These are the guides on this site that are about macOS rather than LaTeX or academic writing. Each one starts with what the Mac already does for free, then compares the apps that go further, with their prices and what they do not do. Purplelink makes some of the apps mentioned, including Legroom, Keyfeel, Panely, Summonly, Outbound Veil and Tapefolio, so read those comparisons with that in mind.
Disk space and storage
When the startup disk fills up, these explain what is taking the room and what is safe to remove.
- Why is System Data so big on my Mac?: What the category contains, how to see what fills it, and which folders are safe to remove.
- Best disk space analyzer and cleaner for Mac (2026): macOS Storage, DaisyDisk, GrandPerspective, OmniDiskSweeper and others compared by price and method.
- Show free disk space in the Mac menu bar: Finder, Storage settings, Disk Utility and Terminal, then the menu-bar apps that keep the number in view.
- What AI tools leave on your Mac, and what is safe to delete: Measured on one developer Mac: where session logs, Docker, Xcode and package caches live and how to clear them.
Windows, search and launchers
Moving windows around, finding a file, and starting an app from the keyboard.
- How to snap and tile windows on a Mac: Drag to an edge, the green button, keyboard shortcuts, and when a separate app is worth it.
- Best window managers for Mac (2026): Rectangle, Magnet, Moom, Panely and others compared by price, shortcuts, layouts and permissions.
- How to find files on a Mac when Spotlight cannot: Why Spotlight misses files, how to fix each cause, search syntax, mdfind and other search tools.
- Best Alfred alternatives for Mac (2026): Alfred, Raycast, LaunchBar, Spotlight, Keyboard Maestro and Summonly compared by job and price.
Keyboard sounds
Mechanical keyboard sounds on a Mac keyboard, and what each app asks for.
- Best keyboard sound apps for Mac (2026): Klack, KeyOpera, Thock, Mechvibes, Keyfeel and others compared by price, sounds and permissions.
- Use Mechvibes sound packs on a Mac: Telling a classic pack from a MechvibesDX pack, importing it, and what does not carry over.
Privacy, permissions and AI chats
What Mac apps are allowed to see, and what you should keep out of a chatbot.
- Full Disk Access, Input Monitoring and Accessibility on a Mac: What each permission lets an app do, how to review and revoke it, and what Purplelink's apps ask for.
- Best PII redaction tools for ChatGPT and AI chats (2026): Outbound Veil, Presidio, ChatGPT's own controls, local models and other approaches compared.
- Before you paste client notes into ChatGPT or Claude: Five checks for client, patient or student notes: account type, training setting, what to remove first.
Speech and text
Turning audio into text and text into audio on a Mac.
- Best Mac apps for transcription, text to speech and OCR (2026): Compared by price, on-device or cloud, and what each does not do.
Looking for the research side? The LaTeX hub and the BibTeX hub cover writing, compiling and citing a paper, and the guides index lists everything.