How to do it

Start your drag, then press and hold Option before releasing. The cursor picks up a small green plus (+) badge — that's your "copy, don't move" confirmation. Let go where you want the duplicate to land.

It works either order: you can hold Option before you start, or add it mid-drag. macOS updates the cursor badge the moment the modifier engages.

Why it's useful

The unexpected part is that Finder's default drag behavior depends on the destination:

• Same volume (dragging between two folders on the same disk) → the default is move
• Different volume (dragging to an external drive or a network share) → the default is copy

That inconsistency is where mistakes happen: you expect a copy, you get a move, and now your file is somewhere you didn't mean to put it. Holding Option makes the intent explicit — it always copies, regardless of destination.

Where it works beyond Finder

Option-drag is a system-wide convention that ships with practically every macOS app that supports drag-and-drop:

• Notes, Reminders, Mail — duplicate items between folders
• Pages, Keynote, Numbers — duplicate shapes, text boxes, slides
• Figma, Sketch, Adobe apps — duplicate layers, components, artboards
• Safari, Chrome, Arc — drag a tab while holding Option to duplicate it into a new window

Related Finder modifiers

Once you know Option-drag exists, two siblings are worth remembering:

• ⌘ Command + drag — forces a move across volumes (inverse of the default)
• ⌘ Option + drag — creates an alias (shortcut / symlink) instead of a copy

Further reading

Apple documents this under Drag and drop items on Mac in the macOS User Guide — the section on copying items by pressing Option while dragging.

How to find it

1. Swipe down to open Control Center on your iPhone
2. Tap the Apple TV Remote button (the remote icon at the bottom of Control Center)

3. Tap the name of your Apple TV from the device list — each one shows a Find button next to it

4. Tap Find

Your iPhone will start scanning for the remote using Bluetooth. An onscreen circle guides you — it grows larger and changes from "Far" to "Near" to "Here" as you get closer. The remote doesn't make a sound; your phone does the detecting.

Requirements

• iPhone with iOS 17 or later
• Apple TV 4K (2021 or 2022 model) with tvOS 17 or later
• 2nd or 3rd generation Siri Remote

Good to know

• This works via Bluetooth only — the remote doesn't have a speaker, so there's no "play a sound" option like with AirTags
• The remote doesn't need to be connected or in range to your Apple TV — just in range of your iPhone
• If your Apple TV is older (original 4K or Apple TV HD), the remote won't have the Bluetooth chip needed for this feature
• The remote needs some battery remaining — a completely dead remote won't respond

For more details, see Apple's guide on locating the Apple TV 4K remote.

How to do it

Hold Option while you click and drag across text. Instead of flowing to the end of each line, your selection stays as a precise rectangle.

This works in TextEdit, Mail, Notes, Terminal, and most apps that use the standard macOS text system.

Where it's useful

• Tab-delimited data: Grab just one column without pulling in the text around it
• Log files: Extract values that start at a consistent character position across many lines
• Plain text tables: Delete or reformat a full column in one step

Bonus

Hold Option + Command and drag to create a second rectangular selection without losing the first — handy when you need to grab two non-adjacent columns at once.

How to use it

1. Open a photo in the Photos app
2. Swipe up on the photo (or tap the ⓘ info button)
3. Look for an icon with sparkle stars — the icon changes based on what's detected (leaf for plants, paw for animals, etc.)
4. Tap the icon to see identification results and related web information

Good to know

• Works on photos you've taken, images saved from the web, and screenshots.
• Identifies plants, flowers, dog breeds, birds, insects, landmarks, art, books, and more.
• Great for nature walks — snap a photo of a random bird or wildflower and get an instant ID.
• Requires an iPhone with an A12 Bionic chip or later (iPhone XS and newer).
• On Mac, look for the info icon with sparkle stars when viewing a photo.

For more details, see Apple's guide on using Visual Look Up on iPhone.

Apple Maps lets you plan your own walking or hiking routes — from nature hikes to city strolls — and save them to your Library for later.

