I like many of the ideas in this app, but IMHO it does not yet look like a macOS app: eg. strange blue focus outlines to denote active state, which on my system are larger vertically than the button they contain but not horizontally which results in a very untidy display, some buttons are smaller than the required/recommended minimum size. Some other things I've noticed, compared to Finder: far less items in the same vertical space, different keyboard shortcuts for same feature makes migration difficult.
My favourite Finder-likes: Nimble Commander, Marta
does this index the disk to do this ? So the filemanager is working with an index rather than the files ? It could be stale ?
I haven't found a good file manager for mac since 15 years now. They all just about do the things I need but not good enough. I've never really done the dual pane thing, my favourite gui for file management was Windows XP. Every iteration of explorer since has gotten objectively worse.
On mac I don't even bother trying to filemanage. I remote in to a windows machine.
I need to be able to get paths and paste paths.
for my downloads I just sort by type in list view and delete whatever by type. just do that a few times a year no big deal. I don't understand why we can't have an AI that sorts out the files they half baked 'stacks' onto the desktop, but all that happens is i now have dozens and dozens of stacks which contain dozens and dozens of files.
I assume this just uses standard system API, so spotlight or mdfind.
There's an app called Hazel that does your stack sorting. And you can get paths (copy file populates pasteboard with multiple forms, one of which is the file path) and paste paths easily (I use keyboard shortcut but it's also on the context menu). You can paste paths into goto box or even into file selector to instantly change the directory to the location of the file and select it. There are so many "hidden" things like this throughout macOS that it's worth asking before giving up hope that something might not be possible.
I’m in the same boat, I don’t like Finder (better than Windows Explorer though), nor do I like default macOS files / folders dialogs, and I really dislike drag and drop behavior on macOS
I dont understand why we are stuck in stone’s age with filesystems GUI
> and I really dislike drag and drop behavior on macOS
In the app you can have a dual pane with two folders side-by-side and select the file(s) you want to move/copy to the other folder and right click or open the command palette to do the operation, so you do not have to drag them (though dragging still works too). It's also possible to cut files with CMD + X and paste them somewhere else with CMD + V.
Just pushed an update. There's now a setting in Preferences to disable icon previews on network volumes. You can also set which file extensions should be excluded, which I hope will fix the grinding. Grab the latest build from the site. Thanks for the catch.
> does this index the disk to do this ? So the filemanager is working with an index rather than the files ? It could be stale ?
Good question. There is no index. WhimFiles reads the actual directory live when you open it, and filtering runs in-memory on the real file list, so there's nothing to go stale. It also watches the folder and refreshes when things change on disk, so you're always seeing the real current state.
On getting/pasting paths WhimFiles does both: "Copy Full Path" in the right-click menu (or from the command palette), and "Go to Folder/File" where you paste a path and jump straight there. That was one of my own Finder annoyances.
Could be pulling in webkit. 9MB doesn't mean it isn't based on a web renderer. It would be awesome if software came with a nutrition label. IO, does it phone home, memory safety, does it use web renderer, memory usage, etc.
There's no web renderer at all. The UI is native AppKit (NSTableView, NSOutlineView, NSPanel, etc.) driven from C#/.NET via P/Invoke. It uses real Cocoa controls, not HTML/CSS in a Webview. The app doesn't phone home except for checking if there is a new version (and only does this in the registered version) and the only information sent is the current version number.
Thank you for supplying all that info. I wasn't implying your app did anything nefarious, just the kinds of things I would like to see on an App Nutrition label. That is cool that you wrote it in .NET, any hiccups with that stack? I did some MacDev using Lua like 15 years ago, it worked out pretty well.
I used to have a greater need for a file manager in other jobs. I don’t have the same need anymore but Forklift (https://binarynights.com/) has always been great and I still use it from time to time.
Wait, are you telling me that macOS has gotten so ensh---ified that many of its users feel the need to purchase a bespoke file manager, arguably one of the most fundamental functions of an operating system?
Surely this is a very specific product for a very specific class of users? This can't be a widespread need, right? RIGHT?
(Context: I haven't used modern macOS in roughly a decade and have no idea what it's like these days)
I had a gap of 5-6 years of not using macOS, now I'm kind of forced as I want my cross-platform native applications to also be available on macOS.
