FileBo for macOS

A shelf for your fresh files.

FileBo collects everything you download, save, export or screenshot onto one shelf. Press ⇧⌘F, drag the file into any app, and keep working.

Download on the Mac App Store

Free for 14 days, then $12.99 once.
macOS 15 or later.

4.8 · 12 App Store ratings · read the reviews

  1. 1Press ⇧⌘F. The shelf appears in front of Mail — or any app, even full screen.
  2. 2Newest on top: the invoice you downloaded two minutes ago.
  3. 3Drag it into the message. A copy goes out; the original stays in Downloads.
SHOT 1Hero loop: Mail compose → ⇧⌘F → drag the invoice PDF in → shelf hides (6–8 s)
“This completely cured my habit of losing track of files right after I save them.”
Alawayy, App Store review “No more lost downloads”

Where did that file go?

It's on your Mac — you just made it. Getting it into the next app is the part that costs you.

You downloaded an invoice.

Finder Downloads Sort by Date scroll past 400 files

A screenshot landed on the Desktop as

Screenshot 2026-09-30 at 14.02.11.png

An app's Save dialog put the export into a folder you don't remember.

~ ? export-final-v3.mov

With FileBo

⇧⌘F the file, on top
SHOT 2Finder, Downloads, ~400 files sorted by name; the invoice is below the fold

Press. Grab. Drop.

  1. 1Press

    • Over any app, even full screen.
    • The same key hides it.
    • The hotkey is yours to change.
    1. 1The shelf, over a full-screen app
    SHOT 3aKeynote in full screen → ⇧⌘F → the shelf appears over it

  2. 2Grab

    • Newest on top.
    • Tabs by type: Images, Documents, Downloads, Screenshots, Apps…
    • ⌘1…⌘8 jump between them.
    1. 1⌘5: the Downloads tab
    2. 2Newest on top — the invoice from two minutes ago
    SHOT 3bTabs row hovered, ⌘-digit to Downloads; newest on top, cursor on a tile

  3. 3Drop

    • Into Mail, Slack, Telegram, a browser upload field, Figma, Finder.
    • A copy goes out, the original stays put. Hold ⌘ to move.
    • FileBo steps out of the way.
    1. 1The shelf hides as soon as the drag leaves it
    SHOT 3cDrag the file into a Messages conversation; the shelf hides mid-drag; the image lands in the chat

Nothing to set up. Nothing to sort.

What lands on the shelf.

FileBo watches the folders you already use and puts whatever is new on top. It fills itself.

Downloads

Even while they're still downloading, with a live byte counter.

Saves and exports

Saved and exported files, and edits to your documents.

Screenshots

Screenshots and screen recordings.

New folders

A burst of 40 photos from one import is one tile with “N new”.

Apps

Apps you just installed or used, in their own tab.

Drives

Plugged-in drives, SD cards and mounted disk images — with Eject on the tile.

Cloud drives

iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, Proton Drive. A “not downloaded” badge; click to fetch.

Opened files

Optional: files you only opened, via Include ▸ Recently Opened Files.

Time range

24 hours, 7, 14 or 30 days; a timeline up to 90 days.

SHOT 4Tile crops, icons view, zoomed: downloading, screenshot, “N new” burst, drive + Eject, cloud badge, app

A day with FileBo: six small jobs, done from the shelf.

Each one starts with ⇧⌘F and ends with the shelf out of the way.

Send the invoice you just downloaded

  1. Open the Downloads tab.
  2. Drag the PDF into your Mail message.

Attached. No Finder window opened.

SHOT 5.1⇧⌘F → ⌘-digit to Downloads → drag Invoice-2026-09-Acme.pdf into Mail

Screenshot to a teammate

  1. Take the screenshot.
  2. Open the Screenshots tab.
  3. Drop it into Slack or Telegram.

Sent, without hunting the Desktop for it.

SHOT 5.2⇧⌘4 a region → ⇧⌘F → Screenshots tab → drag into Messages

Export, then upload

  1. Export from Final Cut, Photoshop or Lightroom.
  2. The export is on top of the shelf.
  3. Drag it into the client portal in your browser.

Uploaded, wherever the Save dialog put it.

SHOT 5.3Safari on a plain upload page → ⇧⌘F → drag Teaser-v3-final.mp4 onto the drop zone

Rename before sending

  1. Select document (3).pdf.
  2. Press F2, type Contract-Acme-signed.pdf.
  3. Drag it where it goes.

They get a name that means something.

