---
tags:
  - macOS
  - Tahoe
  - shortcuts
  - automator
  - automation
  - productivity
title: Workflow Automation with Shortcuts and Automator on macOS Tahoe
---

# Workflow Automation with Shortcuts and Automator on macOS Tahoe

macOS Tahoe provides two powerful, user-friendly visual tools for automation: **Shortcuts** and **Automator**. These apps allow you to create complex workflows without writing any code.

## Shortcuts

Shortcuts is the modern automation app for macOS, shared with iOS and iPadOS. It allows you to chain together actions from various apps to create custom workflows.

### Creating a Basic Shortcut

1.  Open the **Shortcuts** app.
2.  Click the **+** button in the toolbar to create a new shortcut.
3.  **Search for Actions**: In the right sidebar, search for actions like "Resize Image" or "Send Message".
4.  **Drag and Drop**: Drag actions into the main editor area and arrange them in logical order.
    *   *Example Workflow*:
        1.  *Get Files from Folder*
        2.  *Resize Image* to 1280px wide
        3.  *Save File* to a different folder
5.  Click the **Play** button to test it.

### Running Shortcuts

You can run shortcuts from many places:
*   The Shortcuts app itself.
*   The Menu Bar (if you pin the shortcut).
*   Spotlight Search (just type the shortcut's name).
*   Siri ("Hey Siri, run [Shortcut Name]").
*   The Services menu (Right-click on a file > Quick Actions).

## Automator

Automator is the legacy automation tool. While Shortcuts is replacing it for most user-facing tasks, Automator remains superior for certain system-level triggers, especially **Folder Actions**.

### Creating a Folder Action

A Folder Action runs a workflow automatically whenever a file is added to a specific folder. This is perfect for tasks like automatically converting images or organizing downloads.

1.  Open **Automator** (in the Applications folder).
2.  Choose **Folder Action** as the document type.
3.  At the top, select the folder you want to watch (e.g., your Downloads folder).
4.  **Add Actions**: Drag actions from the library on the left.
    *   *Example*: "Scale Images" to 50% size.
5.  **Save** the workflow. It becomes active immediately.

### Application Workflows (Droplets)

You can also create standalone "Applications" that act as droplets.
1.  Choose **Application** as the document type in Automator.
2.  Add actions (e.g., "New PDF from Images").
3.  Save it to your Desktop. Now you can drag a group of image files directly onto this new app icon, and it will instantly process them.

## Related Guides
*   [Terminal Basics and Zsh Customization on macOS Tahoe](terminal-zsh.md)
*   [Master Guide to macOS Tahoe](macos-tahoe-master-guide.md)