1.8 Explain common features and tools of the macOS/desktop operating system.
Wording from the official CompTIA A+ 220-1202 exam objectives (document version 4.0). Every named item has a section below. Facts come from Apple Support and Apple’s platform guides, which currently describe the latest macOS.
How do you install and uninstall apps on a Mac?
Get apps from the App Store or from a developer’s download, which usually arrives as a .dmg disk image or a .pkg installer package; remove them by running the app’s uninstaller if it has one, or by dragging the app to the Trash.
| File type | What it is | How you use it |
|---|---|---|
| .dmg | A disk image: a compressed copy of the contents of a disk or folder (Apple Support). | Open it so it appears on the desktop or in a Finder window (Apple Support), then follow its instructions, which for many apps means dragging the app into the Applications folder. |
| .pkg | An installer package (its icon looks like an open box) (Apple Support). Packages deployed by a device management service must be signed (Apple Platform Deployment). | Double-click and follow the installer. |
| .app | An application bundle: a folder that stores everything the app needs to run, with a top-level Contents directory (Apple developer documentation). | Lives in the Applications folder; you open it like any app. |
App Store. Apple calls the App Store the safest place to get Mac apps. For apps from elsewhere, Gatekeeper checks the Developer ID signature, and a notarized app is one Apple has checked for malicious software; the allowed sources are set in System Settings > Privacy & Security (Apple Support). Apps bought with your Apple Account can be downloaded again from the App Store (Apple Support).
Uninstallation process. If an app came with an “Uninstall [App]” or “[App] Uninstaller,” run it. Otherwise drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash; it’s removed for good when the Trash is emptied. Apps the Mac requires can’t be removed (Apple Support). In the Finder you can also Control-click the app and choose Move to Trash (Apple Support).
What are the macOS system folders?
CompTIA names five: /Applications, /Users, /Library, /System and /Users/Library. Apple describes them in the macOS User Guide (Apple Support).
| Folder | What it holds |
|---|---|
| /Applications | Apps such as Mail, Calendar and Safari. Dragging an app out creates an alias rather than moving it (Apple Support). |
| /Users | The home folder of every user on the Mac, plus a Shared folder anyone using the Mac can access (Apple Support). |
| /Library | Fonts and other items used by apps and available to all users. Don’t store your own files there (Apple Support). |
| /System | The macOS operating system; you can’t rename or move it or its contents (Apple Support). Since macOS 10.15 system content sits on a read-only system volume, and macOS 11 and later add cryptographic protection (the signed system volume) (Apple Platform Security). |
| /Users/Library | CompTIA’s /Users/Library is the Library folder inside each user’s home folder (/Users/username/Library). It’s hidden; hold Option and choose Go > Library in the Finder, or turn on Show Library Folder in View Options for your home folder (Apple Support). |
What do Apple ID and corporate restrictions mean on a Mac?
The Apple ID, which Apple now calls an Apple Account, is the sign-in for Apple services; companies use Managed Apple Accounts and device management to control company Macs. Existing Apple ID sign-in details still work, and you sign in from the System Settings sidebar (Apple Support). Organizations create and own Managed Apple Accounts on a domain they own, separate from personal accounts and with some iCloud services excluded (Apple Platform Deployment). Macs enrolled in a device management service can be restricted, for example blocking AirDrop, erasing and resetting the Mac, or changing account settings (Apple Platform Deployment). Managing devices this way is covered more broadly in mobile device management (MDM).
What are the macOS best practices CompTIA lists?
Back up with Time Machine, rely on (and keep current) the built-in malware protection, install updates and patches, and let Rapid Security Responses install automatically.
- Backups: Time Machine automatically backs up apps, music, photos, email and documents; Apple suggests a drive with at least twice the Mac’s storage. It keeps hourly backups for 24 hours, daily backups for the past month and weekly backups for older months, deleting the oldest when the disk fills, and can restore to the same or a different Mac (Apple Support).
- Antivirus: macOS includes XProtect, built-in signature-based antivirus whose signatures update automatically, independent of system updates, and which can remediate infections. Gatekeeper, notarization and XProtect together block malware from running (Apple Platform Security).
- Updates/patches: System Settings > General > Software Update, where you can have macOS updates installed automatically (Apple Support).
- Rapid Security Response (RSR): Software Update’s automatic options include “Install Security Responses and system files: Automatically install system files and Rapid Security Responses” (Apple Support). Apple’s current documentation describes Background Security Improvements, which deliver additional security protections between software updates, starting with macOS 26.1; that setting is in Privacy & Security (Apple Support).
Which System Preferences panes does CompTIA name?
