I recorded the video in August 2026, before macOS 27 Golden Gate launched. The launch has now happened: Apple’s macOS 27 compatibility list includes Apple silicon Macs and no Intel models. My 2020 Intel iMac can run macOS Tahoe 26, but not macOS 27. The video’s projected dates for future security support were estimates, not Apple end-of-support promises. Check Apple’s security releases for the exact version you use.

The quick decision

1. Check security support, not just the newest macOS label

Choose Apple menu → About This Mac to identify the model and current macOS version. Compare your model with Apple’s Tahoe 26 compatibility list and its macOS 27 list. A Mac that cannot run 27 may still receive security updates on a supported older release; that is different from running a version for which Apple has stopped issuing routine fixes. Install available updates and check the release page periodically. Apple does not promise the same fix coverage on every older macOS version.

If your Mac is stuck on an older release, the macOS upgrade guide walks through the official upgrade path. Do not base a purchase decision on a predicted cutoff year from my video; Apple may change its release and patch schedule.

2. Check the apps your work depends on

Make a short list of the browser, office suite, creative apps, security software, and peripherals you actually use. Visit each developer’s system requirements and support page. An old version that still opens is not necessarily one that still receives security fixes or file-format updates. Confirm whether your next required app update supports your Mac’s newest available macOS.

Some Intel-specific work can justify keeping an Intel Mac as a secondary machine. Apple’s Boot Camp guidance, for example, applies to Intel Macs. If you rely on an existing Boot Camp setup, test how that task would work on a replacement before selling the old Mac. Also check whether the Windows version in that setup is still supported; Boot Camp alone is not a reason to keep using an unpatched operating system.

3. Diagnose slowness before calling the hardware obsolete

Check System Settings → General → Storage for a nearly full startup disk. Open Activity Monitor, select the CPU and Memory tabs, and look for one app or process that consistently consumes resources. Listen for unusually loud fans and check whether vents are blocked. My 2020 iMac felt painfully slow until I cleaned dust from the air intake; its performance returned without replacing it.

That frame shows the symptom I saw, not a universal diagnosis: high kernel_task can have different causes. If the Mac still misbehaves, run Apple Diagnostics. On an Intel Mac, shut it down, power it on, and hold D as it starts; Apple also documents Option–D if that does not work. Diagnostics can identify some hardware faults but does not test every software problem. Back up important files before major repair or system changes.

For a MacBook, check battery condition too. A serviceable battery can be a better investment than a replacement computer. My 2017 MacBook Air battery replacement guide shows one model-specific repair; if a battery is swollen or damaged, stop normal DIY handling and seek professional service.

4. Compare the repair with the life it buys you

Get a diagnosis and an actual repair quote before judging the expense. Compare that quote with a suitable replacement, the Mac’s software support, the condition of its other parts, and the time you expect to keep it. A modest battery or cooling repair that restores a reliable computer may be worthwhile. A costly logic-board repair on a machine with no workable app or security path often is not.

Apple’s vintage and obsolete product policy uses the date a model was last distributed for sale: a product becomes vintage after more than five years and obsolete after more than seven. Service for vintage models depends on parts availability; normal Apple hardware service for obsolete products generally ends, with stated exceptions. The date you bought your particular Mac is not the clock. Independent repair may remain possible, so get a quote rather than assuming the machine is unfixable.

5. Treat OpenCore Legacy Patcher as a deliberate tradeoff

My 2013 MacBook Pro runs an unsupported macOS through OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP), and the Sequoia installation walkthrough shows that experiment. OCLP can give a capable old Mac more useful time, but it does not turn the model into an officially supported Mac. Hardware features, updates, and security settings may need extra work; a macOS patch arriving does not guarantee that OCLP supports it on your exact model. Check the project’s current model list, keep a full backup, and test important apps before relying on it for primary work.

For a main computer where predictable security updates and minimal downtime matter, that maintenance cost may outweigh the extra life. My unsupported Tahoe guide and unsupported Sequoia guide go deeper into the process.

My decision: I keep the 2020 iMac because it still produces my work and receives Tahoe updates. I fixed the 2013 MacBook Pro’s software limitation with OCLP for the tasks I use it for, while accepting its tradeoffs. Apply the same five checks to your own model. Replace it when a real requirement fails and a reasonable fix no longer restores it—not because the processor label says Intel.

The post Should You Keep, Fix, or Replace Your Intel Mac? appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

My video shows how I moved my own library in 2024, then cleared my iPhone’s camera roll. It includes a decision to turn off and delete my iCloud Photos library. That is a full library migration, not a step you need to free space on your iPhone. Follow the checks below before choosing how to remove local copies.

Choose the right way to save space

Google Photos is a backup and library service, not extra physical storage inside your iPhone. Check that your Google account has enough available cloud storage for both the existing library and new photos.

Back up and verify your iPhone photos

1. Install Google Photos on the iPhone, sign in to the Google account where you want the library, and allow access to the photos you intend to back up.
2. Tap your profile picture in Google Photos, open Photos settings → Backup, and turn Backup on. Leave the app open as needed while the first upload finishes, ideally on Wi-Fi and power.
3. Return to the profile menu and wait for the backup status to say it is complete. Check recent photos and videos in Google Photos on the web while signed in to the same account. Open a few originals, including the newest and oldest items you care about. Do not treat a thumbnail or a transfer-complete email as proof that every file arrived.
4. Keep an independent copy of irreplaceable photos, especially before changing iCloud settings. A second cloud service is useful, but account mistakes, unsupported formats, and deletion sync can still affect a library.

If you already use iCloud Photos and plan to move the older library, Apple’s copy-transfer service can transfer photos and videos to Google Photos from privacy.apple.com. It makes a copy; it does not delete the originals in iCloud. Apple says the transfer typically takes three to seven days, and some items, including shared albums and some Live Photos or RAW content, may not transfer as expected. Check Apple’s current exclusions and compare the libraries afterward.

