Likewise, if you want to assign a shortcut to something, use LaunchBar to find it, and instead of pressing enter, right-click on the item in the list you want and select Assign Abbreviation from the list.
![launchbar search templates launchbar search templates](https://www.obdev.at/Images/launchbar/actions/LBA-Spotlight.png)
LaunchBar trains itself and remembers what you most often select when typing in letters, so if you typed “sa” and routinely picked “Server Admin” you will find that Server Admin will move to the top of the list, before Safari. If the match isn’t correct, use the arrow keys to select the item you want and press enter to launch it. For instance, to launch Safari, type “sa” and LaunchBar will have highlighted it. Begin typing and LaunchBar starts searching for items that contain those same letters. When activated, LaunchBar pulls down from the menu bar - unobtrusive and out of the way. (In fact, I routinely reassign Spotlight’s activation keys to +++ since it is used so rarely, and let LaunchBar activate with + which is Spotlight’s default). It is a searching tool, somewhat like Spotlight, and is activated in a similar manner. LaunchBar sits inconspicuously in the background until you need it, much like Spotlight. LaunchBar is a powerful tool with a lot of uses, but if I had to describe it in two words it would be “application launcher” or “system searcher.”
LAUNCHBAR SEARCH TEMPLATES INSTALL
LaunchBar is always the first application I install on any OS X system - it is such a productivity booster that without it I feel lost. One of my absolute favorite tools on OS X is LaunchBar.
![launchbar search templates launchbar search templates](https://brandnewbox.co.uk/images/launchbar_settings.png)
Vincent Danen introduces Mac users to the productivity-boosting LaunchBar tool, which includes customizable system search options, a clipboard manager, filesystem navigator, and more. Optimize your Mac experience with the LaunchBar multitasker