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Easily disable content blockers for specific sites in Safari

Posted in Safari Tips & Tricks

Some Mac users have content blockers installed into Safari, which are designed to prevent a part of a webpage from loading, things like preventing a remote javascript that tracks cookies or loads ads, or something that places a cookie into your browser, etc. However, content blockers can cause interference with certain webpages, and it’s not unusual for content blockers to completely break a website or webpage from functioning.

Problems with content blockers are particularly common with finance and banking sites, wi-fi captive portals, and video sharing sites, so you may find yourself wanting to disable content blockers for a specific site as you browse the web in Safari on your Mac.

It’s not unusual to need to disable content blockers for certain websites to work properly, so here’s how to do that:

• Navigate to the site you want to disable content blockers for in Safari on the Mac
• After the webpage has loaded, right-click on the website URL in the address bar, and choose “Settings for DomainName.com”
• Uncheck the box next to “Enable content blockers” to disable content blockers for this particular domain
• Refresh the webpage, and content blockers will now be disabled

Notice that you can even change other settings for a specific website in the same popup window.

With the content blockers disabled, the website should now load and function as intended. There are also sites that you choose to not run content blockers on for other reasons, maybe so they function properly, maybe to support them, or maybe to even load them at all, since there are some examples where content blockers prevent a site from accessible at all.

 

Use Find and Replace text on Mac

Learn how to efficiently manipulate text on your Mac using Find and Replace, simplifying tasks and boosting productivity in popular apps like Notes, Pages, Numbers, TextEdit, etc.

In addition to words, you can also find and replace spaces, numbers, and special characters from your document. You can use it to substitute a word or make corrections in a lengthy document. Other times, it can be handy if you want to delete specific words, symbols, or phrases from your writing.

• Open Notes, Pages, or Numbers and go inside the relevant note or document
• Click Edit from the top menu bar and select Find > Find or Find and Replace (in apps like Pages and Numbers, you can also click the View button from the top left of the app window and choose Show Find & Replace
• Enter the term you want to look for (click the tiny arrow next to the search glass icon for more options, for instance, you can uncheck Ignore Case to find the words that exactly match the capitalization style you specify
• In the second box, enter what you want to replace the found term with

If you type nothing in the Replace box and go ahead with the next steps, it will delete the found words from the document. In other words, you will be replacing found words with nothing, which obviously equates to deleting the searched-for word. You can also choose to replace the found words with just a space (press the Space Bar once) or the desired symbol.

• Click All, and it will replace the found word with the replacement at every instance, or, click Replace, and it will replace only at the selected position (you can also use the arrow icons or press the return key to cycle through the found instances of the word without actually replacing them with the said term)

If you’re using Pages or Numbers, you will see three buttons: Replace All, Replace & Find, or Replace buttons. Replace & Find will replace the selected match with the replacement text and then automatically move to the next match. The Replace button replaces the selected match but does not auto-move to the next one.

 

Compare loans easily with Numbers app

If you’re shopping for a loan, you’ll undoubtedly have a few loan options. Comparing loans can be intimidating and daunting, and it’s hard to know which option is right for you, or which loan may make the most sense for your particular situation. But thanks to the Numbers app, you can easily compare loans.

All you have to do is input some data into a free Numbers spreadsheet, and you’ll be able to do a quick loan comparison. To get started, make sure you have the Numbers app installed on your device, and have some general information about the loan options, things like the loan amount, the interest rate, and the loan length:

• Get the Numbers app if you have not done so already (free on the App Store)
• Open the Numbers app and choose to create a new Numbers document
• Look under the “Personal Finance” section for “Loan Comparison” and select to create that
• Near the bottom of the spreadsheet, input your loans and loan data to compare

The Loan Comparison spreadsheet will instantly calculate your loan options and provide you with valuable information, including your monthly payment, total interest paid, and the total amount paid, as well as offer you a bar graph to visualize the loan amounts.

 

Set up a shared network Time Machine folder to back up multiple Macs

Want to find a solution to back up multiple Macs in your home or office without buying dedicated hardware like network-attached storage, paying for a backup service, or needing multiple external drives? You can set up a shared network folder on Mac to allow other machines to save their Time Machine backups.

The handy feature to set up a shared network folder for backups with macOS is like a built-in virtual NAS. Keep in mind, you’ll want to make sure the Mac you’re setting up the shared folder on has enough storage to handle backups from Macs you’ll be using it with. You can also limit backups to a specific size. And don’t forget to regularly back up the Mac you’re using as the shared folder host with an external drive or other option.

Set up a shared Time Machine backup folder on Mac

• Choose Apple menu > System Settings... > General
• Choose Sharing and turn on File Sharing
• Click the (i) information button
• Now click the "Options..." Button and make sure “Share files and folders using SMB” is checked
• Click Done
• Click the + button at the bottom of the Shared Folders list
• Select the folder you want to use (or create a new one) for sharing, then click Open
• Control-click the folder name, then choose "Advanced Options..."
• Turn on "Share as a Time Machine backup destination" (you can also limit backups to a certain GB threshold)
• When done, click "OK"

Back up a Mac to a shared network folder

• Choose Apple menu > System Settings... > General > Time Machine
• Click the "Add Backup Disk..." button
• Choose the shared folder and click the "Set Up Disk..." button

 

Prevent yourself from being locked out of your Mac

Getting locked out of your computer could easily be one of the most frustrating things that could happen to you.

Here are three useful tips that will ensure you do not face this issue on your Mac.

 

Add a password hint

After you add a password hint, it shows up on the screen if you enter the incorrect password a few times. You can see that hint and instantly recall what your Mac’s login password is.

A hint should be there to help you refresh your memory. Do not put your exact password or make it too obvious that others around you can guess it.

You can add the hint when you’re creating or changing your Mac’s user account password. Here’s what to do if you’d like to add one now:

• Go to Apple menu > System Settings... > Users & Groups
• Click the info icon (i) next to the desired account
• Click Change... next to Password
• Create a new password and add the hint on this screen
• Lastly, click Change Password

Once the hint is added, go to System Settings > Lock Screen and turn on the switch for “Show password hints”.

 

Show a Lock Screen message

The Lock Screen message is not for adding password hints but rather for displaying a welcome message. You can for example add your email address/phone number so someone who finds your misplaced Mac can contact you and return it.

However, if you do not want to change your current Mac password – a requisite for adding password hint if you don’t have already – then you can rely on the Lock Screen message feature to add a hint. But again, don’t make it obvious.

• Launch Cocktail (https://www.maintain.se/cocktail)
• Click the Interface toolbar button
• Go to the Login tab
• Enter your message into the "Display additional message" text field
• Click Apply


Allow Apple ID to reset Mac’s password

This is an extremely important step that will be helpful if you’ve forgotten your password and can’t figure it out even after looking at the hint.

Go to System Settings > Users & Groups and click the info icon (i) next to an account. Now, turn the switch for “Allow user to reset password using Apple Account”

From now on, you can use your Apple ID and password to reset your Mac’s forgotten account password.