Ask Different (Apple)
Q&A for power users of Apple hardware and software
Latest Questions
0
votes
1
answers
34
views
Where can I find comparisons between high resolution and low resolution macOS icons?
In the 2013 OS X Human Interface Guidelines, Apple wrote > As the canvas size decreases, you have fewer pixels to draw, which means that smaller sizes should be less detailed. For example, the smaller size Calendar app icon is not as detailed as the larger size, where you can see numbers for the day...
In the 2013 OS X Human Interface Guidelines, Apple wrote
> As the canvas size decreases, you have fewer pixels to draw, which means that smaller sizes should be less
detailed. For example, the smaller size Calendar app icon is not as detailed as the larger size, where you can
see numbers for the days of the month, highlights in the metal rings
P. 118
I’m looking for a comparison for more their icons; mail, safari, pages. I’ve only been able to find changes over years and not different versions in the same year.
OrigamiEye
(448 rep)
Jul 9, 2025, 04:35 AM
• Last activity: Jul 9, 2025, 08:31 AM
6
votes
1
answers
792
views
Ancient Apple Easter Egg
Back in the mid '90s one of my Macintoshes had an easter egg, which I'm almost certain could only be accessed at boot time. You saw an image of the headquarters, a flag pole, and the flag was flapping in the breeze. You could control the direction of the wind by moving your mouse, and if you did it...
Back in the mid '90s one of my Macintoshes had an easter egg, which I'm almost certain could only be accessed at boot time.
You saw an image of the headquarters, a flag pole, and the flag was flapping in the breeze.
You could control the direction of the wind by moving your mouse, and if you did it just right, you could rip the flag off the flagpole and then sail it to the ground.
I think it was on the Quadra 840av.
Can someone confirm this, or even better, post a screenshot?
Thanks!
Paul Cezanne
(397 rep)
Jun 6, 2018, 09:51 PM
• Last activity: Jun 28, 2025, 02:31 AM
13
votes
5
answers
38270
views
How to display the full command history in terminal?
Since updating to Big Sur, the `history` command (terminal) shows only the last 16 commands. Do you have any ideas how to get the full history back?
Since updating to Big Sur, the
history
command (terminal) shows only the last 16 commands. Do you have any ideas how to get the full history back?
SePröbläm
(385 rep)
Jul 2, 2021, 02:24 PM
• Last activity: May 25, 2025, 07:54 PM
5
votes
3
answers
2206
views
Is there a way to preserve terminal tab history across computer restarts?
I'm using Mac 10.9.5. When I run a terminal with multiple tabs (using bash shell), I've noticed that when my computer restarts, the terminal will open up with the same number of tabs that were open in the previous session, but the commands I was running in the previous session (accessible via the "h...
I'm using Mac 10.9.5. When I run a terminal with multiple tabs (using bash shell), I've noticed that when my computer restarts, the terminal will open up with the same number of tabs that were open in the previous session, but the commands I was running in the previous session (accessible via the "history" shell command) are no longer present in each tab.
Is there a way to preserve each session's history in the appropriate tab between computer restarts?
Dave
(51 rep)
Jul 6, 2015, 04:51 PM
• Last activity: Nov 27, 2024, 09:09 PM
1
votes
0
answers
51
views
Is there a way to see previous new music notifications from the Music app?
I regularly get notifications on my iPhone about new releases from artists I am interested in. I'm often not in a position to listen to that new song immediately. I would like to be able to find that notification - and all the others like it - later so I can listen to the new songs. Notification cen...
I regularly get notifications on my iPhone about new releases from artists I am interested in. I'm often not in a position to listen to that new song immediately. I would like to be able to find that notification - and all the others like it - later so I can listen to the new songs.
Notification centre does seem to keep older notifications, so often by the time I am ready to spend some time listening, that message has gone.
Is there a way to get a list of "historic" notifications from the music app on iPhone and/or Mac?
