The Trigger Macro by Name action displays a Spotlight-like window, where you trigger execution of a Macro by searching for it, and then selecting it.

Like the Mac Spotlight, it will search all of your active, enabled Macros whose name or contents contain what you type. It is a character search, so it will also find Macro names and words that contain what you type.

• Create the Trigger by Name Macro
  • Create a new macro, in the Global Macro Group (so it will be available in all apps)
  • Assign it a trigger (one suggestion is ⌘⌥⌃T)
  • Insert the Trigger Macro by Name action.
  • Optionally configure the initial search.
  • Optionally allow inactive or disabled macros.
  • Optionally restrict it to specified macros or macro groups.
• When you are ready to Trigger a Macro
  • Like using any Macro, make sure you have any required app frontmost.
  • Then, trigger the Trigger by Name Macro (the one you made in Step #1)
  • The Trigger Macro by Name window will appear
  • Type the search criteria
    • As you type, the macro list will be filtered
    • Continue to type until you see the macro of interest
  • If the Macro you want is not highlighted, move to it with the arrow keys, or double-click on it.

The initial search can (v9.0+) include tokens.

If you wish to open Keyboard Maestro directly to the selected macro rather than triggering it, use ⌥Return or ⌥+click.

If you would like to further restrict, or filter, the search, you can use qualifiers, or prefixes, to what you type, using these Search Strings.

For example:

a:safari n:copy

would filter the list of Macros to those whose:

• Active application is “Safari”
• Macro name contains “copy”

For the complete list of available filters, see Search Strings

You can pass parameters (v8+) to the macro via the %TriggerValue% token by adding // and then the parameter to your search string. The // and anything after that will be ignored in the search.

• See all Actions

• Search Strings

• Limit the results of Trigger Macro by Name
• Keyboard Maestro Forum topics about Trigger Macro by Name Action