Action Directory

The following is a documentation of the 300+ actions available in the Shortcuts app.

First, check out the Category of the Week.

Then, browse by the main Categories, or dive into a subcategory to see only a small subset actions.

Plus, check out my custom-tagged sorting for Actions by Types, Difficulty, and Prompt Type.

Make sure to check out Related Shortcuts for each action too.

Category of the Week

With new iPhones on the way and iOS 15 here, make sure to check out the full collection of new actions:

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Set Playback Destination

Sets playback destination to a device. Device The device to set playback destination to.

View Details

Actions by Category

Browse all the Actions in Shortcuts using the default categories provided by Apple – or narrow down even further using the individual subcategories as labeled in the app:

Apps

Actions for Apple's default apps that you can take advantage of.

Scripting

Build intermediate to advanced workflows that get more done.

Media

Do more with photos/video, music/podcasts, and playback.

Documents

Work with words in your files, notes, and text.

Location

Get data from the world around you.

Sharing

Take your content & send it somewhere.

Web

Interact with the whole internet.

Actions by Difficultly Level

Some actions are more straightforward, while some take a bit to learn about and implement in your shortcuts.

Browse them depending your current comfort level, then move up a level to see what else is possible next:

Basic

Simpler shortcuts that solve a problem with just a few steps – these are easier to learn from.

Regular

Average shortcuts that include a bit of scripting or use of variables.

Advanced

More complex workflows that solve a particular problem well.

Actions by Type

Actions generally come in three forms – actions from apps, actions for content, and scripting.

The following categories sort all the actions into these larger buckets, letting you browse depending on your targeted area:

Apps

Interacting with apps on your device to accomplish a goal.

Content

Working with files and data to create something new or manipulate existing info.

Scripting

Powerful ways to make your shortcuts accomplish more or work in multiple contexts.

Actions by Interaction Type

View all the Actions in Shortcuts by how interactive they are when the shortcut is running – will it prompt you, work in the background, or open an app?

These categories are particularly helpful for determining whether a shortcut is good for an automation or Siri, for example:

Works in Background

Actions that fire off in the background and never require a prompt.

Potential Prompt

Actions that may or not prompt for a response, depending on how you set it up – all actions with "Ask Each Time."

Always Prompts

Actions that will prompt for a response every time the shortcut is run.

Opens App

Actions that move away from the current context and into another app.