Alfred (software)

Alfred
Original author(s)	Andrew Pepperrell, Vero Pepperrell
Developer(s)	Running with Crayons Ltd
Initial release	2010
Stable release	v5.5.1 / 13 September 2024; 4 months ago
Operating system	macOS
Type	Application launcher (utility software)
License	Proprietary
Website	www.alfredapp.com

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 Chrome bookmark 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]}

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Accessible only within paid version of Alfred.

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]

References

^ ^a ^b "Behind the App: The Story of Alfred". Lifehacker. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 2021-10-13.
^ "Alfred Change Log". Running with Crayons. Retrieved 20 Mar 2024.
^ "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

This Classic Mac OS and/or macOS software–related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[Note01-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Accessible only within paid version of Alfred.

[lifehacker-20-8-14-1] "Behind the App: The Story of Alfred". Lifehacker. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 2021-10-13.

[2] "Alfred Change Log". Running with Crayons. Retrieved 20 Mar 2024.

[3] "Alfred (for Mac)". PCMag UK. 2012-01-23. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[4] Summers, Nick (2014-01-21). "An In-Depth Guide to Alfred, the Incredible App Launcher for Mac". TNW | Apps. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[5] Orchard, Rosemary (2019-12-26). "Enhance Your File Search with Alfred". The Sweet Setup. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[6] "Custom Searches in Alfred". MyProductiveMac. 2021-09-16. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[7] "The Best Keyboard App Launcher for Mac". The Sweet Setup. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[9] Ginter, Josh (2022-06-09). "How to Create Text Snippets in Alfred". The Sweet Setup. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[10] "How To Use Alfred As A Snippet Manager [How-To] [liveblog] | Cult of Mac". www.cultofmac.com. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[11] "Review: Alfred App for Mac OS X". iSource. 2011-01-21. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[12] "Alfred 1.2 Adds 1Password Support, New Themes, Improved Matching Algorithm". 2012-05-01. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[13] "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.

[14] "Alfred 1.3 Improves System Navigation with "File Buffer"". 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[15] "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.

[17] "Alfred 2.0 to Add More Complex Functions Via 'Workflows'". MacRumors. 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[18] Miller, Chance (2019-05-29). "Alfred 4 brings Dark Mode, Rich Text expansion, and more to the powerful macOS productivity app". 9to5Mac.

[19] "Alfred launcher app hits version 1.0". Macworld. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[20] "Mac Gems: Alfred 2 ups the launcher-app ante". Macworld. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[21] "Alfred 1.0 Now Available With Enhanced Global Hotkeys". 2011-11-29. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[22] "Alfred 2: Rewritten From The Ground Up, Workflows, Themes, and More". 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[23] "'Alfred Remote' Turns iOS Devices Into Remote Controls for Macs". MacRumors. 2015-01-27. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

[24] Bohn, Dieter (2015-01-27). "Alfred turns your iPad or iPhone into a remote control for your Mac". The Verge. Retrieved 2023-09-22.

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