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Simulate Keyboard Shortcut Action

Trigger any keyboard combination programmatically.

What It Does​

The Simulate Keyboard Shortcut action presses keyboard combinations for you. Instead of memorizing dozens of shortcuts, save them in your macros and trigger them with a single gesture.

Configuration​

Keyboard Combination — Record the keyboard shortcut you want to trigger by pressing it in the configuration field.

Examples​

File Operations​

⌘S — Save
⌘O — Open
⌘W — Close Window
⌘N — New File
⌘P — Print
⌘T — New Tab
⌘W — Close Tab
⌘[ — Back
⌘] — Forward
⌘L — Focus Address Bar

Editing​

⌘Z — Undo
⇧⌘Z — Redo
⌘C — Copy
⌘V — Paste
⌘A — Select All

Application Specific​

⇧⌘E — Export (Photoshop)
⌘J — Duplicate Layer (Photoshop)
⌘, — Open Preferences

Use Cases​

Save and Export Workflow​

1. Simulate Keyboard Shortcut → ⌘S (Save)
2. Delay → 0.5 seconds
3. Simulate Keyboard Shortcut → ⇧⌘E (Export)
4. Delay → 1 second
5. Simulate Keyboard Shortcut → Enter

Quick Navigation​

1. Simulate Keyboard Shortcut → ⌘T (New Tab)
2. Delay → 0.3 seconds
3. Insert Text → github.com
4. Simulate Keyboard Shortcut → Enter

Terminal Commands​

1. Open App → Terminal
2. Delay → 0.3 seconds
3. Type Text → cd ~/projects && ls -la
4. Simulate Keyboard Shortcut → Enter

Tips​

Test shortcuts first — Make sure the keyboard shortcut works manually in the target app before automating it.

Add delays — Give apps time to process shortcuts, especially when opening dialogs or menus.

App-specific shortcuts — Different apps use different shortcuts. Create app-specific macros for best results.

System shortcuts — Some system-wide shortcuts work everywhere (like ⌘Space for Spotlight).

Combination shortcuts — You can trigger shortcuts with multiple modifiers (like ⇧⌥⌘C).

Context matters — The shortcut will be sent to whichever app is currently active.

Next Steps​