How to gain quick access to Google shortcuts from MacOS
I make no secret that I'm a Google Drive power user. After all, I spend 8-9 hours a day working within that ecosystem, writing words as though my life depended on it. Because I spend so much time within the great Googly world, whenever I can get an edge of efficiency added into the mix I jump on it.
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One day, I was scouring the MacOS App Store (as I'm wont to do) and I came across a simple little app that looked to be pretty promising. That app is called Shortcut For Google Apps and it is exactly what the name implies -- it's a tiny app that gives you quick access to shortcuts for the following Google apps:
- Search
- Google Drive
- Gmail
- YouTube
- Calendar
- Docs
- Maps
- Photos
- Sheets
- Translate
Simply put, you open the app and click on the Google app you want to work with, and your default browser will open to that app. The catch to the app is that it looks like it's free. It's not. You can install it and try it for 1 day but, after that, you'll have to pony up for the $2.99-lifetime purchase fee (in-app). Another caveat to the app is that it really does only do just that -- opens the apps. So instead of opening Docs to a new, empty document, it simply opens docs.google.com.
In essence, this is just a simple app that serves as a quick bookmark for the most-used Google Apps. It would be nice if you could customize it such that clicking Docs or Sheets would open a brand new (blank) Google Document.
Also: How to organize your Google Drive with these 5 tips
Even so, I find the app pretty useful because I don't tend to use bookmarks these days. Instead, I use a combination of pinned tabs and history. That's the workflow I've settled into and any time I can add something into the mix to make it even more efficient, I'm all about it.
So, how do you add this handy app to MacOS? Let me show you.
Installing the Shortcut For Google Apps app
1. Open the App Store
Open the App Store on your MacOS device and search for Shortcut for Google. On the resulting page, click Get (Figure 1) and then click Install.
The Shortcut For Google app listing in the App Store.
When prompted, type your password, or (if you have the touch bar or a fingerprint sensor) touch your fingerprint to the biometric scanner.
The installation of the app shouldn't take but a few seconds.
Using the Shortcut For Google app
1. Open the app
Click on the Launchpad entry in your Dock and type Google. You should see the entry listed (Figure 2).
Shortcut For Google Apps as seen in the MacOS Launchpad.
Click the entry to launch the app. When Shortcut For Google appears on your desktop (Figure 3), click on the app you want to launch and it will open in your default browser.
The Shortcut For Google app in action.
2. Adding a shortcut to the Dock
You probably don't want to have to go through the Launchpad every time you need the app. After all, this is about being as efficient as possible. To that end, you should add a shortcut for the app to your Dock. To do that, open the app, locate and right-click the entry on the Dock and select Options > Keep in Dock (Figure 4).
Adding a shortcut for the app to the Dock.
One thing I don't like about MacOS is that you cannot assign a keyboard shortcut to open an app. That would make this tool even more efficient but, alas, it's not to be.
This one-trick-pony app might not be a deal maker or breaker for most, but for anyone who works with Google Apps throughout the day, the time saved using this app really does validate the $2.99 cost for the app. Sure you could always just pin those pages as tabs in your browser, but if you're like me you already have enough tabs open and don't want to add more into that mix. If that sounds like you, give this app the ol' 1-day go and see if you don't find it to be of value.