• Read Me First
• Introduction
• Yosemite Quick Start
• What’s New in Yosemite?
• Take Control of Yosemite’s Look
• Cut Clutter with Finder Tabs
• Get Organized with Finder Tags
• Find More Faster with Spotlight
• Keep Current with Notification Center
• Update Your Safari Smarts
• Do More with Mail
• Keep Connected with Messages
• Stay Up to Date with Calendar
• Navigate iCloud Drive
• Move Easily between Devices with Handoff
• Turn Your Mac into a Speakerphone
• Share Files with AirDrop
• Avoid Problems with User Accounts
• Get Help from OS X Recovery
• About This Book
• About the Author
• About the Publisher
• Copyright and Fine Print

Introduction

There are two kinds of technology users: Those who wait eagerly for the release of each new operating system and those who dread having their computers change on them yet again. Whether you’re thrilled to learn about OS X 10.10 Yosemite’s new features or simply want to make sure you know what you need to know, this crash course will give you the essentials.

My assumption is that you’ve figured out whether your Mac can run Yosemite, you’ve loaded the OS on your system, and now you’re ready to go. For detailed help with upgrading, see Take Control of Upgrading to Yosemite.

Together we’ll hit all the highlights, from Yosemite’s new look to features that let you share information easily between Macs, iPhones, and iPads. If you’re primarily curious about the new features Apple added to the operating system and your favorite built-in apps, skip straight to What’s New in Yosemite? to find the chapters that interest you the most.

Since it’s only been a year since 10.9 Mavericks was released, my guess it that you probably missed a few of its useful, but not so obvious, tricks. With that in mind, I’ve included information about two of my favorites, Finder Tabs and Tags. Finder Tabs let you cut down on window clutter; they’re so simple and useful, you won’t believe you haven’t been using them all along. Finder Tags, on the other hand, let you tag your files so that they’re easier to find later. Start using them today and you’ll always be able to find the file you need even in messiest of file systems.

Finally, we’ll look at the least you need to know to prepare yourself for trouble: like ways to set up user accounts to avoid problems and how to run Recovery mode when your computer is on the fritz.

Sharing is wired into this ebook, so whenever you run across a tip you love, pass it on! Just use the links at the end of each chapter to send it to friends and colleagues or broadcast it via social media.

By the time you’re done with this Crash Course, you’ll know which OS X features fit the way you work and you’ll be ready to jump in and start using them right away.

Copyright © 2014, Sawyer McFarland Editing. All rights reserved.