We’re delighted to announce a powerful update tuned to make you more productive through automation, integration, and customization. With improved Shortcuts actions for automation, enhanced integration in Spotlight results, Tips to reveal the hidden power of OmniFocus, and new Mac-exclusive appearance options… OmniFocus 4.5 is here to help you focus, and will look good doing it!
Shortcuts to Productivity
OmniFocus first shipped Shortcuts support in the early days of version 3, and we have continued expanding that support over the years. For OmniFocus 4.5, we explored what Apple’s recent advances allow us to accomplish, and took a fresh look at our list of ideas. We have re-written or expanded our previous Shortcuts actions using the latest Apple technologies, built new actions to support new workflows, and laid the foundation to continue expanding easy automation.
There are all-new Shortcuts actions (Complete Action, Complete Project, and Find Folders), Shortcuts actions that have gained additional powers (Today’s Forecast now supports due, deferred, tagged, and flagged actions), and Shortcuts actions that have been re-written (Add TaskPaper, Find Projects, and Find Tags) or re-written and renamed for clarity (Add Action and Find Actions).
Shortcuts actions are now more (dare we say it?) focused, making it easier to build shortcuts with a clearer sequence of actions. We expanded the original Show in OmniFocus, replacing it with easier-to-use Shortcuts actions for Open Action, Open Folder, Open Perspective, Open Project, and Open Tag. Get Database Object Result from Input required manipulating a JSON file, so we’ve replaced it with Get Action, Get Folder, Get Perspective, Get Project, and Get Tag, all of which accept OmniFocus URLs you can generate in-app using the Copy as Link command.
We even took inspiration from an existing Shortcuts action (Today’s Forecast), and expanded it to support any perspective you’d like (Get Actions from Perspective)! If you’re counting, that’s fourteen new Shortcuts actions, as well as six re-written and improved Shortcuts actions. Whew!
To ensure we don’t slow you down, all of our previous Shortcuts actions are still included (helpfully labeled as “Legacy”). This allows you to remain productive with your current setup, while exploring new options and possibilities. Our work on Shortcuts automation continues, and we’d love to hear from you about where you find success, where you encounter challenges, and where you’d love to see us continue expanding.
Finding What You Need
In previous versions, it could be difficult to search your OmniFocus database using Spotlight, as it showed you different results on Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro. With this update, our Spotlight integration has been completely rewritten, and will now show your actions, action groups, projects, folders, tags, default perspectives, and custom perspectives… no matter which device you’re using!
Hidden Power
As Ken Case recently shared, in Apple Names OmniFocus 4 Mac App of the Year Finalist, “When we built OmniFocus 4 with Apple’s new SwiftUI technologies, our goal was to make the app approachable and easy to use at a light level, while still providing the depth, power, and stunning customizability our customers expect when they need to go deep. Apple’s emphasis on ‘fostering focus with simplified task management’ feels like recognition that we achieved our goal.”
To continue that work, we have added in-app hints, tips, and guidance. If OmniFocus notices there’s a feature you’re not yet using, it will gently nudge you to check it out. Our goal is to support you without disruption, so we’ll never suggest anything right after you’ve launched, and will offer only a single tip per day (at most!).
Easier to Read
We have added Mac-exclusive support for custom fonts, along with a list of Omni-selected system fonts that work well, and an updated slider which supports a wider range of sizes (from 9 to 42 point). Has the font been too small, too large, or just not quite right? Try one of the new options, and see what you think.
Also Mac-exclusive is the color palette option to use a Black background, for increased contrast. This joins the already-included options for Light, Dark, and Automatic (switching based on your System Settings).
We are exploring bringing similar changes to iPhone, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, and would love to know how you feel about these changes on Mac.
Ready for Genmoji
Sometimes text just isn’t enough: you really need an image to help illuminate the task at hand. For those times that words fail, and emoji aren’t quite right, you can now try Genmoji! As long as you have a device that supports Apple Intelligence, and are running on a supported operating system, you can add Genmoji to your action and project notes.
We recommend updating all of your devices to OmniFocus 4.5, to ensure your Genmoji-fied notes safely sync.
…and more
Other changes include an iPad keyboard fix, Omni Automation improvements, a handful of Japanese localization updates, and continued layout and bug fixes.
It’s worth noting that our recent release of OmniFocus 4.4.3 included sync improvements for both Mac and Apple Watch; if you’ve felt like syncing has been smoother, you’re right! For all the recent OmniFocus changes, please see our release notes.
Whether it’s in person, via email, or in Omni’s Slack workspace, we love to hear from you! And, if OmniFocus 4 has empowered you, leaving an App Store review is a great way to share that experience with our team, while helping others discover OmniFocus. Thank you!