From your Places library

1. In Maps, tap your profile icon → Places → Routes
2. Tap + Create Route
3. Tap on a path or road to set your starting point
4. Keep tapping points along your desired path to build the route
5. When finished, tap Save Route — name it and optionally add notes

From a pin on the map

You can also start from a specific location: touch and hold a road, path, or trail to drop a pin, tap ⋯ (More), then choose Create a Custom Route.

Saved routes appear in your Routes library so you can navigate them anytime. Turn on Download Route to access the route and surrounding map offline.

📚 Apple Support — Save walks or hikes in Maps on iPhone

How to do it

1. Open the Photos app and go to any album or your library
2. Tap Select in the top right
3. Tap and drag from any photo — swipe sideways across a row, then drag down to sweep through entire rows
4. Lift your finger to stop selecting

The key trick: start by swiping horizontally across a row, then change direction and drag down (or up). This lets you select a big rectangular block of photos in one smooth motion.

Select ALL photos with one gesture

Here's the real power move:

1. Scroll to the bottom of your library or album
2. Tap Select
3. Start dragging from the bottom-right photo — swipe left to begin selecting
4. While still holding your finger down, tap the status bar (the top of the screen showing the time) with another finger

Tapping the status bar triggers scroll-to-top — but because you're still holding down the selection drag, it selects every single photo as it scrolls. You'll have your entire library selected in seconds.

Deselect the same way

Already selected too many? Use the exact same drag gesture on selected photos to deselect them. Drag across a range of checked photos and they'll uncheck as your finger passes over them.

When to use it

• Bulk deleting — select a huge chunk of photos and tap the trash
• Sharing — grab a range of vacation photos to AirDrop or send
• Moving to albums — select a batch and add them all at once
• Cleanup — select everything, then deselect the few you want to keep

Good to know

• Works in any grid view — library, albums, search results
• The larger your screen, the more useful this becomes (iPad is great for this)

📖 Apple's guide to browsing the web with Safari

Safari's toolbar auto-hides when you scroll down a page, but it pops right back when you scroll up — often pushing content around and getting in the way.

There's a better option: collapse the toolbar manually so it stays hidden until you explicitly tap on it.

How to do it

• Tap the page menu button — it's the small icon to the left of the address bar that looks like stacked lines

• In the menu that appears, tap Hide Toolbar

• If you don't see it right away, check behind the ••• (more) button — it may be tucked in there
• The toolbar collapses to a minimal floating bar at the bottom

Getting it back

When you need the toolbar again, just tap the collapsed mini bar at the bottom of the screen. It expands back to full size.

Why this is useful

• Reading long articles — no toolbar jumping in and out as you scroll
• Viewing media — more screen real estate for photos and videos
• Sites with sticky headers — prevents the toolbar from fighting with the site's own navigation
• Any time the auto-show behavior is annoying — and let's be honest, that's often

How to use it

1. Open a conversation (or start a new one)
2. Tap the + button to open apps
3. Select Send Later
4. Choose a date and time, then type your message and hit send

Good to know

• It works even if your phone is off. Scheduled messages are encrypted and stored on Apple servers, so they'll be delivered even if all your devices are offline when the send time arrives. Once sent, the message is removed from Apple's servers.
• Before the scheduled time, you can edit the message or reschedule it — just tap the scheduled message in the conversation.
• Scheduled messages appear with a dashed outline until they're actually sent, then they become a solid bubble like any other message.

For more details, see Apple's official guide on scheduling messages.

Right-click any file or folder, then hold the Option (⌥) key — watch the "Copy" menu item change to "Copy as Pathname". Click it and the full path (e.g. /Users/you/Documents/project/file.txt) is on your clipboard.

When it's useful

• Pasting file paths into Terminal commands
• Referencing files in scripts, config files, or documentation
• Sharing exact file locations with collaborators
• Navigating to a folder with Go → Go to Folder (⇧⌘G)

Bonus: the keyboard shortcut

Select a file and press ⌥⌘C to copy the pathname without even right-clicking.

How to use it

1. Take a screenshot of whatever text you're struggling to select (press the side button + volume up on iPhone)
2. Open the screenshot in Photos
3. Touch and hold any word — Live Text recognizes it as selectable text
4. Drag the grab points to select exactly what you need
5. Tap Copy, then paste it wherever you want

That's it. The text that was locked down a moment ago is now in your clipboard.

