What a shortcut is and why you might want one
A shortcut on your iPhone is a quick way to run a task or series of tasks with a single tap. Instead of opening an app, finding a setting, and clicking through several screens, you can create a button that does all of that in one action. Shortcuts live in the Shortcuts app (which comes built into iPhones running iOS 12 or later) and can sit on your home screen, in your lock screen, or in Siri voice commands.
The most common shortcuts automate things you do repeatedly: sending a text to your partner that you're leaving work, turning on Do Not Disturb and lowering your brightness at bedtime, converting a photo to PDF, or playing a specific playlist. You can also create shortcuts that combine actions across different apps — for example, a shortcut that opens your calendar, checks the weather, and reads the forecast aloud.
Key Takeaways
- The Shortcuts app comes built into iPhones and lets you create buttons that run one task or many tasks with a single tap.
- You can build a shortcut by choosing actions from a menu, arranging them in order, and naming the result.
- Shortcuts can live on your home screen as app icons, on your lock screen as widgets, or be triggered by voice through Siri.
- Apple provides pre-made shortcuts you can copy and edit, which is faster than building one from scratch if a similar task already exists.
How to create a shortcut from scratch
Open the Shortcuts app and tap the plus icon in the top right corner. You will see a blank canvas with the word "Untitled Shortcut" at the top. Tap that text to name your shortcut something you will recognize — for example, "Leave for Work" or "Bedtime Routine."
Below the name, you will see a search box that says "Add an action." Tap it and search for the first thing you want your shortcut to do. For example, if you want your shortcut to send a text message, search for "send message." The app will show you matching actions. Tap the one you want, and it will appear on the canvas as a block.
Each action block has fields you can fill in. For "send message," you would tap the contact field and choose who to send to, then tap the message field and type what you want to say. After you fill in the fields for that action, tap "Add an action" again and search for the next thing you want to happen. Keep adding actions in the order you want them to run.
When you are done, tap "Done" in the top right. Your shortcut is now saved and ready to use.
Where to put your shortcut so you can actually use it
A shortcut sitting in the Shortcuts app is useful, but you can make it even faster to reach. The most common place to put a shortcut is your home screen as an app icon. To do this, open your shortcut, tap the three dots in the top right, and scroll down to "Add to Home Screen." Choose an icon and color, then tap "Add." The shortcut will now appear on your home screen like any other app.
You can also add a shortcut to your lock screen. Open the shortcut, tap the three dots, and choose "Add to Lock Screen." This works on iPhones running iOS 16 or later. The shortcut will appear as a small widget that you can tap without unlocking your phone.
If you use voice commands, you can also run a shortcut by saying "Hey Siri, [shortcut name]." You do not need to do anything special to set this up — Siri will recognize your shortcut automatically once it is saved.
Using pre-made shortcuts to save time
You do not have to build every shortcut from scratch. Apple includes a gallery of pre-made shortcuts in the Shortcuts app. Open the app, tap the "Gallery" tab at the bottom, and browse by category — "Productivity," "Health," "Travel," and others. When you find one that sounds useful, tap it and then tap "Get Shortcut" or "Add Shortcut."
After you add a pre-made shortcut, you can edit it to match your needs. Open the shortcut, tap the three dots, and choose "Edit." You can change which contacts it sends to, which apps it opens, or what message it sends. This is much faster than building the same shortcut from scratch.
Common actions you can include in a shortcut
The Shortcuts app has hundreds of actions available, but some are more useful than others. Here are actions that appear in many shortcuts:
- Send Message — sends a text, iMessage, or email to a contact you choose.
- Open App — opens any app on your phone.
- Set Do Not Disturb — turns Do Not Disturb on or off.
- Set Brightness — changes your screen brightness to a level you set.
- Play Sound — plays a sound or alarm.
- Get Current Weather — retrieves the weather for your location and can read it aloud.
- Ask for [Text/Number/List] — pauses the shortcut and asks you to type or choose something before continuing.
- If [condition] — runs different actions depending on whether something is true (for example, "if it is raining, send a message").
Troubleshooting shortcuts that do not work
If a shortcut does not run, the most common reason is that it needs permission to access something — your contacts, your location, your photos, or a specific app. When you first run a shortcut that needs permission, your iPhone will ask you to allow it. Tap "Allow" or "Always Allow." If you tapped "Don't Allow" by mistake, go to Settings, scroll down to Shortcuts, and turn on the permissions it needs.
If a shortcut stops working after you edit it, check that all the action blocks are still filled in correctly. When you delete or change an action, the blocks below it may no longer make sense. For example, if you remove a "send message" action but leave a "choose contact" action below it, the shortcut will fail. Delete any orphaned actions and rebuild that part of the shortcut.
If a shortcut works on your iPhone but not on your iPad or Mac, it may be using an action that is not available on that device. Some actions only work on iPhone — for example, actions that use your phone's camera or location. Check the shortcut on the other device and remove or replace those actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I share a shortcut I created with someone else?
Yes. Open the shortcut, tap the three dots, and choose "Share." You can send it via message, email, or AirDrop. The person who receives it can tap the link and add it to their own Shortcuts app. They can then edit it to work with their own contacts and settings.
What happens if I delete a shortcut?
The shortcut is removed from the Shortcuts app and from your home screen or lock screen. If you added it from the gallery, you can add it again. If you built it yourself, it is gone unless you remember exactly what you did.
Can a shortcut do something on a schedule, like every morning?
Not directly through the Shortcuts app. However, you can use the Reminders app to trigger a shortcut at a specific time. Create a reminder, tap the "i" icon, scroll down to "Add alarm," and choose "Shortcut." Select the shortcut you want to run when the reminder goes off.
Do I need to be connected to the internet for a shortcut to work?
It depends on what the shortcut does. Shortcuts that only use your phone's built-in features (like turning on Do Not Disturb or opening an app) work offline. Shortcuts that need to fetch information from the internet (like checking the weather or sending an email) require a connection.