To run a shortcut on a selected Finder file with a key combination, first make it available as a Quick Action and enable it for Finder. Then expose it in the Services menu and assign a shortcut in Keyboard settings. This route keeps the selected file as the task’s context. Apple also lets you assign a key combination directly to a shortcut, but that runs the shortcut in any app and may not provide the same Finder selection context. Apple’s Shortcuts guide documents both options.

Prepare the shortcut to accept Finder items

Open Shortcuts on your Mac and double-click the shortcut you want to use. In its details, select Use as Quick Action. If the shortcut should act on a file or folder, check its accepted input: when Quick Actions are enabled, Shortcuts adds an input action at the beginning of the workflow. Apple notes that you may need to allow Files or Folders before Finder can be selected as an available app. The input type must match the item you intend to select. Apple’s instructions for running shortcuts on Mac explain the Quick Action and Finder setup.

Next, open Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Extensions > Finder and turn on your shortcut. This makes the Quick Action available to Finder. The setting controls whether the extension appears; it does not assign a key combination by itself.

Add it to Services and assign a key combination

In the shortcut’s details, also select Services Menu. Then open System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts and choose Services in the sidebar. Find the shortcut in the list and enable it if needed. Apple describes Services as actions that use selected content from the current app, and says services can have keyboard shortcuts. Apple’s guide to using Services on Mac

Click the shortcut’s shortcut field in Keyboard Shortcuts, press the key combination you want to use, and confirm the change if macOS asks. Choose a combination that is easy for you to remember and unlikely to conflict with a command you use elsewhere. macOS reserves some combinations, and another shortcut may already use the one you choose.

To run it, select the intended file in Finder and press your new combination. You can check the same action manually from Finder > Services; if it appears there, that confirms the service is enabled and relevant to the current selection. Services may appear only when they apply to the selected item or task, so test with a file type your shortcut accepts.

If the shortcut is missing or does not receive the file

Check the setup in this order: confirm Use as Quick Action and Services Menu are enabled in the shortcut’s details; confirm the shortcut is switched on under Finder extensions; then confirm the service is enabled in Keyboard Shortcuts > Services. Return to the shortcut and verify its allowed input includes the type of item you selected. Apple says that if Finder cannot be selected for a shortcut, Files or Folders may need to be added to its allowed input. Apple’s Finder Quick Actions guide also notes that available actions depend on the file type and enabled extensions.

There is a second, simpler option for shortcuts that do not need the selected Finder item: in Shortcuts, open the shortcut’s details, click Add Keyboard Shortcut, and press a combination. Apple says this key combination runs the shortcut in any app. Use that method when the shortcut works independently of a Finder selection; for a file-processing task, use the Services route above and verify that the shortcut accepts the selected file.

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