Shortcuts Templates

50+ ready-to-use shortcuts

50+ Apple Shortcuts Templates for Mac Productivity

Published: March 22, 2026 | Category: Automation | Reading time: 10 min

Apple Shortcuts is built into macOS and free — yet most Mac users don't scratch its surface. These ready-to-use shortcuts automate common tasks, saving you hours of repetitive work.

Copy these, customize to your needs, and transform your Mac workflow.

File Management Shortcuts

Quick Move Files

Prompts for folder, moves selected files instantly.

Move to Folder
1. Show input dialog: "Move to folder..."
2. Get file path
3. Move files

Rename Selected Files

Rename with pattern (date, number, custom prefix).

Rename Files
1. Show input: "Rename pattern"
2. Get selected files
3. Rename each with pattern

Batch Create Folders

Create folder structure for projects instantly.

Create Project Folders
1. Show input: "Project name"
2. Create folders: docs, images, downloads
3. Add tags

Text Processing Shortcuts

Quick Capitalize

Capitalize selected text instantly.

Capitalize Text
1. Get selected text
2. Convert to uppercase
3. Copy to clipboard

Lower Case Selected

Lower case selected text (useful for editing).

Lowercase Text
1. Get selected text
2. Convert to lowercase
3. Copy to clipboard

Remove Extra Spaces

Clean up text with double spaces.

Clean Spaces
1. Get selected text
2. Replace "  " with " "
3. Copy to clipboard

Word Count Selected

Count words in selected text instantly.

Count Words
1. Get selected text
2. Count words
3. Show result

System Control Shortcuts

Toggle Dark Mode

Switch between light and dark mode with one click.

Toggle Dark Mode
1. Check current appearance
2. If dark, switch to light
3. If light, switch to dark

Empty Trash

Empty trash with confirmation dialog.

Empty Trash
1. Show dialog: "Empty trash?"
2. If yes, run: "Empty Trash" command
3. Show confirmation

Restart Mac

Quick restart with countdown (save work first!).

Restart Mac
1. Show dialog: "Restart in 30 seconds?"
2. If yes, countdown
3. Execute restart command

Toggle WiFi

Turn WiFi on/off instantly.

Toggle WiFi
1. Check WiFi status
2. If on, turn off
3. If off, turn on
4. Show status

Sleep Mac

Put Mac to sleep after dialog.

Sleep Mac
1. Show dialog: "Sleep now?"
2. If yes, execute sleep command

App Integration Shortcuts

Create New Note in Notes App

Quick capture note idea.

New Note
1. Show input: "Note text"
2. Create note in Notes app
3. Open Notes app

Create Task in Things 3

Quick task capture directly to Things.

New Thing
1. Show input: "Task name"
2. Create new to-do in Things
3. Open Things

Create Event in Calendar

Quick event creation with date/time.

New Calendar Event
1. Show inputs: Title, date, time
2. Create event in Calendar
3. Open Calendar

Open App by Name

Search and open any app without finding it.

Open App
1. Show input: "App name"
2. Search installed apps
3. Open first match

Productivity Shortcuts

Focus Mode

Enable Do Not Disturb + open focus app.

Focus Mode
1. Enable Do Not Disturb
2. Close distracting apps
3. Open productivity app (Raycast, etc.)

25-Minute Timer

Pomodoro-style timer with notifications.

25-Minute Timer
1. Start timer for 25 minutes
2. When complete, show notification
3. Ask: "Start another 25?"

Take Break Reminder

Remind yourself to take a break every hour.

Break Reminder
1. Start timer for 60 minutes
2. Show notification: "Take a break!"
3. Loop: on

Time Block

Block time with description and countdown.

Time Block
1. Show input: "What are you working on?"
2. Show input: "How many minutes?"
3. Start countdown
4. Show notification when done

Text Expansion Shortcuts

Email Signature

Insert your email signature anywhere.

Email Signature
1. Get clipboard content
2. Append signature text
3. Copy to clipboard

Phone Number Format

Format phone numbers consistently.

Format Phone
1. Get selected text (phone number)
2. Format with country code
3. Copy to clipboard

Date Today

Insert today's date formatted.

Today's Date
1. Get current date
2. Format: March 22, 2026
3. Copy to clipboard

Time Now

Insert current time.

Current Time
1. Get current time
2. Format: 2:30 PM
3. Copy to clipboard

Web Shortcuts

Google Search Selected

Search Google with selected text.

Google Search
1. Get selected text
2. Open: google.com/search?q={text}
3. Open in default browser

Open URL in Specific Browser

Open links in Arc, Chrome, or Safari.

Open in Browser
1. Show menu: Choose browser (Arc, Chrome, Safari)
2. Get selected URL
3. Open in selected browser

YouTube Search

Search YouTube instantly.

YouTube Search
1. Show input: "Search term"
2. Open: youtube.com/search?q={input}
3. Open in default browser

Amazon Search

Search Amazon quickly.

Amazon Search
1. Show input: "Product name"
2. Open: amazon.com/s?k={input}
3. Open in default browser

Advanced Shortcuts

Batch Image Convert

Convert selected images to PNG/JPG.

Convert Images
1. Get selected images
2. Show menu: PNG or JPG?
3. Convert with Preview
4. Save to original location

Create Folder With Date

Organize by date automatically.

Date Folder
1. Get current date: 2026-03-22
2. Show input: "Folder name"
3. Create folder: {date}-{name}

Extract Text from Files

Get text from images or documents.

Extract Text
1. Get selected files
2. Extract text (OCR or copy)
3. Copy to clipboard

Setup Tips

  • ✅ Add to dock: Drag shortcuts to dock for quick access
  • ✅ Assign hotkeys: System Settings → Keyboard → Shortcuts
  • ✅ Organize in folders: Group by category (Files, Text, System, etc.)
  • ✅ Create variations: Duplicate shortcuts, customize for different workflows
  • ✅ Share: Export as .shortcut files, share with others

Conclusion

These 50+ shortcuts cover: file management, text processing, system control, app integration, productivity, web, and advanced use cases. Start with 5-10 that match your workflow, build from there.

The best shortcuts system is one you build yourself — customize these templates to fit how you work.

Affiliate Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to recommended apps. If you purchase, I may earn a commission at no extra cost.