  1. 1F2 opens the name for editing, right on the tile
SHOT 5.4Select “document (3).pdf” → F2 → type Contract-Acme-signed.pdf → Return → drag into Mail

Install an app

  1. Download the .dmg and install.
  2. Eject the disk image right from its tile.
  3. Launch the new app from the Apps tab.

Installed and running, disk image gone.

SHOT 5.5Open AudioBo.dmg from FileBo → install → Eject the DMG tile → Apps tab shows AudioBo → Return launches it

Camera card or external drive

  1. Plug it in — the drive shows up as a tile.
  2. Open it and drag the photos out.
  3. Eject from the tile.

Photos copied, card safe to pull.

SHOT 5.6Insert PHOTOS → tile appears → open it in place → drag 3 photos to a Finder folder → Eject

When you need more than the last few days.

A small Finder inside the shelf: search, browse, peek, inspect — without leaving the window.

Search — just start typing

  • Names first, then words inside documents, through Spotlight.
  • Your whole home folder, not only recents.
  • Type “Downloads”, “iCloud Drive” or a drive name to jump there; Esc walks back.
  1. 1Names first
  2. 2…then words inside documents
SHOT 6.1Type “invoice”: name hits on top, then a content hit in a PDF that only mentions the word

Browse in place

  • Open a folder inside the window.
  • Back and Forward, Sort By, hidden files when you want them.
SHOT 6.2Inside Clients › Acme › 2026 with the Back/Forward pill and the breadcrumbs

Full breadcrumbs

  • Every level is clickable; ⌘-click shows it in Finder.
  • Drop a file onto a crumb to move it there.
  • A deep path folds into “…”, which opens the whole tree.
SHOT 6.3[NEXT] Window at 480 pt, file 8 levels deep, the “…” tree menu open (Debug build, cropped)

Peek and Quick Look

  • Space on a folder opens its contents in a floating panel.
  • Space on a file previews it.
SHOT 6.4Folder selected + Space → floating Peek panel over the window

Info pane ⇧⌘P

  • Size, kind; created, modified and opened dates.
  • Where From — the page it was downloaded from.
  • Tags, camera EXIF, duration, codecs, pages, Open With.
  1. 1Where From — the page it came from
SHOT 6.5⇧⌘P on a photo: EXIF and Where From (a neutral URL)

Views

  • List or icons, with zoom.
  • Each tab remembers its own view; Normal or Compact.
  • A window as narrow as 480 points.
SHOT 6.6[NEXT] The same tab in list and in icons, same crop — per-tab view

Favorites

  • Star a file with ⌥⌘F.
  • A full tab with its own sort, kept past the time window.
SHOT 6.7Favorites tab with 5–6 starred items

Hands stay on the keys.

All of them: Help ▸ Keyboard Shortcuts.

⇧⌘F Show or hide the shelf, from any app
⌘1…⌘8 Jump to a tab
just type Search
↑↓ Move through the list
Return Open
Space Quick Look a file, Peek into a folder
F2 Rename
⌥⌘F Add to Favorites
⇧⌘P Show or hide the info pane
⌘Z Undo
Esc Step back

The rest of it, one line each.

Small things you'd otherwise find out on day three.

  • Copy the path
  • Open With any app
  • Open in Terminal
  • New Folder, Duplicate, Get Info
  • Share
  • Move to Bin, with ⌘Z
  • Undo for every change: move, favorite, ignore, time range
  • Drag out copies, ⌘ moves; inside FileBo, ⌥ copies
  • Automatic rename when a name is taken
  • Live progress while files move
  • Each row says what its date is: Modified, Created, Added or Opened
  • Ignore a file, folder, extension or app from the right-click menu
  • Hides itself when you click away
  • Menu bar, Dock, or both
  • Light and dark
  • English, German, Spanish, Russian, Ukrainian
  • A “Spotlight isn't responding” badge instead of a silent empty list

Your Mac already has three ways. Here's how they compare.

Finder's Recents, the Downloads stack in the Dock, a Smart Folder — and FileBo, side by side.

Feature FileBoFinder RecentsDownloads stackSmart Folder
Downloads you never opened Yes Only opened files Yes If you build the query
Over any app, even full screen One key Inside Finder From the Dock Inside Finder
Everything new from every watched folder, in one list Yes Opened files only Downloads only After setup
Drives and SD cards, with Eject On the tile No No No
Search names and contents Names, then contents Finder search No Yes
Price $12.99 once, 14 days free Built in Built in Built in

Coming from Trickster? Here's how FileBo compares →

What FileBo reads, and what it sends.

