Even after using macOS for around a decade, I still discover new hidden interactions and shortcuts from time to time.

Here are a few that have been helpful to me recently:

1. Quick look items from the Downloads stack

I usually drag and drop items from the Downloads stack on the dock to upload or use them in other apps, and sometimes, the thumbnails are too small to identify the correct file.

Turns out, if you hover over a file from the stack and press Space, then it previews the file in a Quick Look window like this:

This is helpful because I can peek at files from the stack without opening them and choose the correct one for upload or use.

2. New folder from files

Whenever I need to move a few files in a folder to a subfolder, I select the files, right-click and choose New Folder from Selection:

This creates a new folder with the selected files already moved inside from the parent folder.

I don't have to move the files myself after creating the new folder.

3. Preview's built-in redaction tool

The Preview app on macOS features a built-in redaction tool, which lets you permanently remove sensitive information from PDF documents.

After opening a PDF, open the Annotations toolbar and select the Redact option:

Then, click and swipe over some text in the PDF to redact it. This is helpful to hide personal and sensitive information before sending a PDF to someone else.

Try these out, and I'll return with more tips in a future issue.

Now, speaking of cool things on Apple devices, have you seen Timedash Widgets?

Before you move on to the rest of this newsletter issue, here are a few words from: