Ultimate Guide to the Shortcuts App (for the Mac)!

About this video

Jeff Su gives a beginner guide to Apple’s Shortcuts app on Mac, where a shortcut is a series of actions triggered by a single button, with pre-built options available from the Gallery. He covers four ways to run shortcuts: from the Menu bar after choosing Pin in Menu bar in a shortcut’s Preferences, via Spotlight by typing its name, via Finder Quick Actions for suitable shortcuts like Make GIF, and via Alfred for paid users with a workflow installed from GitHub. In Preferences he recommends keeping only Quick Actions and Menu bar in the Sidebar and turning on Allow Running Scripts under Advanced. He then demos downloadable shortcuts: Hide Desktop Clutter as an alternative to a paid app like One Switch or a Terminal command; his own Focus shortcut that turns on Work Focus Mode, sets volume to 30% and brightness to 100%, and hides all apps except Google Chrome, Notion, and Spotify, paired with a Chill shortcut that reverses it at 75% volume and 85% brightness; Network Tool for Wi-Fi info, IP address, and a speed test via fast.com; Count Characters that reads the clipboard for marketers and creators; Search On for searching platforms like the Pixel 7 Pro example; and Empty Downloads Folder, which can be duplicated to clear the Desktop instead. He builds a Split Screen 2 Apps shortcut, adds Hide App first, renames it 2 App Focus, and explains sharing via Copy iCloud Link, fixing import issues by opening the link from the Notes app, and a Calm Notifications timer tip for Alfred users.

Key takeaways

Run shortcuts four ways: Menu bar, Spotlight, Finder Quick Actions, or Alfred — and enable Allow Running Scripts in Preferences first
Use Focus/Chill pairs to automate Focus Mode, volume, brightness, and which apps stay visible for work vs. downtime
Grab utility shortcuts for everyday friction: Hide Desktop Clutter, Network Tool for IP/speed tests, Count Characters, and Empty Downloads Folder
Build by modifying Gallery shortcuts — e.g. add Hide App before Split Screen 2 Apps — and customize steps via Show More
Share shortcuts with an iCloud link; if import fails, open the link from the Notes app with Shortcuts already open

Episode details: published October 4, 2022 · 8:02 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Jeff Su’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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