Desktop & OS
Built-in Mac/Windows and spreadsheet automation, often the only thing allowed on a work machine.
Apple Shortcuts
✓ no installFree and pre-installed on every Mac/iPhone, the best option on a locked-down Mac; the “Use Model” action runs AI with no API key.
Power Automate Desktop
✓ no installPre-installed and free for attended desktop RPA on Windows 11, record clicks to automate legacy/no-API apps; sharing/scheduling need Premium.
Excel, Copilot, Office Scripts & VBA
✓ no installThree layers in one app: Copilot for plain-English formulas, Office Scripts (TypeScript) that schedule via Power Automate, and VBA for max power.
Google Sheets, Gemini & Apps Script
✓ no installGemini writes formulas from natural language; Apps Script is free JavaScript on every Google account that can email from a sheet and run on a timer.
Windows built-ins (PowerToys, Task Scheduler)
✓ no installLow-friction wins with little to install: Clipboard History (Win+V), Task Scheduler for timed scripts, PowerToys text expansion, often IT-approved.
A Spotlight replacement that turns the keyboard into a command center, clipboard, snippets, window management, built-in AI from one hotkey.
The deepest Mac automation short of code, GUI scripting drives apps with no API; one-time license, needs install rights.
Free Windows scripting for text expansion, hotkeys, and form-filling, unbeatable on your own PC, often blocked on managed machines.