One key opens it, or brings it forward
Press an app's shortcut and Recento launches it if it is closed, or brings it to the front if it is open. There is no list to scroll and nothing to type.
Shortcuts · Part of Recento Pro
A keyboard shortcut to open any app on your Mac
Give every app you use a key of its own. Press it and the app opens, or jumps to the front if it is already running. Files, folders and links too.
macOS 14 or later · Apple Silicon & Intel
Getting to the app you want usually means the Dock, Spotlight or a long run of Command Tab presses. It is a small cost, but you pay it hundreds of times a day, and it pulls your eyes off what you were doing.
Shortcuts lets you set a keyboard shortcut to open an app on your Mac, the way Windows has long let you give a program its own key combination. Hold one modifier chord, press a letter, and you are there. It is a tool inside Recento Utilities in Recento Pro, and every feature is free.
What Shortcuts does
Apps, files, folders and links
A shortcut can open more than apps. Point one at a document you open every day, a project folder, or a web page, and it is one key combination away.
Letters picked for you
Recento suggests a letter from the app's own name, starting with the first letter of each word, so the key is one you would guess. Adding an app takes a click, and "Assign Missing Keys" fills in any shortcut you left blank.
26 apps on one chord
New shortcuts are built on one modifier chord you choose (Option Command by default), plus a letter. That gives you a whole alphabet of apps on one chord you only have to learn once. You can switch a single shortcut to another chord, or record any combination of your own.
Press again to hide, or to change windows
Choose what a second press does for each app: just bring it forward, hide it again if you are already in it, or move to its next window. The default is to open or bring forward.
A cheat sheet when you need it
Turn on the letters overlay and holding the modifier chord for a moment shows every app and its letter. It is off by default and is the only part that needs Accessibility access.
No clashes, no surprises
The shortcut recorder warns you when keys already belong to another Recento action, and tells you when macOS reserves a combination for itself. A shortcut whose app has been deleted says so on its row instead of silently doing nothing.
Free, every feature
Shortcuts has no paid tier. Every option is included in the free version, so you can build the habit without hitting a limit.
How it works
- 1Open Recento Pro, then Recento Utilities, and choose Shortcuts in the sidebar.
- 2Click "Add New Shortcut" and pick an application, file, folder or link.
- 3Keep the suggested key or record your own.
- 4Choose what happens if the app is already open.
- 5Press the keys from any app to jump straight to it.
Who it's for
- People switching from Windows: keep the habit of a key combination per program.
- Developers: jump between the editor, terminal, browser and simulator without looking.
- Writers and designers: open the documents and folders you use every day with one key.
- Keyboard-first users: stop reaching for the Dock or the mouse to change apps.
Free and paid
| Feature | Free version | Recento Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Keys for apps, files, folders & links | Included | Included |
Shortcuts is free in full. Recento Pro, at $9.99 a month or $99 once for a lifetime licence, unlocks the paid features in other modules.
Plans, trial and refund terms are on the Recento Pro pricing section.
Privacy and permissions
- No permission for plain shortcuts. Each shortcut is an ordinary system hotkey, so opening apps, files, folders and links needs no special access.
- Accessibility (optional): only for the letters overlay, which watches when you hold the modifier chord, and for "press again for its next window". Declining it costs those two things and nothing else.
- Recento does not watch or record your typing. Your shortcuts are stored on your Mac.
Requirements
- macOS 14 Sonoma or later.
- Apple silicon and Intel Macs.
- Part of Recento Utilities in Recento Pro. Turning off Shortcuts releases all of its keys straight away.
Questions
How do I assign a keyboard shortcut to open an app on Mac?
In Recento Pro, open Recento Utilities and choose Shortcuts. Click "Add New Shortcut", pick the app, keep the suggested key or record your own, and click Add Shortcut. Press those keys from any app to open it.
Is this the same as Apple's Shortcuts app?
No. Apple's Shortcuts app runs automations. Recento's Shortcuts tool does one thing: it gives an app, file, folder or link a keyboard shortcut that opens it.
Does it need Accessibility permission?
Not for the shortcuts themselves. Only the optional letters overlay and the "next window" behaviour need Accessibility access.
What happens if I press the shortcut while the app is already open?
By default the app comes to the front. You can change that per app so a second press hides it, or moves to its next window.
Can a shortcut open a website or a folder?
Yes. A shortcut can point to an application, a file, a folder or a link. A link opens in your default browser.
Which modifier keys can I use?
New shortcuts use one chord you choose: Option Command (the default), Control Option, Control Command, Control Option Command or Control Shift Command. You can also record any combination of your own, as long as macOS does not reserve it.
Is Shortcuts free?
Yes, every feature is included in the free version of Recento Pro.
What happens to my shortcuts if I uninstall the app?
They stop working as soon as Recento Pro is not running, and turning the Shortcuts tool off releases them straight away. Nothing is changed in your system settings.
More from Recento Pro
Recento UtilitiesShortcuts is one of seven tools in Recento Utilities.
Copy PasteWindows-style Control C and Control V for people switching from Windows.
Recento Diala round launcher summoned by one key, for when you want to pick rather than remember.
Recento Workspacesopen a whole set of apps and tabs in one click.
Recento Slidereach your clipboard and shelves with a key.