You can also use the Camera directly

You don't always need a screenshot. Point your iPhone camera at any text — a sign, a book, a whiteboard, even another screen — and tap the Live Text button (the icon in the bottom-right corner of the viewfinder). You can copy, share, look up, or translate text right from the camera, without even taking a photo.

Good to know

• Works offline. Live Text processes everything on-device — no internet required.
• Videos too. Pause any video in Photos and Live Text will recognize text in the frame (iOS 16+).
• Translation built in. Select text in another language and tap Translate — no extra app needed.
• Works system-wide. Live Text appears in the Camera app, Photos, Safari, Quick Look, and even in apps like Notes and Reminders.
• Requires iPhone XS/XR or later with iOS 15+. For video support, you need iOS 16+.

For more details, see Apple's guide on copying and translating text from photos.

How to use it

1. Go to Settings → Control Center and add Hearing if it's not already there
2. Connect your AirPods
3. Open Control Center and tap the Hearing icon (ear symbol)
4. Tap Live Listen to start streaming

Place your iPhone near the sound source — your AirPods become a personal amplifier from across the room.

Real-world story

At my Nono's funeral, my Nona couldn't hear any of the eulogies. I quickly set up Live Listen on my phone with my AirPods and placed the phone near the speakers, allowing her to hear everything clearly through my AirPods. It saved the day and let her participate in honoring my grandfather's memory.

Good to know

• Works with AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, Beats Fit Pro, and MFi hearing devices
• You can start a Live Listen session on your iPhone and control it remotely from a paired Apple Watch
• As of iOS 26, real-time transcription also appears on screen while Live Listen is active

For more details, see Apple's guide on Live Listen.

How to set it up

1. On your Mac, open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)
2. Go to Touch ID & Password (or Security & Privacy on older macOS)
3. In the Apple Watch section, turn on the toggle for your Apple Watch

Requirements

• Your Mac and Apple Watch must be signed in to the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication enabled.
• Both devices need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned on.
• Your Apple Watch must have a passcode set.

Good to know

• The first time you turn on, restart, or log out of your Mac, you'll need to enter your password manually. After that, Apple Watch handles it.
• You can also double-click the side button on your Apple Watch to approve password prompts on your Mac — like installing apps or unlocking system settings.
• Auto Unlock requires watchOS 3 or later and macOS Sierra 10.12 or later. Password approval requires watchOS 6+ and macOS Catalina 10.15+.

For more details, see Apple's guide on unlocking your Mac with Apple Watch.

How to do it

1. Open any supported app with a list view (Mail, Messages, Notes, Files, Reminders, etc.)
2. Tap and hold with two fingers on any item in the list
3. Drag up or down without lifting your fingers — items get selected as your fingers pass over them
4. If you hold at the edge of the screen, the list auto-scrolls and keeps selecting

That's it. No need to enter edit mode first — the two-finger drag does it for you.

Where it works

This gesture works in most Apple apps that show lists:

• Mail — bulk select emails to delete, move, or mark as read
• Messages — select multiple conversations to delete or pin
• Notes — select notes to move between folders or delete
• Files — select files and folders to move, copy, or share
• Reminders — select multiple reminders to complete or reschedule
• Voice Memos — select recordings to share or delete

Many third-party apps support it too if they use standard iOS list components.

Good to know

• Introduced in iOS 13 — works on all currently supported iPhones and iPads
• Once items are selected, the toolbar at the bottom shows your available actions (delete, move, share, etc.)
• To deselect an item, tap it with one finger
• Works in both portrait and landscape orientation

The gestures

Tips

• These work everywhere — Mail, Notes, Safari, Messages, third-party apps
• A small confirmation banner appears at the top of the screen when you perform the gesture
• Combine with double-tap to select a word or triple-tap to select a paragraph for fast text editing without menus
• If you find yourself triggering these accidentally, you can disable them in Settings → General → Keyboard → three-finger gestures (but they're worth learning!)

For more details, see Apple's guide on selecting and editing text.