The completed status in my video is a useful checkpoint, but I still compared the first and last images in both libraries and backed up any new iPhone photos taken during the transfer. Do the same, then review albums and file types you particularly need.

Use Google Photos to remove backed-up device copies

Once backup is complete and you understand what iCloud will do, open Google Photos → profile picture → Free up space on this device. Review the count and confirm the device removal. Google’s iPhone instructions say the removed items remain available in Google Photos and on photos.google.com, but they will no longer be in Apple Photos or available offline unless you download them again.

For the iPhone to actually reclaim the space, Google says you must also open Apple Photos → Recently Deleted and permanently remove those items. This is the point where recovery through Apple’s Recently Deleted album ends. Verify the Google copies and any other backup before emptying it. Google Photos may only offer backed-up items that meet its eligibility rules, so the available count may be lower than your entire camera roll.

If iCloud Photos is still enabled: changes to the Apple Photos library can sync to iCloud and other Apple devices. Do not assume “Free up space” leaves an untouched iCloud library. If keeping iCloud intact is your goal, use Apple’s Optimize iPhone Storage route instead. Apple’s iCloud Photos guidance explains that deleting from Apple Photos deletes the synced copy everywhere.

Do not tap the ordinary Trash button inside Google Photos as a substitute for Free up space. Google’s delete guidance says deleting in Google Photos can remove the cloud copy and backed-up device copies too. Check which action is on screen before confirming.

Check the result and keep new photos backed up

Open Settings → General → iPhone Storage to see whether Photos storage has fallen; allow time for the number to refresh. Open Google Photos on another device or the web to confirm that important photos remain accessible. Remember that a cloud-only photo may need a connection; download selected favorites to the iPhone if you need them offline.

Leave Google Photos Backup on for new shots, and confirm its status before the next cleanup. If you are moving away from iCloud Photos entirely, make that a separate decision after auditing your library and backup. My video shows what I chose for my own account; it is not necessary to select Turn Off and Delete from iCloud to reclaim iPhone storage.

If your bigger problem is finding space for your photo library on a Mac, my guide to finding large files and Smart Folders walkthrough can help you review local files without deleting them blindly.

The post How to Free Up iPhone Storage with Google Photos Safely appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

The video shows macOS as it looked in 2023. Finder’s search controls remain the useful part of the lesson; the exact Spotlight layout and Settings labels can differ on a newer Mac. The steps below follow Apple’s current Finder search guidance.

Start with Spotlight when you know the name

1. Press Command–Space and enter a filename, a distinctive word in a document, or a file type such as kind:pdf. On newer versions of macOS, Spotlight may also offer a Files browse mode.
2. Use the arrow keys to inspect results. Press Return to open one. To find a selected result’s location in Finder, press Command–R or Command-double-click the result; Apple documents these Spotlight shortcuts.
3. If too many different kinds of results appear, add a kind term such as kind:images or kind:pdf, or continue the search in Finder.

Spotlight is the fast route to a known file. Finder is better when you only remember clues, such as “a PDF I made last month in Documents.”

Narrow a Finder search by folder and file details

1. Open Finder. To search everywhere, enter a term in the upper-right search field and press Return. To start in one folder, open that folder first, then search.
2. Look at the scope buttons above the results. Choose This Mac for a computer-wide search or the folder name to search only within that folder. Starting in Documents does not always mean Finder has chosen Documents as the search scope.

3. Click the + button under the search field to add a condition. Choose Kind, Name, Created date, or Last modified date, then set the value. Add another condition with + if you need to narrow the result further. A file must match all the conditions you add.
4. For less common criteria, open the first condition menu and choose Other. You can add File Extension or File Size to the menu. For example, a search for invoice plus File Extension pdf and a recent date can be much easier to review than a broad search for invoice alone.

Use the Kind condition for a broad type such as PDF or image. Use File Extension when you need an exact suffix. My video demonstrates both the date and extension routes, plus the Other list of attributes.

See where the file lives and save a useful search

Once you find a result, open its containing folder before moving or deleting anything. In Finder, choose View → Show Path Bar. The bar at the bottom shows the selected file’s folder path; you can move up through its parent folders from there. My full Finder path guide covers that view in more detail.

If you repeatedly search for the same type of file, click Save in the Finder search window. That creates a Smart Folder whose results update as files change; it does not move the files. See the macOS Smart Folders guide for the full setup.

Find large or hidden files

For a storage cleanup, open Apple menu → System Settings → General → Storage and review the categories and file list before using Show in Finder or deleting anything. The video begins with this route. If size is the main problem, the guide to finding large files on a Mac is more focused.

To reveal hidden items in the current Finder window, press Command–Shift–Period (.). Press it again to hide them. Hidden files often belong to macOS or an app; finding one is not a reason to edit or delete it. Show Package Contents on an application likewise exposes internal files, not a normal folder to clean casually.

If a file you know exists is still missing from Spotlight results, first check the folder in Finder and any connected or cloud drive. A stale Spotlight index is another possibility; use Apple’s indexing guidance before rebuilding an index. For broader orientation around Finder and macOS, start with the Mac beginner guide.

The post How to Find Any File on a Mac with Spotlight and Finder appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

Before you start: OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP) 3.0 is still a prerelease — version 3.0.0 RC3 as I write this. Back up your files, check your exact model, and don’t do this on a Mac you depend on. Macs with a T2 chip can’t install it yet.

Tested October 12, 2026 on a MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Late 2013), model MacBookPro11,3, upgrading from an OCLP install of Sequoia. Clean install, OCLP 3.0.0 RC3, macOS Tahoe 26.7.1 (25G241).