MikeJ
(23 rep)
Nov 12, 2024, 08:14 PM
14
votes
3
answers
1390
views
Why Mac Terminal remembers two consecutive commands when they are same?
I started using Mac recently and before I used to work on Ubuntu. Suppose I run these commands one by one on my terminal: python3 main.py python3 main2.py python3 main2.py python3 main2.py python3 main2.py python3 main2.py python3 main2.py Now suppose I want to run `python main.py` again, so I will...
I started using Mac recently and before I used to work on Ubuntu.
Suppose I run these commands one by one on my terminal:
python3 main.py
python3 main2.py
python3 main2.py
python3 main2.py
python3 main2.py
python3 main2.py
python3 main2.py
Now suppose I want to run
python main.py
again, so I will click the up key. I will need to click up key only twice on Ubuntu but 7 times on Mac.
If two consecutive commands are same, then terminal should remember only one command instead of remembering two different commands.
How can I make this happen on macOS?
aagrawal207
(243 rep)
Nov 19, 2017, 10:18 AM
• Last activity: Oct 10, 2024, 05:24 PM
5
votes
2
answers
941
views
ignore duplicates when browsing bash history
Assum I have the following command history: - A - B - B When pressing the up arrow on most linux terminals this would cycle like: - B - A On osx terminal however it got me: - B - B - A How can I regain the former behaviour?
Assum I have the following command history:
- A
- B
- B
When pressing the up arrow on most linux terminals this would cycle like:
- B
- A
On osx terminal however it got me:
- B
- B
- A
How can I regain the former behaviour?
magu_
(153 rep)
Sep 12, 2019, 08:21 AM
• Last activity: Oct 10, 2024, 05:24 PM
1
votes
1
answers
68
views
What is the difference between "Remove" and "Remove All" in Safari Preferences › Privacy › Manage Website Data?
The title pretty much says it all. I cannot find any explanation of the difference between the two buttons.
The title pretty much says it all.
I cannot find any explanation of the difference between the two buttons.
Andrew Swift
(2320 rep)
May 17, 2022, 12:08 PM
• Last activity: Feb 2, 2024, 04:14 AM
3
votes
1
answers
3231
views
Timestamp of sites accessed in Safari on Mac?
how to get the Timestamp of sites accessed in Safari on Mac?
how to get the Timestamp of sites accessed in Safari on Mac?
Mart R
(93 rep)
Oct 14, 2022, 03:03 PM
• Last activity: Jan 26, 2024, 12:08 AM
0
votes
0
answers
42
views
The built-in Phone app hangs and crashes, how to restore without resetting the phone?
iPhone 13 Pro Max running iOS 17.1.2. Starting several months ago, the Phone app began to hang noticeably when started. It would display a blank black page for ten seconds or so, then the app's interface would finally appear and everything would be good. Starting very recently, the Phone app no long...
iPhone 13 Pro Max running iOS 17.1.2.
Starting several months ago, the Phone app began to hang noticeably when started. It would display a blank black page for ten seconds or so, then the app's interface would finally appear and everything would be good.
Starting very recently, the Phone app no longer works at all. It displays the usual blank black screen when its icon is tapped, sits on it for about 30 seconds, then closes and returns to the home screen.
(I will speculate that the app's behaviour has not changed, just the delay has gotten so long that the OS now kills the app before it has a chance to finally display the interface.)
So, at this point, it's impossible to see who called you, and to dial a number that is not already saved in the contacts.
The Phone app does still display the sticker with the number of the missed calls, but it will not let you see who that was.
Online solutions for apps misbehaving in this way end up with the advice to delete the app and install it again. Unfortunately, the built-in Phone app cannot be deleted.
**How would I diagnose and fix it without resetting the phone?**
We don't want to do a reset because there are some apps on the phone that are no longer available in the store. There is a MacBook available if it can be of any use. E.g. I would consider deleting the entire calls history to see if that helps at all; can that be done with the help of a MacBook given that the Phone app will not do it?
