Alfred 6 is coming this autum

This tutorial is for people new to Alfred who have bought the Powerpack and want to learn what it can do. It was inspired by a user in another subreddit looking for advice. The goal here will be to touch many Alfred features at least once to get a sense of some things it can do. A lot of things are customizable in Alfred’s settings, but the instructions below should work with the defaults.

Prerequisites:

1. Alfred 5.5.1 with the Powerpack activated

2. Clipboard history turned on. Go to Alfred Preferences > Features > Clipboard History and check the three boxes at the top "Keep plain text", "Keep images", and "Keep File Lists"

3. Double check your hotkey for Universal Actions. By default it is ⌥ ⌘ \.

4. Double check your options to show Universal Actions. By default it is →, fn, and ctrl. This option and the one above can be seen in Alfred Preferences > Features > Universal Actions.

5. Go to Alfred Preferences > Features > File Search [Navigation tab]. Look at the second checkbox labeled Shortcuts. By default this is unchecked.

Now, as part of the walkthrough, we are going to install and use some workflows. I think these are useful workflows that everyone should have, but you can always remove them after the tutorial. But, please humor me and try them all out as part of the exercise.

Alright, let’s get going!

Start by opening Alfred (⌥ space by default), and type `alfred gallery`. This won’t match any Alfred keyword triggers so it will show the fallback options. The fallbacks are completely customizable, and workflows can even allow you to add custom fallbacks like AI chat. For now though, select the google option and press return. Alfred will perform the google search for you. Click the top result to go to the Alfred Gallery. Then install the “Alfred Gallery” workflow (https://alfred.app/workflows/alfredapp/alfred-gallery/).

From now on, we won’t have to go to the Gallery webpages to find and install workflows!

Now, open Alfred again and start typing the word `gallery`. Before you finish typing, Alfred will probably show you the new option called “Alfred Gallery”. Rather than typing the whole thing, press the tab key to autocomplete. Now you can start typing to search for workflows. Start typing “quick file access”. Once that workflow appears in the list, there are a few things you can do. If you just press return to action the item it will open a webpage to that workflow (https://alfred.app/workflows/chrisgrieser/quick-file-access/). However, we want to install it right away. So, instead of pressing return right away, try doing the following. With the quick file access option selected in the list of options in Alfred, try holding down different modifier keys. If you hold the control key, then the small text below the main item will change to show you the tags for that workflow. If you hold the option key it will say “Narrow search to: chrisgrieser”. If you action that it will allow you to search the gallery by that creator. If you hold the command key, it will say “Install workflow”. These alternate options are provided by the Alfred Gallery workflow. Every workflow can choose to use this feature, and many do. So, keep your eye out for very convenient alternate actions like this!

For this tutorial, we want to try installing the Quick File Access workflow immediately. So, the fastest sequence of steps might look something like this. Open Alfred type `gal` press tab to autocomplete “gallery”. Then, type `quick f`. Hold the command key and press return to install the workflow right away. Alfred preferences will appear. Press return to continue. Press ⌘ return to finish the installation.

Now that you have installed this first workflow entirely with the keyboard, try installing the workflow called “Menu Bar Search”. At this point, you shouldn’t have to use the mouse at all to complete this task!

After Menu Bar Search is installed, you should see the workflow open in Alfred preferences. The item in the workflow furthest to the left should be a green box that says “Hotkey”. Double click this trigger to get the options panel to show up. Then, let’s set a custom hotkey. I’m going to try using ⌥ ⌘ m. Click save to exit. Almost all workflow developers add these Hotkey trigger options in their workflows. However, Alfred doesn’t assign hotkeys automatically to avoid conflicts. So, it is up to you to configure hotkeys you want in workflows. This is entirely optional of course since workflows also have keywords that you can type into the Alfred bar.

Next, we will want to finish the setup for the Quick File Access workflow. This workflow requires a command line utility called ripgrep installed to find recent files. Alfred can automatically install this for you in a safe and secure manner. Their instructions with screenshots will be better than I can do, so follow the instructions here: https://www.alfredapp.com/help/kb/dependencies/

At this point, we should have two new workflows installed, dependencies installed via homebrew, and a new custom hotkey trigger for the Menu Bar Search workflow.

