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Create a .bat File on Mac in 4 Ways (Step by Step)

Updated on Friday, September 13, 2024

Written by

Yvonne Feng

Approved by

Jessica Shee

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Summary: This post provides you with four ways to create BAT/.bat files on Mac. From this article, you can find iBoysoft MagicMenu is the simplest and most ideal way to create BAT/.bat files on your Mac.

BAT files are batch-processing scripts used to execute commands in bulk on the Windows operating system, with the file extension .bat. By writing multiple commands to a BAT file, you can automate a series of operations, such as file backup, batch copying files, and cleaning up the system.

Although you cannot directly create files on the Mac, you can do so with other tools. When you read this article, you may not know how to create a BAT file on your Mac. Don't worry, follow us, we'll walk you through creating BAT files on your Mac in this post.

An overview of creating a .bat file on Mac

We have listed four main methods to help you create BAT files. Before going into the detailed steps, let's have a look at these five methods. In general, these four methods can help you create .bat files on Mac, but some operations are complicated, and some are simple. You can take a look at the table below.

MethodsOverall reviews
Create BAT files on Mac with iBoysoft MagicMenuSimple, high-security, and right-click to create .bat files
Create BAT files on Mac with TextEditBuilt-in app (Create it every time you use it)
Create BAT files on Mac with TerminalCommand-line interface (Complicated)
Create BAT files on Mac with AutomatorComplicated operation

 

Create BAT files on Mac with TextEdit

There are many ways you can create .bat files on your Mac. The first one we'll show you is to create BAT files with TextEdit. TextEdit is a simple text editor built into macOS. It supports both plain text and rich text formats and can be adapted to various types of documents.

TextEdit can be implemented by switching to plain text mode when creating BAT files (i.e., batch files, which are mainly used for Windows to execute commands). Here are the steps to create .bat files on Mac with TextEdit.

  1. Find TextEdit: Launchpad > Others > TextEdit or Finder > Applications > TextEdit.
  2. Open TextEdit, select Format from the top menu, and choose Make Plain Text.
  3. Edit your BAT file.
  4. Save the file with a .bat extension by selecting File > Save As, choosing the appropriate file name, and setting the file extension to .bat.

 Create BAT files on Mac with iBoysoft MagicMenu

If you need to create .bat files frequently, you can use iBoysoft MagicMenu. This right-click enhancer helps you create .bat files on Mac with a simple right-click.

You don't need to waste time to open any application and perform some tedious steps to create .bat files like using Automator or Terminal. So,  why not download it and have a try?

How to Create BAT files with iBoysoft MagicMenu, follow our steps.

  1. Free download, install, and launch iBoysoft MagicMenu.
  2. Go to New File > the add button (+). 
     
  3. Click the add file button in the popup and select your .bat file. (Note that you need to use TextEdit to create a blank .bat file as the template.)
  4. Click Open to add it to your right-click New File menu.
  5. Right-click on a blank space on the desktop or Finder. You can select New File> the .bat file to create your .bat file.
     

With iBoysoft MagicMenu, you can right-click a .bat file at any time, which is not only convenient and fast but also saves time.

 

Create BAT files on Mac with Terminal

Terminal is a command-line tool in macOS that allows you to control the operation of your computer by entering text commands. Terminal provides flexible and powerful controls that will enable you to interact directly with the underlying operating system. Common operations include file management, software installation, and system configuration.

Through Terminal, you can execute various commands, such as, you can create a file with Terminal. In addition, it also supports scripting and automation tasks, which can greatly improve your productivity. Of course, you can also create .bat files using Terminal.

How to create .bat files with Terminal, we list the steps as follows.

  1. Open Terminal: Press Command + Space, type "Terminal," and press Enter (Or Launchpad > Others > Terminal.)
  2. Create the .bat file. Enter the following command to create a.bat file. What we want to warn you is that replace the filename with the filename you want.touch filename.bat
  3. Edit the .bat file. Once the file is created, you can edit it using a built-in text editor like nano or vi. For example, using nano to edit a file:nano myscript.bat

Now you can enter the contents of the.bat file you want in the editor. When the editing is complete, press Ctrl + X to exit the editor, press Y to save the changes, and press Enter to confirm the saving.

Create BAT files on Mac with Automator

Automator is an app with macOS that helps you automate everyday tasks without having to write complex code. With Automator, you can combine a series of actions to create workflows and run those workflows when needed to increase productivity. 

Automator can automate various tasks, such as renaming multiple files, converting image formats in batches, automatically sending emails, creating PDF files, and performing certain actions regularly.

Let's find out how to create BAT files on Mac with Automator, we list the steps as follows.

  1. Open Automator: Press Command + Space, type Automator, and press Enter to open it.
  2. Create a new document: In Automator, click New Document. Then select Application in the pop-up window and click Choose.
     
  3. Add the Run Shell Script action: In the search bar at the top left, type Run Shell Script. After that, drag the action to the work area on the right.
     
  4. Write BAT scripts: Enter the commands required for the Windows.bat file in the text box on the right. We give an example below. (This code creates a batch file called myscript.bat and adds the simple Hello World command to it.)echo @echo off > myscript.bat
    echo echo Hello World >> myscript.bat
    echo pause >> myscript.bat
  5. Run the Automator workflow: Click the Run button in the upper right corner of the window. This will execute the commands you have in the Shell script and create the.bat file.
  6. Save the Automator workflow: You can save this Automator workflow as an application for later use. Click File > Storage and select the file type as Application, then name it and save it to where you want to save it.

Final thoughts

In a nutshell, iBoysoft MagicMenu is the most convenient and fast for you who often need to use .bat files. With iBoysoft MagicMenu, you can right-click a .bat file at any time, without having to create it every time, and without those tedious steps. Just right-click, and you can achieve your purpose, why not give it a try?

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