What you’ll need

• A compatible Intel Mac. Check it against Dortania’s supported models list before anything else.
• A 32GB or larger USB drive you don’t mind erasing. You do not need 256GB: a reliable 32GB or 64GB drive is enough for this installer. Choose a USB-A drive if your Mac has the older rectangular USB ports, and check the connector before buying. My 256GB PNY drive took about 38 minutes to build and validate the installer. If you need one, Samsung BAR Plus 128GB USB-A flash drive.
• A current backup. If you don’t have a backup drive yet, one option is the Kingston XS1000 2TB portable SSD. Those two are affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
• Your power adapter. Keep a laptop plugged in the entire time.
• A way to get back online without Wi-Fi. This is the one most guides skip, so read the next section.

Before you start

Check that your Mac can actually run it

Tahoe officially supports only a handful of Intel Macs (see Apple’s Tahoe compatibility list), so most Intel Mac owners reading this are in OCLP territory. According to Dortania’s Tahoe support tracker, there are still a few hard limits:

• T2 Macs (most Intel Macs from 2018 to 2020) still panic when booting through OpenCore and can’t reach the installer yet.
• Fusion Drive Macs: Apple removed Fusion Drive support from macOS, and the two halves show up as separate volumes.
• Graphics patches are available for the common older GPUs, including the Intel Haswell and Nvidia Kepler graphics in my 2013 MacBook Pro.

If your Mac isn’t covered, macOS Sequoia with OCLP is still the more mature option.

Plan a way back online

Here’s the part that caught me out. After a clean install, Tahoe’s Wi-Fi didn’t work on my Mac, and OpenCore Legacy Patcher wasn’t on the new system to fix it — the app was missing from Applications entirely. Wi-Fi only comes back after you reinstall OCLP and run its root patches, which means you need some other way to get online first:

• iPhone Personal Hotspot over a USB cable — what I used, and it worked immediately.
• Wired Ethernet, if your Mac has a port or you have a supported adapter.
• A copy of OpenCore-Patcher.pkg saved on another drive before you erase anything.

Check that one of these actually works with your setup before you erase your drive.

Want to keep your files? Read this first

Already running Sonoma or Sequoia with OCLP? You can upgrade to Tahoe without wiping your Mac, but there’s one important difference from the clean install I show in the video: update OpenCore on your internal drive before starting the upgrade. Back up first and check your exact Mac model against the Tahoe known issues.

1. Follow Step 1 below to install a Tahoe-compatible version of OCLP. Before making the USB installer, open OCLP and choose Build and Install OpenCore → Install to Disk. Select your Mac’s internal drive and its EFI partition, not the USB.
2. Continue with the USB installer steps. When you reach the Tahoe installer, skip Disk Utility and select your existing macOS volume. Do not erase or reformat it.
3. After Tahoe installs, open OCLP and run Post-Install Root Patch again.

That’s the key difference: in my clean installation I put OpenCore on the internal drive afterward, but for an in-place upgrade you should update it beforehand. See OCLP’s official major-upgrade instructions. A backup is still essential.

Step 1: Download OpenCore Legacy Patcher 3.0

Go to the OpenCore Legacy Patcher releases page on GitHub. The release marked Latest on the repository page was 2.5.1 for me, and that is not the one you want — it doesn’t support Tahoe. Open the release list and find the newest 3.0.0 release. For me that was 3.0.0-rc.3, marked Pre-release; there may be a newer one by the time you read this.

Expand Assets and download OpenCore-Patcher.pkg. You don’t need the Uninstaller or AutoPkg-Assets packages.

Open the package and click Continue through the installer to install it. Then open Applications → OpenCore-Patcher.

Step 2: Download the macOS Tahoe installer

In OpenCore Legacy Patcher, the main window shows your Mac’s model identifier — mine is MacBookPro11,3. Click Create macOS Installer, then Download macOS Installer.

Select macOS Tahoe and click Download. For me it was macOS Tahoe 26.7.1, about 18.4GB, and it took about six minutes to download plus another two minutes to extract.

Step 3: Create the USB installer

Insert your USB drive. When OpenCore Legacy Patcher asks to create the installer, click Yes, choose the Tahoe installer you just downloaded, and then select your USB drive.

Double-check the disk here. Whatever you select will be erased. Unplugging any other external drives first makes it hard to get wrong.

Confirm, and let OCLP copy and validate everything. OCLP itself warns that this can take 30 minutes or more on slower drives. My 256GB PNY drive spent about 35 minutes copying files and three more validating them — about 38 minutes total.

Step 4: Install OpenCore to the USB drive

When the installer is ready, OCLP offers to install OpenCore. Click Yes. It builds the OpenCore configuration for your model, then click Install to disk.

Now pay attention to the disk list. Choose your USB drive, not your internal SSD. The disk highlighted in blue is the one OpenCore is currently booting from — on my Mac that was the internal SSD from my old Sequoia install, which is exactly the one I didn’t want here.

Select the USB drive’s EFI volume when asked. OCLP copies the bootloader onto that EFI partition (the small hidden boot volume), which took about a minute. When it finishes, click Reboot.

Step 5: Boot the Tahoe installer

As the Mac restarts, hold the Option (⌥) key until the startup picker appears. Select EFI Boot and press Return. On the next menu, select Install macOS Tahoe and press Return again.

That loads the Tahoe installer and its recovery utilities. If the Mac boots straight back into your old macOS instead, restart and hold Option a little earlier.

Step 6: Erase the internal drive (clean install)

I did a clean install, which I’d recommend if you can. From the recovery utilities, choose Disk Utility and click Continue.

In the sidebar under Internal, select your Mac’s main drive at the top of the list (not the USB installer under External), then click Erase. Name it Macintosh HD, choose APFS, and click Erase.