Displays, Networks, Printers, Scanners, Privacy, Accessibility and Time Machine. CompTIA uses the older name “System Preferences”; since macOS Ventura 13, Apple’s guide calls the app System Settings (Monterey guide, Ventura guide).
| Pane | What you do there |
|---|---|
| Displays | Set resolution, arrange or mirror multiple displays, move the menu bar, and use Night Shift (Apple Support). |
| Networks (Network) | Configure network services such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt and VPN, and turn the firewall on or off (Apple Support). |
| Printers / Scanners | One pane, Printers & Scanners: add a printer, scanner, fax or multifunction printer and choose the default printer (Apple Support). |
| Privacy (Privacy & Security) | Control app access to things like the camera, Location Services and Full Disk Access; the Security section sets which app sources are allowed (Apple Support). |
| Accessibility | Vision, hearing, mobility and speech features such as VoiceOver (the built-in screen reader), Zoom and Voice Control (Apple Support). |
| Time Machine | In macOS Ventura 13 or later: System Settings > General > Time Machine (Apple Support). |
What are the macOS features CompTIA lists?
Multiple desktops, Mission Control, Keychain, Spotlight, iCloud (iMessage, FaceTime and Drive), gestures, Finder, the Dock and Continuity.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Multiple desktops | Extra desktops are called spaces; add one from the Spaces bar in Mission Control and switch with a three- or four-finger swipe or Control-Left/Right Arrow (Apple Support). |
| Mission Control | Shows all open windows and your spaces; swipe up with three fingers or press Control-Up Arrow (Apple Support). |
| Keychain | Keychain Access manages certificates and works with iCloud Keychain; passwords, passkeys and verification codes are in the Passwords app. Open Keychain Access with Spotlight (Keychain Access Guide). |
| Spotlight | Finds apps, files, email, messages and more; press Command-Space bar (Apple Support). |
| iCloud: iMessage | Messages sends unlimited messages to anyone using iMessage on an Apple device; sign in with your Apple Account and enable Messages in iCloud (Messages Guide). |
| iCloud: FaceTime | Video and audio calls from the Mac after signing in with an Apple Account; Group FaceTime supports up to 32 people (FaceTime Guide). |
| iCloud: Drive | Stores documents in iCloud for access from any device, can store Desktop and Documents automatically, and can free space with Optimize Mac Storage (Apple Support). |
| Gestures | Set in System Settings > Trackpad, for example tap to click, spreading thumb and three fingers to show the desktop, and Force Click (Apple Support). |
| Finder | Views, opens and organizes almost everything on the Mac, with a customizable sidebar and several ways to view items, such as list and Gallery view (Apple Support). |
| Dock | Sits along the bottom of the screen by default, can show up to three recently used apps, and a red badge means an action is needed (Apple Support). |
| Continuity | Features built into Apple’s operating systems that work across your devices when you sign in to the same Apple Account (some need Wi-Fi and Bluetooth): Handoff, Universal Clipboard, Continuity Camera and Sidecar, plus AirDrop for sharing with anyone on a nearby Apple device (Apple Support). |
What are Disk Utility, FileVault, Terminal and Force Quit for?
Disk Utility manages storage, FileVault encrypts the startup disk, Terminal is the command line, and Force Quit closes an app that isn’t responding.
Disk Utility
Disk Utility, in /Applications/Utilities, manages internal and external storage: it formats and manages volumes and can combine disks into a RAID set (Disk Utility Guide). First Aid finds and repairs formatting and directory errors, checking volumes, then containers, then the device, and Disk Utility is also available in macOS Recovery (Apple Support). Partitioning divides a disk into containers and erases data on a deleted partition; with APFS, Apple advises against partitioning in most cases (Disk Utility Guide). Compare with Windows tools in storage types.
FileVault
FileVault adds a layer of security that keeps others from decrypting your data. On Macs with Apple silicon or a T2 chip, data is already encrypted automatically (Apple Support). Turning on FileVault creates a recovery key, a string of letters and numbers, unless you choose to unlock with your iCloud account instead (Apple Support); if you lose both your password and the recovery key, your files are lost. FileVault uses AES-XTS encryption, and on managed Macs the organization’s device management service can escrow the key (Apple Platform Security).
Terminal
Terminal is a command-line interface to macOS (Terminal Guide), found in /Applications/Utilities (Terminal Guide). Since macOS 10.15 the default shell is zsh; earlier versions used bash (Apple Support). For command-line basics, see Linux commands.
Force Quit
Press Option-Command-Esc, or choose Force Quit from the Apple menu, when an app isn’t responding. Select the Finder in that window and click Relaunch to restart it (Apple Support).
Practice scenarios
These are original practice scenarios written for this page, not real exam questions.
1. A user downloaded an app and sees a file ending in .dmg. What now? Double-click it to open the disk image, then follow its instructions, which for many apps means dragging the .app into Applications.
2. A designer’s Mac froze in one app, but the rest of the system responds. Try Command-Q first; if the app won’t quit, use Force Quit (Option-Command-Esc) on it instead of restarting.
3. A manager wants a laptop’s data protected if it’s stolen, and hourly backups. Turn on FileVault and keep the recovery key safe, and set up Time Machine with an external drive.
Related A+ Articles
Studying for CompTIA A+?
See the books, practice exams, and free resources that actually work.