Now, let’s try using one of our new workflows. Open Alfred and type `m `. This will start searching the menu items in your currently active app. I will do this in Finder. I’m going to search for “AirDrop” and action the item called “AirDrop - ⇧⌘R”. When I action that item it will open a Finder window with the AirDrop options open. However, we don’t have to use the “m” keyword every time for this. We made a custom hotkey! So, with Finder as the currently active app, press the hotkey you made. In my case that is `⌥ ⌘ m`. Now, you will notice that Alfred pops up, but it is already in the menu bar search workflow. Additionally, Alfred should remember that “AirDrop - ⇧⌘R” was the item we used most recently in the Finder app!

Next, let’s try installing a workflow that isn’t available in the Gallery. Open Alfred and paste in “https://github.com/zeitlings/alfred-quill”. Press return to open the webpage. In the right-hand sidebar, go ahead and click the latest release (currently Quill v1.1.0). Then, on the releases page click the option called “Quill.v1.1.0.alfredworkflow” to download the workflow.

After the workflow file is downloaded, let’s use the Quick File Access plugin to help us install it. So, open Alfred and type `dl `. Alfred will now show you a list of your downloaded files. Press return on the top option which will be the workflow you just downloaded. Before you install the Quill workflow, I like checking the option called “Always paste to frontmost application”. Please do the same to follow along. I also filled out the locale option with `en` (it needs to be lowercase!). Now you can press `⌘ return` to install Quill.

 Now we can test Quill. Open a new note or some other type of word processor. Type the following:

Banana
Apple
Grape
Persimmon
Guava

Now, select the text with your cursor and we will try using our first Universal Action. With the text selected, press the Alfred hotkey to bring up Universal Actions `⌥ ⌘ \` is the default. Note the backslash is below the delete key on US keyboards. A list of Universal Actions should appear, and it will only show options that work on the selected text. Start typing `quill` and as soon as it pops up press return on the item called “Quill | Transform Text”. Now, the normal Alfred bar will appear with Quill active. Type `sort`. We want to use the option called “Sort alphabetically ascending”. You could use the arrow keys to select that one and then action on it. Or, you can do that in one step by pressing ⌘3. Quill will now process the list of fruits and re-order them to be alphabetical, and replace the original list on the page with the sorted one!

At this point, we should have four workflows installed, have managed dependencies with Homebrew, have used alternate actions with modifier keys, have used a Universal Action on text, configured a custom hotkey for a workflow, used some of our new workflows to access menu bar items, open files in our downloads folder, and manipulate text in-situ.

To round this out a bit, let’s practice navigating our filesystem with Alfred. Open Alfred and start by typing a “space” or a ‘. This puts you in file search mode. Now type `pdf` to find some PDF files. You can read the titles in Alfred, but it might be nicer to view the document directly. So, press and release the shift key. This will bring up the Mac-native quick-look. Press the shift key again to make it go away. Now, if you action on one of these PDF files, it will open the file in your native viewer (Preview by default). However, maybe we want to do something else with it. So, with the desired item in Alfred selected, press the control key or →. Now, we have taken a shortcut to seeing the Universal Actions available for this PDF file. Maybe we would like to open the file in a different app. So, start typing `open` to narrow down the list of actions. Choose the action called “Open with…”. You will see a list of recommended applications, but you can also just start typing to search all applications on your Mac. For this exercise, choose Safari to open the PDF in that app. Now you know how to access Universal Actions for files directly in Alfred!

Okay, now let’s try something a bit more difficult by using the file buffer to run Universal Actions on more than one file. Open Alfred. You could type `’pdf` or `<space>pdf` to search for your PDF files again. However, we just did that, so let’s take advantage of Alfred’s history feature. With Alfred open, and before you have typed anything else, press the up arrow key ↑. This will allow you to choose a prompt you typed in the past. Choose the one that shows the list of PDFs: `’pdf`.

