Macs All-in-One For Dummies
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The Mac Dashboard provides an easy way to see and use widgets, mini-applications that grab specific information from the Internet or help with narrow but useful tasks. The typical Dashboard arrangement includes a calendar, a clock, a translator, a flight tracker, weather, and more. You can move widgets around, add new ones, and drop old ones. You’re in charge.

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To work with widgets, you just need to know a few tips:

  • To make your widgets appear, press F12. The desktop you’ve been working on grays into the background, and a layer with colorful widgets appears.

  • To add more widgets, click the plus sign in the lower-left corner. A scrolling list appears at the bottom of your screen. Click icons for widgets you want to add.

  • Click the plus sign when you want to delete widgets. When you do, all the current ones show up with an X in the upper-left corner. Click the X, and they’re gone.

  • Many widgets have a lowercase i in the lower-right corner. Click it, and the widget flips over and shows you what settings you can adjust to customize it.

Apple includes a collection of widgets with OS X, but many more are available from Apple's Web site. Many are freeware, but some ask for a fee.

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