Seven Awesome Unsung Features in OS X Mountain Lion

Seven Awesome Unsung Features in OS X Mountain Lion

Apple has done a great job telling about Mountain Lion’s big new features – but what about the little things? Mountain Lion also has some great new features that haven’t been emphasized, fully explained, or widely trumped. Following in the tradition we started last year with OS X Lion, we’ve decided to pick a few and give them the attention they deserve.

The Return of “Save As…”

I was very dissapointed when Apple removed the “Save as…” command system-wide in OS X Lion. I used the command frequently, and having it largely missing (there are a few tricks that sort of duplicated it) was a real sore spot.

Fortunately, Apple has brought back the command in Mountain Lion – although not quite as you remember it. Instead of permanently adding the command back into the menu bar, Apple has re-enabled the command through a new keyboard shortcut: Command-Shift-Option-S.

You can also hold down Option in the File menu, and Save As is available as menu item.

Mac App Store Improvements

The Mac App Store has gotten a lot of improvements in Mountain Lion. But my favorite improvement is that system updates are now integrated. Choosing the Software Update option in the menu bar now brings you to the Mac App Store, allowing you to download both Mac App Store updates and system updates at the same time.

Rename, Duplicate, or Move Documents From The Title Bar 

This one’s just plain awesome. You can now rename a document without ever leaving the app! Just tap the filename in the title bar, and choose Rename in the drop-down menu. You can also rename or move documents from the title bar using the same method.

Dashboard Widgets

Apple hasn’t forgotten about Dashboard – one of OS X’s oldest features in Mountain Lion (and one which I still use on a daily basis). Dashboard now includes a new Widget browser, as well as a search field that you can use to find widgets. Apple has also added one-click install for adding new widgets.

Notes and Reminders

Some of Mountain Lion’s new features are borrowed from iOS, such as Notes and Reminders. Mountain Lion now includes Notes and Reminders apps from the very beginning, and automatically syncs information between the Mac and iOS versions using iCloud.

I’m not too excited about the Reminders – but being able to more easily read and edit notes that I create on my iPhone or iPad (without having to go into the Mail app) is an absolute win for me.

Backup to Multiple Locations With Time Machine

While Time Machine allowed you to select multiple backup locations before (if you knew how to set it up), Mountain Lion now streamlines the process of backing up your data to multiple hard drives, and manages the process in an automatic, worry free way!

Backing up to multiple locations a good practice in case one of your drives fails, or in case of a disaster – and the ability to easily handle this directly in Mountain Lion is extremely welcome. To set it up, just add multiple target disks using the Time Machine preference pane.

Add Twitter to Your Contacts with One Button

This is another one of Mountain Lion’s coolest features in my book. Once you’ve linked your Twitter account to Mountain Lion using the “Mail, Contacts & Calendars” preference pane, just click on the Update Contacts button, and Mountain Lion will automatically update your Address Book contacts with their Twitter handles!

You can also view recent tweets from your contacts directly within Address Book once their handle has been linked.

Have you found any other cool lesser-known features in Mountain Lion? Is there something we missed? Let us know by sounding off in the comments!

Make sure to check out our full Mountain Lion coverage for all of the latest updates, or check our Mountain Lion U category to see all of the latest Mountain Lion features, tips, tricks, and tutorials!