TinkerTool System

Try before Buy

TinkerTool System is electronically distributed software. You can download the application and look at it in your own time. Only if you like and want to keep it you will be charged for its usage.

Online Help

TinkerTool System comes with a detailed reference manual which can be used via the Mac OS X Help Viewer.

Native and Universal

TinkerTool System was developed for Mac OS X. It does not contain any legacy components from the previous Mac OS. Being a Universal application, you can use it without limitations on Macintosh systems with PPC or Intel processors.

The 4 TinkerTool products

TinkerTool Classic

TinkerTool Classic:
access to “pro” preferences in systems prior to 10.4

TinkerTool

TinkerTool:
access to “pro” preferences in 10.4 and later

TinkerTool System 1

TinkerTool System 1:
system utility optimized for Panther and Tiger

TinkerTool System Release 2

TinkerTool System Release 2: system utility optimized for Leopard and Snow Leopard

What is the difference between TinkerTool and TinkerTool System?

Both applications share the same user interface and internal technology. However, the features and target group of the two applications are very different: TinkerTool is a utility that allows you to set personal preference settings Apple has built into Mac OS X. TinkerTool is not capable of changing any system settings or other settings that may affect more than your private user account. For this reason, you don't need administrative permission to use TinkerTool. The tool can be used in professional networks where you have limited access, for example students working with the campus network.

TinkerTool System on the other hand is directed to system administrators, consultants or experienced users that need to change and optimize operating system settings. This will affect all users that share a computer. Only user accounts with administrative permission can use TinkerTool System, Mac OS X does not allow access by standard users.

The tools do not share any duplicate settings or features, they complement one another. To have the full feature set you'll need both applications. It is not planned to offer the system tool in other languages than English and German.

Because TinkerTool System can be used (or misused) to change important operating system settings, we expect many support requests and technical questions. To guarantee this necessary support, TinkerTool System cannot be distributed for free.

 

TinkerTool System 1

TinkerTool System is fully compliant with Apple's security guidelines for Mac OS X. It does not need an installer and does not require special system packages to be installed. To launch the tool, no administrator password is needed.

TinkerTool System 1 is a legacy product, targeted mainly to users of Mac OS X Panther and Tiger. It is fully compatible with Mac OS X Leopard. However, if you are using Mac OS X Leopard or later, TinkerTool System Release 2 is recommended.

The features marked with an asterisk (*) below are available without any restrictions even if TinkerTool System runs in demo mode.

Features