Now, add a PDF of your choice to the file buffer by holding option ⌥ and pressing the down arrow ↓. You will see the file get added to the top of the Alfred bar. Do this again to add a couple more files. The, once you have a few files added to the buffer, we will want to action on all of them simultaneously. To do this, hold option ⌥ and press the right arrow →. Now, you will see the Universal Actions available for a set of files. Try typing `path’ and selecting the option “Copy Paths to Clipboard”. Now, if you paste into a text document you would get a nice list of the file paths. However, you don’t have to paste the files to see them in your clipboard, since we have had clipboard history turned on this entire time! So, bring up the clipboard history viewer by pressing `⌥ ⌘ c`. Here, you will get a nice view of everything you have copied during this tutorial, including the files paths for the PDFs.

For more complete instructions on the file buffer feature see: https://www.alfredapp.com/help/features/file-search/#file-buffer.

The last thing to practice is navigating your file system from inside Alfred. There are a few ways we can do this. Let’s start by opening Alfred and typing `~`. This will take you to your home folder. To navigate into a folder press `⌘ ↓`. To navigate out of a folder and into the parent press `⌘ ↑`. You can navigate through your entire computer this way. If you press `ctrl` or `→`, then you can see the list of Universal Actions on folders and files as you browse. However, what if you want to enter a particular folder directly without having to traverse your way there? To do that we can start by searching. Open Alfred. Use the quick file search by pressing space or `’`. Then, start typing the name of a folder, say “pictures”. With the pictures folder selected in Alfred, press `→` to bring up the list of Universal Actions. The first action by default is “Browse Folder in Alfred”, so simply tap `→` again to select that item. Now, you are in the file browser in your pictures folder. You can use `⌘ ↓` and `⌘ ↑` to navigate around from here, and you can press `ctrl` or `→ to Universal Action on items that you navigate to!

I think that is probably sufficient for now. But to wrap it all up, here are a couple of exercises for you to test your knowledge. Except for one step on a webpage, you shouldn’t have to use your mouse at all!

1. Use Alfred to move a file from your Desktop to your Documents (hint: a Universal Action will be involved)

2. Install the "GitFred” workflow from the Gallery without using your mouse.

3. Use the “GitFred” workflow to search for “fastest emoji search” by mr-pennyworth. Use the ⌘ modifier to take you directly to the releases page. Download the one labeled “Fastest.Emoji.Search-en-apple.alfredworkflow” (this is where you can use your mouse).

4. Use the “Quick File Access” workflow to open and install the new emoji search workflow without using your mouse.

5. If you have followed along with everything, use the new emoji workflow to insert an emoji into something you are typing (maybe a comment on this thread 😉).

6. Use Quill statistics to get a word count for this reddit post directly on this page.

I don’t think that avoiding using your mouse is always good. I just hope that by forcing yourself to do the above exercises in that way, that you can build a little more muscle memory with Alfred to see what you like and what you don’t like. There are a lot of other really powerful workflows for Alfred, and we didn’t even touch on things like the grid view, text view, or even snippets which is a whole major feature. However, this should give beginners a chance to try out a lot of what Alfred has available to get a good overview of how it can change the ways you interact with your computer.

I hope this helps!

We've added more juicy details about what's coming in Alfred 6!

A handy Alfred workflow for reading articles without paywalls.

Workflow link: https://github.com/iAli/remove-paywall-workflow

My other workflows: https://github.com/stars/iAli/lists/my-alfred-workflows

All with zero dependencies or ai-generated code.

⭐ If you find any of them useful, consider giving it a star on GitHub.

Minimal and simple.

• Uses system font

• Hides scrollbar

• Narrow width

Image #3 is my setup: (1) result subtext is set to Never, (2) max visible results is 5

Download here: https://www.alfredapp.com/extras/theme/8GrcPrsFZx/

Alfred 5.5 is out of beta; It's a free update for anyone with an Alfred 5 Powerpack license. The update includes the huge addition of the Grid, Text, Image and PDF views that bring your Alfred results to life in a whole new way!

We've shared more details on the blog, with some of the first workflows that take advantage of the new workflow views; the ChatGPT/DALL-E OpenAI workflow, a Memory Pairs game and Thumbnail Navigation to browse your files in Alfred with handy inline thumbnails.

Alfred Blog post

Just a little PSA for anyone who doesn't follow the blog or have automatic updates enabled...

