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Ah, your Apple Account (formerly known as iCloud Account, Me.com, MobileMe, etc.) – some users swear by it, others swear at it. People ask me all the time whether it’s necessary or important, and what exactly it does.

No matter which side you’re on, there is one takeaway: It’s a service. A service that has important benefits, most of which work behind the scenes. (More on that in a bit.) And because it has such a vital duty, you SHOULD pay attention to it, and understand what it does, and why it’s important.

Of course, like any other online service, there’s a username (in this instance, your email address) and a password that are required to do anything. This is one of the few that you should have etched in your brain – both the email handle and the password – without having to look them up, as the following cautionary tale will aptly demonstrate.

So, in short, your Apple Account allows you to sync contacts, calendar items, photos, notes, and more between your Apple devices. Sure, other providers can do the same thing – Google, for example – but the Apple Account is more geared towards your Apple ecosystem and provide streamlined ways to do certain tasks. Like finding a lost device.

For example, if you misplaced (or lost) your iPhone, you can find its location by using the “Find My” app on your computer. A great idea in theory, but you must be signed in to the SAME Apple account on both the lost phone AND the device you’re using to locate it. If you must scramble around trying to remember your username and password, you’re defeating the purpose of this entire thing. Some users keep that info on their iPhone – which doesn’t help if that’s the device you’re looking for. Or if you’re trying to log onto iCloud to use the web-based version of Find My.

I mention all of this because a client (no names!) lost a phone coming home from NYC a couple of weeks ago. Long story short – the phone hasn’t been located at press time, and the user had to buy a new one. And this user had two iCloud accounts (not uncommon), a “real” one that had all the information, and a second one that had no data saved. So, trying to get logged on to the “real” account was tough, as the phone wasn’t available for two factor authentication. (Oh, what a tangled web we weave!)

Bottom line: Always know what your Apple Account username and password are, you never know when you’ll need it in a tough situation.

Oh yes, iCloud also allows a user to back up a device using the cloud, giving you the ability to restore a new phone with the same apps, settings, and data on it. Another reason why you should always know it!

By Chris Capelle – Macintosh Computer & Apple Products Expert

A while back (August 2025, to be exact), I wrote about how you can be betrayed by your email provider. And as I opined, that’s not something you should take lightly. Why? Because your email address is your handle, your logon to most sites you depend on. Like your bank. Utilities. Amazon. Facebook. Etc. and etc. So, if your email account isn’t working, you might not be able to have access to any or all of your vital accounts!

But here, I’m sticking with your Apple Account, formerly known as your iCloud account. Sometimes it’s important (or necessary) to change the email address connected with your Apple Account. Sure, it’s a pain in the neck (or somewhere lower sometimes), but if you need to attach your Apple Account to a new (and better) email address, you should do this sooner rather than later.

So, in order to change the login to your Apple Account, you first have to log on to iCloud. There (unless you have saved your password in your browser), you’ll need your username (the email address you eventually want to expunge from your account) AND your iCloud password. (Or Touch ID if you have that enabled.) And quite possibly a second device logged in to your Apple Account OR the ability to receive a confirmation text. That way, you’ll satisfy that pesky two factor authentication process that Apple usually bullies you into accepting.

Once you’ve made it past security and into the site, you’ll see your avatar (or initials, if you haven’t added an avatar) in the upper right corner of the page.  Click on that, and one of the options will be “Manage Apple Account.” Click on that link, and you’ll be brought into a SIGN-IN AND SECURITY page. Once you’re there, you can add your new email address by clicking on the EMAIL & PHONE NUMBERS. Once you add it, you’ll naturally have to verify it by receiving an email from Apple.

Once it’s been verified, you can go back into the EMAIL & PHONE NUMBERS section and select that newly added email address as your “primary” email address. And yes, all your devices signed in with the old address will have to be signed out of and signed into again with the new primary address. Another pain, but what do you expect from these tech behemoths these days?

It’s the way of the world…

© 2025 Chris Capelle

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OK, here’s a question I get asked all the time: “How do I keep my files organized?”

Yes, I have the (correct) answer for you! Knowing where they reside (and how to access them) is paramount. BUT – first of all, there are a couple of things I need to clarify. We’re talking about the actual files that reside on your computer (and quite possibly on a cloud-based service as well, such as Dropbox, iCloud or Google Drive), NOT your email. The best rule is an oldie – “a place for everything, and everything in its place.” That quote is commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, but it appeared verbatim in “The Naughty Girl Won,” a story published in 1799.

