise it might be very slow. Other than the thumb drive, all you need is a Yosemite compatible Mac (2007 iMac, 2008/9 MacBook, 2007 MacBook Pro, 2008 MacBook Air, 2009 Mac Mini, or 2008 Mac Pro or later models).

1. Download a copy of Yosemite from Apple. Prior to launch you can get it here, and post launch it will be available in the App Store.

2. Reformat your USB drive using Disk Utility. Choose format “Mac OS Extended (Journaled)” and name it “Yosemite” and then click “Erase.”

3. Select the drive and switch to the Partition tab. Choose “1 Partition” and make the format “Mac OS Extended (Journaled).”

MORE: How to Find Downloaded Files in Mac OS X

4. Click on the “Options” button and Choose “GUID Partition Table.” Click OK and then Apply. This will make the USB drive bootable.

5. Start the install of Yosemite and agree to the user agreement. Then click “Show All Disks…”.

6. Select your thumb drive and click “Install.” You will be prompted for your admin password. Your computer will reboot, and Yosemite will then install on your thumb drive. Once it’s installed, you can choose to boot to that disk by holding down the Option key as your computer restarts.

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How to Customize the Dashboard in Mac OS X Yosemite

Mac OS X offers a dashboard to store third-party widgets. This is not new to Yosemite, but in Mavericks you only had the option to show the Dashboard as a space or not. Yosemite brings back the option to show the dashboard as an overlay on your current space. Learn how to adjust your dashboard to display the way you want it.

1. Choose “Mission Control.” in the System Preferences menu.

2. Change the Dashboard drop-down menu to “Off” to disable the Dashboard completely.

MORE: How to Customize the Mac OS X Yosemite Notification Center

3. Leave the Dashboard drop-down menu in “As Space” to open it in a separate space on the far left of all your spaces.

 

4. Change it to “As Overlay” to go back to the early OS X version of the Dashboard, where the widgets appear directly over the space you’re in.

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How to Copy Files Between Mac and iPhone with AirDrop on Mac OS X Yosemite

Mac OS X Yosemite brings AirDrop functionality to your Mac so that you can easily transfer files from iOS devices such as iPhones and iPads  as well as other Macs quickly and securely.

1. Turn on AirDrop on your Mac by going to Finder and choosing “AirDrop” from the Favorites menu.

2. Change the availability to “Everyone” in the drop down menu at the bottom of the window.

MORE: How to Mark Up PDFs in the Mac OS X Yosemite Mail App

3. On your iPhone or iPad, open the Control Center (swipe up from the bottom of the device) and change the AirDrop menu to “Everyone.” This must be a recent model iPad or iPhone running iOS 7 or higher.

4. Wait a few seconds and then verify that the device is showing in your Mac AirDrop window.

5. Drag the photo or document from your Mac to the AirDrop icon.

6. Accept the document on the mobile device.

When you’re done, don’t forget to turn off AirDrop on your Mac and iOS device.

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How to Customize the Mac OS X Yosemite Notification Center

Mac OS X Yosemite has a notifications center just like older versions of the operating system, but with Yosemite, Apple is adding extensions to allow you to get notifications about what you want. There will also be third-party extensions for the Notification center available from the app store. Here’s how to tweak your Notification Center in Yosemite.

1. Open your notifications by clicking on the bulleted list icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

2. Click on the “Edit” button.

3. Drag an item to change the order.

MORE: Apple OS X Yosemite: Top 7 Features

4. In the Items list on the right, choose extensions you want to add and click on the green plus icon to add them to your Notifications.

5. Click on the “App Store” button to see third-party extensions for sale.

6. Click Done when you’re finished.

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How to Use the Dark Mode in Mac OS X Yosemite

Mac OS X Yosemite offers a new dark mode that is useful for designers who don’t want to be distracted by the bright gray menus standard on Mac OS X. This mode allows the menus to fade into the background where they are less distracting as you work. You can turn on dark mode in Yosemite like this:

1. Select General from the System Preferences menu.

MORE: Apple OS X Yosemite: Top 7 Features

2. Check the box “Use dark menu bar and Dock.”

The menu bar turns dark.

Menus are now transparent, but dark.

And even the Dock is dark.

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How to Mark Up PDFs in the Mac OS X Yosemite Mail App

One interesting new feature of OS X Yosemite is the ability to add annotations to images and PDFs in email. This allows you to sign PDFs by simply attaching them to your mail messages and marking them up from there. You can also add text or highlights, or draw directly on the PDF.

1. Compose a new message or reply to an existing one in the Mac Mail client.

2. Attach a PDF file to the message.

MORE: Apple OS X Yosemite: Top 7 Features

3. Click on the attachment and select Markup from the menu which appears. 

4. Add your notes or annotations and click “Done.” You can even add your signature, if you’ve saved one (How to save your signature on a Mac).

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How to Get and Install Mac OS X Yosemite Beta

Apple has released a new operating system in beta called Yosemite and anyone with a Mac can try it out. All you need to get started with this operating system is a Mac running OS X Mavericks, 2GB of memory, 8GB of disk space, and an Apple ID.  Of course, you’ll also want to back up your system before performing the install, just in case something happens. Then follow these instructions to install Yosemite on your Mac.

1. Register on the OS X Beta Program website by clicking Sign Up then signing in with your Apple ID and agreeing to some terms. Be sure to do this on the machine you want to install Yosemite. When you read and agree to the terms, you will get a redemption code that allows you to download and install Yosemite.

3. Once Yosemite has downloaded, you’ll be asked to sign in with your Apple ID.

MORE: Apple OS X Yosemite: Top 7 Features

4. Agree to the terms and conditions.

5. Select ”Turn on FileVault disk encryption” to secure your data. For more security, uncheck “Alow my iCloud account to unlock my disk.”

6. If you are using iCloud on any non-Yosemite device, choose “Not Now” when asked if you want to upgrade to iCloud drive. If you don’t do this, you may lose files that were stored on iCloud.

7. Note any incompatible software so that you can check for updates later.

8. Use the Feedback Assistant to report any errors or problems you may find with Yosemite.

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