The file manager definitely got a lot worse than it used to be. It doesn't even seem like you can properly move up/down the directory hierarchy anymore with just the keyboard, I think the sequence of holding down "CMD" then spamming "up arrow" no longer takes you to the root, as just one example of workflows they've broken since then.
In comparison though, Windows' file browser is a completely dumpster-fire that sometimes takes 10-20 seconds to load for me, in a relatively barebones Windows 11 installation with 0 network drives. The only stuff that keeps being the same or slightly improving, is the various file managers on Unix/Linux systems, although Gnome's latest iteration took some time before it was as good as the previous versions, for whatever reason.
Finder has always been crap. When Windows Vista came out, using Finder was like playing with a toy. IYKYK.[1]
Sadly, it has received effectively zero updates since. The only amazing things about the Finder are column view and QuickLook, both of which we've had forever
For reference, both Windows Vista and QuckLook came out nearly 20 years ago. TWENTY.
[1]: One example: you could customize it to show fields from your MP3 files, including the artwork, and *edit* the files inline. Some goes for EXIF. macOS, today, won't even show you something as basic the image dimensions (not file size)
In the Menu Bar of the Finder go to View -> Show Preview Options, then you get a dialog where you can select which info should be shown in the preview.
I think it's more people would rather built their own opinionated file manager than explore or understand how much Finder can really do. This app does a tiny fraction of what Finder can do and has been able to do for decades.
It's not a widespread issue but it's hardly new. DiskTop was an add-in that's almost as old as the Mac itself, and PathFinder has had a business model for most of the life of OSX.
Alternative file managers are arguably a healthy property; the alternative is the phone where you cannot compete meaningfully with the Files app. And Finder works for most basic needs, something which is not true of its mobile counterpart.
I suppose it's similar to how people used to buy things like Directory Opus. The point isn't so much that the default one doesn't work. A bunch of functions like those listed here, e.g. batch rename and easy image conversion, would be a great help to power users, and should be better than having to install a separate program for each one.
I doubt it's aimed at everybody, but it shouldn't need to be. Software tailored to a specific group's needs is likely to be better for them than something too generic.
Apple makes good hardware but their software is really sucky nowadays. Finder was always crap but today even Windows Explorer is crap so all the default OS file managers stand in the same shit pool.
During the days of my Powerbook G4 and 1st gen Intel Mac days, I used to use Path Finder [^1] over the native Finder, as it provided a richer and more comprehensive toolset. The base Finder wasn't bad, but Path Finder did more. Totally understand in today's era why you might jump to enshittification as the reason for this. Sometimes though, someone see the functionality a tool does, and goes "I wish it did this, but a little bit more".
Some people may not trust vibecoded projects with their entire filesystem if they don't know how much human review the code has underwent. Worst-case scenario could be a catastrophe.
I do not think people actually think it’s not stealing in all honesty. I’m pretty sure it’s something like “but we cannot do differently” and we kind of collectively “decided” to stop talking about it.
Not MAUI. It's .NET's macOS target (net10.0-macos, the macos workload that descends from Xamarin.Mac), which ships C# bindings for the native Apple frameworks. So the UI is plain AppKit used directly from C#.
Why would anyone trust an app from an anonymous source access their whole filesystem with read/write access? Who are you hello@whimfiles.com and where are you from?
Cross-volume moves can't use rename(2), so they fall back to copy-then-delete. If the copy dies halfway, does it roll back or leave a partial file at the destination?
> First screenshot on the front page has a design issue: text of selected file is in black instead of white.
Good catch. That's already fixed (selected-row text is white now, matching Finder). Just an old screenshot on the site. I'll get it updated. Thanks for flagging it.
I really, really need a better Finder. I've been using Path Finder for many years, but it was always a so-so replacement and the company wasn't very interested in moving it forward (even fixing bugs took many years). I eventually gave up and stopped paying for it.
I now use the Finder (column view) and it sucks.
At a first glance, I like this app. The problem I have is that I tend to think about the long term: will this app be around in 5 years? There is a plethora of AI-coded apps (this in itself doesn't bother me) where the author loses interest after just a couple of weeks.
And (here come the HN downvotes, because this is really unpopular on HN) the one-time pricing model doesn't lend itself to long-term sustainability, unfortunately. I know people hate to hear that, but ask anyone who tried to run a small or solo-founder business whether it's possible to make ends meet with one-time purchases.
