Mac OS X Lion Pocket Guide

Lion Basics

A lot happens between when you start up your Mac and when you shut it down. The time you spend in Mac OS X will be more pleasant and productive if you learn where everything is. The logical place to start the tour is right at the top of your screen, with the menu bar.

Note

In older versions of OS X, the menu bar was always there (except when you were using Front Row). In Lion, the menu bar hides when you’re using full-screen applications. To access it while using a full-screen program, simply move your cursor all the way to the top of the screen.

The Menu Bar

The menu bar spans the top of your monitor (if you use multiple monitors, you can choose which one the menu bar shows up on with the Displays preference pane). The left side of the bar provides access to commonly used commands and the right side is reserved for menu extras (see Menu extras) and Spotlight (the magnifying glass icon). Every Mac user’s menu bar is likely to look a little different, depending on what’s installed and how the Mac is configured. A typical menu bar is shown in Figure 3-3.

Figure 3-3. A typical menu bar

Here’s what you’ll find in the menu bar, from left to right:

1. The Apple menu ()

2. The Application menu

3. A set of application-related menus

4. Menu extras

5. Spotlight

Note

Hate the translucency of the menu bar? You ...