Quick Scan
This list is a master list of all the free screencasts that cover Mac basics.
Many of the links screencasts are free samples from companies that offer much more for a fee.
Apple offers a Quick Tip of the Week Video Podcast you can subscribe to.
195 Free Mac Video Tutorials – The Master List for New Mac Users
Categories: Getting Help
Hate reading? Some people are better watching someone show them how than figuring something out from instructions. If this sounds like you, then you'll love our master list of free Mac video tutorials.
Some people call them screencasts, others video tutorials. Some authors make them for profit and some offer them for free. You'll find a mixture of these out on the web and for the most part, they can be very helpful to those who like to watch.
I've gone ahead and linked to the free ones, but often they are provided as samplers of a larger body of screencasts that you can purchase. So if you find these to be a great way to learn about your new Mac, go ahead and pay for the full content from groups like ScreenCastsOnline, Switching2Mac, and MacProVideo. You notice on the web pages pitches to buy the full group of tutorials. If you decide to become a member of ScreenCastsOnline, use our affiliate link to help MFM.
As to the free ones, Apple has really been putting out first rate videos lately. It appears that they have been making a concerted effort to reach Mac users in video form as well as their robust text driven help. They even offer their quick tips as podcasts. Apple also offers some guided tours linked to in the Dig Deeper section at the bottom.
In making this list for you, I've stayed with tutorials for Mac Basics plus many of the essential applications that come with your new Mac. I've tried to pick ones that are current with Leopard, but there are some Tiger ones included that would also work in Leopard.
I've skipped the older and out of date ones. Believe it or not, there are some that go back to System 7. Also, there are additional tutorials out there that cover other applications, but this list is focused on a solid Mac foundation. Use the Comments section below to add your favorites.
Mac Basics
Anatomy of a Mac - Apple
Move to Mac - Apple
Introducing stacks - MacMost
Mac Finder basics - MacMost
Changing Desktop Picture - MacMost
Recording A Disc Image - MacMost
Working with Expose - MacMost
Learning About User Accounts - MacMost
Library Folders - MacMost
Use Two Computers in One - MacMost
Mac OS X Power & Integration - MacMost
Finder Windows - MacMost
Hot Corners - MacMost
Working with Text - MacMost
Data Detectors - MacMost
Working with Window & View Menus - MacMost
Finder View - MacMost
Quick Look - MacMost
Installing Applications - MacMost
OS X Dictionary - MacMost
Contain Your Desktop Clutter - MacMost
In the Corner - MacMost
Tweak Your Toolbar - MacMost
OS X Spaces - MacMost
Setting Up Your Mac - Part 1 - ScreenCastsOnline
Setting Up Your Mac - Part 2 - ScreenCastsOnline
Time Machine - MacMost
OS X productivity tips - MacMost
Inside Mac OS X Mountain Lion - MacMost
Finder's hidden powers - MacMost
10 tips to be thankful for - MacMost
Leopard Gems - Macworld Video
Lesser-known Leopard features - Macworld Video
Favorite Leopard Features - Macworld Video
Using Windows - The Basics - MacMost
Customizing the Finder Sidebar - MacMost
Searching the Dictionary - MacMost
Do More Than Search - Apple
Take a Quick Look - MacMost
Sharing Screens - Apple
Short Stack - Apple
Setting Default Applications - Apple
Accessing Favorite Colors - MacMost
Snapshots of Your Screen - MacMost
That Perfect Word - Apple
Setting Favorite Fonts - Apple
Easily Create PDFs - MacMost
Keyboard Shortcuts - MacMost
Applications All Together - Apple
Organizing Files in Finder - Apple
Expose & Hot Corners - Apple
Zip up your files - MacMost
Switching from Windows
Windows on a Mac - MacMost
Access Mac-Formatted Drives from Windows - Murphy Mac
Switcher Guide: Keyboard Shortcuts - Murphy Mac
System Preferences For Switchers - Murphy Mac
Parallels Desktop for Mac - ScreenCastsOnline
Optimizing Windows on your Mac - Macworld Video
Preview
New Selection Tools in Leopard Preview - MacMost
Annotating PDFs - MacMost
iCloud
iCloud Basics - MacMost
iCloud Reminders for Mac and iOS - MacMost
Sharing Calendars With iCloud - MacMost
Journals In iPhoto For iOS - MacMost
Using the iCloud.com Web Site - MacMost
Mountain Lion iCloud Documents - MacMost
Securing Your iCloud Account - MacMost
Using Terminal
Command Line Basics - MacMost
Finding Large Files on Your Hard Drive - MacMost
Merging Folders - MacMost
Using Data Detectors - MacMost
Spell Check in Mac OS X Applications - MacMost
Using Terminal to Copy Files - MacMost
Fun With the Terminal - MacMost
Wireless
Wireless Basics -Apple
Mail
Setting up your email accounts - MacMost
Using Mail Rules - MacMost
Mail Signature Tricks - MacMost
Mail Quoting - MacMost
Using Mac Mail Stationery - MacMost
Including Images in Email Signatures - MacMost
Send vCards in Email - MacMost
RSS in Mail - Apple
Creating To-Do's - Apple
Mail Data Detectors - Apple
Pictures in email - Apple
Drag and drop mail merging - Apple
Address Book
Setting up your contact information - Atomic Learning
Adding a contact to Address Book - Atomic Learning
Address Book Special Fields - MacMost
Printing Lists of Contacts - MacMost
Exporting Contacts Using Numbers
- MacMost
Address Book Groups - MacMost
Combine Duplicate Address Cards - Murphy Mac
Address Book Groups - MacMost
Maps in Address Book - Apple
iChat
iChat File Transfer - Apple
iChat Bonjour File Transfer - Apple
Safari
Places To Store Bookmarks In Safari - MacMost
Google Special Queries - MacMost
Dragging Tabs and URLs - Murphy Mac
Send a Page, Not a Link - MacMost
RSS in Safari - Murphy Mac
Safari tips - Macworld Video
Safari Snippet Editor - MacMost
PDFs in Safari - Apple
Restoring Safari Sessions - Apple
Surf Faster - Apple
Private web browsing - Apple
Too much for 1 page!
Continue to Part II of 195 Free Mac Video Tutorials - iLife Apps >>