But enough of the history lesson! The overall concept is to organize your digital files the same fashion you would organize your physical files – in a cabinet with folders inside. And yes, you can have folders within folders. (And folders within THOSE folders if you wish!)

Apple has done some of the heavy lifting for you – inside your “home folder” (the folder within “Users” that is usually named after you), there is a “Music” folder, a “Pictures” folder, etc. There is also a “Desktop” and “Documents” folder, BUT these may be located under “iCloud Drive” if you have enabled the “Drive” setting under iCloud in your Apple Account. This can be found by pulling down the apple (upper left corner of your screen) and selecting SYSTEM SETTINGS (or SYSTEM PREFERENCES on older versions of the macOS).

So – the “Documents” folder seems like the ideal place to store your files. Frist of all, you must create a folder that acts as your digital file cabinet. Now, that could be your “Documents” folder, or a folder within that folder. The one I created is named “2025,” as I update it every year. (And archive it, but that’s a blog post for another day – look for that one on January 1, 2026!)

Within my “2025” folder, I have subfolders that store my documents: These folders are named:

• Admin
• Finances
• Health & Wellness
• Home
• Insurance
• Recipes
• Websites
• Work

Among others.

I do have subfolders within these folders. For example, “Finances” has a subfolder named “Taxes,” and “Insurance” has subfolders named “Auto,” “Health” and “Homeowners.” All of this is helpful when I’m looking for a document quickly.

Well, it finally happened. Something I’ve warned about for years – Optimum, a major email provider for many living in the Fairfield County area, failed big time recently. Most users were unaffected, but some were able to receive mail but not send; some lost the ability to send AND receive. And Optimum’s help desk was quick to shift the blame to anybody else but itself, including Apple, Microsoft, and the end user, telling them to change the password and they’ll be fine. Bad optics for a company that most people already dislike strongly.

This issue certainly doesn’t affect everybody reading this but take it as a cautionary tale: Unless you have a stable email provider, you’re at the mercy of some less-than-stellar company not providing the service you expect.

And it’s not just Optimum; last week, a client using a Yahoo! email account had a 24-hour outage. (It was an @snet.net account, that was originally SNET, but taken over by AT&T and Yahoo, a domain passed around like a hot potato.) Do you REALLY want an email provider that discards its service on to another company?

I’m talking about the “loser” email providers – accounts started years ago, before any of us knew better. These include the aforementioned Optimum, Yahoo!, AOL, SNET, Hotmail (if that even still works), Netscape, Juno, etc. If you can’t get hold of them, then you should seriously phase off of them.

Yes, I understand that all sorts of things (like bank accounts, Amazon, and more) are dependent on your email account to log on; furthermore, a lot of these use that address for two factor authentication. Don’t concern yourself with untying the knot for those accounts – that’ll be a task for another day.

So – you should establish an email address from a reputable company – Google, Apple, or Proton Mail. Once you do that, consider transitioning your bank (and other) accounts one-at-a-time (see next month’s blog for more deets on that!). But for now, go into your current (a.k.a. loser) email’s dashboard (or control panel) and have the emails sent to that address FORWARDED to your new email address. Every email account has that feature – Optimum, Yahoo, AOL, etc., so take advantage of it! And say goodbye to substandard email providers!

Oh, and don’t lose your Gmail password. IT’S a big pain if you do!

www.chriscapelle.com

Here we go again! Another oft-asked question: What is the difference between backing up and syncing my data? How do I get it back in the even that things go totally wrong?

I’ve been doing this work for quite a while, and I’m pretty good at it. I’ve seen it all, including total no-warning computer crashes. Sometimes there are signs; sometimes, it comes as a complete shock. In fact, it’s happened to my computer. Twice. No Signs. One day, all good, the next, it’s boat anchor time.

So, when that happens, the first thing you think is “I hope my data is safe!” Is it? Well, all depends on how things were set up initially. Or modified upon the advice I gave you or from some other Apple expert. (Are you cheating on me?)

OK, here’s the story: There IS a difference between BACKING UP and SYNCING your data.

