Documentation reviewed October 5, 2026. Menu labels can vary with your macOS version.
Automator joins actions into a workflow so that the output of one action can become the input of another. It is included with macOS and remains useful for repeatable desktop tasks. Start with a small task you can check, rather than automating a whole folder of important originals.
Choose a workflow type
- Workflow: run and inspect the sequence inside Automator.
- Application: save a workflow that can run as a separate application.
- Quick Action: make a workflow available from supported contextual menus and services.
The input depends on the workflow type and its actions. Saving a workflow as an application does not automatically make it process every file you drag onto it. An action with a fixed file selection still uses that selection.
Build a simple copying workflow
Create a Workflow document. Add Get Specified Finder Items and choose two sample files. Add Copy Finder Items after it, choose a separate destination folder, then run the workflow.
Check that copies appeared in the destination and the originals are still where you expected. This small example teaches the essential idea: each action has an input, an operation and a result that the next action must understand.
Inspect each action before expanding the workflow
Read the action’s settings and description. Check whether it copies, moves, renames, replaces or deletes items. When an operation changes files, insert a copy step where appropriate and test it on a separate sample folder.
For example, a delivery workflow might copy selected images into a delivery folder before changing their names. Do not assume that the name shown in an action describes every side effect.
When a Quick Action is a better fit
A Quick Action is useful when you want to run a supported operation on a Finder selection. Configure the type of input and where it is received. Test the action with one item, then with several items, because a workflow designed around a single file may not behave as expected with a list.
Automator, Finder or Shortcuts?
Use Finder’s batch rename for a one-off name change. Use Automator when several desktop actions form a repeatable sequence. Consider Shortcuts when you want a workflow built around its available app actions.
Keep a short note beside a saved workflow describing its inputs and destination. If you return to it months later, that note is more useful than a vague name such as “Process files”.
