How to Open an App with a Keyboard Shortcut on macOS

Launch Apps with Keyboard Shortcuts on a Mac

If you are going to type in an application, why use anything but the keyboard to start it? Find out here how to open an app from the keyboard using a shortcut using macOS on your Mac.

First, Have You Watched a Stock’s Value Dive?

Have you ever seen one of your investments turn red?

Did you want it to recover? Have you been waiting for it to recover perhaps, like I have, so you can confidently put the recovered monies into a better investment idea?

How about ditching the idea of waiting, ditching the stock, and investing in that better idea right away?

Now that the realization of sunk costs has started making us money, let’s turn to launching applications faster on a Mac:

How to Open an App with a Keyboard Shortcut on macOS

Use Shortcuts to Create a Keyboard Shortcut to Open a Mac App

Time needed: 3 minutes

To make your own keyboard shortcut for opening an application on your Mac using Shortcuts:

  1. Open Shortcuts

    No shortcut for Shortcuts: Shortcuts does not have its own keyboard shortcut for launching—until you set one up, of course; for now, open Shortcuts using Launchpad or Spotlight (see below).

  2. Select File | New Shortcut from the menu

    Keyboard shortcut: You can also press Command N, of course.

  3. Drag and drop the Open App action to the shortcut’s working area.

    Find the action: You can find Open App in the Scripting section under Categories.
    Search: Searching for open app also works.

  4. Tap App in the Open App action.

  5. Select the Mac application you want to open with the shortcut.

    Search: Searching, again, is possible and desirable.
    Pick the app for which you want to create a launching keyboard shortcut on your Mac

  6. Type a name for the shortcut over Open App in the title.

    Example: Bland titles like Call me Activity Monitor work fine.

  7. Go to the Shortcut Details tab in the sidebar.

  8. Go to Details.

  9. Click Add Keyboard Shortcut.

  10. Now type the key combination you want to use to open the application (under Run with:).

    Type the key combination you want to use to open an application on your Mac

Now, to launch the app on your Mac:

  • Press your keyboard shortcut anywhere.

Shortcuts to just about everything inside apps: How to create a keyboard shortcut on a Mac

Open a Mac Application from the Keyboard Using Spotlight

You need not set up individual shortcuts to launch applications using just the keyboard. The Spotlight shortcut is enough.

To launch an app on your Mac using Spotlight:

  1. Press Command Space.
    Custom shortcut: This is the standard keyboard shortcut for Spotlight search; you can change (or disable) that shortcut in Keyboard System Settings on the Shortcuts tab under Spotlight.
  2. Start typing the name of the application you want to start.
    Parts of words: Spotlight will find inside app names; you need not begin typing from the beginning.
    Typos: Spotlight will correct typos—but will not use guessed proper spelling for applications, only other search results.
    No apps: If you do not get the desired application (or any applications), they may be excluded from results; do enable Applications in Spotlight System Preferences on the Search Results tab.
  3. With the desired app highlighted, press Enter.

Using Launchpad

As perhaps a sidetone, you can also launch applications using Launchpad:

  1. Press the Launchpad shortcut.
  2. Use the arrow keys or start typing an application’s name until the one you want to launch is highlighted.
  3. Press Enter.

Set Up a Keyboard Shortcut to Open an Application Using Mac Automator

To create your own Mac keyboard shortcut for launching (or bringing to the front) any application in Automator:

  1. Open Automator.
  2. Select File | New from the menu.
  3. Choose Quick Action.
    Before: In earlier versions of Automator, select Service instead.
  4. Click Choose.
  5. Make the first line of the quick action read Workflow receives no input in any application.
    Workflow receives "no input" in "any application"
  6. Select Actions and Library in the sidebar.
    No sidebar: If you do not see the sidebar, click Library in the toolbar.
  7. Drag and drop the Launch Application action to the workflow.
    Search: Start typing launch over Name to find the action quickly.
    Drag and drop the "Launch Application" action
  8. Choose the desired app to launch under Launch Application.
  9. Select File | Save… from the menu.
  10. Choose a name for the app launching action.
    Example: Yes, something as bland as Launch Music will do.
  11. Click Save.
  12. Now open System Preferences.
    Here’s how: Select System Preferences… from the Apple menu (), for instance.
  13. Go to Keyboard and then Shortcuts.
  14. Select Services on the left.
  15. Highlight the quick action you just saved under General.
  16. Click Add Shortcut.
    Add app shortcut on a Mac using macOS
  17. Now type the desired keyboard shortcut for launching the app.

How to Open an App with a Keyboard Shortcut on macOS: FAQ

Can I switch to the application using the app keyboard shortcut?

Yes, if the application is already running, macOS will switch to it if you press your custom app shortcut key.

Finder is not one of the applications available; can I set up a Finder shortcut, too?

Yes, with a few and simple additional steps, you can create a keyboard shortcut to open a Finder window as well.

(How to open an app with a keyboard shortcut on a Mac tested with macOS Sonoma 14.0, Ventura 13.3, Monterey 12.0, and Big Sur 11.0; updated October 2023)

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