This is one of Siri's most underrated features — instead of copying a link or writing yourself a note, the reminder brings you right back to the content with one tap. You can also add timing: "Remind me about this tomorrow at 9am" or "Remind me about this when I get home."

📖 Apple Support: Use Reminders on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

How it works

1. Make sure your device is unlocked and connected to the WiFi network
2. The other person opens Settings → WiFi and taps your network name
3. A "Share Your Password?" popup appears on your device
4. Tap Share Password — done. They're connected.

Requirements

Both devices need:

• WiFi and Bluetooth turned on
• Each other's Apple Account email or phone number saved in Contacts — this is the one people miss. Your Apple Account email must be in their Contacts app, and theirs in yours.
• Personal Hotspot turned off on both devices
• Latest version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS

Good to know

• Works between iPhones, iPads, and Macs — any combination
• On Mac, the prompt appears as a notification
• If the popup doesn't appear, restart both devices and try again
• Only works with WPA/WPA2/WPA3 networks (not enterprise/802.1X)

For more details, see Apple's guide to sharing your Wi-Fi password.

1. Long-press the space bar → keyboard turns into a track-pad.
2. Drag to the start of the text.
3. Keep one finger down, tap with a second finger anywhere on the keyboard to enter selection mode.
4. Drag the first finger to the end of what you want highlighted.

This two-finger technique provides pixel-perfect text selection and works in any app that supports text selection, making it invaluable for editing documents, messages, and notes.

📖 Apple's official documentation — see the "Turn the onscreen keyboard into a trackpad" section.

Tips

• Control + any shortcut copies straight to clipboard instead of saving a file.
• Hold Option while clicking a window to capture it without its shadow.
• Launch Screenshot.app (Applications → Utilities) for a toolbar with video recording options, timer, and save location settings.
• Put Screenshot.app in the Dock for non-power users.

Disable window shadows permanently

Window screenshots include a drop shadow by default. To turn it off for good, run this in Terminal:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool true
killall SystemUIServer

To re-enable shadows:

defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool false
killall SystemUIServer

For the full breakdown, see Apple's guide to screenshots on Mac.

From the Files app

1. Open the Files app and navigate to the folder where you want to save the scan
2. Tap the ⋯ (more) button in the top-right corner
3. Select Scan Documents
4. Position your iPhone over the document — the scanner auto-detects the edges and captures the page
5. Adjust the corners if needed, then tap Keep Scan
6. Scan additional pages or tap Save when done

Scanned documents are saved as multi-page PDFs directly into the current folder.

From the Notes app

1. Open a note (or create a new one) in the Notes app
2. Tap the Camera button (or the + button, then Scan Documents)
3. Scan your pages the same way — they're embedded directly into the note

This is handy when you want to annotate or organize scans alongside other notes rather than saving loose PDFs.

Good to know

• The scanner automatically straightens and crops the document, even if you're holding your phone at an angle.
• Both Files and Notes use the same underlying scanning engine — the difference is just where the result ends up.
• For a more streamlined scanning workflow, check out Simple Scan — it uses Apple's scanning APIs but focuses purely on scan-and-send without cluttering your Notes or Files. Great for quick one-off scans.

For more details, see Apple's guide on scanning documents with your iPhone camera.

How to do it

1. Tap Share (or the action menu) → Print
2. On the print preview, pinch outward on the page thumbnail with two fingers
3. The preview expands into a full-screen PDF
4. Tap Share again to save it to Files, send it via AirDrop, email it, or do whatever you want with it

Why this is useful

This works on anything that has a Print option:

• Emails — save receipts, confirmations, important threads
• Webpages — capture articles without ads or clutter
• Notes, Messages, Documents — anything you can print, you can PDF
• App content — some apps that don't have a native "Save as PDF" still offer Print

It's one of the most versatile hidden features on iOS. No markup, no scanning — just pinch and save.

Long-press the App Store icon → choose Updates to bypass the main App Store interface and land directly on the Updates page.

This contextual menu shortcut is especially useful when you have multiple apps waiting for updates or when you want to quickly check if specific apps have been updated. You can also enable automatic updates in Settings → App Store to keep your apps current without manual intervention.

