You can toggle Do Not Disturb on or off using the Option key, but you can also do a lot with other Menu bar widgets, too!
You may or may not already know that holding down the Option key while clicking the Notification Center icon on your Mac allows you to quickly turn on or off Do Not Disturb. But, did you know that the Option key unlocks a number of cool hidden tools in various Menu bar widgets?
Holding down the Option key while clicking on a Menu bar widget will call up additional information for a lot of apps, including some third-party apps.
- When you hold down the Option key and click on Wi-Fi, it shows additional information about your wireless network, like your IP and router address.
- When you hold down Option and click on Time Machine, you can verify your backups and browse other back up disks.
- When you hold down the Option key and click on Bluetooth, you’ll see additional information about the version and address of your Bluetooth connection. You can also create a diagnostic report.
- When you hold down the Option key and click the battery, you can see whether your battery’s health is in good condition or needs to be replaced.
- When you hold down the Option key and click on Notification Center, you can turn on or off Do Not Disturb.
Third party apps will sometimes include keyboard shortcuts, too. For example, when you hold down the Option key and click on the Fantastical Menu bar widget, it will automatically open a pop-out window of the full calendar app.
You can also hide or unhide an app in your Dock by holding down the Option key while clicking on it in your Dock.
You should definitely experiment with using the Option key while clicking on various apps and Menu bar widgets on your Mac. You never know what you’re going to find!