7 Annoying Settings You Can Change in Lion
Lion has a ton of wonderful features, but there are a few new ones that might make long-time Mac users a little crazy. Fortunately, if you're a creature of habit, Apple has enabled the ability to simply toggle them off in the System Preferences -- so yes, you don't have to live with Lion's new way of scrolling. Read on to find out which settings you can change in Lion and get back to your normal life.
1. Scrolling
Mac OS X Lion inverts your normal scrolling. And if the rants on Twitter are any indication, this is annoying a great several few. The new scrolling mechanism makes it so that when you place two fingers on the trackpad and push upward, documents and webpages will scroll to the bottom instead of to the top. But you can change back to "natural scrolling" by heading to System Preferences > Trackpad or Mouse > Scroll & Zoom, and uncheck the box labeled “Scroll direction: natural.”
2. Font size in Finder
The new Finder in Lion has a larger font size for the sidebar than users may be used to. If it's bugging you, you can change the font size back to it’s pre-Lion size by navigating to System Preferences > General, and selecting “Small” from the Sidebar icon size option.
3. Show indicator lights for opened applications
In Lion, showing the opened application indicator lights below the icons in the Dock is something that’s optional. A simple toggle located in System Preferences > Dock, and checking or unchecking the option for “Show indicator lights for opened applications.” We like the lights because it tells us which applications are opened and taking up resources on our Macs.
4. Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps
By default, Lion automatically opens the last opened files in applications, which can either be really useful or really annoying, depending on how you use your machine. This feature can be especially annoying to users who use their Mac for presentations. When you open application to demo something, you don’t want the last thing you were working on to automatically open up. Just navigate to System Preferences > General, and uncheck the box labeled “Restore windows when quitting and re-opening apps.”
5. Animate Opening Applications
By default, Lion doesn't animate the opening of applications. This means that you won’t be entertained by those bouncing icons while you wait for applications to open. You can easily make your icons bounce again though. Just head to System Preferences > Dock, and check the box labeled “Animate opening applications.”
6. Get rid of the Dashboard Space
Lion automatically creates a space for Dashboard in Mission Control instead of having Dashboard as an overlay (which is the way it's worked in the past). To reclaim one of your 18 available Spaces/Desktops in Mission Control, navigate to System Preferences > Mission Control, and uncheck the box labeled “Show Dashboard as a space.” Now whenever you activate Dashboard, it will appear as an overlay on your screen instead of a separate space.
7. Always Show Scroll bars
Another slight annoyance in Lion is that scroll bars disappear when there is no scrolling. Scroll bars, however, serve more of a purpose than just scrolling -- they can also tell you how much is left to read in a document (depending on how large the bar is an how far from the top or bottom of the page it is located). If you want your scroll bars to stay on the screen at all times, navigate to System Preferences > General, and select the “Always” radio button for the section labeled “Show scroll bars.” Now applications will always show scroll bars.
Follow this article’s author, Cory Bohon on Twitter.
Related Articles
Rockin' Kat
July 28, 2011 at 2:44am
I've changed every setting as mentioned in this article because I didn't care for a single one of them. I don't get a single one of them. I appreciated this article very much.
And don't tell me I'll get used to "natural" scrolling. I'm sorry, but no. I have to use Windows at work sometimes at school. I am not about to put up with going back and forward between such a complete reversal of a basic GUI function! Especially when it's been the other way for the some odd 20 years I've been using computers with GUI's.
I roll or drag or press down to go down the page not move the page it self down. I also happen to keep older computers around for older games. I am not about to put up with going back and forward between that. It makes me nauseous when something like this is reversed. It would only make sense if the screen it self were the touch pad. Otherwise, NO NO NO! Bad Mr. Jobs, no new black shirt for you!
Other than that, I can't for the most part see much use for Full Screen mode. And changing what a three finger stroke did was so annoying. Why? Suddenly I have to change settings so I can get my three finger stroke to go back and forward in my browser? I got used to it!
Honestly, what I loved about Mac OS was it just got better and better, but the basic function and use stuff stayed nice and familar, you learned it, you knew it, you could go on to the next and it might be improved but it wouldn't be completely mixed up. A lot of this feels like the huge annoying changes that are usually made between Windows updates that make it a huge PITA to get my friends' computers on my home network every time they get a new version of Windows.
And I thought I might have issue with the loss of PPC support. After all that though, I just realized I didn't even miss Rosetta as I didn't have a single PPC only application on this computer that I was actually still using. The only time I use such a thing is when I'm doing something on my G4.
On a plus side launch pad reminds me of the old Launcher application I used to use under OS 7 on my first Mac. I always liked that program. Launchpad's not bad and I've actually found myself using it a couple times without thinking much of it. The thing is it's a new feature. I hope they don't go and change the gesture to bring it up in the next full version update after I've gotten it ingrained in my mind how to do it now by pinching on the track pad.
I also think it's funny that in launchpad they give you a constant indicator at the bottom of the screen showing how many pages you have in it and which one you're on. You know, those dots with the current page's dot lit up? At the same time though they've gone and made it so the scroll bars are invisible until you start scrolling so you don't have a constant reminder of where you are in a document or that there is more to the document unless you try to scroll.
