Alfred (software)
| Alfred | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Original authors | Andrew Pepperrell, Vero Pepperrell [1] |
| Developer | Running with Crayons Ltd |
| Initial release | 2010 [1] |
| Stable release | v5.6.2 / 12 May 2025 (2025-05-12)[2] |
| Operating system | macOS |
| Type | Application launcher (utility software) |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www |
Alfred is an application launcher and productivity software for macOS developed by Running with Crayons Ltd. It provides faster access to applications, files, folders, dictionaries, and various system functions.[3] Alfred is similar to macOS's Spotlight function, but offers a higher degree of customizability and extensibility through its action system known as "workflows".
Features
Alfred comes with following features:
- Application launcher that uses repeated queries to prioritize search results[4]
- File and folder search[5]
- Web search shortcuts with predefined sites such as Amazon, IMDb, DuckDuckGo, Wolfram Alpha, Wikipedia, and many others as well as ability to create custom shortcuts[6]
- Safari and Google Chromebookmark search
- Clipboard history[7][Note 1]
- Text expansion and snippets[8][9][Note 1]
- Calculator
- Dictionary
- Contact search[Note 1]
- Music control[10][Note 1]
- 1Password integration[11][Note 1]
- Control of various system functions such as shutting down, hibernation, quitting, and force quitting processes, etc.[12]
- Quick access to various operations on selected text and files,[13] including text manipulation, text translation, and more[14][Note 1]
- Running shell commands[Note 1]
Personalization
Alfred's functionality can be extended through "workflows", which are constructed through a visual scripting system based on nodes.[15] Creating workflows does not require programming knowledge,[16] although it does support the execution of scripts written in AppleScript, Bash, Python, and others.[17]
Many of Alfred's features and workflows can be accessed by defining a global keyboard shortcut or a keyword before the query.[18][19]
Alfred's visual appearance is customizable through themes.[20] It comes with a collection of presets that can be used for free, while creating and importing themes requires paid version.
Alfred Remote
Alfred Remote is a mobile companion application available for iOS.[21] It allows to control various functions on a macOS device where the paid version of Alfred is installed. These functions include adjusting volume, controlling Music, launching applications, and executing workflows.[22]
See also
Notes
References
- ^ ab"Behind the App: The Story of Alfred". Lifehacker. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
- ^"Alfred Change Log". Running with Crayons. Retrieved 13 Mar 2025.
- ^"Alfred (for Mac)". PCMag UK. 2012-01-23. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^Summers, Nick (2014-01-21). "An In-Depth Guide to Alfred, the Incredible App Launcher for Mac". TNW | Apps. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^Orchard, Rosemary (2019-12-26). "Enhance Your File Search with Alfred". The Sweet Setup. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Custom Searches in Alfred". MyProductiveMac. 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"The Best Keyboard App Launcher for Mac". The Sweet Setup. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^Ginter, Josh (2022-06-09). "How to Create Text Snippets in Alfred". The Sweet Setup. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"How To Use Alfred As A Snippet Manager [How-To] [liveblog] | Cult of Mac". www.cultofmac.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Review: Alfred App for Mac OS X". iSource. 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Alfred 1.2 Adds 1Password Support, New Themes, Improved Matching Algorithm". 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Mastering Alfred 2.0 On Your Mac: Directly Command Your System From The Keyboard [OS X Tips] | Cult of Mac". www.cultofmac.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Alfred 1.3 Improves System Navigation with "File Buffer"". 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Mastering Alfred 2.0 On Your Mac: Send Quick Emails To Your Contacts [OS X Tips] | Cult of Mac". www.cultofmac.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Alfred 2.0 to Add More Complex Functions Via 'Workflows'". MacRumors. 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^Miller, Chance (2019-05-29). "Alfred 4 brings Dark Mode, Rich Text expansion, and more to the powerful macOS productivity app". 9to5Mac.
- ^"Alfred launcher app hits version 1.0". Macworld. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Mac Gems: Alfred 2 ups the launcher-app ante". Macworld. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Alfred 1.0 Now Available With Enhanced Global Hotkeys". 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"Alfred 2: Rewritten From The Ground Up, Workflows, Themes, and More". 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^"'Alfred Remote' Turns iOS Devices Into Remote Controls for Macs". MacRumors. 2015-01-27. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^Bohn, Dieter (2015-01-27). "Alfred turns your iPad or iPhone into a remote control for your Mac". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
External links
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