The fast, customizable macOS file manager that puts every action one click away.
Stop hunting through hidden menu bars and juggling overlapping Finder windows. FileYard combines a customizable 73-command action button deck, a traditional Windows Explorer-style expandable file tree, 2-Pane & 4-Pane split views, instant Boolean & AI filters, Named File Baskets, batch Image Studio, S3/R2/Bunny cloud mounts, and a multi-tab terminal with repeatable folder-bound commands in one native macOS app.
Why power users on MacBook Air & Pro switch from Finder
Every everyday action is on the top button deck and mirrored in the right-click context menu — no hidden menus, no multi-window juggling.
73-Command Action Bar & 8 Role Profiles
Up to 6 customizable button groups (24+ primary 1-click tiles + categorized +N ⌄ overflow menus) synchronized 1-to-1 with the Right-Click Context Menu. Switch in 1 click between 8 role presets (Standard, Developer, DevOps & Cloud, Photographer & Media, Video Editor, Data Scientist & SQL, Cybersecurity & SysAdmin, Office & Finance), use the live "Search command..." overlay, auto-arrange by usage, or drag files directly onto any action button.
Expandable Explorer File Tree & 98 Material Icons
Brings a Windows Explorer / IDE-style expandable File Tree (with live kqueue filesystem watcher) alongside Pinned Favorites, Favorite Filters, System & iCloud, Devices & Drives (with Finder-style Force Eject showing locking lsof processes), and Bin / Trash. Dock Left or Right, Auto-Hide, and recognize every code/config file with 98 high-contrast VS Code Material icons.
1-Pane, 2-Pane Dual & 4-Pane Quad Split Views
Toggle between Single Pane, 2-Pane Split View, and 4-Pane Quad View inside a single tab. Every pane navigates independently with its own inline editable path bar, 1-click Sync Panes (=) mirroring folder, sort order, selection and exact vertical pixel scroll position, plus pre-flight conflict & rename prompts.
Unified 1060pt Boolean, @@Metadata & AI Filter Builder
Type fast queries like report+2026 !draft *.pdf or full Boolean/@@ expressions like (invoice or receipt) and @@size > 10mb. Combine filename filters, 1.0s debounced Inside-File Grep, Relative Date Presets or Calendar & Clock From → To ranges, and @saved_filter references — or click ✨ Ask AI to Write & Self-Test Filter to generate and automatically test a filter against your live folder.
Named File Baskets & 1-Click Send / Zip+Send
Drag files from any number of folders into Named File Baskets (Common + unlimited custom baskets like Tax 2026 or Client Deliverables with floating drop-target pills). Copy, Move, Zip to any folder with a recent-location chooser, or click Zip+Send for Apple Mail, MS Outlook, Gmail Web, Office 365 / Live Web, iMessage, or AirDrop.
Built-in Batch Image Studio (Image Util)
Batch resize by %, 4K/1080p/720p presets, thumbnails (64px–512px), or bidirectional aspect-locked Custom Width × Height (px). Apply CoreImage filters (Auto-Enhance, B&W Mono, B&W Noir, Warm Sepia, Vintage Chrome, Cool Tonal, Matte Fade) with live Before → After preview, fill or strip PNG/JPEG alpha transparency for 100% App Store Connect compliance, and reuse Recent Settings chips.
Multi-Tab Zsh Terminal & Folder-Bound Command History
Synchronized in-app Multi-Tab Zsh Terminal (Console) with ~/.zshrc aliases (ll), Tab completion, multi-line Shift+Return, live streaming, and a red ⏹ Stop (⌃C) button. The right-side Categorized Command History binds commands to their folder — click ▶ to automatically cd both FileYard and the terminal and run in 1 click, or drag .sh/.py scripts in.
One-Click Structural Operations with BEFORE → AFTER Safety
New Folder & Paste (Cmd+Option+N) creates a folder and pastes clipboard items inside in one step. Unnest Folder collapses redundant Project/Project wrappers with a visual BEFORE → AFTER modal. Plus Move Up (Cmd+Option+Up), Group Selected, Flatten Subfolders, and Organize by Type / Date (YYYY-MM) — all reversible with Cmd+Z.
Native Cloud Mounts & Non-Blocking Background Tasks Queue
Mount Bunny.net Edge Storage, Cloudflare R2, Amazon S3, SFTP, and SMB shares in isolated provider folders alongside coordinated iCloud Drive and OneDrive hydration. Transfers run in the non-blocking Background Tasks Queue with Pause / Resume / Cancel, configurable concurrency (1–8), floating toaster, and per-task error logs.
