Overview
You perform the same sequences of actions dozens of times a day—opening specific apps and files, formatting text, filling in forms, navigating between windows, copying information between applications. This two-day course teaches you to automate these repetitive tasks with Keyboard Maestro, the powerful Mac automation tool that can save you hours every week and eliminate frustrating manual work.
You’ll learn from an instructor who has used Keyboard Maestro daily for over a decade across every aspect of professional and personal computing—and you’ll see real examples of macros that solve actual problems, not just demonstrations of features. The course includes hands-on development of custom macros for your specific needs, with instructor guidance to build solutions you’ll use immediately. Whether you’re managing repetitive data entry, streamlining creative workflows, coordinating team processes, or just tired of doing the same thing over and over, this course gives you practical automation skills that transform how you work.
Format: 2 Days | VILT
Who Should Attend
- Mac users frustrated by repetitive tasks that waste time daily
- Knowledge workers juggling multiple applications and workflows
- Creative professionals doing the same formatting or file management repeatedly
- Administrators and operations staff handling routine processes
- Team leaders looking to standardize workflows across their groups
- Anyone who’s ever thought “there has to be a better way to do this”
What You’ll Learn
- Build macros that automate multi-step tasks across different applications
- Trigger automation with keyboard shortcuts, text snippets, or application events
- Manipulate text, files, windows, and applications without manual clicking
- Create conditional logic that adapts automation based on context
- Share macros with teams to standardize processes and ensure consistency
- Develop custom automation for your specific workflow challenges with instructor guidance
Course Outline
Module 1: Keyboard Maestro Fundamentals and the Power of Automation
- Understanding what Keyboard Maestro can do: real examples from a decade of daily use
- Installing, configuring, and navigating the Keyboard Maestro interface
- Anatomy of a macro: triggers, conditions, and actions
- Your first macro: automating a simple repetitive task
- Identifying automation opportunities in your daily work
- The mindset shift: thinking in automation instead of manual steps
- Safety and testing: making sure macros do what you expect
Module 2: Triggers and Activation Methods
- Keyboard shortcuts: the most common trigger for instant automation
- Typed string triggers: text expansion and snippet automation
- Application triggers: macros that run when you switch apps or launch programs
- Hot key triggers: global vs. application-specific shortcuts
- Palette triggers: creating custom command menus for groups of macros
- Time-based triggers: scheduled automation and periodic tasks
- Status menu triggers and other activation methods
- Choosing the right trigger for different use cases
Module 3: Essential Actions and Text Manipulation
- Text actions: typing, pasting, inserting, and clipboard manipulation
- Text formatting: case changes, find and replace, smart quotes
- Working with multiple clipboards and clipboard history
- Real-world examples: email templates, standardized responses, form filling
- Date and time insertion with formatting options
- Search and replace across documents and applications
- Text tokens and variables for dynamic content
- Instructor example: email signature automation with dynamic dates and context
Module 4: Application Control and Window Management
- Launching, activating, quitting, and hiding applications
- Window positioning, resizing, and arrangement
- Menu selection: clicking menu items without using the mouse
- Switching between specific windows or documents
- Real-world examples: workspace setup, app switching workflows
- Opening files, folders, and URLs automatically
- Managing Finder: file selection, navigation, and operations
- Instructor example: morning workspace setup macro (opens specific apps, files, and websites in configured arrangements)
Module 5: File and Folder Automation
- Moving, copying, renaming, and organizing files automatically
- Folder actions and file watching triggers
- Batch file operations: processing multiple files at once
- Creating folders and file structures automatically
- Real-world examples: screenshot organization, download sorting, backup workflows
- Working with file paths and variables
- Integration with cloud storage and sync services
- Instructor example: automatic file organization by date and project type
Module 6: Variables, Conditionals, and Logic
- Understanding variables: storing and reusing information
- Prompting for user input: building interactive macros
- Conditional logic: if/then/else for adaptive automation
- Loops and iterations: repeating actions efficiently
- Pause and wait actions: timing control for reliable automation
- Error handling and debugging macros that don’t work as expected
- Real-world examples: context-aware automation, decision-tree workflows
- Instructor example: smart clipboard processing that behaves differently based on content type
Module 7: Advanced Integration and Power User Techniques
- AppleScript and shell script integration within Keyboard Maestro
- JavaScript for Automation (JXA) in macros
- Web scraping and browser automation basics
- Email automation: reading, sending, and processing messages
- Image processing and OCR capabilities
- Macro groups and organization strategies
- Instructor examples: daily report generation, automated data entry from emails
Module 8: Team Productivity and Macro Sharing
- Exporting and sharing macros with team members
- Creating standardized workflows for consistency across teams
- Documentation strategies: making shared macros understandable
- Syncing macros across multiple Macs with Dropbox or iCloud
- Version control and updating shared macros
- Training team members on macro usage and adoption
- Building macro libraries for common organizational tasks
Module 9: Custom Development Session
- Individual or small group consultation on specific automation needs
- Students identify a repetitive task or workflow challenge they face
- Instructor-guided macro development addressing that specific need
- Hands-on building, testing, and refining of custom solutions
- Troubleshooting and optimization of student-built macros
- Learning by doing: applying course concepts to real problems
- Taking home working automation that solves actual workflow issues
Module 10: Real-World Macro Library and Best Practices
- Instructor’s personal macro library: examples from a decade of daily use
- Email and communication automation workflows
- Creative workflow acceleration (design, writing, media production)
- System maintenance and computer housekeeping automation
- Research and information gathering macros
- Presentation and screen sharing preparation
- Best practices: naming conventions, testing, maintenance
- Avoiding common pitfalls and building reliable automation
- Continuing education: learning resources and community support
Prerequisites & Technical Requirements
- Mac computer running macOS (recent versions recommended)
- Keyboard Maestro installed (trial version acceptable, license recommended)
- Basic Mac proficiency: file management, application usage
- Examples of repetitive tasks you perform regularly (for custom development session)
- Administrator access to install applications and grant permissions
- No programming or scripting experience required
Customization Options
This course can be customized for specific professional contexts—creative workflows (design, video, audio production), administrative and operations automation, research and academic workflows, software development and technical tasks, or customer service and communication processes. The custom development session can be extended for teams working on shared automation projects, and the instructor’s real-world examples can be tailored to emphasize applications most relevant to your industry or role.