Plan a road trip with multiple stops right in Apple Maps (iOS 16+):

1. Search for your first destination → tap Directions
2. Tap Add Stop to add more waypoints (up to 15)
3. Drag stops to reorder them
4. Tap Go when your route is set

📚 Apple Support — Change or add stops to your route in Maps

1. Long-press the space bar until the keys blank out (haptic bump).
2. Slide your finger—the entire keyboard becomes a track-pad to move the insertion point precisely.

This technique works system-wide in any text field and is especially useful for quick edits in long sentences or precise cursor positioning when editing documents.

📖 Apple's official documentation — see the "Turn the onscreen keyboard into a trackpad" section.

View your subscriptions

1. Open Settings
2. Tap your name at the top
3. Tap Subscriptions

You'll see a list of every active subscription billed through your Apple Account, along with any expired or canceled ones.

Cancel a subscription

1. From the Subscriptions screen, tap the subscription you want to cancel
2. Tap Cancel Subscription (you may need to scroll down)
3. Confirm the cancellation

If there's no Cancel button or you see an expiration message in red text, the subscription is already canceled.

Good to know

• You keep access until the billing period ends. Canceling doesn't cut you off immediately — you can use the subscription through the end of the current cycle.
• Free trials: If you're on a free or discounted trial and don't want to be charged, cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends.
• Family subscriptions can only be canceled by the family member whose Apple Account was used to subscribe.
• Can't find a subscription? It might be billed by another company (not Apple). Check your bank or credit card statement and contact that company directly.

Cancel a subscription from Apple — Apple Support

Why this matters

In the US, courts are split on whether police can compel you to unlock your phone with biometrics:

• Passcodes are generally protected by the Fifth Amendment as "contents of your mind" — similar to a safe combination. Courts have broadly held that forcing someone to reveal a passcode is testimonial and potentially self-incriminating.
• Biometrics are more legally vulnerable. Several courts have ruled that compelling a fingerprint or face scan is like providing a physical sample (DNA, handwriting) — not testimonial. The 9th Circuit ruled in US v. Payne (2024) that an officer physically placing a suspect's finger on a phone didn't violate the Fifth Amendment.
• But it's not settled. Other courts have found biometric unlocking is testimonial, arguing that "biometric features serve the same purpose as a passcode, pragmatically rendering them functionally equivalent" (In re Residence in Oakland, N.D. Cal. 2019).

Bottom line: Your passcode has stronger legal protection than your face. Hard-locking takes two seconds and shifts your phone from the weaker biometric standard to the stronger passcode standard.

When to use it

• Before any encounter with law enforcement
• At border crossings or international checkpoints
• If you're at a protest or demonstration
• Any time you feel your device security could be compromised

For more on the legal landscape, see the NACDL's Compelled Decryption Primer.

How to do it

1. Open Developer Tools (⌥⌘I on Mac, F12 on Windows)
2. Switch to the Network tab
3. Reload the page
4. Filter by Img (or type jpeg|png|webp in the filter bar)
5. Click the filename — it opens in a new tab at full resolution
6. ⌘S / Ctrl+S to save

Good to know

• Works in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge
• You'll often find higher-resolution versions than what's visually displayed on the page
• This is also useful for grabbing background images set via CSS (which don't show up as right-clickable images)

How to turn it on

1. Open the Weather app
2. Tap the ⋯ menu (top right)
3. Tap Notifications
4. Turn on Next-Hour Precipitation for your current location (and any saved locations you want)

You'll get a heads-up notification like "Rain expected in 10 minutes" — perfect for deciding whether to grab an umbrella before heading out.

Good to know

• Next-Hour Precipitation is available in the US, UK, Ireland, and parts of Australia and Europe
• You can also enable Severe Weather alerts from the same screen for storms, heat advisories, etc.
• Requires Location Services enabled for Weather (Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Weather → Always)

For more details, see Apple's guide to weather notifications.

How to set it up

1. Open the Shortcuts app and tap the Automation tab
2. Tap + to create a new Personal Automation
3. Select Battery Level as the trigger
4. Set it to Equals 100% and tap Next
5. Add an action — choose Show Notification (to get a banner alert) or Play Sound (for an audible chime)
6. Tap Next, then Done

Good to know

• You can customize the notification text to say whatever you want, like "Unplug me!"
• Consider combining this with Low Power Mode actions to automatically toggle power settings based on battery level.
• The automation runs automatically — no confirmation needed after setup.