Syncing means your data is shared across multiple locations. For example, if you’re syncing your data, a change on one device (your desktop computer, for example) is reflected on your other devices (your laptop, perhaps). iCloud does this, as well as Google Drive and Dropbox.

Backing up, on the other hand, is a method of creating a copy of your data, which is important in the event that any files are lost or become corrupt.  This usually includes backing up locally to a hard drive attached to your computer, or less common, a network-attached storage (NAS), which is far less common, or using a backup service, such as Carbonite, Backblaze, or CrashPlan.

So – which road should you travel?
Answer: Both.

Both scenarios have their own pros and cons. Syncing, using a service like Apple’s iCloud, is excellent in the event your computer dies, and you need to restore your data to your new one. Services like Dropbox and Google Drive deliver the same end result. The same can be achieved with a backup (Apple’s Time Machine is a stellar way to back up your data). That way, if you want to go back to a version of a file from two weeks ago, it’s simple to restore. However, using Google Drive or Dropbox for restoring a previous version of a document is a little more dicey, so consider yourself warned!

But the question that begs to be asked: What do YOU do?

Both, actually. I use iCloud’s sync function to make sure the same versions of my documents are on both (desktop and laptop) computers of mine; I back up the desktop to ensure that I have a copy of not only my most recent data, but historical versions as well. Plus, a few times a year I make a copy of my entire drive and lock it in my safe. Better “safe” than sorry!

Here’s a question I hear all the time: Where’s my stuff?

In this case, your “stuff” refers to your files (documents and/or folders), some of which may be on your computer, while others may reside on servers that may be halfway around the globe. But let’s take it back to the beginning; your computer has an internal hard drive (storage), a piece of hardware that can hold your data, but has a finite capacity. This is where a lot of your bits and bytes on your computer are stored – including the system files that make the computer work, the application files, and yes, your data files. Maybe.

In most instances, your files reside somewhere on your hard drive, typically on your DESKTOP or within the DOCUMENTS folder, both of which are found within your HOME folder (or the iCloud folder, which is discussed below) *. So, the way the Mac is configured, your files are contained in one of those locations, either as a stand-alone document, or within a Russian doll of folders within folders. (Older versions of the Mac OS allowed users to create folders directly on the hard drive directory, but no more. However, if you’ve done that in the past, those folders are grandfathered in – still there and accessible, but you’re no longer able to create folders there.)

OK, now on to Apple’s iCloud: First of all, to avoid further confusion, understand that iCloud is a SERVICE. It has many functions, but its biggest one (and most important for this discussion) is that it syncs your data between devices. So, your contacts, photos, passwords, web history, and files can be accessible on any of your devices. You update a document on your laptop, and when you go to your desktop computer, the updated version is there. Plus, if one of your devices dies, you can simply log on to your iCloud account, and bang! Your files are all there! (This is assuming you’ve enabled this function when you configured your Mac!)

Of course, every company wants to host your files. The two big players in this space are Dropbox and Google Drive, but there are other lesser ones. These two are Coke and Pepsi – pretty much the same thing, but different brand names, and people are generally a fan of one over the other. These services allow you to sync your data to a cloud-based server and are built more for interaction with others than iCloud is.

There are options in both platforms to hold your files in the cloud (and off your hard drive) until you choose to download any or all of them, great for situations where you have too much data and too little hard drive. And similar to iCloud, there is a free option (with limited storage) and paid tiers that can provide you massive terabytes of space. Documents in Google Drive and Dropbox may (or may not) be synced to your hard drive – that all depends on how you configure your settings within the service.

Understand the above three services (iCloud, Dropbox, and Google Drive) allow you to save any type of file; some services allow only same-brand documents to be saved, such as Microsoft’s OneDrive (Microsoft Office documents only), and Adobe’s Creative Cloud Storage, which provides storage for the files created in Adobe. (Yes, there are ways to save all types of files to these services, but why bother?)

*  What I describe below covers 98% of situations. Occasionally, there are some exceptions to these rules!

Here’s (another) question I’m asked all the time: When is it time for me to get a new computer? (Or iPhone, iPad, printer, etc.)

My first answer: Most people don’t like change, and some of them get too attached to something that works, and they don’t want to get another device that might be different. Years ago, nobody would’ve thought that one day in the not-too-distant future people would be paying hundreds of dollars for a phone, have multiple computers in the household, or even ditching cable television in favor of streaming services.

