Review desktop navigation basics by examining window anatomy, finder views (icon, list, column, cover flow), toolbar customization, and dock settings to use key modifiers for efficient actions.

Master macOS desktop control with keyboard shortcuts, exposé and spaces, quick look, and Spotlight search to switch, hide, and quit apps efficiently.

Learn to configure macOS for comfort by mastering system preferences, appearance settings, mouse and trackpad options, Finder preferences, and filename extensions to optimize navigation and security.

Navigate the macOS file system from the command line using pwd to locate your current directory, cd to move between folders, and mkdir and ls to manage items.

Develop file manipulation skills on the command line by creating, moving, copying, and removing files. Use the file command to inspect file types and mkdir to build multi-level directories.

Learn to use the sudo command on macOS to execute commands as root, fix permissions and ownership, and troubleshoot system issues with proper caution, including the five-minute authentication timeout.

Explore how macOS uses multiple library folders—user, computer, and system—to store resources like fonts and preferences, and how font availability varies by location and search order.

Enable all filename extensions in Finder preferences to prevent confusion between identically named files, and use view options to display item info for icons and the desktop.

Explore how access control lists extend standard POSIX permissions on macOS, learn to view and modify ACL entries via Finder and the terminal, and understand ACL processing order.

Repair the startup volume permissions using disk utility, verify and reset permissions with repair packages and bill of materials, and monitor progress in the terminal or GUI.

Explore changing ownership, permissions, and flags on files and folders using chown, chmod, and chflags; apply recursive updates, set ACL for users, and manage hidden files with dot prefixes.

Use Disk Utility to identify and manage external drive file systems beyond Mac OS, including FAT 32, NTFS, and Unix FS, and check read/write status with Disk Utility info.

Explore hidden features of the archive utility and advanced disk image options in Disk Utility. Use the defaults write command to enable them and access expanded convert formats and checksums.

Explore macOS process management with Activity Monitor, examining process hierarchies from kernel task to launchd, and track CPU, memory, disk, network usage to troubleshoot and monitor system performance.

Master kill and kill all to stop or signal macOS processes and log diagnostics to system or application logs, using dns responder and directory service as examples.

Configure local log files and enable remote logging by editing the system configuration (root access), back up files, and reload the launch daemon. Test with logger and consider security risks.

Explore how to create and manage launch daemons and launch agents on macOS, including the minimum keys, label, program arguments, and keepalive.

Explore three macOS scheduling methods: cron jobs, launch items with launch agents, and ETSI periodic or calendar alarms, with practical examples of scripts and intervals.

Trigger actions in macOS with launchd by watching a file path every 15 seconds, using a hidden file as a semaphore to start or stop logging and execute scripts.

Install packages from the command line using the installer tool, with a target and verbose output. Use PKGINFO to check package details and set the command line install environment variable.

Learn to use the property list editor from the developer tools to open, edit, and validate plist files, explore app bundles, and run at load keys with plutil.