Because I erased the APFS volume group rather than the entire physical disk, my separate Boot Camp partition survived. If you use Windows in Boot Camp, that’s worth knowing before you choose what to erase. (The Disk Utility tutorial covers the difference.)

When it’s done, click Done and quit Disk Utility.

Want to keep your files instead? Before starting the USB upgrade, update OCLP and use Build and Install OpenCore to update your Mac’s internal EFI partition. Then follow the video, skip Disk Utility, and choose your existing macOS volume without erasing it. Back up first and reapply root patches afterward. See the keep-files instructions above.

Step 7: Install macOS Tahoe

Back on the recovery menu, choose Install macOS Tahoe and click Continue.

Agree to the license, select Macintosh HD, and click Continue to begin.

The installation took about 24 minutes on my Mac, with four automatic restarts. The time estimates jump around, so keep the USB plugged in and let it continue. You shouldn’t need to press anything.

Step 8: Get through Setup Assistant without Wi-Fi

When Setup Assistant appears, select your country, choose Set Up as New, and create your account.

At this point my mouse was really lagging and the Wi-Fi list was empty. That’s expected: the drivers for older Wi-Fi and graphics hardware haven’t been patched yet. Don’t reinstall anything. When the Wi-Fi screen appeared, I clicked Continue without choosing a network, clicked Cancel on the prompt asking me to join one, then Continue on the warning that the Mac couldn’t connect. Setup then carried on offline. The wording of those prompts may differ slightly on your Mac.

Going through the setup screens took me about 11 minutes, mostly because of the lag.

Step 9: Get online and reinstall OpenCore Legacy Patcher

You now have Tahoe installed, but you’re not done — Wi-Fi still doesn’t work and the system is sluggish until it’s patched.

Connect your iPhone with a USB cable and turn on Personal Hotspot on the phone. Your Mac should pick up an internet connection automatically. (Wired Ethernet works too.)

Once you’re online, go back to the OCLP 3.0.0-rc.3 release — or the newest 3.0 release — and download OpenCore-Patcher.pkg again. Double-click it to install it on your new Tahoe system.

Before root patching, Safari froze on me twice, especially when minimizing windows. I wouldn’t do much of anything until the root patches are installed.

Step 10: Run Post-Install Root Patch

Open Applications → OpenCore-Patcher, click Post-Install Root Patch, then click Start Root Patching. It lists the patches for your hardware; on my MacBook Pro that was Intel Haswell and Nvidia Kepler graphics, modern wireless, modern audio and the FaceTime camera.

Enter your password when asked. Root patching took about four minutes for me. When prompted, click Reboot. As the Mac restarts, hold Option, choose the USB’s EFI Boot, and then Macintosh HD again.

After that reboot, Wi-Fi worked, I could connect to my normal network, and the graphics were much smoother. This is also when my screen recording software finally worked again.

Step 11: Install OpenCore to the internal drive

You’re still booting from the USB stick at this point. OCLP will usually warn you about that on its own:

Click OK to let it build OpenCore, then click Install to disk. This time, select your internal Apple SSD — the big one; mine is about 500GB. Notice that the blue highlight has now moved to the USB, because that’s what you booted from.

Select its EFI volume. OCLP copies the bootloader to the internal drive. When it finishes, click Reboot.

Step 12: Boot without the USB

To make sure it really works, I pulled the USB drive out as soon as the Mac shut down. On that reboot I got a gray circle with a line through it — the prohibitory symbol — and thought I’d done something wrong.

I waited about 10 to 15 seconds, and the Apple logo came up and Tahoe loaded normally. The same thing happened on this Mac with Sequoia, so it looks broken but isn’t. If it doesn’t recover on its own after a minute or so, plug the USB back in, boot from EFI Boot, and run Step 11 again.

How Tahoe runs on a 2013 MacBook Pro

Here’s where I ended up: macOS Tahoe 26.7.1 on a 2013 MacBook Pro, with Wi-Fi working, ScreenFlow recording, and Chrome installed and browsing websites the way it should. It’s much faster after the post-install root patches, so don’t skip those.

For reference, here’s roughly where the time went on my Mac. Everything else was clicking through prompts.

That’s not a fresh Apple silicon Mac, and I wouldn’t expect it to feel like one. It’s also a prerelease, so treat this as a project machine rather than the computer you rely on every day.

Turn off automatic macOS updates

Before Tahoe tries to update itself, go to System Settings → General → Software Update, click the info button next to Automatic Updates, and turn off Download new updates when available and Install macOS updates. Leave them off until you’re ready to handle updates with OpenCore.

When you do update Tahoe later, read Dortania’s guidance on updating macOS or watch an update walkthrough first. Afterwards, open OpenCore Legacy Patcher and run Post-Install Root Patch again — updating macOS can remove some of the root patches, and things start working a little funky until they’re reapplied. Do this after every update. I’ll publish update videos as new OCLP 3.0 releases come out.

If something goes wrong

• No Wi-Fi, sluggish graphics or a laggy mouse: the root patches aren’t applied. Get online another way and run Post-Install Root Patch (Steps 9 and 10).
• OpenCore Legacy Patcher is missing from Applications after the install: that happened to me too. Reinstall OpenCore-Patcher.pkg from the 3.0 release (Step 9).
• Setup Assistant stops responding: force a restart and boot through EFI Boot → Macintosh HD (Step 8).
• The Mac boots to the prohibitory symbol without the USB: wait 15 seconds or so. If it never recovers, boot from the USB and reinstall OpenCore to the internal drive (Steps 11 and 12).
• It keeps restarting or won’t finish booting: follow my Mac boot loop recovery guide before you erase anything.
• You’d rather go back to Sequoia: here’s how to downgrade macOS to an older version.

