Quick Links
Your mouse is slowing you down.
The less you use it, the faster you’ll be able to do just about everything.
But beyond that, Quicksilver is an utility that rewards users for digging in and learning more.
Use it long enough, and you’ll wonder how you ever used your Mac without it.
Setting Up Quicksilver
To get started, head to theQuicksilverwebsite and download the program.
Installation is standard: mount the DMG file, then drag the Quicksilver icon to your Applications folder.
The first time you run Quicksilver, a wizard will guide you through the basics of using the tool.
you’re able to also install them later if you prefer.
check that that you do enable a keyboard shortcut, however.
I tend to go with Command+Space, replacing the Spotlight, but you could use whatever shortcut you like.
Click Continue to go through the rest of the wizard.
An option will quickly pop up as you pop in.
Most of the time, you could just press Enter to launch your desired app instantly.
On the rare occasion you don’t see what you want, however, just wait.
A panel will pop out to the left of Quicksilver’s launcher.
Use the up and down arrow keys to browse these options.
And we’re just scratching the surface here.
In the above example, we worked completely in the Item box.
To switch between the item and the action box, just press Tab.
There are a bunch of actions to choose from for any given file, and plugins add even more.
Plugins Worth Installing
Speaking of plugins, you should really install some.
They give Quicksilver access to more items and actions, which makes Quicksilver more useful.
To install plugins, first launch Quicksilver.
tap the gear icon at top-right, then click “Plugins”.
This will bring up the plugins window in the controls:
Take your time to explore what’s here.
The answers lie in the Catalog.
pick the Catalog tab in Quicksilver’s options to access it.
Here, you’re free to choose what does and does not show up in your search results.
Explore a little bit and you’ll really get a feel for what Quicksilver is capable of doing.
It can also, with the right plugins, store your clipboard history Terminal commands.
But the only way to really learn to use Quicksilver is to dive in yourself and start experimenting.
We hope this article gives you a starting point.