Everything else you used to open three separate apps for
- Side-by-Side 2-File & 2-Folder
Compare(Diff) + Interactive Disk SpaceVisualizer(2D Treemap & Pie Chart) - Right-Side Inline Preview for Code, JSON, XML, SQL/T-SQL, Markdown, Office docs (
.docx/.xlsx/.pptx), PDFs, Archives, Hex dumps & Media with an Inline Find Bar (▲/▼) - SHA-256 Duplicate Finder, Clean Build Caches (
node_modules,.build,target), and Batch Rename (F2)
- SHA-256 / MD5 Checksums,
chmod +x, and Unquarantine (xattr -cr) in one click - 19 Interactive Guided
Intro Lessonsbuilt right into the app - 13-Language UI Localization (auto-detects macOS language + editable
Languages/*.json)
FileYard v2.4.0 vs macOS Finder & 5 third-party Mac file managers
Complete feature-by-feature comparison across 8 categories — from the Unified Boolean & AI Filter Builder to the 73-command Action Deck, Image Studio, and multi-tab Zsh Console.
| Category & Capability | FileYard v2.4.0Finnstream · Mac App Store | macOS Finderbuilt-in | ForkLift 4 | Path Finder | QSpace Pro | Commander One | Marta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Unified Advanced Filter Builder, Boolean Search & AI | |||||||
Unified 1060pt Advanced Filter DropdownMulti-line expression + Grep + Date Range + @Saved pick-list in 1 panel |
Yes (1-Click or ↓ from Top Filter Bar) |
No | No | No | No | No | No |
Boolean Operators & Wildcardsand/&&/+, or/||/,, not/!, (...), in(...), */? |
Yes ((invoice or receipt) and not draft and *.pdf) |
Spotlight UI only | Basic Regex | Basic Filter | Basic Filter | Basic Regex | Substring |
@@Metadata Variables@@size, @@ext, @@dir, @@file, @@hidden, @@symlink, @@empty, @@exec, @@quarantined, @@recent |
Yes (@@size > 100mb, @@ext == pdf) |
No | No | No | No | No | No |
Inline @saved_filter_name References + Live @ Autocomplete |
Yes (@show_files_over_100mb and !backup) |
No | No | No | No | No | No |
✨ Ask AI to Write & Self-Test FilterPlain English → Verified Boolean/@@ expression tested against live folder |
Yes (Synthetic + Live Folder Self-Tester) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Debounced 1.0s Inside-File Content Grep + Recursive Subfolder Search |
Yes (Non-blocking background grep) | Spotlight Index only | Filename only | Content (Slow) | No | Content | No |
Relative Date Presets OR Graphical Calendar & Clock From → To Range |
Yes (Active Grep & Date pills in Filter box) | Smart Folders only | No | Basic | No | No | No |
Star-Pinned (★) Sidebar Favorite Filters Section |
Yes (1-click apply + inline edit) | Smart Folders | No | Smart Sort | No | No | No |
| B. Customizable Action Button Deck, Role Profiles & Live Command Search | |||||||
| 73-Command Drag-and-Drop Action Deck Workbench | Yes (73 Commands with Category Pills & Search) | 12 Toolbar Items | ~20 Toolbar Items | ~25 Toolbar Items | ~20 Toolbar Items | Fixed Toolbar | None |
| 8 Role-Based Deck ProfilesStandard, Developer, DevOps & Cloud, Photographer & Media, Video Editor, Data Scientist & SQL, Cybersecurity & SysAdmin, Office & Finance | Yes (1-click profile dropdown + custom layouts) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Live "Search command..." Deck Filter OverlayPulls matching commands out of +N ⌄ overflow into fixed deck slots without resizing |
Yes (Boolean queries + multi-language synonyms) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Optional Auto-Arrange Action Buttons & Overflow Order by Usage | Yes (Tracks keyboard F2/Cmd+C/Cmd+V & clicks) |
No | No | No | No | No | No |
Configurable 1–6 Button Groups (6 Primary Slots + Categorized +N ⌄ Overflow Popover) |
Yes (Hover-to-open with 1s anti-flicker lock) | >> Clip Only |
>> Clip Only |
>> Clip Only |
No | No | No |
| Identical Synchronized Order Across Top Button Bar & Right-Click Context Menu | Yes (1-to-1 Left-to-Right, Row-by-Row) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Universal Drag-and-Drop Onto Any Action ButtonZip, Image Util, Send, Zip+Send, Trash, Compare, SHA-256, Basket |
Yes (Drop files onto any toolbar button) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| C. Traditional Expandable Sidebar File Tree & Navigation | |||||||
Windows Explorer-Style Expandable File Tree + Live Filesystem Watcher (kqueue) |
Yes (Auto-updates when Finder/cloud changes) | No Sidebar Tree | Optional Tree | Optional Tree | Optional Tree | Tree Mode | No |
| Drag-to-Reorder & Hide/Show Sidebar Sections + Dock Left/Right + Auto-Hide | Yes (6 sections + Auto-Hide edge strip) | Fixed Sections | Fixed | Partial | Partial | Fixed | None |