No account. It works offline. The honest limit is one line, at the end.

It reads what your Mac already knows

FileBo asks macOS Spotlight and watches your folders for new files. It builds no second index of your files' contents. No account, and it works offline.

Where it looks

Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures, iCloud Drive and your cloud drives, out of the box. Another folder? Add it in Settings ▸ Locator.

What it sends

Anonymous usage statistics from a closed list of events — never file names, paths or contents. On by default, shown during setup, off with one switch in Settings ▸ General.

Privacy policy →

The honest limit: folders outside that list, or excluded from Spotlight, stay invisible.

Try everything free for 14 days. Then $12.99, once.

No subscription. After the trial you can still browse and search.

Download on the Mac App Store
“Does exactly what it should do with minimum fuss, quick and light with enough features to make it a necessary addition to my app collection, used daily.”
TheMix, App Store review

What people say.

Read all reviews →

Better Than Finder Recents

Finder Recents never showed enough, and Smart Folders felt too complex. FileBo feels like a better version of both, with no setup required.
AnnisaHonda, App Store

I first got FileBo set up for my parents to make it easy for them to find their new files. I put the FileBo icon right next to the Finder icon, and they caught on really fast. The funny thing is, I started using it myself after a while: FileBo lets me get to the files I need while I'm in full-screen apps. No more bouncing between screens or opening Finder just to dig up a file I downloaded. Super easy and convenient!
Vito2befree, beta tester

I often export resources from Sketch to share with colleagues via messenger apps. However, my Desktop can become quite cluttered, making it difficult to locate the files I recently saved there. FileBo has entirely resolved this issue: all recent files, complete with nice-lookin' previews, are readily accessible with a single click, regardless of their location. Easy as pie!
Targetindicator, beta tester

Questions, answered.

Why isn't my file here?

FileBo shows files from the folders in its Locator — Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures, iCloud Drive and your cloud drives out of the box — and reads them through macOS Spotlight. A file in a folder outside that list, or in a folder Spotlight doesn't index, stays invisible until you add the folder in Settings ▸ Locator. Search still reaches your whole home folder. If Spotlight itself stops answering, FileBo says so with a “Spotlight isn't responding” badge instead of showing an empty list.

Read more: Spotlight finds it, Finder doesn't →

Does dragging move my file?

No. Dragging a file out of FileBo copies it — the original stays where it was. Hold ⌘ while dragging to move it instead. Inside FileBo it's the other way round: dropping onto a folder moves the file, holding ⌥ copies it, and ⌘Z undoes either.

Does it work with iCloud Drive, Dropbox and Google Drive?

Yes. iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Proton Drive are watched by default once you grant access during setup. Files that live only in the cloud keep their real names and show a “not downloaded” badge; click it to fetch the file.

Read more: The «needs to be downloaded» error, explained →

Isn't this what Finder's Recents does?

Finder's Recents lists files you opened, so a download you never opened isn't there, and it lives inside a Finder window. FileBo shows what you created, saved, downloaded or edited — and, if you like, what you opened — on a shelf that appears over any app with one key.

Read more: Why downloads don't show up in Finder's Recents →

What happens after the trial?

Every feature is free for 14 days, no card needed. After that you can still browse, search, switch tabs and Show in Finder. Opening, dragging out, moving, deleting, sharing, Open With, grouping and changes to your folder and ignore lists need the one-time purchase: $12.99, once, no subscription.

Which macOS does it need? Does it run on Intel?

macOS 15 Sequoia or later. FileBo runs natively on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

What goes over the network?

Your files are never uploaded, and there is no account. FileBo sends anonymous usage statistics from a closed list of events — which features get used, app and macOS version — never file names, paths, contents or anything you type. They are on by default, shown to you during setup, and one switch in Settings ▸ General turns them off. The network permission also lets Quick Look render Word and Excel previews.

Read more: What FileBo sends, in full →

Can I change the hotkey?

Yes. ⇧⌘F is the default; pick any other combination in Settings ▸ Shortcuts. The same key shows and hides the shelf, and the menu bar and Dock icons open it too.

The file you just made, one keystroke away.

Download on the Mac App Store

Free for 14 days, then $12.99 once.
macOS 15 or later · Apple silicon and Intel

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