The Option key does even more in Snow Leopard

2009-09-02 09:38 AM Category Beginner | Finder | Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard

There is one good thing about being an early adopter of Mac OS X 10.6, Snow Leopard! Right now there are so many tips, hints, Twitter messages and Web articles being written, so there are many sources for learning about its new features.

Last night I read a Twitter message (I wish I had saved it) that mentioned that you could learn lots of information about your last sync by holding down the "Option" key while clicking on its icon in the Menu Bar. Let's explore this tip.

First, you will need a MobileMe account. Don't have one? You are missing one of the Mac platform's best features, the ability to synchronize information between your Macs, iPhones, the Web and even PCs. Check here for more information. If you have MobileMe, read on!

The icon for Sync looks like this -- if it is in your Menu Bar:

Sync 1

If it is not there, you can add it by opening System Preferences. Here are three different ways to open them:

Sync 7 Sync 6 Sync 8

Locate the Mobile Me icon:

Sync 4

Click on it, then choose the "Sync" tab. There is a checkbox in the lower left corner of the window. When there is a check in that box, the Sync icon will appear in your Menu bar.

Sync 5

If you click on the icon in the Menu bar, it will look like this:

Sync 2

If it is in the process of synching, it will look like this:

Sync 2A

If there is a problem, there will be an exclamation mark in the middle of the icon and the problem will be noted in the box (Sorry--I forgot to capture that one!)

So, what's with the Option key?

Hold it down while clicking on the Sync icon in the Menu bar and you see this:

Sync 5

There is a lot to explore here! I am particularly interested in Sync Diagnostics… and Reset Sync Services…, but it's time for me to get busy. Check back soon for more Snow Leopard secrets and try holding down that Option key while clicking on more of the Menu bar icons!

--Pat

Tags: Snow Leopard