But to quote Bob Dylan, the times they are a-changin’, and that trend seems to grow stronger as time marches on. (There are driverless cars cruising around California as you read this, but that’s a story for another day!)  What I’m saying here is that what’s once was considered “cutting edge” is now in the dustbin, and today there are newer, bigger, faster, sexier, and better versions of the same product available. But back to the question at hand: When exactly is the best time to decide it’s the optimal time to go out with the old and in with the new?

OK, first thing to remember is that computers (and other tech products) are generally considered “depreciating assets,” which means (among other things) that unlike vintage guitars, certain wines, and some art, they are less valuable as time passes. So – having said that, the iMac you bought in 2010 for $1199 will probably sell for about $60 today. If you’re lucky. And since Apple generally gives seven years of life to its Mac line, you should be (in theory, anyway) on your third new computer if you bought in 2010.

But most importantly – when is the time to replace your computer?

My answer (and I’m NOT being a wise guy!): When it’s time.

And what is that time, you may ask? Think of it the same way you buy a car. As long as it works and gets the job done, you should probably keep it. But once it starts getting hot, freezes up a lot, the battery won’t hold a charge (if it’s a laptop), not able to connect to certain websites (and the OS can’t get upgraded), that could be the time. You can certainly tempt fate and keep your old Mac running, with a “fight ‘em ‘til you can’t” attitude, and that’s great. I see plenty of older Macs way past their expiration date, working fine day after day.  

So, you’re surfing the web, minding your own business, and suddenly a scary warning (like those to the left) takes over your entire screen. WTF? You start asking questions like:

• “How did this happen?”
•  “Is this legitimate?”
•  “Do I have a virus?”
•  “How do I get rid of this?”
•  “Should I call the number on the screen?”
• Etc.

The worst part – there doesn’t seem to be any way to force this thing to go away, all while it’s blurting its hideous warning.

OK, let’s start with the important part – what is it?

Simply put: Scam. It’s a web page you stumbled onto by accident. Perhaps you clicked on a link that looked legitimate or could’ve been caused by misspelling a word when typing it into the browser. (Could be Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or whatever web browser you were using.) So, it’s simply a webpage. The point is to get you to call the number displayed – and the end game is either to sell you services you don’t need (bad) or get your credit card or other financial information (worse).

So, what do you do when this happens?

Start by muting the volume of the computer (hit the F10 key in the top row on your keyboard). It’s hard to think clearly when your computer is making all sorts of noises, and that’s what the scammer wants – to frighten you and quickly resolve the issue. Don’t worry – it’s not a virus! And NEVER call the number!

You’ll notice that you can’t always easily quit the application, as it has gone into “full screen” mode and the Command-Q key (to quit the application) doesn’t always work in this situation.

Then it’s time to “force quit” the application that is causing the grief. Quickest way: Press the COMMAND key and then the TAB key. (You can do that with your left hand.) Doing that will let you scroll between all the applications that are open on your Mac. Land on the FINDER (the blue smiling face), and once you’re there, pull down on the apple (upper left corner of the screen) and select FORCE QUIT.

You’re almost home! Find your web browser in the list (most likely Google Chrome, Safari, or Firefox), highlight it, and smash the FORCE QUIT button in the lower right corner of the window. Whew!

I don’t know exactly what it is (perhaps somebody out there can tell me!), but last month (February 2025) seemed to be a high-water mark of scammers calling, texting, or emailing clients. (And me as well!) Now are these grifters proliferating because they need the business, or because they’ve found a formula that works? Again, the great unknown. 

Although the fine points of each hoax varies, there IS one thing they all have in common; they play upon your emotions with scare tactics. You’re going to lose your data! You’ll be locked out of your bank! You just paid for a laptop that’s being shipped somewhere far away! On and on it goes. 

Now how do these scams meet your eyeballs?

Email: The most common method. You’ll get an email alerting you to some impending doom.

Webpage: Once in a while, you’ll stumble onto a webpage that will set off alarm bells (literally) and claim your data will be destroyed if you leave said webpage. 

Text: A text (from a sender NOT in your contacts list) will have you click a link or (less often), contain a PDF for you to open. 

