open apps from the dock

[wellerpond]

I've always been frustrated by the lack of keyboard short cut to open apps that have been minimized to the dock. As far as I can tell, if an app is minimized it stays there until you click on it. If there is better way, please tell me! I'd love to use command+tab to select the app then hit O (for open) or something like that.

 

Is this something Alfred could do? For example: keyword "od" Word. And Word would open from the dock.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thank you!

[Stephen_C]

You could create a Launch Apps & Files Action, linked to a hotkey, and ensure in the Launch Apps & Files Action that you check Toggle visibility for apps. That would mean that when you use the hotkey, with the app already minimised, the app would display. I use that all the time with many of my apps.

 

Edit: To be quite clear, the hotkey, once it has launched the app, will in effect be a toggle for the app's visibility.

 

Stephen

Edited February 13 by Stephen_C

[vitor]

It should also work if you simply launch the app as normal from Alfred, by opening it and typing its name. Using word should work for your example, unless Microsoft is doing something funky (it worked fine on every app I tried just now). Or use @Stephen_C’s suggestion but with an od Keyword Input instead of a Hotkey.

 

As a fun aside, on macOS you can also press fn and a to select and navigate the Dock with the arrow keys. Not as convenient or fast as doing it from Alfred, but neat trick nonetheless. There are a new other fn + single letter shortcuts available (e.g. fn + n for the Notification Centre) if you feel like experimenting.

[sepulchra]

is that fun aside of fn something that was added in Sonoma? That is much easier on the hands than ⌃+f3.

[vitor]

I don’t know the exact timeline, but at least some of the options have been available at least since Monterey.

[giovanni]

On 2/13/2024 at 3:12 PM, wellerpond said:

If there is better way, please tell me! I'd love to use command+tab to select the app then hit O (for open) or something like that.

there are actually a couple of ways to open a minimized app via keyboard. It takes a bit to get used to them though 

[Stephen_C]

You could also use the Contexts window switcher—as I do.

 

Stephen

[godbout]

On 2/14/2024 at 4:12 AM, wellerpond said:

I've always been frustrated by the lack of keyboard short cut to open apps that have been minimized to the dock. As far as I can tell, if an app is minimized it stays there until you click on it. If there is better way, please tell me! I'd love to use command+tab to select the app then hit O (for open) or something like that.

 

Is this something Alfred could do? For example: keyword "od" Word. And Word would open from the dock.

 

Thoughts?

 

Thank you!

 

i built an app that is able to do this. but just to make it clear 1) i'm the author 2) if you don't subscribe sometimes the app bothers you and asks for a coffee (eww) 3) if you subscribe it's a, well, a sub. if interested i can tell more.