More macOS upgrade guides

• Install macOS Sequoia on unsupported Macs — the same OCLP approach, for Macs where Tahoe isn’t ready yet
• Upgrade an unsupported Mac to macOS Sonoma — the guide where this series started
• macOS Upgrade Guide — which macOS version your Mac should actually run
• How to downgrade macOS — rolling back if Tahoe causes problems

The post How to Install macOS Tahoe on Unsupported Macs (OpenCore Legacy Patcher) appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

My 2023 video shows a Safari desktop-site workaround for selecting more than 50 at once on an iPhone. Gmail’s iPhone app has since gained a Select all control for 50-message batches, so start with the current app method below. The video is still useful for seeing the full desktop selection link, but Safari settings and the mobile page may look different now.

Delete up to 50 Gmail messages at a time on iPhone

1. Open the Gmail app and go to the Inbox, a category such as Promotions, or a search result. If you’re targeting old mail or one sender, enter a search first.
2. Touch and hold one message. Tap Select all at the top left. Gmail selects up to 50 messages.
3. Look over what is selected, then tap the trash icon. To remove another batch, return to the top and use Select all again.

This is the method in Google’s current iPhone instructions. The Gmail app does not offer the computer’s single link for every matching conversation beyond the current batch.

Delete every message matching a Gmail search on a computer

1. Open Gmail on a computer and search for the mail you want to remove. Review the results, especially if the search includes archived messages.
2. Click the select checkbox above the message list. This selects the conversations on the visible page.
3. If Gmail shows a banner saying the page is selected, click Select all conversations that match this search. That second click is what extends the action beyond the first page. If there is no such link, you may already have selected everything in the result.
4. Click Delete and confirm any bulk-action prompt. For a very large mailbox, Gmail may take time to finish.

The same control works in Inbox, Promotions, or All Mail. Be careful with All Mail: it includes archived messages you no longer see in the Inbox. Conversation View can group several messages into one conversation, so the count may refer to conversations rather than individual emails. If all you want is a cleaner Inbox while keeping the messages, archive them instead of deleting them.

Useful searches before you click Delete

Type one of these in Gmail’s search box, then review the result list before selecting anything. Google’s search-operator reference documents the current syntax.

A search can find messages outside your Inbox. If you only want Inbox mail, add in:inbox to the query. Combining a sender, category, and age usually makes a big deletion easier to inspect. To keep future mail organized automatically, use Gmail filters after the cleanup.

What happens after deletion?

Deleted Gmail messages go to Trash, where they can normally be recovered for 30 days. Emptying Trash permanently removes them sooner. Don’t empty it immediately after a large cleanup; first make sure you didn’t include a sender or category you meant to keep. See Google’s deletion and recovery guide for the current recovery window and Trash steps.

Deleting emails does not delete your Gmail account. The account-deletion guide covers that separate action.

The post How to Bulk Delete Gmail Emails on iPhone or Desktop appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

Check your model and battery before buying parts

Choose Apple menu → About This Mac to confirm the model year. The machine in my video is the 13-inch Early 2017 Air, commonly identified as A1466 / EMC 3178 / MacBookAir7,2. A printed A1466 alone isn’t enough to establish the year, since several Air generations use that case number. Use the complete model information or serial-number lookup before ordering a battery.

The iFixit battery shown in the video currently lists the Early 2017 model as compatible. Confirm your exact model against its compatibility list at purchase time. I used an iFixit repair kit, but this is not an affiliate link or a claim that every battery sold under a similar name will fit.

You’ll need a P5 pentalobe screwdriver for the bottom case, a T5 Torx screwdriver for the battery, a way to keep the two screw lengths in their original positions, and a soft brush for loose dust. A stable work surface and an ESD-safe setup are sensible when working inside a Mac. Use the Early 2017 iFixit guide alongside the video. The repair-guide link in the video’s description points to a Late 2020 Air and is the wrong procedure for this machine.

Before opening the Mac

1. Back up anything important. A battery replacement shouldn’t erase data, but hardware work is a poor time to discover that the only copy of a file lives on this Mac.
2. If the old battery is healthy enough to use, let it discharge before disassembly, as the model-specific repair guide advises. Then shut down the Mac, unplug power and accessories, close the lid, and set it upside down on a soft surface.
3. Check for warning signs before going further. A raised case, distorted trackpad, unusual heat, leaking, or a visibly puffy battery calls for a repair professional. Don’t charge or keep using a Mac with a suspected swollen battery. Don’t pierce, bend, squeeze, heat, or pry against the cells.

The old battery in my video has a slight visible bulge. I continued the repair on camera, but that footage should not be taken as a safe procedure for a swollen battery. If you see the same condition in your Mac, stop.

Open the 2017 MacBook Air and disconnect the battery

1. Remove the ten P5 screws from the lower case. The two longer screws are 9 mm and the other eight are 2.6 mm. Arrange them in a matching pattern as you remove them; putting a long screw in a short hole can damage the case.
2. Lift the lower case gently and inspect the battery before touching anything inside. If it looks swollen or damaged, leave it alone and seek service.
3. For an undamaged battery, grip the clear pull tab on its connector and pull parallel to the logic board, toward the front edge of the Air. Don’t lever the connector upward. The tab and socket are the small parts to watch closely here.

Clean loose dust while the battery is disconnected

With the connector out, use a soft, dry brush to remove loose dust from accessible surfaces and the lower case. In the video, the fan area and case have visible buildup. Keep the brush away from exposed connectors and the battery cells, and don’t pour cleaning liquid into the Mac. If the fan or heat sink needs a deeper teardown, follow a separate model-specific procedure or use a repair shop.

The goal is to clear loose dust without turning a battery job into a much larger repair.

