Welcome2Mac: The Apple Remote

Welcome2Mac is The MacTipper Blog's weekly tip where all the people new to Apple's latest operating system can get Mac tips to help them better use Mac OS X.

This week we'll be taking a look at using the Apple Remote with your Mac.


If you don't want to use your Apple Remote at all, you can disable it in System Preferences. Just go to the Security preference pane and check the box for "Disable remote control infrared receiver".

If you decide to leave your infrared port listening, I would suggest pairing it with your remote. To do this, point the remote at your Mac's infrared port and hold the Menu and Next buttons. A graphic will appear on screen letting you know that your remote is paired with your computer.

If you want to unpair your remote, go to System Preferences > Security and select the unpair option.

Naturally, you can control iTunes with the remote. However, you can also control QuickTime, DVD Player, Keynote, and iPhoto using the remote.

If you want to actually control your computer, you can hold the Play button for several seconds to put your Mac to sleep. In addition, when booting your Mac, holding the menu button will bring up the boot device dialog (as if you held the option key) at which point you can choose the device using the previous/next/play buttons.

You can test if your remote is working by opening Photo Booth, pointing the remote at the iSight camera, and holding a button. You will see a blinking light from behind the black plastic.

Finally, if you want more control over your Mac, you can use iRed Lite to run Applescript's, control your mouse, and more.