Would you mind elaborating on how the Finder isn’t your cup of tea?
I’m curious, because at this point I’ve used everything from the spatial Classic Mac OS Finder to to every OS X Finder to every Windows Explorer version since to Windows 95 to Dolphin to the menagerie of Nautilus forks, and I don’t quite understand the discontent with the Finder for the most part. If anything I find the W11 Explorer overall more frustrating these days.
Mostly because I have to do way too much clicking to see things in the column view. Columns are usually too narrow. Then you have to scroll horizontally to get to see your files. Search is slow. Open windows are kinda-remembered, but not always, it seems. And I'd like some folders to be sorted by date modified (downloads, anyone?) and most others by name. Then there is no quick "fuzzy find in a subtree" fzf-like functionality. I mean, compared to the Windows garbage this is better, but it has seen little love over the last 20 years or so and it shows.
i have a theory: all file browsers suck, they just suck in different ways for different people
my other theory is that its entirely possible to make a good file browser, but nowadays theres not much investment in them beyond fixing major issues for most users...
> I don’t quite understand the discontent with the Finder for the most part
its got a lot better over the years (old pathfinder user here) but for me anyways its the constant explosion of new windows and lack of split-view (and also integrated terminal but i know apple will never do that)
also, i love column view in finder and that makes every other fileviewer (even the one in kde with the terminal) suck for me...
i have been searching and using all kinds of finder replacements and i actually tried and bought about 4 of them (qspace pro, forklift, marta, spacedrive, path finder, commander one, double commander and more)
the one i am sticking with since quite a while and fits my requirements is bloom . It had some issues early on, but i had no problems with it since a long time.
Slightly unrelated but do yourself a favour and download the Alt Tab app for MacOS. I haven't used a Windows machine daily for a long time but that window switching behaviour never went away for me, especially if I'm working on just the laptop screen.
I've been using it for the last 3 years since I needed to use Macs for work and it is a boon compared to the janky/jarring native Mac app switching behaviour.
I like many of the ideas in this app, but IMHO it does not yet look like a macOS app: eg. strange blue focus outlines to denote active state, which on my system are larger vertically than the button they contain but not horizontally which results in a very untidy display, some buttons are smaller than the required/recommended minimum size. Some other things I've noticed, compared to Finder: far less items in the same vertical space, different keyboard shortcuts for same feature makes migration difficult.
My favourite Finder-likes: Nimble Commander, Marta
https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guideline...
I think it's arguable that following the guidelines post-Tahoe will lead to a worse UI.
does this index the disk to do this ? So the filemanager is working with an index rather than the files ? It could be stale ?
I haven't found a good file manager for mac since 15 years now. They all just about do the things I need but not good enough. I've never really done the dual pane thing, my favourite gui for file management was Windows XP. Every iteration of explorer since has gotten objectively worse.
On mac I don't even bother trying to filemanage. I remote in to a windows machine.
I need to be able to get paths and paste paths.
for my downloads I just sort by type in list view and delete whatever by type. just do that a few times a year no big deal. I don't understand why we can't have an AI that sorts out the files they half baked 'stacks' onto the desktop, but all that happens is i now have dozens and dozens of stacks which contain dozens and dozens of files.
I assume this just uses standard system API, so spotlight or mdfind.
There's an app called Hazel that does your stack sorting. And you can get paths (copy file populates pasteboard with multiple forms, one of which is the file path) and paste paths easily (I use keyboard shortcut but it's also on the context menu). You can paste paths into goto box or even into file selector to instantly change the directory to the location of the file and select it. There are so many "hidden" things like this throughout macOS that it's worth asking before giving up hope that something might not be possible.
I’m in the same boat, I don’t like Finder (better than Windows Explorer though), nor do I like default macOS files / folders dialogs, and I really dislike drag and drop behavior on macOS
I dont understand why we are stuck in stone’s age with filesystems GUI
One thing worth knowing is in the mac file dialogs you can drop a file from finder into these and it will change directory to where that file is.
The other thing is in most apps in the title bar there is an icon. Drag that to finder and it saves the file. Kinda Risc os style.
You can also paste whatever file path is on the clipboard into a file dialog to instantly go to that path.