Remove the old battery and fit the new one

1. Remove the five T5 screws securing the battery: three 6.9 mm screws and two 3.0 mm screws. Keep the shorter pair separate. A phone photo of the screw layout is useful before removal.
2. Lift the undamaged battery by its rigid edge nearest the logic board. Avoid pressure on its four exposed cells. If it resists, stop and check for a screw you missed; don’t pry into the cells.
3. Compare the replacement with the old battery before installation: shape, screw holes, connector and printed compatibility should line up. Place the new battery in the case without forcing it, start all five screws loosely, then snug them down with the proper driver. Stop if a head starts to strip.
4. Reconnect the battery in the reverse direction, keeping the connector level with the board. Refit the lower case and return each P5 screw to its original hole.

Check the repair

Reconnect power and boot the Mac. Confirm that it charges, the trackpad works normally, and the battery-service warning is no longer present. If it doesn’t start or charge, unplug it and check the model-specific guide and connector seating before trying anything more involved. A persistent warning or unusual heat is a reason to stop and get the installation checked.

iFixit’s Early 2017 guide also includes a new-battery calibration cycle: charge to 100% and leave it charging for two more hours; use it normally until it sleeps from low charge; wait at least five hours; then charge uninterrupted to 100%. Follow the battery seller’s current instructions for the part you bought. This is a one-time setup procedure for that replacement battery, not a routine way to use your Mac.

Take the old battery to an appropriate electronics or battery recycler. Don’t put it in household trash. If the battery is swollen or damaged, ask the repair provider how it should be handled and transported.

If you’re replacing this battery to keep an older Mac in use, my macOS upgrade guide covers the separate software-support decision. A working battery does not make an unsupported macOS version current.

The post How to Replace a 2017 MacBook Air Battery and Clean Inside appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

First, check how the app was installed

The right removal method depends on where the app came from, so check this first.

One billing catch: uninstalling an app does not cancel a subscription you bought through it. If the app is subscription-based, cancel the subscription separately before you forget about it.

Look for the app’s own uninstaller

Before deleting anything by hand, open the Applications folder and look for a subfolder with the app’s name. Apps with background services may include an uninstaller there. Check the original .dmg or the app’s own menu and settings too; some provide an Uninstall option.

Quit the app and its helpers

An app that is running, or that has a helper running, will either refuse to delete or reinstall parts of itself. Quit it, then check the menu bar for a background icon and quit that too. If macOS still says the item is in use, open Activity Monitor, search the app’s name, select any matching process and click the ✕ to stop it.

Then clean up the leftovers

Support files live in your user Library folder, which is hidden by default. In Finder, choose Go → Go to Folder and paste each path below in turn. You can also hold Option in the Go menu to reveal Library.

Search each location for the app’s name or the developer’s name — many apps file support data under the company, not the product. If you still use other apps from the same developer, do not delete a developer-wide folder unless you are sure it belongs only to the app you are removing.

• ~/Library/Application Support — the big one. App data, often hundreds of megabytes.
• ~/Library/Preferences — .plist settings files, usually named like com.developer.appname.plist.
• ~/Library/Caches — temporary app data. Delete only cache folders you can clearly match to the app or developer you are removing.
• ~/Library/Containers and ~/Library/Group Containers — sandboxed app data.
• ~/Library/Saved Application State — remembers which windows were open.
• ~/Library/Logs — diagnostic logs.
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents — things that start automatically. Worth checking even for apps you removed long ago.

There is a second, system-wide Library at /Library (no tilde) with its own Application Support, LaunchAgents, LaunchDaemons and PrivilegedHelperTools folders. Apps that asked for your password during installation put files there. Deleting from these requires an administrator password.

Use a Smart Folder instead of checking every folder

Build a Smart Folder that searches your Library for the developer’s name and shows every match in one window instead of walking seven folders by hand — see Smart Folders on macOS. Set the search location to This Mac and add System files is include, or hidden Library results will be filtered out.

Check for leftover login and background items

Removing an app does not always remove its startup entry. Go to Apple menu → System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions and check both lists: Open at Login, and the background items beneath it. Anything belonging to software you have deleted can be turned off or removed.

The background list is where uninstalled VPNs, backup tools and updaters tend to linger, and it is the first place to look if you removed an app but something from it still seems to be running.

What to leave alone

Two rules keep this safe. Delete only items you can match to the app or developer by name, and leave anything named com.apple.* alone — those are macOS’s own.

If you are unsure about an item, move it to the Trash but do not empty it. Use the Mac normally for a few days; if nothing breaks, empty the Trash then. If something does break, put the file back exactly where it came from.

Do not go hunting in /System. It is protected by System Integrity Protection, you should not be turning that off to delete files, and nothing you need to remove lives there.

If macOS won’t let you delete it

• “The item is in use.” Something is still running. Quit it in Activity Monitor, or restart the Mac and delete it before opening anything else.
• It reappears after deletion. A helper or launch item may be restoring it. Check ~/Library/LaunchAgents and /Library/LaunchDaemons for a clearly matching item, but do not remove anything you cannot tie back to that app or developer.
• macOS asks for a password you do not have. You need an administrator account.
• Nothing works. Start in safe mode, which blocks third-party startup items, and delete it there.

The post How to Fully Uninstall Apps on a Mac Without Extra Software appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

Create your first Smart Folder

1. In the Finder, choose File → New Smart Folder. A blank search window opens.
2. Click This Mac to search everywhere, or the folder name to restrict the search to one location.
3. Click the + button under the search field to add a rule.
4. Set the rule from the dropdowns — for example Kind is PDF.
5. Add more rules with +. Rules combine with AND by default, so each one narrows the result further.
6. Click Save, give it a name, and tick Add To Sidebar so it is one click away.

If you keep the default save location, Finder stores Smart Folders in ~/Library/Saved Searches. You can choose another location when you save. The Smart Folder stores the search itself, not copies of the matching files, so it takes up very little space.

