Use these Mac automation tips and tricks too increase your productivity.

Automate Your Mac (AYM) is dedicated to using Mac applications including Keyboard Maestro, Hazel, TextExpander plus the free apps that come with your Mac OS like Shortcuts. Check out my strategies and videos for ideas on how to reduce or eliminate repetitive tasks and speed up your document production.

• Enhance Your Productivity with Notes
  Linking Notes in macOS Sonoma and iOS17 Discover the latest and most valuable feature update in the Notes app for both your Mac and iOS devices – the ability to seamlessly link individual notes together. This feature is of great value, especially in a professional setting. Imagine ensuring that all the crucial information related to…
• Now It’s So Much Easier To Fill-in PDFs
  More and more of our personal and business lives have moved online. As a result we are making increasing use of PDF documents. More and more we are asked to fill in PDFs on our computers. This is often a problem particularly if you don’t have the necessary software. Now it’s no longer a problem…
• Image Capture’s OCR Feature in macOS Sonoma
  Tired of relying on third-party software for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) when scanning documents on your Mac? Look no further! With the latest update to macOS Sonoma, Image Capture has received a significant upgrade and is now equipped with OCR capabilities. Gone are the days of hunting for expensive third-party options. Image Capture’s OCR feature…
• Auto-Remove Two Factor Authentication Codes
  Deleting Two Factor Authentication Codes in iOS 17 What is the Issue 2FA codes are a really useful way of helping us to keep our personal data secure. However, they do stick around and clog up our iPhones and iPads. Well, worry no more because with the recent release of iOS 17 Apple has introduced…
• Discover the Power of Notes for Mac and iOS: The Ultimate Note-Taking Solution
  Introduction For a long time, Notes for Mac and iOS has been perceived as the underdog among note-taking apps. In particular it lacked essential features and had little integration with other Mac applications. As a result, numerous alternative note-taking apps have emerged, with Evernote being a popular choice for many users. However, Apple has made…
• Widgets – Use Automation to Increase Efficiency
  Widgets for Small Business on the Mac – What do they Bring to the Table Introduction In the world of the Mac, widgets serve as valuable tools for small business owners seeking efficient ways to manage tasks and access critical information. What are Widgets??  They are effectively mini apps which offer quick and convenient access…
• Navigating Between Open Apps – The Easy Way
  It’s easy to invoke the App Picker by pressing “Command+Tab”. This brings up a visual list of all your open apps. It’s easy to then tab through the apps to move to the app that you want to work with. If the app you want is at the end of the list you can easily…
• Sending Large Files Using iCloud
  Sending large files by email is still a pain. Here’s a quick tip that takes a lot of that pain away, at no extra cost and direct from your favourite Apple Mail client. It comes from the Mac Observer and rather than me repeat their instructions I’m just posting a link to their site ….
• Automate Your Folder Structure
  Keyboard Maestro (KBM) and AppleScript are powerful automation tools. Both can automate setting up a standard set of folders and sub-folders for a new assignment. You have a number of different service lines which need different folder structures. At the moment you use copy and paste to set them up. No need to do that…
• Continuity On The Mac And iOS Devices
  What is Continuity. Continuity is a feature which works seamlessly between macOS and iOS devices. It can move text, drawings, or photographs from one device to another. You just need to be logged into the same iCloud account. It works on Notes, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, Mail, Finder and Messages. You just need to have Wi-Fi…
• How To Sign PDFs In Ventura
  Adding a signature to a pdf document using Preview is a very useful time-saving shortcut. Go to Preview. In toolbar find the icon which looks like the sharp end of a “pencil in a circle” (see below). Click on the icon. It opens another toolbar which contains what I can only describe as a Squiggle…
• Sharing Screenshots in Mac OS Ventura
  Here is a really useful feature in macOS Ventura in relation to screenshots. For all I know it might have been in previous versions but I’ve never noticed it. Previously, screenshots would simply go into a designated screenshot folder. In my case it was in my Dropbox account. Now they appear on your desktop for…
• Schedule mail in macOS Ventura
  A really welcome addition to Mail in macOS Ventura is the ability to prepare and schedule emails and messages. Write it now, send it later, or send yourself reminders to check or undo (within 10 seconds) emails and messages. Scheduling emails is great if you want to send information after an event such as a…
• Window Title Icons
  “Show Window Title Icons” (also called proxy boxes) is an option hidden away in Accessibility, but has a lot of uses. Go into System Preferences > Display and check the box “Show Window Title Icons”. They’re interactive and allow for things like dragging and dropping, and right-clicking to access dropdown menus. If you open any…
• Automate Emails, Acronyms And Snippets With TextExpander
  Automatically populate regular email fields, capitalise acronyms and add standard phrases and paragraphs in documents with a snippet in TextExpander. What Is A Snippet And How Does It Work It’s simply a short set of keystrokes which expand into a longer phrase, sentence or paragraph. Their use is only limited by our imagination. Some practical…
• Keyboard Maestro Shortcuts
  File Retrieval: How about retrieving your standard report template with one click rather than going into nested folders on your Mac or on your network. I do this using Keyboard Maestro. Using Keyboard Maestro, keyboard shortcuts can be set up to retrieve any type of file, wherever it is on your system. All you need…
• Better Housekeeping With Hazel
  What is Hazel? Hazel is a small utility whose power lies in its ability to monitor folders and take action when specific events occur in relation to those folders. Among other things I use it to automatically deal with regular incoming documents, keep my folders tidy and automate regular tasks on my Mac. Some Simple…
• Shortcuts
  What is Shortcuts?? It’s part of the Mac OS operating system, so it’s free!! It’s a successor to Automator, which still exists but is expected to be phased out over time. It enables you to perform simple and more complex tasks with little or no programming experience. Use the Shortcuts app to access Voice Control…