Labels and Productivity are the perfect union made in heaven. And I’m so glad and thrilled that it’s finally coming to Mac with macOS Monterey. And you’re familiar with some great built-in shortcuts, from adding batch reminders to converting voice to text. I’ve shared some of the best Siri shortcuts for macOS shortcuts app, but first, let’s find out where to find them.
How do I get these shortcuts from the Mac shortcuts app?
Even though Macs are late to the party, they come with a rich library of handy, productive, and fun Siri shortcuts. And the shortcuts mentioned below are within search distance.
Open the Shortcuts app → select Gallery from the sidebar → type or copy and paste the shortcut name into the search bar → add the shortcut to your library.
Note : Next to each label, I’ve added a note or idea on how you can customize it to your liking. It’s pretty straightforward, but if you run into any problems, check out this complete guide to using the Shortcuts app on macOS Monterey for more information.
- Split Screen 2 Apps
- Stop distractions
- Batch add reminders
- Start my next meeting
- Reflect on the day
- Google search list
- Block the hour
- Reading mode
- View the most popular news
- Remind me at home
- Sort Rows
- Find GIPHY and share
- Dictate and Share
- Create a new weekly playlist
- What did they say
1. Split Screen Apps 2: Best MacOS shortcut for multitasking.
I know it takes about five seconds to create a split screen on a Mac. But if you are a person like me who cannot survive without looking side by side, this label is given by God.
It instantly brings up a split screen of two selected apps. Interestingly, macOS Monterey also offers several split screen presets; search for your query in the Gallery to find them.
Personalization – you can change the selected applications and even the aspect ratio of the screen (click “Show more”) in the editor window.
2. Don’t Get Distracted: The Best MacOS Shortcut To Increase Productivity
As their name suggests, shortcuts help you focus on the job at hand. It turns on focus mode and closes all other distracting apps except the ones you’re working on.
However, the shortcut only allows one application to be left open. But thanks to my inquisitive nature, I found a workaround.
Personalize – In the editor window, tap the application name after “Except” and select “Ask every time.” When you launch the shortcut, it will open a list of applications for you; check the ones you want to keep open.
3. Batch add reminders: great for creating lists.
Nested reminders are a godsend, especially if you want to make a to-do or shopping list. And this shortcut makes this feature even easier to use.
The shortcut allows you to add multiple reminders at once. Just copy / paste or enter a few lines of text; each line will be added as a separate reminder as shown in the screenshot below.
Personalization – the label does not set an alert; you can make changes in the shortcut editor window or in the Reminders application.
4. Start my next meeting: a must for Zoom lovers.
The shortcut is designed to help you set up your next virtual meeting. It scans your calendar for an upcoming meeting and automatically connects the call at the right time.
In addition, he creates a new note in the Notes application with the meeting details (mentioned in the event) and turns on Do Not Disturb for the duration of the meeting.
Personalization – The shortcut does not set an alert. You can make changes in the editor window or in the reminder application.
5. Think about the day: The best macOS shortcut for logging.
Like a good diary app, the shortcut asks you five questions regarding your mood, today’s accomplishments, and plans for the next day. And that is not all!
The responses are recorded in the Notes application for you to review later. Plus, it turns your goals for the next day into reminders to help you work in a healthier way.
Personalization – It’s smart to edit the layout of the note so it is separate from your other work, well organized and secure.
6. Google Search List: A macOS shortcut everyone will love
Whatever you do, Google search is undoubtedly part of your workflow. And when you need to do multiple searches, this shortcut can save you time and energy.
When you enter a list of search terms into a shortcut, it treats each line as a query and opens multiple Google tabs in Safari with separate search results.
Personalization – If you want to switch your search engine, edit the encoding and change the google url to the one you want.
7. Block the hour: the best macOS shortcut for busy bees.
Quickly create an event in the Calendar app and set aside an hour for personal or professional tasks. Just ask Siri to launch shortcuts and choose a date and time.
Since the Mac doesn’t have a built-in timer like the iPhone, this shortcut can be a great replacement for it. In addition to professional activities, I sometimes set reminders for breaks this way.
Personalization – depending on your preference, you can change the default one hour time and make sure the alerts are active.
