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Quick Actions in Mac Mail: Markup, Shortcuts and Services (2026)

Where Quick Actions are on a Mac and how to use Markup, Shortcuts and Automator Quick Actions in Apple Mail.

By:
Dev
Sanghani
Published:
December 31, 2023
Modified:
October 16, 2026
Short answer: Mac Mail has no Quick Actions menu of its own. Quick Actions are a macOS feature: you find them by Control-clicking a file in the Finder and choosing Quick Actions. In Mail they show up in two places: Markup, on images and PDFs you attach to a message, and the Mail > Services menu, where shortcuts and Automator Quick Actions you've made can work on text you select in an email. For one-click actions on messages themselves, use swipes, hover buttons and the toolbar.

Steps are for macOS 27 and are the same on macOS Tahoe 26, Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14.

Where is Quick Actions on a Mac?

In the Finder. Select a file, Control-click it and choose Quick Actions. What you see depends on the file: Rotate and Markup for images, Trim for video, Create PDF and Convert Image under More. The same buttons sit at the bottom of the Finder's Preview pane (View > Show Preview). To add or remove actions, choose More > Customize, which opens the Extensions settings.

That's why searching for Quick Actions inside Mail turns up nothing: there's no such menu in Mail's menu bar. The pieces below are how the feature reaches your email.

Markup: the Quick Action built into Mail

Markup lets you draw on, crop, rotate or sign an image or PDF before you send it.

  1. Add an image or PDF to a new message.
  2. Move the pointer over the attachment and click the small menu button in its upper-right corner.
  3. Choose Markup, use the tools (Sketch, Shapes, Text, Sign, Crop and so on), then click Done.

If the button doesn't appear, Markup is turned off. Open System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, go to Extensions, click By Category, then click the info button next to Actions and turn on Markup. You can also Control-click in the body of a message and choose Insert Drawing to sketch straight into the email.

Make your own Quick Action for Mail with Shortcuts

The Shortcuts app is Apple's current tool for this, and Mail adds its own actions to it, such as sending, replying to, forwarding, archiving or deleting a message, marking it as read and opening a Smart Mailbox.

  1. Open Shortcuts and build or pick a shortcut. A shortcut that receives text, such as one that turns selected text into a reminder or a note, is the most useful kind inside Mail.
  2. Double-click the shortcut, click the info button, then click Details.
  3. Select Use as Quick Action, then Services Menu. You can also click Add Keyboard Shortcut and press a key combination.
  4. In Mail, select some text in an email and choose Mail > Services, then your shortcut. Or press the keyboard shortcut you set.

The Services menu only lists items that fit what you've selected, so a shortcut that expects files won't appear when you've selected text. To choose which services appear, go to System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Services. Pick a key combination that doesn't clash with Mail's own keyboard shortcuts.

Or build one in Automator

Automator still ships with macOS 27 and still makes Quick Actions:

  1. Open Automator, choose File > New, select Quick Action and click Choose.
  2. At the top of the workflow, set what it receives (for example, text) and the app it runs in (Mail).
  3. Drag actions from the library into the workflow, then choose File > Save and give it a name.

The saved Quick Action appears in Mail's Services menu. If you already have Automator workflows, you can import them into Shortcuts, which is where Apple is putting new features.

Mail's own one-click actions

If what you want is to act on messages faster, these built-in options do more than Services ever will:

  • Swipes: on a trackpad or Magic Mouse, swipe right with two fingers on a message for Read or Unread and Remind Me, or left to delete or archive it (set by Move discarded messages into in Mail > Settings > Viewing). See swipe actions in Apple Mail.
  • Hover buttons: move the pointer over a message header to get Reply, Reply All and Forward.
  • Notification actions: reply to, mark as read or delete a message from its notification.
  • Toolbar buttons: add Archive, Move, Flag or Mute to the toolbar with View > Customize Toolbar.
  • Rules: move, flag or color messages as they arrive, in Mail > Settings > Rules.

Older guides also mention the Touch Bar. Only some older MacBook Pro models have one; there, you can add a Quick Actions button to the Control Strip.

Want fewer clicks per email?

Disclosure: we make Canary Mail. Quick Actions and Services save a step here and there, but the real time goes into deciding what each email needs. Canary Mail is an email app for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Windows and Android that works with Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, Yahoo, Exchange and other IMAP accounts. The free plan covers unlimited accounts on 2 devices with AI inbox sorting. The Growth plan ($36 a year) adds AI writing and summaries, read receipts, send later and a calendar on up to 5 devices. There's a 7-day trial, and paid plans are yearly or lifetime. More than 2 million people use it, and Apple has featured it on the App Store and the Mac App Store.

Frequently asked questions

Does Apple Mail have Quick Actions?

Not as its own menu. Mail supports the Markup Quick Action on attachments, and shortcuts or Automator Quick Actions you make can run from Mail > Services.

Where are Quick Actions on Mac?

In the Finder. Control-click a file and choose Quick Actions, or use the buttons at the bottom of the Preview pane.

How do I create a Quick Action on Mac?

In Shortcuts, open a shortcut's Details and select Use as Quick Action. In Automator, choose File > New > Quick Action.

Why don't I see my Quick Action in Mail?

Services only appear when they match your selection, for example text for a text shortcut. Check that it's turned on in System Settings > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Services.

How do I turn on Markup in Mail?

Turn on Markup in System Settings > General > Login Items & Extensions, under Extensions > By Category > Actions.

More Mac Mail how-tos

Other Mac Mail fixes

Sources

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