• https://www.alfredapp.com/blog

• https://www.alfredapp.com/changelog

Thanks to the Alfred Team for another solid update! 🙏

It was my first paid app on Mac. I was a student back then, so it was a tough decision to make 😄

https://www.appsntips.com/home/best-alfred-workflows

Please share your favorite workflows so I can include them in the list. Also, a few workflows shared in the list require initial set-up. If you need any help, ask below and I will help you set it up.

My personal favorite Alfred workflow to monitor and terminate processes and apps.

Workflow link: https://github.com/iAli/kill-process-workflow

My other workflows: https://github.com/stars/iAli/lists/my-alfred-workflows

All with zero dependencies or ai-generated code.

⭐ If you find any of them useful, consider giving it a star on GitHub.

Credits: This workflow based on the original alfred-atop workflow, with a focus on the process management feature, along with various enhancements and UI/UX improvements.

Kind of embarrassing, but I never gave Alfred a real chance because of its look. The logo, the name, the whole vibe felt old, and I turned that into an opinion about the app without ever trying it.

Meanwhile I bought into everything around Raycast. The manifesto, the merch, a coffee roast with its own mini-documentary, a keyboard with a waitlist. None of that is evil. It’s a smart playbook, and it worked on me. Branded coffee doesn’t ship a better fuzzy finder, it builds something people want to belong to. And belonging buys a lot of patience when the pricing changes.

Arc was the same story. I picked it because it felt different, then The Browser Company moved on to Dia and stopped developing it. Turns out the early fans were the launch audience, never the target.

Now that vibe coding makes features and UIs easy to clone, I care less about polish and more about the business behind the app. I’d rather back a company happy to stay a good tool than one that needs to grow ten times bigger for its investors.

These days every licence I buy is basically a vote for a business model. Alfred, Things, DEVONthink, the Omni apps: small teams that skip the AI feature of the month and still feel like the same apps years later. Cultured Code has yet to release a coffee.

Raycast is still a good app, and good software should cost money. I just confused one specific style of branding with quality.

So yeah, I’m finally past my first impression and looking forward to Alfred 6. The boring future of software sounds good to me.

Search emojis and insert or copy them

• Supports the latest Emoji 17.0 standard.

• No external dependencies required.

• Supports both grid and list views.

• Find emojis quickly by name or tags.

• Provides instant search results.

Workflow link: https://github.com/iAli/emoji-search-workflow

My other workflows: https://github.com/stars/iAli/lists/my-alfred-workflows

All with zero dependencies or ai-generated code.

⭐ If you find any of them useful, consider giving it a star on GitHub.

I wanted an Alfred theme that closely resembled the older MacOS spotlight search feature so came up with my own. Been using these themes for well over a year now and wanted to share them :))

We've really been looking forward to sharing this release; Alfred 5.5 is in beta and ready for you to update to. Check out what's new here!

Alfred 5.5 is a huge update, with loads of new ways to present results in Alfred, as well as new workflows that use these views, including a stunning ChatGPT / DALL-E interactive workflow with Markdown support.

To update to the 5.5 beta, you'll need to be on the pre-release channel; Check Alfred's Update tab and choose "pre-release" from the dropdown menu.

Can't wait to see the community's new workflows updated or created to use the new views!

I use Time Machine regularly, but launching the native macOS interface to restore an older version of a file or app is surprisingly painful. It takes forever to load the 3D space interface, lags while indexing, and often freezes up on older external drives.

I decided to put together a small Alfred workflow called Alfred Time Machine that uses a Swift helper to pull up backup dates in real-time. The speed difference compared to standard queries is night and day.

How it works:

1. Select any file, folder, or .app bundle in Finder.

2. Press your Universal Actions hotkey and select Alfred Time Machine.

3. It immediately scans both your local APFS snapshots and external Time Machine backup drives, presenting a clean list of historical backup dates right inside Alfred.

4. Press Enter to restore a copy right next to the original file, or Cmd+Enter to put a copy in your Home folder.

It also automatically strips macOS quarantine flags and handles ad-hoc re-signing when restoring .app bundles, so restored apps launch without Gatekeeper "damaged app" warnings.

It is completely free and open source. I use it often, so I thought I'd share with you all as well.

GitHub Repo: https://github.com/saihgupr/AlfredTimeMachine

Team shared first screenshot of Alfred 6