9 Apps That Can Automate Almost Everything on Your Mac

Sometimes the best way to use a Mac is not to use it at all. Your Mac is capable of powerful automation that can take care of routine or repetitive tasks for you, and these nine apps will help you get rid of that micromanagement so you can get back to doing what you really want to do.

Use Hazel to Automate File Organization

If your desktop is filled with junk, it might be time to automate the file organization on your Mac. And that’s what Hazel is for, which can keep track of multiple folders and automatically move, rename, tag, and sort all files according to your preferences. For example, you can ask Hazel to monitor your desktop and automatically send PDFs to another location on your Mac, rename movies to your preferred naming format, and even tag and label different file types. It also has the ability to automatically delete files from the recycle bin and, when you delete an app, clean up app-related files for you. Hazel costs $42 but comes with a free trial.

Or at least automatically empty the trash.

Hazel is great, but you don’t have to pay for an auto trash app on your Mac since the computer comes with this feature. Open Finder on Mac, then click Finder in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Go to “Settings” . (You can also open it with the keyboard shortcut Command + .) Click the Advanced tab and select Delete items from Trash after 30 days .

Let AlDente manage your MacBook battery

AlDente can take care of battery health management on your Mac. Your Mac may come with the Optimized Battery Charging option by default, which slows down the charging rate when the battery reaches 80%. AlDente, on the other hand, stops charging at a given percentage or temperature, and can even switch to battery power even when the Mac is plugged in. The free version of AlDente is good enough if you just need a charge limiter, but the Pro version adds a lot of power. additional features for advanced users for $29.

Use Choosy or Velja to open different links in different browsers.

If you’d rather watch Netflix in Google Chrome but check your social networks in Firefox, give Choosy a try. Every time you click on a link in any app, it opens in the browser and profile of your choice. For example, you can ask Choosy to automatically open all links from your email in a private window in Microsoft Edge, or send all Slack links to your work profile in Chrome.

Choosy has a 45 day free trial. If you like what you see, you can buy the app for $10. Alternatively, you can try out Velja , which offers similar features to Choosy for free.

Use amphetamine to keep your Mac awake

Amphetamine is a free app that prevents your Mac from going to sleep. What’s more, you can use application triggers to automate this process. For example, amphetamine can prevent your Mac from going to sleep if it’s downloading while your home Wi-Fi is connected, or even if a certain Bluetooth accessory is connected.

Use Keysmith to speed up your workflow

If you find yourself using the same keyboard actions over and over again, you can use Keysmith to create custom keyboard shortcuts for just about anything . You can set up your own keyboard shortcuts to open Chrome, highlight active text, react with a thumbs up, or use the microphone. The app also lets you record common actions on websites like Gmail and lets you map keys to trigger an action you frequently use. Each such action is called a macro, and Keysmith lets you use up to five of them for free. If you want to use more macros, you can buy the app for $54.

Use Shortcat to control everything from the keyboard

Speaking of keyboard shortcuts, perhaps you would like to control your entire Mac with just the keyboard. You can try Shortcat for this. This free app allows you to complete tasks without using your mouse, allowing you to find and tap almost anything on the screen using just your keyboard. For example, you can type “Add” to find the “+” button on the screen, or type “OK” to select the confirmation button. Pressing the return key will select that button.

Use Stacker to launch actions based on device triggers

Stecker is a useful free app for Mac owners who use a lot of accessories. With it, you can automate tasks depending on which accessory is connected to your computer, such as disabling the built-in keyboard on your MacBook the moment you plug in your favorite ergonomic external keyboard. Similarly, you can set up a lot of automations based on your hard drive, mouse, headphones, or any other accessory connected to your Mac.

Use Hyperduck to Launch Shortcuts Automatically

We previously covered Hyperduck , which is better than AirDrop for sending links from your iPhone to your Mac. The good folks at MacStories have discovered another great use case for this free app: launching shortcuts. Many Mac apps allow deep links, which means you can use a URL to directly open a page or perform an action in another Mac app. Apple shortcuts are among these applications and you can use Hyperduck to send these URLs to your Mac. When you do this, the moment you open your Mac, it will launch the shortcut you sent. You can also use this trick to perform certain actions in other Mac applications. You can head over to MacStories to find out more.