00:00Whether you're a veteran Mac user or have picked one up recently for the first time,
00:03you should know how to use the Spotlight feature to its fullest extent.
00:07Thanks to the latest macOS updates, Spotlight is more powerful than ever,
00:11and when you combine it with the Shortcuts app,
00:13it basically becomes a command center for your entire Mac.
00:17In this video, I'll show you how Spotlight on Mac works,
00:20a few useful features you might not know about,
00:22and most importantly, how to use Spotlight with Shortcuts
00:25to take the Mac user experience to the next level.
00:27Let's do this.
00:28Spotlight is the built-in search tool on macOS,
00:31designed to help you find anything on your Mac almost instantly.
00:35With Spotlight, you can search for apps, files, folders, emails, photos, and even things on the web.
00:41So instead of digging through Finder or Launchpad,
00:44you can just type what you're looking for and open it immediately.
00:47You can even search for system settings and jump directly to them,
00:51but Spotlight can actually do a lot more than simple searches.
00:54To open Spotlight, just press Command and Space on your keyboard.
00:58It's one of my most used Shortcut keys and makes my productivity much more efficient.
01:03One thing a lot of people don't realize is that Spotlight also works as a quick utility tool.
01:07For example, you can use it as a calculator.
01:10Just open Spotlight and type something like 245 times 18,
01:14and it will give you the answer immediately.
01:16It can also handle unit conversions.
01:18So you can type something like 10 miles in kilometers,
01:21or what's 75 degrees Fahrenheit in Celsius,
01:24and Spotlight will convert it instantly.
01:26You can even use it for things like currency conversions or quick definitions.
01:30These little features might seem simple,
01:32but once you start using them regularly,
01:34they save a surprising amount of time.
01:36But where Spotlight really becomes powerful
01:38is when you connect it with Apple's Shortcuts app.
01:42So before we get into it, leave a like and subscribe if you haven't already,
01:45so you don't miss other episodes of Setup Essentials.
01:48Spotlight has built-in Shortcuts integration.
01:51If you're not familiar with Shortcuts,
01:52it's Apple's automation tool that lets you create custom workflows on your Mac.
01:56And the best part is that once a Shortcut exists,
01:59you can run it directly from Spotlight.
02:01That means instead of opening apps and doing everything manually,
02:04you can trigger an entire workflow just by typing a few words.
02:08Shortcuts is great because there is a lot of flexibility
02:10on what you can create with it.
02:12Whether you're a beginner or someone with lots of experience coding,
02:15it's really easy to dive right in.
02:16In the Shortcuts app, you will already see a few default options there,
02:20but to create some, you want to hit the plus icon and go to work.
02:24It really is a let your imagination run wild type of app
02:27because I have seen and used so many incredible shortcuts on my Mac.
02:31I am telling you guys, it's such a slept-on feature.
02:34And I'm going to share with you guys a couple shortcuts
02:36that I think 99% of you will find to be incredibly helpful.
02:40This shortcut is designed to take and summarize any PDF documents for you.
02:46First, open the Shortcuts app.
02:47You can find it by clicking on apps on the bottom left
02:50or just by using Spotlight to search for it.
02:53Then click on plus to create your new shortcut.
02:56Rename the shortcut into something simple like summarize PDF
03:00or honestly, whatever you want to call it.
03:02It's your shortcut.
03:02This is important because Spotlight will use the name when you search for it later.
03:06Next, click on the information icon and check off
03:09Use as Quick Action, Finder, and Services menu.
03:13From the list of prompts, choose Get Text from PDF,
03:16then choose Use Model.
03:18You can select whichever AI model you'd like to use from the options.
03:22Go to the text box and type a prompt like this.
03:26Summarize the following PDF in a few clear bullet points.
03:29Focus on the most important ideas.
03:31This will allow you to choose any PDF from your Mac when the shortcut runs.
03:35Next, choose Show Content.
03:37It should auto-fill to show a response.
03:40Then, an optional final step is to add Share as the final prompt
03:44so the response can be shared immediately after to another app.
03:47You can also just copy and paste it into the software of your choice though.
03:51When you finish, you should then have the option to go to a PDF on your computer,
03:55right-click, go to Quick Actions, and press Summarize PDF.
03:59Really helpful trick that, honestly, I wish I had while I was in college.
04:02If you're someone who finds themselves asking AI a lot of questions,
04:06here's a neat one I use so you can just ask the question from Spotlight instead.
04:11Select Ask for Input with what you would like to ask.
04:13Then select Text and type in,
04:15please give short answer, under 100 words, to the below question.
04:19Set Variable Input to Text.
04:22I use ChatGPT the most, so I added Ask ChatGPT,
04:25but depending what AI you might have enabled, you will have different options.
04:29Finally, select Show and add in your AI model.
04:32I named the shortcut AskGPT, so in Spotlight when I type AskGPT in my request and press Enter,
04:38it will ask ChatGPT and provide me an answer, all from Spotlight.
04:42If you're like me and like to listen to music to help you concentrate, you need this shortcut.
04:46It plays your favorite focus playlist, sets your preferred volume, and turns on Do Not Disturb.
04:52Here's how I set it up.
04:53Select Set Focus, choose your focus mode, set it to On until turned off.
04:59Select Play Music and choose the music you want to play.
05:02Then, set volume.
05:04I do 40%, but totally up to you guys.
05:07I named mine LockIn, and typing it in Spotlight allows me to do just that.
05:12Once you start pairing Spotlight with shortcuts, your Mac becomes much faster to use overall.
05:18There are so many shortcuts you can go in and make, and tons of amazing tutorials online.
05:23I highly recommend you guys put some time into learning this,
05:26because this feature has changed the way I work on my Mac,
05:30whether through work, personal projects, or even for getting errands done.
05:33So, if you haven't been using Spotlight much on your Mac,
05:36I hope you take this video as your sign to start.
05:39You will be surprised how much faster your workflow becomes.
05:42If you have any favorite Spotlight tricks or shortcuts that you use every day,
05:46let me know in the comments.
05:48And as always, leaving a like on this video and subscribing is a great way to support the channel.
05:53Until next time, I'm Phil Rodriguez, this is Tom's Guide, and I'll see you in the next video.
06:14I'll see you in the next video.
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