Shortcuts App Coming to Mac, Automator Will Remain Supported

During its announcement of macOS Monterey today at WWDC, Apple also revealed that the Shortcuts app is coming to macOS this year. The company said that a large library of pre-built shortcuts will be made just for the Mac.

image 1
Just like on iPhone and iPad devices, Shortcuts on Mac will let users quickly accomplish complex tasks with the apps they use the most. Apple said that power users will be able to use the Shortcuts Editor on Mac to customize shortcuts to match their workflows.

Shortcuts will be integrated throughout macOS Monterey, in the menu bar, Finder, Spotlight, and even with Siri. Apple also noted that users will be able to import existing Automator workflows into Shortcuts, and Automator will remain supported.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Magic Keyboard Touch ID Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for 140W USB-C Power Adapter, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad

Tuesday November 18, 2025 1:05 pm PST by
Apple today released updated firmware for several accessories, including the 140W USB-C Power Adapter, the Magic Trackpad 2, the Magic Trackpad USB-C, the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numeric Keypad. There is no word on what's included in the updated firmware at this time, but it could offer performance improvements and security updates. Accessory...

Top Rated Comments

Zedcars Avatar
58 months ago
Let the dumbing down commence. ?

Automator is great and super easy to learn. I don’t use it often but when I do I find it quite fun and saves me loads of time. It would be a great shame if it was jettisoned.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brofkand Avatar
58 months ago
Automator was a huge differentiator between the Mac and Windows. I know a lot of people never used it, but it was sort of like what FileMaker Pro did for databases in terms of how it made automation and scripting easy for people who cared to learn.

Shortcuts has nowhere near the functionality, but hopefully it will get there before they kill Automator for good. It sounds like Apple learned from the iPhoto > Photos debacle.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KoolAid-Drink Avatar
58 months ago
Kind of sad to see a Tiger application be deprecated. Hard to believe Automater was first released to the public in 2005.

With that said, TBH, I've almost never ever used Automater, so I don't understand it much. Hoping Shortcuts will be a simpler, easy-to-understand replacement, while preserving the power of Automater and the Mac in general.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Spinn_ Avatar
58 months ago
Hopefully this means there a big updates coming to Shortcuts in the future.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aoligei Avatar
58 months ago

Every Mac will eventually be dropped but I think Intel will survive another few updates..
LOL... I am just so wish that Apple stop updating macOS and iOS annually. So my Intel Mac will supported for even longer...
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jwdsail Avatar
58 months ago

Automator was a huge differentiator between the Mac and Windows. I know a lot of people never used it, but it was sort of like what FileMaker Pro did for databases in terms of how it made automation and scripting easy for people who cared to learn.

Shortcuts has nowhere near the functionality, but hopefully it will get there before they kill Automator for good. It sounds like Apple learned from the iPhoto > Photos debacle.
I'd compare this more to Aperture -> Photos (or even Lightroom) .. Neither of the "replacements" work half as well for me as Aperture? I'm still looking for something that makes my life (re: digital photos) half as easy as Aperture did?

I'm not looking forward to this change. Apple always seems to kill off the parts of the Mac experience I value the most?


Sigh
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)