OS X Basics: Adjusting Your Settings

Lesson 6: Adjusting Your Settings

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Adjusting your settings

At some point, you may want to adjust your computer's settings. For example, you might want to change your desktop background or modify your Internet settings. You can change most of your computer's settings from System Preferences.

Watch the video below to learn more about customizing your settings.


To open System Preferences:

  1. Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen, then select System Preferences.
    screenshot of selecting System Preferences from the Apple menu
  2. The System Preferences window will appear. Simply click the desired setting to adjust it. In our example, we'll select Desktop & Screen Saver to choose a new wallpaper for our desktop.
    screenshot of the System Preferences menu


You can also click the System Preferences icon on the Dock to access these settings at any time.

screenshot of the System Preferences in the Dock

Other important settings

There are a few settings you can't access through System Preferences. For example, if you want to customize the appearance of the Finder window, go to Finder > Preferences...

screenshot of selecting Preference's from Finder's menu

If you want to customize the settings for another application such as Safari, click the program name in the Menu bar and select Preferences...

selecting Preferences from Safari's menu

If you want to change how items appear on your desktop, you can right-click the desktop and select Show View Options from the menu that appears. From here, you can change the size of the icons on your desktop, increase the overall text size, and make additional changes.

screenshot of selecting Show View Options after right-clicking on the desktop

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