Shortcuts lets you build multi-step automations with real programming-style logic — variables, conditionals, loops, and menus — through a visual drag-and-drop editor rather than a text-based scripting language.
- If/Otherwise and Choose from Menu actions branch a shortcut based on a condition or a choice you make when it runs
- Repeat and Repeat with Each actions loop over a fixed count or over a list of items, such as files, photos, or list entries
- Named variables store and reuse values — text, numbers, dates, lists, dictionaries — between steps anywhere later in the shortcut
- A Run Shortcut action calls another shortcut as a subroutine, and a Shell Script action on Mac lets advanced users mix native actions with shell commands
- Errors in a step can be caught with an "If result contains error" check rather than crashing the whole run
Use cases
Intro scripting examples with Shortcuts
- Automate conditional data cleansing with Shortcuts scripts
- Iterate over lists and transform items using Shortcuts
- Aggregate results from multiple sources via Shortcuts
- Implement retry logic in Shortcuts scripts
- Validate inputs before proceeding in Shortcuts
- Log script outcomes for compliance with Shortcuts
Scripts extend Shortcuts beyond basic automation