Phone call: A caller from some “official” organization (Apple, Microsoft, Social Security, IRS, etc.) will claim there’s a problem with your account. This approach is diminishing, as either laws, phone company involvement, public awareness, or just plain oversaturation has killed this way of “doing business.”

So, let’s take a close look at these scams and see what common DNA they share. 

They come out of the blue: You’re sitting around, minding your own business, when suddenly someone (usually an important someone) alerts you to a problem you didn’t even know you had. 

There’s money involved: A large percentage of these involve some payment you’ve supposedly made, but in reality, you didn’t.

There is a sense of urgency: If you don’t respond in a timely manner, something terrible will happen – a vital service will be terminated, your credit card will be charged, your data will be lost, etc. 

You’re hectored multiple times in the same email to act (again, playing on your emotions): You’re warned of a dire outcome [CLICK HERE], life as you know it will never be the same [CLICK HERE], etc.

There are several tells in these scam emails:

Look for non-U.S. English use of numbers: For example, “+1” before a phone number (that’s an overseas thing), non-dollar currency symbols (￡699.33), or just plain sloppiness in the way things are presented (such as writing “PayPal” as “Paypal”) or using the currency symbol incorrectly (280.75$).

Also check the wording: See the MacOS Security Center example – Apple would NEVER call one of its computers a “PC!” Plus, note the space after the “t” in “Alert” and the “!”

Click on the sender’s email: Most of the time, it is NOT from the domain it claims it is. See PayPal example – a legitimate email from PayPal would NOT have a @gmail.com domain from the sender. (Though this can be spoofed, so don’t use this as your only litmus test!)

One good thing about Google: Even if you disagree with some (or all) of its policies, it IS good at keeping junk mail out of your inbox as well as keeping legitimate mail out of the junk mailbox. (See inbox example below.) One quick note; some of the emails reference popular providers (McAfee and Netflix, to name two) that I personally do not subscribe to. And I’ve never gambled at a casino. Not even one thin dime…

Good rule: If you ever need to log into ANY account, log in using your preferred web browser, NEVER from an email or text link!

As any Apple user can attest to, our friends in Cupertino certainly aren’t shy when it comes into hectoring us into using its cloud service, iCloud. A lot of users try to avoid it, but that’s about effective as emptying a swimming pool with a teacup. Even if you don’t use its features, most people, even the most tech-suspicious ones, eventually pull out the white flag and surrender to Tim Cook & Co.

It’s important to remember that iCloud is a SERVICE – a service that has a free option and a paid tier. In short, it allows you to sync data between your Apple (and even non-Apple) devices. That data includes photos, contacts, calendars, notes, email (if you use an @icloud account), and your data and files, along with a few other items. 

OK, now that we’ve established that iCloud is a SERVICE – what do we use it for? (Understand that all these are optional, not required!) For one thing, it backs up your data – so if you lose or replace your Apple device, you can log into iCloud and Bang! All your data that you elected to save comes right back into place*.  This includes:

Photos: iCloud allows you to back up your photos on the cloud, sync your photos between your devices, as well as share albums and view shared albums. 

Your data and files: The files in your Documents folder and on your desktop are backed up to the cloud and synced between your devices. 

Contacts, Calendar, and Notes: These items are backed up to the cloud and synced and shared between your devices, so you’re always up to date with the data. 

Email and Messages: Email (only if you’re using an @icloud account) and messages are also synced between devices.

iOS devices: By enabling a backup, you can easily restore your data on a new iPhone or iPad a device if you must replace it, whether for upgrade purposes, or for setting up a device to replace a lost or damaged one.

And there are more: Passwords, Safari bookmarks, Reminders, Stocks, Wallet, among others.

* Understand that these services must be enabled (by YOU) in advance in order to sync your data to the cloud.

Also understand there are some space limitations. Apple gives you a measly 5 GB of storage space for free (which is analogous to receiving a $25 gift card to Nordstrom. It’s nice, but you’re probably going to have to spend more). In the big picture, that’s not a lot – it’s. (Just for context, Google gives you three times the storage for free than Apple does.) 

Prices (as of January 2025) for upgrading your iCloud storage:

50 GB – 99¢/month

200 GB – $2.99/month

2 TB – $9.99/month

6 TB – $9.99/month

12 TB – $59.99/month