Mac OS X: Create a new search shortcut in Alfred

In the Spotlight alternative "Alfred" for Mac OS, you can also set new shortcuts for Internet searches. We show you how this works in this guide.

Create search shortcut in Alfred

1. Open the Alfred search bar as usual and click on the gear in the bar at the top right to open the settings.
2. Switch to the "Features" tab and select the "Web Search" item.
3. You can already find a whole list of ready-made shortcuts here. Now click on "Add Custom Search" at the bottom right to create a new shortcut.
4. Now you have to insert the appropriate URL. To do this, go to the website you want and search with the word "TEST".
5. You will then be taken to the search results page. This should have a new URL. In our example "//praxistipps.chip.de/?s=test&submit=Suchen". Paste this URL into the first field "Search URL" in Alfred.
6. Now you have to replace the text "TEST" with "{query}". In our example it would be "//praxistipps.chip.de/?s=▶query▶&submit=Suchen".
7. Now you can fill in the remaining fields: title, shortcut and desired icon.
8. In the "Validation" field, you can enter a test keyword to test the shortcut. Also try search terms with a space. If this generates an error message on the website, you must check the "Encode spaces as +" box.
9. Then save the shortcut by clicking on "Save" so that it can be used immediately.