Mac macro software: automate repetitive tasks
Compare Mac macro tools and explore five practical Rules for Dark Mode, app launch, files, screen text, and scheduled work.
Mac macro software runs actions when you activate a shortcut or another trigger. A Rule can be as small as a shortcut that turns on Dark Mode, or it can launch apps, move files, and process text through several steps.
The right tool depends on what must start the task and what each step needs to do. This guide is published by Rulr. After comparing the options, it shows five Rules for everyday Mac tasks. Each preview shows the Rule’s configured steps; follow its detail page to import and adjust it.
Choose a way to automate your Mac
| Option | Useful when | Consider before choosing |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Shortcuts | You want to combine supported app actions using a tool included with macOS. | Check that the actions and automation triggers you need are available for your apps. |
| Keyboard Maestro | You need a mature macro editor with a broad range of triggers, actions, and control flow. | It is a paid app with a trial; check whether its existing macros depend on features you need to keep. |
| Rulr | You want to connect shortcuts or events to visible Rules with optional conditions and branches. | Requires macOS 26 or later; some components require Pro. AI Builder is optional and requires your own provider connection. |
Apple explains building workflows in its Shortcuts guide. Keyboard Maestro calls its workflows macros; Rulr calls them Rules. Compare the available steps for your task rather than assuming one tool can import another’s workflow.
Turn on Dark Mode with a shortcut
For a one-step system change, the keyboard dark mode Rule sets macOS appearance to Dark when you press Option + D. The preview shows one hotkey Trigger and one Set System Appearance Action, with no Condition.
Check that Option + D is available, then grant System Events Automation access when macOS asks. Start in Light appearance and press the shortcut to see the change. Pressing it again leaves Dark appearance on; it does not switch back to Light, change an app’s independent theme, or adjust your keyboard backlight. The Rule details cover the setup.
Create a Mac shortcut to launch and focus an app
The Launch and Focus App Rule connects a hotkey to two Actions: launch the selected application and bring it to the front. The sample initially targets Chrome.
- Install Rulr on a Mac running macOS 26 or later and open the linked Rule page.
- Choose Open this Rule in Rulr. Select the same application in both Actions.
- Choose a shortcut that does not conflict with another app, allow Accessibility access, and enable the Rule.
- Press the shortcut with the app closed, then with it running behind another window. Confirm it launches or comes forward as expected.
The preview shows the sample configuration. Its components are available without Pro, and importing it does not require an AI connection. It does not select a browser tab, restore a workspace, or hide the app when pressed again. For a step-by-step comparison of the same task, see Keyboard Maestro alternatives for Mac.
Move new downloads to another folder
The Organize New Downloads Rule watches Downloads and passes each newly added item’s path to Move File. It is a simple folder workflow without file-type branches. Choose a destination outside the watched folder before turning it on; the sample’s default destination is also Downloads.
Folder monitoring and moving files require Pro and folder access. Try a disposable new file, then confirm it arrived in the chosen folder. Existing files are not scanned. For routing images, PDFs, and archives to different destinations, see the more involved Sort Downloads Rule and the Hazel comparison.
Copy text from the screen
Copy Text from Your Screen is useful when a label or an image contains text you cannot select. Its configured hotkey starts screen recognition, then copies the recognized text to the clipboard. The default capture target is the full screen, so it may include other visible labels.
Grant Screen Recording access, review the capture target, and try a short, readable passage. Paste the result into a note and compare it with the source. The sample’s Actions are available without Pro; OCR can still misread text or change the order of a complex layout. For a saved image, Preview’s Live Text may be enough. The Mac OCR guide compares those options.
Open work tools on weekday mornings
The Morning Work Setup Rule shows what a scheduled macro can do without a hotkey. At its configured weekday time, the sample launches Safari, opens a page in Safari, and posts a notification. Choose your own days, time, app, URL, and notification before enabling it.
To try it, set a temporary time a few minutes ahead while your Mac is awake and Rulr is running. Check each result, then restore your regular schedule. The sample’s components do not require Pro. It cannot wake a powered-off Mac or sign in to a service for you. For a manually started group of apps, see Open Work Apps.
Rebuild a Keyboard Maestro or AutoHotkey workflow with AI Builder
If you are moving from Keyboard Maestro on Mac or AutoHotkey on Windows, describe one existing workflow to Rulr’s AI Builder. Start with what happens, not the macro file or script: name the shortcut or event, any app or time restrictions, the steps in order, and the result you expect. For example: “When I press my chosen shortcut, open Chrome if needed and bring it to the front.”
Connect your own supported AI provider and API key in AI Connection, then open Build with AI and ask it to create a Rule from that description. Review the generated When → If → Do canvas before enabling it. Select the actual Mac apps, files, folders, and shortcut; check the permissions and Pro requirements of its components. Test it while the original workflow is still available, including the cases where the app is already open or a Condition fails.
AI Builder helps rebuild a task from your description. It does not import an .ahk script or a Keyboard Maestro macro, and it cannot guarantee that every command or app-specific option has a Rulr equivalent. The AI Builder walkthrough shows how to review and refine a generated Rule. For source-specific checks, see the Keyboard Maestro migration checklist and the AutoHotkey for Mac guide.
When a macro does not work
Start with the trigger: check that the Rule is enabled and its shortcut is not already in use. For a hotkey that sends text or keystrokes, click the intended field first; a command sent to the wrong window can have a different result. Check macOS Accessibility permission when the task controls another app.
For a file workflow, confirm the watched folder and destination, then try a new test file. A folder-change trigger may not process files that were already there. For a schedule, check the days, time, and whether the Mac was awake. Open the Rule’s execution details to see which step ran and check the individual Rule page for its setup requirements.
Start with one task
Choose a small routine you repeat, then import a Rule and adjust its shortcut or settings for your Mac.