The search rules worth learning

The default criteria list is short. Choose Other… at the bottom of the first dropdown to expose more searchable attributes, including these useful options:

• Kind — document, image, movie, PDF, application, folder.
• Last opened date — the best way to find things you are actually working on, as opposed to things that merely exist.
• File size — the fast route to reclaiming disk space.
• Name — matches part of a filename.
• Tags — combines Finder tags with everything else.
• File extension — more precise than Kind when you want .heic but not .jpg.
• Contents — searches inside documents, not just filenames.

Hold Option and the + button becomes …, which adds a nested group so you can build any of these OR all of those. That is where Smart Folders stop being a search box and start being useful.

Five Smart Folders worth setting up

Files you’ve opened this week

Last opened date is within last 7 days. Pin this to the sidebar and it becomes the fastest way back into work in progress, no matter where the files are filed.

Large files taking up space

File size is greater than 500 MB, searched across This Mac. Sort by size and you immediately get a short list of large files worth reviewing before you start deleting anything.

Screenshots, wherever they landed

Name contains Screenshot, plus Kind is Image. Screenshots scatter across the Desktop, Downloads and Documents; this gathers them without moving a single one.

Old downloads you probably forgot about

Search the Downloads folder only, with Last opened date is not in the last 30 days. Treat the results as a review queue: installers, duplicate downloads, and temporary files often show up here, but check each item before deleting it.

Invoices and receipts

Kind is PDF plus Contents contains invoice. Because this searches inside the documents, it catches files whose names tell you nothing.

Change a Smart Folder later

Open the Smart Folder, click the ⋯ button in the toolbar and choose Show Search Criteria. Adjust the rules and click Save. To remove one, drag it out of the sidebar, or delete the file from ~/Library/Saved Searches — either way you are deleting the search, never the files it found.

Where Smart Folders stop being useful

Worth knowing before you build a system on them:

• They cannot move, rename or tidy anything. They show files where they are. For automatic filing, you want Folder Actions or Shortcuts.
• They depend on Spotlight. If Spotlight indexing is off for a volume, or the drive is a network share that is not indexed, results will be incomplete.
• They do not follow you. A Smart Folder is a local file, so it does not sync between Macs unless you put it in iCloud Drive yourself.
• Contents searches only reach file types Spotlight can read — text, PDFs with real text, Office and iWork documents. A scanned PDF with no OCR layer is invisible to it.

Related Finder guides

• Find the largest files on your Mac with the Finder — the manual version of the disk-space recipe above.
• Show the full file path in the Finder — useful once Smart Folders start showing you files whose location is not obvious.
• Fix missing Finder sidebar icons — if your saved Smart Folder does not appear where you expect.

The post Smart Folders on macOS: Folders That Organize Themselves appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

Open an Incognito window

You will know you are in it by the dark window and the hat-and-glasses icon. A useful habit: right-click any link and choose Open link in incognito window to send just that one page there.

Incognito tabs and windows in the same session share cookies. The session ends only after you close every Incognito window; closing one tab is not enough.

What Incognito actually keeps private

Everything incognito does is local to your device. Within that scope it works exactly as advertised.

• Browsing history. Pages you visit are not written to your Chrome history.
• Cookies and site data. Held only for the session and discarded when you close the last Incognito window. Chrome also blocks third-party cookies by default in Incognito, which can make some sign-ins or embedded features behave differently.
• Form and search entries. Not saved to autofill.
• Signed-in state. You start signed out of everything, which is why it is the quickest way to test a site as a logged-out visitor.

What Incognito cannot hide

Incognito controls what Chrome keeps on your device. It does not hide the connection itself.

• Your employer, school or network administrator. If you are on their network or their device, traffic can still be logged. Incognito does nothing about this.
• Your internet provider. Your ISP sees the sites you connect to regardless of browser mode.
• The websites you visit. They still see your IP address, and they can still fingerprint your browser.
• Anything you do after signing in. The moment you log into an account, that account records your activity normally. Signing into Google in incognito means your searches land in your Google account.
• Downloaded files. They stay on your computer. Only the download record is discarded.
• Bookmarks you create. They are saved permanently, like any other bookmark.

The short version: incognito hides your browsing from other people using your device. It does not make you anonymous on the internet.

Incognito disables extensions by default

Extensions are disabled in incognito by default, which is a deliberate privacy decision — an extension with permission to read page content would otherwise see your private session too.

If you need one, go to chrome://extensions, click Details on the extension, and turn on Allow in Incognito. Only do this for extensions you genuinely trust, because you are handing that developer access to precisely the browsing you chose to keep private.

This is also the reason a page can look different in incognito: with the ad blocker and script blockers switched off, you are seeing the site closer to how an ordinary visitor sees it.

Lock your Incognito tabs on a phone

On Android and iPhone, Chrome can require Face ID, a fingerprint or your device passcode before it will reveal open incognito tabs — which closes the obvious hole of someone picking up your unlocked phone.

Android: Settings → Privacy and security → Lock Incognito windows when you leave Chrome. iPhone/iPad: Settings → Privacy and security → Hide Incognito tabs → Lock immediately with device authentication.

Good reasons to use Incognito

• Signing into a second Gmail account without logging out of the first.
• Checking how a page looks to a logged-out visitor — especially useful when testing your own site, account flows, or public pages.
• Shopping or travel research on a shared computer, where you would rather not leave the history or have the recommendations follow you.
• Using someone else’s machine, where the real benefit is simply that closing the window cleans up after you.
• Troubleshooting a broken web page — incognito starts with no cookies and no extensions, which rules both out in one step.