GSerg
(101 rep)
Dec 7, 2023, 11:07 PM
• Last activity: Dec 7, 2023, 11:57 PM
1
votes
2
answers
539
views
Terminal "history" command brings back different results
In OSX's terminal, I run the history command to find my recent commands. Often I notice recent commands will not show up, seemingly randomly. For example, I will log on one-day and notice my commands from the previous day are not showing in history (though they did they day before) but rather last w...
In OSX's terminal, I run the history command to find my recent commands. Often I notice recent commands will not show up, seemingly randomly. For example, I will log on one-day and notice my commands from the previous day are not showing in history (though they did they day before) but rather last week's commands are there.
How do you troubleshoot this? Is it an error or I am understanding something incorrectly?
Sam
(133 rep)
Jun 30, 2020, 03:15 PM
• Last activity: Nov 16, 2023, 05:36 AM
0
votes
1
answers
941
views
Transfer WeChat history from Mac to iPhone (not the other way around)
My phone broke and was forced to get a new phone without backing up my WeChat chat history. However, because I always use the MacOS app, I still have my entire history on my Mac. But I can't seem to find a way to transfer that history from my Mac to my new iPhone, only the reverse. Is there a way to...
My phone broke and was forced to get a new phone without backing up my WeChat chat history. However, because I always use the MacOS app, I still have my entire history on my Mac. But I can't seem to find a way to transfer that history from my Mac to my new iPhone, only the reverse. Is there a way to create a backup from my the data on my Mac instead of from the data on my phone?
jordancooperman
Mar 20, 2022, 03:21 AM
• Last activity: Sep 13, 2023, 01:06 PM
3
votes
1
answers
23834
views
Retrieve older call history on iPhone
When I look at the "Recents"-tab on my iPhone, I can see about 100 call entries. But when I delete a call an older call moves up. So, older calls must be stored somewhere. Is there a way to recover the call history without deleting calls?
When I look at the "Recents"-tab on my iPhone, I can see about 100 call entries. But when I delete a call an older call moves up. So, older calls must be stored somewhere. Is there a way to recover the call history without deleting calls?
Lucas
(152 rep)
Jan 30, 2017, 08:49 AM
• Last activity: Sep 11, 2023, 05:08 PM
17
votes
4
answers
42752
views
How to make the terminal auto-complete from the command history?
In Linux, I had managed to set up the terminal in such a way that if I type part of a command and press the arrow key 'up', it would auto-complete with the last command that started with what I had typed. I tried to do the same on MacOS following the instructions on [this MacWorld article](http://hi...
In Linux, I had managed to set up the terminal in such a way that if I type part of a command and press the arrow key 'up', it would auto-complete with the last command that started with what I had typed.
I tried to do the same on MacOS following the instructions on [this MacWorld article](http://hints.macworld.com/article.php?story=20031026174236860) , but it doesn't seem to work.
Does anyone know how to set this up on a Mac?
Kurt Peek
(819 rep)
Jun 22, 2017, 09:06 AM
• Last activity: Apr 4, 2023, 05:39 PM
35
votes
2
answers
11903
views
How to share history between terminal tabs?
I generally find myself using two or three tabs in my Terminal on OS X. A minor inconvenience is that, by default, the tabs don't share their command history. So, searching for a previous command that I ran on another tab by typing `history | grep thingIamlooking for` does not find it. Is there a wa...
I generally find myself using two or three tabs in my Terminal on OS X.
A minor inconvenience is that, by default, the tabs don't share their command history. So, searching for a previous command that I ran on another tab by typing
history | grep thingIamlooking for
does not find it.
Is there a way of forcing Terminal tabs to share history, or is there some other "history_of_all_tabs" command?
Joe
(5179 rep)
Jul 26, 2012, 09:13 AM
• Last activity: Feb 27, 2023, 06:42 PM
4
votes
1
answers
2190
views
"Vintage" Apple stickers
Cleaning out my mother's basement, I found a "sticker album" that I kept as a child in the early 80s. A few pages of my sticker album contain these stickers -- maybe 12 in all -- all still attached to their backing and probably still "stickable": ![enter image description here][1] Unfortunately, I d...
