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Two of the most useful features in OS X are the Dock and Launchpad. You'll use these features to open your apps and files, as well as to customize your desktop so your favorite items are easy to access. The Dock is available in all versions of OS X, but Launchpad was introduced in Lion.
Watch the video to learn how to use and customize the Dock and Launchpad.
The Dock houses shortcuts to your favorite apps, files, and folders, as well as the Trash. You can customize the Dock by reorganizing it, adding or deleting items, and changing settings.
The Dock contains a divider that looks like a solid line. Everything to the left of the divider is an app, and everything to the right is a file or folder. You'll need to keep this in mind when you reorganize the Dock.
Everything on the Dock is a shortcut, so you won't delete anything by removing it from the Dock.
When you view a folder on the Dock, you may notice that it looks a little bit different from a normal folder. This is because the Dock uses a feature called Stacks, which displays folder contents as a Fan, Grid, or List. Because Stacks are accessible directly from the Dock, they make it easier to open your important files.
Launchpad displays all of the apps installed on your Mac. They are arranged into one or more pages, and you can switch to a different page by using the arrow keys, by clicking and dragging to the left or right, or by using a swiping gesture (if you have a Magic Mouse or trackpad).
To get the most out of Launchpad, you'll probably want to reorganize it. For example, you may want to move all of your favorite apps to the first page so you can open them more quickly. You can also create folders in Launchpad to house similar apps.
You can move an icon from one page to another by dragging it to the right or left edge of the screen. The page will turn, and you can drop the icon on the new page.
If you're used to using an iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch, the process of creating a folder in Launchpad may seem familiar to you. It is essentially the same as creating folders on those devices.
OS X Mountain Lion has two features that help you keep open files and apps organized: Mission Control and desktop spaces. Mission Control allows you to see everything you currently have open so you can easily access the files or apps you need. Desktop spaces are virtual desktops you can use to organize your open files and apps. Instead of keeping everything open on the same desktop, you can move some of your work to another desktop space to get it out of the way.
Watch the video to learn how to use Mission Control and desktop spaces.
For convenience, there are a few different ways to switch between desktop spaces:
It may be helpful to have a different desktop background for each desktop space so you'll always know at a glance which one you're in.
Sometimes you may want to move an open window to a different desktop space to get it out of the way. Then you can switch to that desktop space whenever you want to use the window.
If you want an app to always open in a specific desktop space, right-click the app in the Dock and select This Desktop under Options.
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