I'm sorry, but that makes me feel just about as cluless as when I try to play old text adventure games and I have throw out commands to see which one's will work in the current "room". If I wanted that, I'd go into the terminal and open up Dunnet. If you've never heard of dunnet before, you can open the terminal, type:
emacs -batch -l dunnet
and press return and see what dunnet is. It's already there on your Mac. When you get to the place where there's a boulder, there is a command you can issue to do something to continue the game, but it's a complete secret until you've gone and found the instructions on it somewhere else in the game. I feel like the new scroll bars are that secret. It looks like you can't go anywhere, but oh hey, if you put your mouse cursor in the window and move down with two fingers it will move the contents to show you more stuff!
timcricket
July 23, 2011 at 12:33pm
Does anyone know how to get rid of that ugly linen texture and choose whatever image I want? I cannot believe Apple is using that pattern, even on iOS devices. It is like a 1996 web pattern.
Tom7
July 22, 2011 at 9:00pm
@h8no1777
Settings > Trackpad > More Gestures
Set "Swipe between pages" to "Swipe left or right with three fingers"
That will also let you three finger swipe back in a web browser.
I just wish I could find a way to bring back three finger swipes to get to the top or bottom of a document.
h8no1777
July 22, 2011 at 12:55pm
is there any way to change bad 3 fingersr backward to go previous page instead of different desktop? i NEEED it back
connnorb
July 27, 2011 at 2:17pm
Yes, go to System Preferences -> Trackpad -> More Gestures -> change swipe between pages to scroll left or right with three fingers. This will make changing between apps to left or right with four fingers. This will also work in Safari.
zevrix
July 21, 2011 at 10:02pm
I like most of UI changes. Glad Apple finally got rid of the heavy pompous "liquefied" look.
To me, scroll bars are a must at all times. Glad Apple realizes it, too.
The scroll bars look like they're force-planted from iPhone and look totally out of place. Better than the old ones, but still must be more elegant.
Animations, window/alert zooming and other annoying and distracting - to me - convulsions must be optional. Users cannot be forced to watch them.
@iMac.27: "Mouse over, and X appears on left side."
Since you already mentioned it, it's a totally WRONG approach to UI. UI elements - especially essential like the close box - must NOT be hidden from users, forcing them to bring the mouse there just to reveal it.
munas
July 21, 2011 at 7:30pm
1. I would not change it. If one uses iOS device too it makes no confusion. Even using several Mac computers, a mixture of Snow Leo and Lion, it takes only few seconds for brain to switch.
2. I use Small
3. I like the indicators.
4. In some cases/applications/situations it might be very useful feature as well as very annoying... (I would prefer this feature to be configurable per app)
5. I like animations it puts slightly more life to my Mac...
6. I have it on and it do not bother me yet...
7. I do not miss scroll bars ...
iMac.27
July 21, 2011 at 4:29pm
1. don't change it. takes maybe a day to get completely used to it.
2. looks great on large.
3. used to lights, will leave them.
4. love / hate
5. love animations
6. I like the way Lion has it as default. ( I use a trackpad, super easy to get to)
7. who/why would anyone ever need to SEE a scroll bar. glad they are gone.TBrammar:
use keyboard shortcuts to open either, then it won't matter. CMD + T or
CMD + N
and yes, you can close any tab no matter if it's blank or populated.
Mouse over, and X appears on left side.
or CMD + W close whichever tab (or window) is on top.Lion is the Best OS ever in my book, and I am not a windows hater because I have a Mac. Have windows 7 on a partition.
Rumple
July 21, 2011 at 11:49am
I like the small green/yellow/red buttons. I actually modded my windows so they were more like that so that was a welcome for me to have it native.
streetbear
July 21, 2011 at 10:00am
And whats with those small red, yellow, and green buttons? I REALLY miss the old, slightly larger, red/yellow/green buttons!
YBrammer
July 21, 2011 at 9:35am
They need to allow us to switch the order of "Open In New Window" and "Open In New Tab" in Safari. I accidentally click New Window all the time. Also, for Safari, you can't close a new tab unless you open a web page in it
Vanessaski
July 25, 2011 at 5:26pm
Instead of Right Clicking on the link, try holding down the Cmd key and then clicking, this will open the link in a new tab behind your current tab, much easier than right clicking, give it a try!
munas
July 21, 2011 at 7:16pm
To get new tab in Safari (this is not specific to Lion. The same methods work in Snow Leopard and probably even on earlier OS X versions)
Use shortcuts : Cmd + T for new tab
or
Click + sign on a tabs row (right side)
or
Double mouse/trackpad click on a line where tabs are placed (if you have this line not filled by tabs)
Connect with Mac|Life
Featured Content
Want to give your pictures an aged look? iPhoto’s Effects can help
Before you shake your fist solely at Apple’s engineers, Rik Myslewski asks you to...
iCloud is awesome! That is, until it isn't -- so here's a list of some things that...
Would it be better to reformat the hard drive and reinstall everything from square...
Most Commented Articles
In This Month's Issue
Latest Mac|Life Tweets
- MacLife: In this week's "The Best" Michael Simon spotlights Total Baby, the best app for expecting parents. http://t.co/eGW7Dqjo53 min 54 sec ago
- MacLife: Aperture can make some incredible slideshows, so give it a shot. http://t.co/tRwgIJY32 hours 3 min ago
- MacLife: The Holga iPhone Lens Filter physically adds style to the shots you take with your iPhone. http://t.co/Bku5gA983 hours 18 min ago
- MacLife: Sometimes iMessage likes to SMS itself instead of being sent instantaneously. If that seems bogus, here's a quick fix: http://t.co/x5kxkPAx4 hours 4 min ago
- MacLife: Proview and Apple throw down in China over the iPad trademark. Meet you at the train tracks after school! http://t.co/dBFdz2Ua4 hours 58 min ago