Finder-Style Force Eject Modal for Busy Volumes / .dmgs (Shows Locking lsof Processes) |
Yes (diskutil + hdiutil detach -force) |
Basic Force Eject | No | No | No | No | No |
98 Bundled VS Code Material File Icons.java, .py, .ts, .swift, .go, .rs, .sh, .sql, .json, .dockerfile, etc. |
Yes (98 high-contrast vector Material icons) | Generic Sheets | System Icons | System Icons | System Icons | System Icons | System Icons |
| D. 1-Pane, 2-Pane & 4-Pane Quad Split Views + Multi-Window Tabs | |||||||
| 1-Pane, 2-Pane Dual Split & 4-Pane Quad Split Views with Independent Navigation | Yes (Inline editable address bar in every pane) | 1 Pane Only | 2-Pane | 2-Pane | 2/3/4-Pane | 2-Pane | 2-Pane |
1-Click Sync Panes (=) Synchronizing Folder, Sort, Selection & Exact Scroll Position |
Yes (Mirrors exact pixel scroll offset) | No | No | No | Partial | No | No |
| Native OS-Style Pre-Flight Conflict & Rename Dialog on Copy/Paste & Cross-Pane Drag | Yes (Copy to folder with new name: [ Foo Copy ]) |
Replace/Stop | Overwrite/Skip | Overwrite/Skip | Overwrite/Skip | Overwrite/Skip | Overwrite/Skip |
| Per-Tab Independent Layouts, View Modes & Custom Persisted Tab Names | Yes | Basic Tabs | Basic Tabs | Basic Tabs | Workspaces | Basic Tabs | Basic Tabs |
E. Named File Baskets & 1-Click Send / Zip+Send Email & Share | |||||||
Multiple Named File Baskets (Common + Unlimited Custom Baskets with Floating Pills) |
Yes (Total item count across all baskets) | No | Single Drop Stack | Single Drop Stack | Stash | No | No |
Basket Copy To..., Move To..., Zip To..., and Zip+Send with Location Chooser |
Yes (Remembers recent destination folders) | No | Copy/Move Only | Copy/Move Only | Copy/Move Only | No | No |
1-Click Send & Zip+Send (Apple Mail, Outlook, Gmail Web, Office 365 Web, iMessage, AirDrop) |
Yes (Auto-reveals attachment for webmail drag) | Share Sheet Only | Mail Only | Mail Only | Share Sheet | No | No |
F. Built-In Image Studio (Image Util) | |||||||
Batch Resize by %, 1080p/4K/720p Presets, or Bidirectional Aspect-Locked Width × Height |
Yes (Width auto-calculates Height & vice versa) | No | No | Image Converter | No | No | No |
Batch Thumbnail Generator (64px–512px, 1:1 Square Crop or Aspect-Locked) |
Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| CoreImage Photo Filters + Sliders with Live Before → After Preview | Yes (7 filters + live Before → After toggle) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
| Transparency / Alpha Channel Fill for PNG & JPEG (App Store Connect Compliance) | Yes (Auto Average Tone, Custom Color, Black/White) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Persistent Settings Memory + 1-Click Recent Settings: Recipe Chips |
Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No |
G. Multi-Tab Embedded Terminal (Console) & Developer Power Tools | |||||||
Synchronized In-App Multi-Tab Zsh Terminal (~/.zshrc Aliases, Tab Completion, Live Streaming) |
Yes (Persisted named tabs + red ⏹ Stop) |
No | No | Basic Drawer | No | Term Emulator | Basic |
Right-Side Categorized Folder-Bound Command History (Click ▶ to cd & Run, Drag .sh/.py) |
Yes (Collapsible categories + Boolean filter) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Side-by-Side 2-File & 2-Folder Compare (Diff) + Interactive Disk Space Visualizer (Treemap & Pie) |
Yes | No | Sync Only | Folder Sync | No | No | No |
| Right-Side Inline Preview (Code/JSON/XML/SQL/Markdown/Office/Hex/Media) with Inline Find Bar | Yes (With ▲/▼ match navigation) |
Quick Look | Basic Preview | Preview Module | Quick Look | Viewer | No |
| H. Background Task Queue, Cloud Mounts & Multilingual UI | |||||||
Non-Blocking Background Tasks Queue (Pause, Resume, Cancel, Concurrency 1–8, Error Logs) |
Yes (Smart >= 1 MB cloud / 3s local promotion) |
Basic Progress | Queue | Queue | Queue | Queue | Queue |
Isolated Cloud Mounts (Bunny.net Edge, Cloudflare R2, Amazon S3, SFTP, SMB) + iCloud/OneDrive |
Yes (NSFileCoordinator cloud hydration) |
iCloud/SMB | Yes | S3/SFTP/SMB | Yes | Yes | No |
19 Interactive Guided Intro Lessons + 13-Language UI Localization |
Yes (Auto-detects macOS language) | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Source: FileYard v2.4.0 Deep-Dive Master Comparison Matrix across macOS Finder and third-party macOS file managers. Competitor columns reflect documented default capabilities.
Landing soon on the Mac App Store.
Native Swift speed, 73 finger-tip commands, AI-tested filters, quad split panes, Image Studio and a multi-tab Zsh terminal — built for your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.