8. Reading Mode: Great shortcut for bookworms.
When launched, the shortcut turns on Do Not Disturb mode, turns on dark mode, plays the selected playlist, and opens the preferred reading application. What more could the reader want?
It is noteworthy that he asks how many minutes you want to devote to reading. Once this is over, it turns off the Do Not Disturb mode. The only problem is that it doesn’t automatically switch to light mode.
Personalization – If you don’t like background music or dark mode, remove them from your shortcut code and add your preferred options.
9. Top News Review: The best macOS shortcut for news lovers.
Do you like browsing multiple news sources to keep up to date? Then you’ll love it. It receives RSS feeds from CNN, BBC, NPR, New York Times, or Techmeme.
When launched, the shortcut will ask you to select a news source; then it will show you the 10 most popular titles from the platform. You can choose one or more articles to open in Safari tabs.
Personalization – You can increase or decrease the number of titles displayed and change their sort order.
10. Remind me at home: a blessing for the forgetful.
Do you often forget important things during a long trip from home or office? Do not worry! In the Shortcuts app, you are sorted with a location-based reminder.
Add your task list to the shortcut and it will remind you of them when you get home. Specifically, you can use two shortcut options: Remind me at home and Remind me at work.
Personalization – you can change the radius and priority of the reminder. If you’re planning on using a shortcut on your iPhone / iPad, this might be a good setup.
11. Sort Lines: A handy shortcut for macOS for everyone.
While this is a rough task, sometimes sorting a list of names or things alphabetically can be tricky. The Sort Lines label simplifies work, saving time and energy.
Just enter the text you want to sort, and once you hit Done, you’re done. But it is annoying to me that you cannot copy the specified text. This kind of goes against the goal, so I have a workaround.
Personalization – in the editor window, delete the last action and add the action “Copy to clipboard” or “Create note” instead, tada! The problem has been solved.
12. Search for GIPHY and share: for GIF lovers.
The name speaks for itself! With this Siri shortcut, you can find the GIF you want without opening your browser or subsequent website. Also, share it via email, iMessage, etc. in the shortcut itself.
Notably, it may take a while for the shortcut to download all the GIFs and open the selected one in the preview, depending on your internet connection.
Personalization – why stop at one GIF? In the shortcut editor window, click Show More and select Multiple to select and share more than one GIF.
13. Dictate and Share: The best shortcut for macOS to convert voice to text.
You can type quickly, but sometimes you feel lazy, or your hand is busy or hurting, or something like that; dictation can be a handy tool at times like this, and this shortcut is a testament to that.
It converts your speech in real time and allows you to exchange text via mail, message, notes and a reminder app. The Shortcuts app also offers another option, Dictate to Clipboard, which copies your words to the universal clipboard.
Personalization – By default, dictation stops when you pause, which is rather inconvenient. So, go to the editor window, click “Show more when dictating text” and select “On click”.
14. Create New Weekly Playlist – Best MacOS Shortcut For Audiophiles
This Siri shortcut is made for Apple Music users who love to discover new music and fresh playlists. Every Monday he will present you with a new playlist, ensuring that the blues won’t be heard.
But if you don’t feel like experimenting and sticking to your favorite tunes, try the Auto Playlist or Top 25 Playlist shortcuts from the shortcut gallery.
Personalization – There isn’t much to change in the code of the shortcuts, although I recommend you rename the shortcut as it is quite cumbersome.
15. What did they say? Awesome shortcut to find lyrics.
Can’t catch the lyrics in the background or via YouTube? Instead of asking your friends, coworkers, or Google, ask Shazam and get an answer quickly.
However, it will simply show you the snippet of lyrics that is currently playing, not the entire song. So, this is a great option for confirming certain parts; for full text go to Apple Music or Spotify.
Personalize – After finding lyrics, if you want to add a song to a playlist or play queue, search for and choose Add to Next or Playlist.
Well, these are some of my all-time favorite Siri shortcuts for macOS Monterey. Remarkably, they are just the tip of the iceberg. With a built-in gallery, automation support, and third-party gems, there is a great, time-saving shortcut for everyone and almost every task.
Add keyboard shortcuts, trackpad gestures, macros, and the all-new focus mode to your Mac, and you have an efficient, efficient, and smooth workflow at your fingertips.
