TinkerTool System 8 is a collection of system utilities assisting you in performing advanced administration tasks on Apple Macintosh computers. All functions can be controlled from one single program which acts as general toolbox and First Aid assistant. This includes
TinkerTool System knows macOS very well. It makes use of a self-adapting user interface which automatically adjusts to the computer model and to the version of macOS you are running. All options available in the current situation are accessible via “panes,” very similar to the techniques you already know from the System Settings application.
In the remainder of this manual, we will use the designation “TinkerTool System” for simplicity, omitting the “8.” However, there are in fact seven different product generations with slightly different application names.
These variants constitute completely separate product lines with different licenses, registrations, and icons.
TinkerTool System is a “real” macOS application and does not make use of unsafe scripting mechanisms. The program follows Apple’s latest security guidelines for macOS. The graphical user interface is strictly separated from the operational core which is capable of performing privileged system operations. This core is monitored by macOS’s security subsystem which is responsible for permitting or denying each single operation and to ask the user for authentication if necessary. TinkerTool System itself never asks for user passwords, making sure that your credentials cannot be intercepted by malicious user programs.
When resolving typical system problems, TinkerTool System attempts to follow Apple’s official support guidelines. This does not mean that TinkerTool System will execute a certain troubleshooting procedure word by word. For example, the program will not simulate the entry of terminal commands if Apple lists them in step-by-step troubleshooting instructions. However, TinkerTool System will execute direct internal commands which will have the exact same effects. Users can click a special help button in TinkerTool System to check whether Apple offers official documents about certain system problems in their database. If such documentation is available, the user can click one or more Internet links to open up-to-the-minute information about the problem in question.
The features of TinkerTool System are divided into four separate areas:
If you are using the sister application TinkerTool in addition to TinkerTool System, you will be free to integrate the panes of TinkerTool directly into the control window of TinkerTool System. This way you can have the functionality of both applications under one single roof and you no longer need to start the two programs separately. (Both applications must remain present for this to work, however.) TinkerTool’s panes will also appear in the section User Settings.
To use TinkerTool System 8, you need an Apple computer which has one of the following operating systems installed:
It is recommended to update macOS to the latest version which is available from Apple. This can be done using the Automatic Updates feature of the operating system.
TinkerTool System cannot be used with user accounts that have an empty password. Modern versions of macOS consider this a configuration error and won’t allow such users access to privileged parts of the operating system.