Cleaning out my mother's basement, I found a "sticker album" that I kept as a child in the early 80s. A few pages of my sticker album contain these stickers -- maybe 12 in all -- all still attached to their backing and probably still "stickable":
Unfortunately, I don't remember where or when I got them.
I found it particularly unusual that the bottom "stripe" was so offset from the upper part of the apple and I'm not sure if that is a misprint or a deliberate evolution of the logo.
Can anyone tell me about these stickers and when they might have been released? It might have been before the Mac came out, but the same sticker album also contained a "Where's the Beef?" sticker which was the famous Wendy's ad campaign in 1984, the same year the Mac was released.
Do they have any value beyond nostalgia and hipsterism?

Josh
(205 rep)
Feb 24, 2014, 01:42 PM
• Last activity: Feb 27, 2023, 09:52 AM
1
votes
2
answers
6042
views
Bash history not initially remembered with iterm2
I've got an annoying problem with iterm2 not remembering my history when I close out a terminal window. I'm not sure if it might be my .bash_profile config or what. Here is what is happening: > 1) type in some commands > 2) issue `history` command > 3) commands are listed > 4) close terminal window...
I've got an annoying problem with iterm2 not remembering my history when I close out a terminal window. I'm not sure if it might be my .bash_profile config or what.
Here is what is happening:
> 1) type in some commands
> 2) issue
history
command
> 3) commands are listed
> 4) close terminal window and open brand new terminal window
> 5) issue history
command
> 6) commands from previous sessions are NOT listed
> 7) close terminal window and open brand new terminal window
> 6) issue history
command
> 7) commands from very first session now appearing
Anyone know why the previous commands aren't showing up right away when a new window is opened and only after a second terminal window is opened?
**UPDATE:** Everything works as expected with the plain old terminal app.
**Update 2:** I have the shell integration feature installed
**Update 3:** It turns out the first update was incorrect. It is also flaky on Terminal. Sometimes it will work and other times it doesn't.
StevieD
(1774 rep)
Aug 18, 2018, 02:03 PM
• Last activity: Jan 13, 2023, 08:37 AM
9
votes
9
answers
119794
views
Can I view or export or clear Siri's interaction history?
I would like to ask you is it possible to somehow access all of Siri's history to view it or delete it?
I would like to ask you is it possible to somehow access all of Siri's history to view it or delete it?
Arthur
(1578 rep)
Sep 20, 2012, 03:01 PM
• Last activity: Dec 8, 2022, 07:47 PM
0
votes
0
answers
41
views
How to access a full call history?
I need the call history for the month of September, 2022. My iPhone doesn’t show a full call history. Someone called me on the 9 of September and was a missed call. I need their cellphone number.
I need the call history for the month of September, 2022. My iPhone doesn’t show a full call history. Someone called me on the 9 of September and was a missed call. I need their cellphone number.
Eza
(1 rep)
Oct 17, 2022, 09:40 AM
• Last activity: Oct 17, 2022, 10:01 AM
3
votes
1
answers
875
views
Curious about stuff in the usr/bin
I was looking through usr/bin and was looking at the names of directories. There are a few I cannot find anything about online, and cannot get to execute (or don't know the arguments). moo-outdated moo-outdated5.18 moose-outdated moose-outdated5.18 moose-outdated5.30 If anyone knows about these, it...
I was looking through usr/bin and was looking at the names of directories. There are a few I cannot find anything about online, and cannot get to execute (or don't know the arguments).
moo-outdated
moo-outdated5.18
moose-outdated
moose-outdated5.18
moose-outdated5.30
If anyone knows about these, it would be cool to learn about!
user19604250
(33 rep)
Jul 25, 2022, 12:48 AM
• Last activity: Jul 25, 2022, 02:09 AM
Showing page 1 of 20 total questions