Manual Default
See every file, where it will go and why, before anything moves. Change any destination, then click Tidy now.
Free & open source · for Mac
Your Downloads folder, sorted. Any file, found.
Inlet files every download into the right folder the moment it finishes, and finds anything you describe, like pdfs from github last week
. Nothing is ever deleted, everything can be undone, and your files never leave your Mac.
Free · One installer for Apple silicon and Intel · macOS 13 Ventura or later
Inlet is a Mac app. Open this page on your Mac to download it, or .
- Free, no catch
- Open source (MIT)
- No account, cloud or tracking
- Every move can be undone
Tidy
Downloads that sort themselves
Images, documents, installers, videos, archives and more go into their own folders. You choose whether Inlet does it on its own or waits for you.
Auto
Each new download is sorted once it has finished downloading. Half-finished .crdownload, .part and .download files are never touched.
- A daily sweep at a time you choose.
- More than Downloads. Watch Desktop, where screenshots land, or any folder, each with its own mode.
- Folders are left alone. Project folders stay where they are unless you say otherwise.
- Lives in the menu bar, so Auto mode keeps working with the window closed.
Find
Find a file by describing it
Press ⌘F and type what you remember, in your own words. Inlet shows what it understood, and says why each file matched.
pdfs from github last week
.pdffrom github.comlast week
- api-reference.pdfPDF · from github.com · 3 days ago
- release-notes.pdfPDF · from github.com · 5 days ago
An example of how searches look. Your results come from your own files.
| You type | Inlet looks for |
|---|---|
| pdfs from github last week | PDFs · downloaded from github.com · during last week |
| big videos I haven’t opened in a month | videos · over 50 MB · not opened in 30 days |
| the contract I signed in July | “contract” or “signed” in the name or text · from July |
| airdropped photos | images · received with AirDrop |
| what did Inlet move today | today’s moves, from Inlet’s own history |
- Reads inside files, including the text of PDFs, Word, Pages, Excel and text files.
- Grab what you find: gather results into a folder (undoable), preview with Space, drag them out, or show them in Finder.
- No AI service, nothing sent anywhere. It uses macOS Spotlight and Inlet’s own records.
Remembers
Knows where every file came from
macOS forgets which website a file came from once you unzip it, AirDrop it or save it from another app. Inlet notes the website and app of every download the moment it arrives, and unzipped files keep their archive’s source.
Hover over a file to see it, search by it (stuff from figma
), or sort by it with a rule. You can see, export or clear this history at any time. It stays on your Mac.
And more
Small app, lots of care
Rules, in plain terms
Match by name, extension, size, age, website, Finder kind or the text inside a file. Rules can rename as they move: scan0001.pdf becomes Scans/Scan 2026-09-25.pdf.
Learns from you
Move a file somewhere else, in Inlet or in Finder, and it suggests a rule for next time. Drag a file back into Downloads and Inlet leaves it alone.
Cleanup
Find files you haven’t opened in months, and duplicates. Archive or remove them. Removed files wait 30 days before they go to the Trash.
Your folders, your way
Send each category anywhere, add date subfolders like Images/2026-09, and turn off what you don’t need.
Rules on every Mac
Export and import your rules, or keep them in sync through a folder like iCloud Drive.
Careful with secrets
Keys, certificates and credential files get their own Keys & Certs folder instead of being mixed in with documents.
Safe by design
Built so it can’t lose your files
- Nothing is deleted or overwritten. Inlet only moves files. If a name is taken, the new file becomes
report (1).pdf. - Undo anything. A whole batch or a single file, from the Activity page, the menu bar, or ⌘Z.
- Never grabs a file mid-download. It waits until the file has stopped changing.
- Removed files wait 30 days in a holding folder, so you can change your mind.
- Private. No account, no cloud, no analytics. The only thing Inlet asks the internet is whether there’s a new version, and you can turn that off.
Install
Up and running in a minute
One installer works on every Mac, Apple silicon and Intel alike. Needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.
-
1
Download
Get Inlet.pkg from the button below, or from GitHub Releases.
-
2
Open it the first time
Right-click the
.pkg, choose Open, then Open again. See the note below for why. -
3
Install
Click Continue, Agree and Install. Inlet opens by itself and appears in your menu bar. Click Allow when it asks to read Downloads.
FAQ
Questions
Is Inlet really free?
Yes. No trial, no subscription, no ads, no account. It’s open source under the MIT license, made by Tech Reign Era Services.
Will it mess up my files?
Inlet never deletes or overwrites anything. It only moves files, and every move is logged so you can undo it. Manual mode, the default, shows you a preview before anything moves.
Does Inlet send my files or data anywhere?
No. The only thing Inlet asks the internet is whether there’s a new version (from GitHub, sending nothing about you or your files), and you can turn that off in Settings. Find uses macOS Spotlight and Inlet’s own records, not an AI service. Settings and history stay in ~/Library/Application Support/Inlet.
Does it work on my Mac?
Inlet runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later, on both Apple silicon (M1 and newer) and Intel Macs. There’s one installer for both.
How is it different from Hazel?
Hazel is a powerful paid tool for automating any folder. Inlet is free and focused on one job: keeping Downloads (and folders like Desktop) tidy, with a preview before anything moves, undo for everything, and a way to find files by describing them.
How do I update?
Download the new installer and run it. It asks you to quit Inlet first, and keeps your settings, rules and history. To hear about new versions, open the GitHub page, click Watch, and choose Releases.
How do I uninstall it?
Quit Inlet from its menu bar icon and move it from Applications to the Trash. To remove its settings and history too, delete ~/Library/Application Support/Inlet. Your sorted files stay where they are.
I found a bug or have an idea.
Please open an issue or start a discussion. Pull requests are welcome too.
Give your Downloads folder a break
Free, open source, and yours to keep.
Free · One installer for Apple silicon and Intel · macOS 13 Ventura or later