Skip to main content

How-to

See All Stories

A collection of tutorials, tips, and tricks from the 9to5Mac team helping you fix and get the most out of your favorite gear.

9to5Mac How To tutorials

Top tutorials and guides

iPhone how-tos

Mac how-tos

iPad how-tos

Apple Watch how-tos

iPhone Screen Distance protects your eyes, here’s how it works

use iPhone Screen Distance

One of the new health features for iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 can help prevent eye strain for everyone, as well as lower the risk of myopia (nearsightedness) in kids. Here’s how to use iPhone Screen Distance and how it works.

Brought to you by Mosyle, the only Apple Unified Platform. Mosyle fully integrates five different applications on a single Apple-only platform. Businesses can automatically deploy, manage, and protect all their Apple devices. Request a FREE account to learn how to put your Apple fleet on auto-pilot at a price point that is hard to believe.

Expand Expanding Close

How to turn on double tap-like gesture control on almost any Apple Watch

use double tap on any Apple Watch

One of the main new features of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 is something called “double tap” which lets users control the wearable by pinching their thumb and pointer finger. While the full functionality and new UI of the feature are indeed limited to the newest hardware, anyone with Apple Watch Series 3 and later can turn on double tap-like gestures to get the feature working for many of the same use cases right now, here’s how.

Expand Expanding Close

M3 MacBook Pro vs Air: How they compare and buyer’s guide

macbook-pro-vs-air-compared

Apple’s MacBook lineup was overhauled with the M3 MacBook Air models arriving in March 2024 and the latest MacBook Pro laptops coming with M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max chips at the end of 2023. Join along for our in-depth look at MacBook Pro vs Air to see what’s similar and different and a buyer’s guide to help you make the best choice.

Expand Expanding Close

Here’s how to protect against ‘GoldPickaxe’, the first iPhone trojan [U]

protect against iPhone trojan GoldPickaxe

An Android trojan called GoldDigger surfaced last year that can steal biometric data and more from victims to compromise their bank accounts. Now the threat has evolved into the GoldPickaxe trojan that can infect iOS and Android. Fortunately, there are several simple ways to protect against the first iPhone trojan, here’s what you should know.

Expand Expanding Close

Best USB-C and Thunderbolt displays for Mac [March]

Best USB-C/Thunderbolt displays Mac Samsung 5K

USB-C/Thunderbolt display options have really expanded over the last couple of years. While Apple’s Pro Display XDR isn’t the best fit for most Mac users at $5,000+, it also offers the more affordable Studio Display. But there are also lots of solid choices from LG, Samsung, BenQ, and more. Let’s look at the best USB-C/Thunderbolt displays with many available in the $400-$1,600 range.

Expand Expanding Close

Do’s and don’ts for cleaning your dirty iPhone (and why you should make it a habit)

Regain clarity with CleanMyPhone by MacPaw — the new AI-powered cleaning app that quickly identifies and removes blurred images, screenshots, and other clutter from your device. Download it now with a free trial.


Studies have found our smartphones are usually dirtier than a toilet seat, carrying tens of thousands of bacteria, so creating a habit of regularly cleaning your iPhone is a healthy move. But what’s safe or best to use? Let’s look at how to clean iPhone with step-by-step do’s and don’ts.

Expand Expanding Close

When will Apple release iOS 17.4? [U: Now available]

Regain clarity with CleanMyPhone by MacPaw — the new AI-powered cleaning app that quickly identifies and removes blurred images, screenshots, and other clutter from your device. Download it now with a free trial.


Apple’s latest software release for iPhone is almost ready. How much longer until it’s available for everyone? Here’s the answer to “when will iOS 17.4 come out?”

Expand Expanding Close

M2 iPad Pro vs iPad Air: How do they compare as we wait for M3?

M2 iPad Pro vs iPad Air

The current iPad Air has the majority of features found in the 2021 iPad Pro like an M1 chip, ultra wide front camera with Center Stage, 5G connectivity, and more. However, the 2022 M2 iPad Pro has the most advanced features and greatest performance in an iPad – but is it overkill? Follow along for a breakdown of all the similarities and differences between the 11″ M2 iPad Pro vs iPad Air as we await the 2024 iPad launches in March.

Expand Expanding Close