Here are some examples of how I use QuickLook. I often have a Word or Excel file which I need to reference. I don’t need to make a change to the document I just want to read some information from it or remind myself of some details. Rather than double-clicking the file and wait for Word or Excel to open, I simply use QuickLook. When I’m cleaning up my Desktop, I’ll often select multiple files at once by Command-Clicking on them and then I invoke QuickLook. QuickLook lets me view each file one by one so I can see their contents and determine where they should be filed or if I can put them in the Trash. I should mention that not every type of file can be viewed with QuickLook but the most common file types can such as .doc, xls, .pdf, .mp3, .jpg and many others. As developers update their applications they can add support for QuickLook so overtime more file types will be supported.

Here’s a list of features in Apple’s Mail application which I use regularly and people appreciate when I point them out.

1. Connection Doctor – Go to the Window menu and select Connection Doctor. A small separate window will appear. It quickly tests all of your incoming and outgoing connections to your mail servers. After a few seconds you should see green dots to the left of each item listed. If you see yellow or red dots then there’s a problem. If you’re having problem sending or receiving email then open Connection Doctor. It might give you some information that helps you to figure out where the problem is. If you see green dots next to all items and you still can’t send a particular email message then it’s time to look for typos on the recipient’s email address.

2. Send Again – To use this feature just click on a message in your Sent mail folder or any other mail folder, for that matter and then select Send Again from the Message menu. I use this feature when I want to send the same email message to different people but I want to address the message individually to each of them. This feature is also handy if I send a message and immediately remember that I forgot to include a piece of information. I’ll select the message I just sent from the Sent folder and add the missing information at the top of the message.

3. Remove Attachments – To use this feature select one or multiple messages and then select Remove Attachments from the Message menu. One can use this feature to quickly stip email messages of all attachments while preserving the message itself. This is useful for housekeeping purposes. Most people don’t need to hold onto the attachments for messages that they sent since that document is typically saved elsewhere on your hard drive.

4. QuickLook – This feature requires that you have Mac OS X version 10.5 or 10.6 installed. As you may know, QuickLook is feature of the Finder. Click on a file in the Finder and press the Space Bar key. OS X will show you a quick preview of the contents of the document. QuickLook doesn’t work with every type of document but it works with the most common types of files such as jpeg images, PDF files and files made with Word, Excel, Pages and Numbers. Apple built QuickLook into Mail. If you have an email message with an attachment look for the QuickLook button near the Attachments line of the email’s header information. It’s just a quick way to look at the attachment.