Open mac toolbar icons using keyboard how to#

The personal preferences consist mainly of things that will appeal to your OS X use and sense of style. WeР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›re going to go through each row, from top to bottom and talk about every system preference that has any kind of menu bar extensibility options. There may also be a fifth row (not pictured) with third-party applications and utilities, if you have installed any. The preferences are laid out in four rows, representing the following (more or less) categories: personal, hardware, Internet and wireless, and system. Everything in red will let you add an icon to the menu bar. Anything enclosed with a red square has an option to add a menu bar icon, some even allow for further customization. These areР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В our System Preferences as they appear on an early 2014 Macbook Air running Yosemite (10.10.3).

If you didnР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›t mean to do that, or want it back, then hereР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s how to restore it. If you drag one out of the menu bar it will be removed. ItР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s helpful to know all about these because if you hold the Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎв„ўCommandР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎС™ key down, you can move and rearrange them. This includes not only the thingsР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В weР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›ve already mentioned, but all the other preference menu bar items we could find. In this article, weР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›re going to show and talk about all the different things you can add to the menu bar using only what youР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›ll find in the system preferences. In fact, many of the System Preferences have icons you can add, and many applications will also use the menu bar so users haveР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В convenient access to features and functions.

You can easily check yourР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В MacР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s energy status (particularly helpful if youР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›re using a laptop), or you can start Time Machine backups, or log into another account withР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В fast user switching, etc. Today, the menu bar lets you add all kinds of extra functionality to it. The menu bar can be extended with a wide array of clickable icons for quick access to system preferences. Of course, the menu bar has changed and its function has evolved, but the basics are all still there and it very much looks the same as it did back in 1984.

ItР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s not much to look at, but you can see the resemblance (image courtesy of Wikipedia). It really is an OS relic that just keeps going and going and going. If you have ever heard anyone use the phrase Р В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎв„ўthe more things change, the more they stay the sameР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р РЋРЎС™ then they could have been very well talking about AppleР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s menu bar. The menu bar is extensible, though someР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В users may not realize just how much, so weР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›ll show youР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В the many ways you can add functionality to it. AppleР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s operating systemР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s menu bar is trulyР В РІР‚в„ўР вЂ™Р’В old school itР В Р вЂ Р В РІР‚С™Р Р†РІР‚С›РЎС›s been around for as long as there have been Macintoshes.

Open mac toolbar icons using keyboard how to#