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Tinker Tool For Mac
What We Like
TinkerTool System for Mac is a collection of system utility features helping you in performing advanced administration tasks on Apple Macintosh computers. The application makes use of a self-adapting user interface which automatically adjusts to the computer model and to the version of macOS you are running. TinkerTool System 5.21 is a collection of system utility features helping you in performing advanced administration tasks on your Mac. TinkerTool System 5.21 is a collection of system utility features helping you in performing advanced administration tasks on your Mac. Everything from changing the appearance of the dock, to showing system files, to accessing diagnostic menus and changing the default system fonts, TinkerTool makes tweaking your Mac easier than you could imagine. TinkerTool System is a very easy to use Mac app that offers you the possibility to access these functionalities through an user friendly graphical interface. Quick to install system maintenance solution for your Mac computer. TinkerTool for Mac is a program that provides you access to additional preference settings Apple has built into OS X. This allows to activate hidden features in the operating system and also in certain of those software delivered with the machine.
Able to set many of the Mac’s hidden preferences.
Can reset to system defaults, or restore to condition before your last edits.
Settings well organized by app or system component affected.
Indicates when selected change will take effect.
Can export preference settings for use on another device.
What We Don't Like
Poor documentation, other than an online FAQ.
TinkerTool from Marcel Bresink is a utility you can use to customize how your Mac looks and works. OS X has quite a few hidden features and preference settings that are locked away from the average user. I’ve written a few tips showing how to access these hidden system switches using the Terminal app. And while I don’t mind using Terminal, others find it a bit underwhelming in its user interface. They're also perhaps a bit intimidated by the raw power available in Terminal and worried they may accidentally delete important data or harm some part of the Mac system by using it.
TinkerTool, on the other hand, provides access to many of the same hidden preferences as Terminal does, but without the need to memorize obscure text commands. Instead, TinkerTool lays out most of the available OS X preferences in a user interface that's easy to navigate and understand.
Advantages of TinkerTool
Tinker Tool For Mac
TinkerTool has been one of our favorite utilities for getting our Macs to work the way we want them to. Its easy-to-use interface, comprised mostly of checkboxes, radio buttons, and drop-down menus, makes it clear what most changes will do.
But you won't be able to use Monte Carlo simulation and risk analysis, solve optimization problems involving uncertainty and risk, or use the forecasting, data mining or text mining features of Analytic Solver Platform. Using Solver under Mac OSX You can use the Solver included in Excel for Mac to define and solve basic optimization problems. You can define a basic optimization model using Solver in Excel for Mac, save the workbook, open that workbook in AnalyticSolver.com, and solve it there and extend it further. Excel solver tool 2010 for mac macbook pro desktop setup. The basic Excel Solver is included when you install Microsoft Excel 2011 or later for Mac. This has been true since Excel 2011 Service Pack 1 (Version 14.1.0).
The other chief advantage of TinkerTool over some competing apps that manage hidden system preferences is that it only allows you to change existing preferences; it doesn't install any type of code, create background processes, or in any other way interfere with how your Mac operates. It has no cleaning or monitoring options, and it doesn’t try to outguess what the system does on its own, such as when to run certain cleanup scripts or clear out system caches. This makes TinkerTool one of the more benign of the system preference setting utilities available; it's also not as likely to cause irreversible damage if used incorrectly.
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Installing TinkerTool
TinkerTool is downloaded as a disk image file; double-clicking the .dmg file will open the image file to reveal the app and a link to the online FAQ. As mentioned in the cons for TinkerTool, the FAQ is the extent of the help available. Although the FAQ is not a replacement for a manual, I do recommend taking a few minutes to look the FAQ over.
Installation is accomplished by simply moving the TinkerTool app from the image file to your Mac’s Applications folder. Once that's done, you can close the image file and move it to the trash.
Using TinkerTool
TinkerTool opens as a single-window app with a tabbed toolbar. Each tab represents a category for changing system settings. Currently, there are 10 tabs:
- Finder
- Dock
- General
- Desktop
- Applications
- Fonts
- Safari
- iTunes
- QuickTime X
- Reset
Each tab contains system settings appropriate to the listed category. As an example, you can select the Finder tab, place a checkmark in the box for Show hidden and system files, and achieve the same thing that I show you how to do with Terminal in the View Hidden Folders on Your Mac Using Terminal article.
However, while TinkerTool has many of the most often-used hidden system preferences, it's missing a few, such as the ability to add a Dock Spacer to your Mac.
One very helpful feature of TinkerTool is that in the bottom left corner of each tabbed window, you'll find a note indicating when changes you make will take effect. For instance, any changes in the Applications tab won’t take effect until the next time you log in or restart your Mac. So, be sure to check for when the change will actually occur, so you won't think it didn't work.
The developer deserves special thanks for including Reset, the final tab. TinkerTool can restore changes you make back to either the original default settings that were present when a fresh install of OS X happened or to the condition the system preferences were last in before you got a hankering to tinker with TinkerTool. Either way, you have a quick and easy way to extract yourself from any trouble you get yourself into, which is a very nice feature for an app to have.
Final Thoughts
TinkerTool is easy to use and provides access to many of your Mac’s hidden system settings. It doesn't install any background apps to monitor or run special cleaning routines, which can affect system performance; it simply does what its name implies: lets you tinker with your Mac’s settings.
With its plethora of advanced options, TinkerTool System for Mac takes system optimization and customization to another level. This premium tool includes features ranging from the essential and system-saving to the highly specialized and obscure, all packed in a small app with an instantly familiar interface. It's a great app for geeks.
TinkerTool System for Mac asks for an administrator password prior to first launch, after which it lets you use either the full app five times (Evaluation Mode) or a limited version indefinitely (Demo Mode). Starting Evaluation Mode requires Internet connectivity. Once the app is up and running, you will be presented with an interface that is inspired by the Mac System Preferences app and that adjusts itself to only display settings, applicable to the hardware you're using. During our tests we were impressed by the 'Emergency Tool,' which adds a recovery mode to the operating system, triggered by holding down CMD+S during system startup. The automatic maintenance scripts, which let you choose between a daily, weekly, and monthly schedule to automatically delete temporary and unused files, thus reclaiming lost storage space, are also great. The entire process takes between ten seconds and a minute to complete.
TinkerTool System for Mac offers many features that power-users will find appealing. Whether you're setting up automatic maintenance or recovery mode on a Mac, or just like tweaking your system to its very core, this premium app's expansive features will grab your attention.
Editors' note: This is a review of the trial version of TinkerTool System for Mac 3.31.