When Incognito is not enough

If your goal is keeping destination traffic away from your local network or internet provider, a VPN can do that — but it shifts that trust to the VPN provider and still does not make you anonymous. If your goal is reducing cross-site tracking, use browser privacy controls or a tool built for that. Incognito does not change your IP address or your browser fingerprint.

Incognito is a local privacy tool. Judged as one, it does its job well.

The post Google Chrome Incognito Mode: What It Actually Hides appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.

Do not erase the startup disk while following this guide. Erasing removes your files, and none of the recovery steps below requires it.

Before you start: Apple silicon or Intel?

Every startup method below is different on Apple silicon than on Intel, so check this before anything else. On a working Mac, go to Apple menu → About This Mac. If you see Chip followed by an Apple M-series name, you have Apple silicon. If you see Processor followed by an Intel name, you have an Intel Mac.

If the Mac will not boot far enough to check About This Mac, use the startup behavior instead. On Apple silicon, shut the Mac down and hold the power button: if Loading startup options appears, you have Apple silicon. Intel Macs use startup key combinations instead.

1. Shut it down completely and try again

A boot loop sometimes survives a restart but not a true power-off, because a restart leaves some hardware state intact.

1. Press and hold the power button for up to 10 seconds, until the Mac goes completely silent and dark.
2. Wait about 30 seconds. On a laptop, this is also a good moment to plug in the charger — a boot loop on a nearly flat battery can look identical to a software failure.
3. Press the power button once to start up normally.

If it boots, back up your files before assuming the problem is gone. Then review any recent macOS update or newly installed software that may have affected startup.

2. Unplug every accessory

External drives, docks, hubs, and some USB accessories can stall startup. Unplug every peripheral except the power adapter, then try the cold boot again. If it starts, add devices back one at a time to identify the cause.

3. See if Safe Mode will boot

Safe mode loads a minimal system and runs a check on your startup disk, while blocking third-party startup items and kernel extensions. Since it skips exactly the things that usually cause a loop in the first place, just starting in safe mode sometimes fixes it — the disk check alone is enough some of the time.

On Apple silicon

1. Shut down completely.
2. Press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears, then release.
3. Select your startup volume (usually Macintosh HD).
4. Press and hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.

On Intel

1. Turn on or restart the Mac.
2. Immediately press and hold Shift until the login window appears, then release.

You should see Safe Boot in the menu bar. Startup and login can take longer than usual in safe mode, so give the Mac time to finish.

If the Mac boots in safe mode but loops again after a normal restart, third-party startup software becomes a strong suspect. Go back into safe mode and remove or disable anything you installed or updated just before the problem started — particularly antivirus tools, VPN clients, disk utilities, and software that installed a system extension.

4. Run First Aid from macOS Recovery

If safe mode will not load, the next step is macOS Recovery, which runs from a separate partition and does not depend on your main system booting.

Starting Recovery

Apple silicon: shut down, then press and hold the power button until Loading startup options appears. Click Options, then Continue.

Intel: turn on the Mac and immediately hold Command (⌘) and R until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.

Running First Aid

1. In the Recovery window, choose Disk Utility and click Continue.
2. In the sidebar, click View → Show All Devices so the physical disk appears, not just the volumes.
3. Start with the last volume listed under your internal disk — often Macintosh HD – Data — rather than the physical device itself.
4. Click First Aid, then Run. Let it finish even if it looks stuck; on a large disk it can take a long time.
5. Then move upward through the sidebar, running First Aid on each remaining volume or volume group, then the container, and finally the physical device.

Quit Disk Utility and restart. If First Aid reported errors it could not repair, note the exact wording — that is the detail worth having if you end up talking to Apple Support.

5. Reinstall macOS without erasing your Mac

This is the step people often avoid because it sounds drastic, but it is one of the most useful fixes for a stubborn boot loop. Reinstalling macOS from Recovery does not remove your apps or personal data. It is not the same as erasing the disk, and you should still make a backup first if you can.

1. Start in Recovery using the method for your Mac above.
2. Choose Reinstall macOS and click Continue.
3. When asked where to install, select your existing startup disk — do not erase it first.
4. Leave the Mac plugged in and let it run. It will restart on its own more than once, and the progress estimate is unreliable.

If the installer refuses because it cannot find a valid volume, stop here and go to the next step rather than accepting an offer to erase.

6. Copy your files off before you erase anything

If nothing above has worked, copy your data off the machine before considering an erase and reinstall. Recovery gives you a way to do this without a working system, by turning the broken Mac into an external drive for a moment.

Apple silicon: in Recovery, open Utilities → Share Disk, then connect the Mac to another Mac with a USB-C or Thunderbolt cable and mount it from the other machine’s Finder.

Intel: use Target Disk Mode — shut down, then start up while holding T, and connect the two Macs with a Thunderbolt cable. A USB-C connector by itself does not guarantee that the cable supports Target Disk Mode.

If FileVault is on, you will be asked for the password or recovery key, which is a good reason to know where that key is before you need it.

When to stop and get help

Contact Apple or a qualified repair shop if you cannot get into Recovery, or if either of these happens:

• Disk Utility still cannot see the internal drive after you choose View → Show All Devices. That can point to a storage or hardware problem.
• First Aid reports errors it cannot repair, and the macOS installer cannot use the disk.

A flashing folder with a question mark means the Mac cannot find a working startup disk; it does not, by itself, prove the drive has failed. If your files are not backed up, ask about recovery options before anyone erases or replaces the drive.

Once the Mac is working again

Back up your files as soon as the Mac starts normally. Then review any recently installed update, extension, VPN, antivirus app, or disk tool that may have affected startup. Keep an eye on the drive if First Aid reported errors. A current Time Machine backup gives you a way back if the loop returns, especially on a Mac running an unsupported macOS version.

The post Mac Boot Loop: How to Recover Without Erasing Your Data appeared first on AnsonAlex.com.