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In show 1528, Lee introduced you to the new Folder Automation feature in macOS Tahoe that allows you to run Siri Shortcuts when File, Folder or System events are triggered.

This week, he's thrilled to show you two more shortcuts that can help keep your files organised. The first will allow you to rename files in a format of your choosing, and the second one will allow you to create backups of your most important files with the click of a button. He also shows you how to get macOS to automatically create backups of specific files each time you save them - great for version control and getting you out of trouble.

The more you use macOS, the more you can grow frustrated with the amount of manual intervention you have to take when it comes to keeping your file system organised. Whether it's keeping your Downloads folder tidy, looking for screenshots (you remember taking one, you just can't remember when…) or going through a huge array of different files on your desktop, well, that's not what you enjoy doing on your Mac.

With macOS Tahoe, Shortcuts gained the ability to automate actions on folders. In this video, Lee walks you through three different examples that may have a quick-win style impact on your workflows. Example 1 will keep your Downloads folder organised while the second will automatically resize image files for you when they hit a specific folder. In the third automation trick, Lee will guide you as you level up your scripting skills and stop screenshots from building up on your desktop at the same time.

This video was created on macOS 26 Tahoe.

When the Action Button was introduced to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in September 2023, it replaced the traditional mute switch, which had been present since the 2007 iPhone. So many people just converted this button back to muting the device! There's so much more you can do with it though, and in this video, Lee shows you how he does indeed still use it as a mute switch, but also as an input button for tasks, ideas and memories at the same time.

As part of his quest to get better with the Shortcuts application, as well as collect his thoughts more efficiently while on the move, Lee has implemented a workflow that uses Drafts, his text entry application of choice, to add information to a selection of lists in Apple Notes. This is made possible by the Shortcuts application which connects these two apps.

In this video, you learn how Lee created the shortcut, with Drafts playing a key role. He also shares a second shortcut that allows you to view any list in Apple Notes. That can be quite useful when you are on mobile and wish to quickly get to your information without searching through your notes.

The latest version of Drafts requires:

• iOS or iPadOS 15.6 or newer

• watchOS 8.5 or newer

• macOS 11.5 or newer

If you are looking to get into automating actions on your Apple device, Shortcuts is a wonderful Apple utility. However, many people are deterred by the learning curve that comes with it. That doesn't have to be the case though: the Shortcuts Gallery has a large number of ready-made shortcuts for you to download and use right away.

In this video, Lee briefly runs through the components of a shortcut before entering the Gallery and showing you how to search, download and run some useful, real-world examples. You experience shortcuts that can adjust the volume to specific levels on your Mac, send emails to yourself, organise your app windows, and more.

If you are unsure about Shortcuts and want to know more without being overwhelmed with configuring them, this is the video for you.

Do you sometimes wonder if you can get more out of your Mac? In this video, Darcy takes you through the Shortcuts app, which helps you automate repetitive tasks using actions that you can connect in a myriad of ways. Learn how to easily combine PDFs, split screens, rename files, and a lot more. These examples all come from the Gallery, and are a great way to introduce you to Shortcuts without the need to dive deep into actions as you get your first glimpse of the app. Darcy wraps up by showing you how to build a simple shortcut to track a saving goal, using a third-party app's Shortcuts actions.

In this tip video, you learn how activating a Focus mode can automate the changing of your Apple Watch face, and how a Personal Automation in Shortcuts can trigger a Focus mode. Rose guides you through these two real-world examples that will surely inspire you to create your own with Focus mode as their main ingredient.