Tweaks

View Hidden Files & Folders

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool TRUE

Restart Finder.

killall Finder

Make your Mac sound like an iPhone when plugged into juice

defaults write com.apple.PowerChime ChimeOnAllHardware -bool true; open /System/Library/CoreServices/PowerChime.app

Check for updates more often

To tell it to check every day, just type:

defaults write com.apple.SoftwareUpdate ScheduleFrequency -int 1

Screenshots

All tweaks regarding screenshots require restarting ‘SystemUIServer’. To do so use killall SystemUIServer.

Change where screenshots are saved

defaults write com.apple.screencapture location ~/your/location/here

Change screenshot default naming scheme

defaults write com.apple.screencapture name "New Screen Shot Name"

Change format screenshots are saved in (default .PNG)

defaults write com.apple.screencapture type jpg

Disable screenshot shadows

defaults write com.apple.screencapture disable-shadow -bool TRUE

Let you Mac talk to you

say "Please do not try this one."

Prevent Mac from sleeping

After -t you enter the number of seconds you want to prevent your Mac from sleeping, dimming display or showing the screensaver.

caffeinate -t 150000

Rebuild Spotlight

sudo mdutil -E /Volumes/DriveName

Enable text selection in Quick Look

defaults write com.apple.finder QLEnableTextSelection -bool TRUE

killall Finder

Disable crash reporter (the dialog which appears after an application crashes and prompts to report the problem to Apple)

defaults write com.apple.CrashReporter DialogType none

Disable Bonjour multicast advertisements

Reference: https://www.trustwave.com/en-us/resources/blogs/spiderlabs-blog/mdns-telling-the-world-about-you-and-your-device/

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.mDNSResponder.plist NoMulticastAdvertisements -bool YES

Captive portal

When macOS connects to new networks, it checks for Internet connectivity and may launch a Captive Portal assistant utility application.

An attacker could trigger the utility and direct a Mac to a site with malware without user interaction, so it’s best to disable this feature and log in to captive portals using your regular Web browser by navigating to a non-secure HTTP page and accepting a redirect to the captive portal login interface (after disabling any custom proxy or DNS settings).

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.captive.control.plist Active -bool false

New tabs for all links in Safari

defaults write com.apple.Safari TargetedClicksCreateTabs -bool TRUE

View and hide dock quicker

You can change the times to other settings to speed up or delay.

defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-delay -float 0.1; defaults write com.apple.dock autohide-time-modifier -int 0.3; killall Dock

Add spacer to Dock

Full height.

defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{tile-data={}; tile-type="spacer-tile";}' && killall Dock

Half-height.

defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{"tile-type"="small-spacer-tile";}' && killall Dock

Make hidden apps transparent in dock

defaults write com.apple.Dock showhidden -bool TRUE && killall Dock

Change TimeMachine Back-up Interval

Interval is in seconds, default is 60 minutes (3600).

sudo defaults write /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.backupd-auto StartInterval -int 3600

Clear DNS Cache

sudo dscacheutil -flushcache && \
sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder