{"id":33484,"date":"2025-04-03T07:57:35","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T14:57:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/?p=33484"},"modified":"2025-04-06T17:39:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-07T00:39:05","slug":"hidden-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.podfeet.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/hidden-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Hidden Applications on your Mac You Probably Don’t Need to Know About"},"content":{"rendered":"

Did you know there are 12 built-in macOS applications that are not in your normal Applications folder? Some of them are quite arcane and really should be hidden from us so we don’t worry our pretty little heads about them, but some are apps you launch without even realizing they don’t live in the normal Applications folder.<\/p>\n

These applications are hidden in \/System\/Library\/CoreServices\/Applications<\/code>. If you want to see them, the easiest way to get there is to open Finder, and in the Go menu select “Go to Folder…” and plop that path right in there.<\/p>\n

I thought it would be fun to walk through these 12 applications and see if we find hidden gems or applications we really don’t need.<\/p>\n

Twelve Hidden Apps<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About This Mac<\/h2>\n

Every time you go to the Apple logo and select “About This Mac”, you’re launching the first of these hidden applications. Opening About This Mac from the hidden Applications folder isn’t easier than launching it from the Apple logo, but it does tell you that you can launch it using Spotlight instead. I never thought of it as an application until I discovered it in this hidden folder.<\/p>\n

\"About
About This Mac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Archive Utility<\/h2>\n

If you right-click on a file, selection of files, or a folder in Finder, one of the options you’ll see is “Compress”. If selected, this will create a zipped version of the selected item or items. Have you ever wondered what app is performing this function? Or have you wished for more options on how to compress the files?<\/p>\n

Enter Archive Utility in the hidden Applications folder. When you launch Archive Utility, pretty much nothing will appear to happen other than the name appearing in the upper left of the menu bar to show you it’s running. But under the File menu, you’ll see the option to create a new archive or expand an existing archive.<\/p>\n

To find out what else Archive Utility can do, open Settings for the app. You can change where expanded files and archives get saved, and modify what to do with the archive after you expand it including leaving it alone, tossing it in the trash, or moving it somewhere else. By default, the archive format is a compressed archive, which creates a .cgzp archive. That’s a zipped version of a regular archive in .cpio format. You can also choose a zip archive, Apple Archive, or Apple Encrypted Archive.<\/p>\n

\"Archive
Archive Utility Has Lots of Options<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One oddity I discovered is that if you create a compressed archive using Archive Utility, and then go to File \u2192 Expand Archive, Archive Utility will not recognize the file type .cgpz, even though it literally just created it. It’s not a problem, though, because a simple double-click on the compressed archive will cause Archive Utility to expand it. You can also right-click on the .cgpz archive and choose Open With Archive Utility and it will also expand.<\/p>\n

There are third-party tools to create and expand archives but it’s good to know you’ve already got one built into your macOS system.<\/p>\n

Desk View App<\/h2>\n

You probably know that with recent versions of macOS and iOS, you can use your iPhone as a webcam for your Mac. To enable the phone to be discovered as a camera, go into Settings \u2192 General \u2192 AirPlay & Continuity and then toggle on Continuity Camera. By the way, I had to ask Claude AI where Apple hid that toggle in System Settings.<\/p>\n

Once you have Continuity Camera enabled, and you\u2019re in a video conference app such as Zoom or StreamYard, one of the options under camera selection will be your iPhone\u2019s camera. Additionally, you\u2019ll see the Desk View Camera option for your iPhone. I really call this option \u201cBelly View Camera\u201d because it looks down and way out and away from the camera right into my lap. Apple uses computational photography with the ultra-wide lens to create the two views. With image processing, it removes distortion to create what looks like a top-down view even though the camera is viewing your desk (or lap) at an angle.<\/p>\n

\"Zoom
Desk View Camera from Continuity Camera in Zoom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In this hidden Applications folder we\u2019ve been talking about, you can find the standalone application called Desk View. When launched, your Continuity Camera-enabled iPhone will turn on the camera and give you instructions on how to set up Desk View:<\/p>\n