For more details, see Apple's guide on creating personal automations in Shortcuts.

How to use it

1. On your Mac, right-click (or Control-click) in a Finder window, document, or supported app like Pages or Notes
2. Select Import from iPhone or iPad → Scan Documents
3. Your iPhone's camera will open automatically with the document scanner
4. Position the document in the camera view — it auto-captures when edges are detected
5. Tap Save on your iPhone, and the scanned PDF appears on your Mac

Good to know

• Both devices must be signed in to the same Apple Account with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled.
• This works in Finder, Notes, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Mail, and many other apps.
• You can also use Import from iPhone → Take Photo to quickly snap a photo that appears on your Mac.

For more details, see Apple's guide on Continuity Camera features and requirements.

Works anywhere you can type: Messages, Notes, Safari, search bars—on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Dictate text on iPhone – Apple Support →

Dictate messages and documents on Mac – Apple Support →

For example, you could have your phone text a friend every Friday asking if they finished that thing they keep putting off. Pick any schedule — daily, weekly, relative to sunset — and any message you want.

How to set it up

1. Open Shortcuts → Automation → + → tap Create Personal Automation.
2. Choose Time of Day — you can set a specific time, or use sunrise/sunset with an offset (e.g., 2 hours before sunset, every Friday).
3. Add action: Send Message — type your accountability prompt and pick the recipient.
4. Turn off Show Compose Sheet on the Send Message action so the message sends without any confirmation step.
5. Set Run Immediately and turn off Notify When Run so it fires silently in the background.

Keep it fresh with a random message list

If you send the same text every time, your friend will start ignoring it. A simple fix: add a List action with several variations of your message, then use Get Random Item from List to pick one each time. Pass the result into the Send Message body.

Pro tip: Use Apple Intelligence to generate the message

Want even more variety? Use the Use Model action from Apple Intelligence to generate a unique message every time. Give it a prompt like:

"Write a short, funny text reminding someone to make a beat this week. Keep it under 2 sentences. Vary the tone each time."

Then pass the generated text into the Send Message body. Now every ping feels completely fresh — and harder to tune out.

More info

For a full walkthrough on building personal automations, see Apple's guide: Create a new personal automation in Shortcuts.

How to set it up

1. Open the Shortcuts app and tap the Automation tab
2. Tap + to create a new Personal Automation
3. Select App as the trigger
4. Choose YouTube (or any video app), select Is Opened, and tap Next
5. Add the action Set Orientation Lock → set it to Off
6. Tap Next, then Done

Good to know

• You can add a second automation that re-enables Orientation Lock when YouTube is closed — choose the same App trigger but select Is Closed, then set Orientation Lock to On.
• This works with any app, not just YouTube — great for Netflix, Twitch, or any video app. You can select multiple apps within the same automation, so you don't need a separate one for each.
• The automation runs instantly when the app opens — no confirmation prompt needed.

For more details, see Apple's guide on creating personal automations in Shortcuts.

How to turn it on

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security
2. Scroll down and tap App Privacy Report
3. Tap Turn On App Privacy Report

It starts gathering data immediately, but it takes a few days of normal use before the report has much to show.

What it tracks

• Data & Sensor Access — how many times and when each app accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts, and more over the past 7 days
• App Network Activity — which internet domains each app contacted (directly or from embedded content)
• Website Network Activity — which domains were contacted by websites you visited within apps
• Most Contacted Domains — the web domains your apps reach out to most frequently

Good to know

• All report data is encrypted and stored only on your device — nothing is sent to Apple.
• Turning off App Privacy Report also clears all collected data from your device.
• Requires iOS 15.2 or later (originally called "Record App Activity" before the full report UI was added).

For full details, see Apple's App Privacy Report documentation.

Great for power-scrolling through a page and queueing up multiple articles without losing your place. No long-press menu, no "Open in New Tab" — just a quick two-finger tap and keep reading.