Automate Video Organization on Your Mac with This Simple Shortcut

Link to Shortcut: Run Video Automation

What This Script Does

This script helps you clean up a folder full of mixed files and subfolders by automatically:

Finding all the video files inside the main folder and any subfolders (like .mp4 or .mov files—even if they’r
e buried deep).
Renaming each video using the name of the main folder, so it’s easy to know where the video came from.
- The first video becomes: FolderName.mp4
- The second video with the same type becomes: FolderName-1.mp4
- And so on.
Moving all the renamed videos to the top level of the main folder (so everything’s together).
Sending everything else to the Trash—all non-video files and leftover folders get moved to your Mac’s Trash for easy cleanup.

After adding this shortcut to your Mac (for example, using this share link), open the Shortcut’s details/settings.
Make sure you enable this in the Shortcut’s details pane: Use as Quick Action → Finder
Sometimes these aren’t turned on by default, so check and enable them manually if needed.

In Finder, select one or more folders that contain the videos you want to process.
Right-click (or Control-click) on the selected folder(s).
In the menu, go to: Quick Actions → Run Video Automation (or whatever you’ve named your shortcut).
The shortcut will run and do its job.

When the shortcut is done, you’ll see a success notification from macOS letting you know the process is complete.
Your selected folder(s) will now only have the renamed video files at the top level.
All other files and folders will be in the Trash (so you can still recover them if you need).
The temporary script the shortcut creates in your Downloads folder is deleted after the work is finished, so you’re not left with extra files.

What it does	Why
Finds & renames videos	Makes them easy to spot and keeps them organized
Moves videos to top level	No more hunting for videos buried in subfolders
Trashes everything else	Cleans up the junk, but lets you recover from Trash
Deletes itself when done	No unnecessary files left behind in Downloads
Sends a macOS notification	Lets you know when the shortcut is finished

Q: Will it delete my videos?
A: No, it only keeps videos and moves the rest to Trash (not permanent delete).

Q: Why does the script go into Downloads?
A: It’s a trick to avoid permission issues and make sure everything works smoothly on your Mac.

Q: Do I need to clean up after?
A: Nope! The script cleans up after itself.

description	Discover a handy macOS Shortcut to automatically find, rename, and consolidate video files from any folder. This guide shows you how to set up and use this Quick Action to clean up your Mac and keep your videos organized, moving unwanted files to the Trash.
tags	🌐, automation, macos
aliases