> and I really dislike drag and drop behavior on macOS
In the app you can have a dual pane with two folders side-by-side and select the file(s) you want to move/copy to the other folder and right click or open the command palette to do the operation, so you do not have to drag them (though dragging still works too). It's also possible to cut files with CMD + X and paste them somewhere else with CMD + V.
Most people having issues with the finder do not know half of what it can do; it’s interesting, really.
It appears some people having problems with Finder haven’t used it for ten years.
Is there any way to stop /prevent it enumerating tif files over the network ?
When i open a directory of 400 30MB tif files it grinds to a halt while it thumbnails them all over the network. Its unusable.
AFAIK, yes.
`cmd-J` -> Uncheck “Show icon preview”
Hopefully it’s enough, but I haven’t tried.
yeah but it's not configurable for local vs network as far as i can tell
Not AFAIK, no.
Just pushed an update. There's now a setting in Preferences to disable icon previews on network volumes. You can also set which file extensions should be excluded, which I hope will fix the grinding. Grab the latest build from the site. Thanks for the catch.
ahh i just saw this. I will try your software when i get a minute.
Do you have anything in particular in mind here? Long time macOS user but I like a good pro tip :)
I don’t have much actually, but at least:
All four of these are awesome tips, thank you!
I prefer Windows Explorer's interface, where the folders are on the left side and the files on the right.
I wish Finder had that view.
> does this index the disk to do this ? So the filemanager is working with an index rather than the files ? It could be stale ?
Good question. There is no index. WhimFiles reads the actual directory live when you open it, and filtering runs in-memory on the real file list, so there's nothing to go stale. It also watches the folder and refreshes when things change on disk, so you're always seeing the real current state.
On getting/pasting paths WhimFiles does both: "Copy Full Path" in the right-click menu (or from the command palette), and "Go to Folder/File" where you paste a path and jump straight there. That was one of my own Finder annoyances.
The 9MB size alone got my attention. It's refreshing to see a native macOS app that doesn't pull in Electron for everything.
Could be pulling in webkit. 9MB doesn't mean it isn't based on a web renderer. It would be awesome if software came with a nutrition label. IO, does it phone home, memory safety, does it use web renderer, memory usage, etc.
There's no web renderer at all. The UI is native AppKit (NSTableView, NSOutlineView, NSPanel, etc.) driven from C#/.NET via P/Invoke. It uses real Cocoa controls, not HTML/CSS in a Webview. The app doesn't phone home except for checking if there is a new version (and only does this in the registered version) and the only information sent is the current version number.
Thank you for supplying all that info. I wasn't implying your app did anything nefarious, just the kinds of things I would like to see on an App Nutrition label. That is cool that you wrote it in .NET, any hiccups with that stack? I did some MacDev using Lua like 15 years ago, it worked out pretty well.
No worries. There were some minor initial setup/hiccups in the beginning of the project but overall I'm very happy with using .NET with Native AOT.
Could it be compiled with GNUStep?
I used to have a greater need for a file manager in other jobs. I don’t have the same need anymore but Forklift (https://binarynights.com/) has always been great and I still use it from time to time.
//confused noises//
Wait, are you telling me that macOS has gotten so ensh---ified that many of its users feel the need to purchase a bespoke file manager, arguably one of the most fundamental functions of an operating system?
Surely this is a very specific product for a very specific class of users? This can't be a widespread need, right? RIGHT?
(Context: I haven't used modern macOS in roughly a decade and have no idea what it's like these days)
I had a gap of 5-6 years of not using macOS, now I'm kind of forced as I want my cross-platform native applications to also be available on macOS.
The file manager definitely got a lot worse than it used to be. It doesn't even seem like you can properly move up/down the directory hierarchy anymore with just the keyboard, I think the sequence of holding down "CMD" then spamming "up arrow" no longer takes you to the root, as just one example of workflows they've broken since then.
In comparison though, Windows' file browser is a completely dumpster-fire that sometimes takes 10-20 seconds to load for me, in a relatively barebones Windows 11 installation with 0 network drives. The only stuff that keeps being the same or slightly improving, is the various file managers on Unix/Linux systems, although Gnome's latest iteration took some time before it was as good as the previous versions, for whatever reason.
Finder has always been crap. When Windows Vista came out, using Finder was like playing with a toy. IYKYK.[1]
Sadly, it has received effectively zero updates since. The only amazing things about the Finder are column view and QuickLook, both of which we've had forever
For reference, both Windows Vista and QuckLook came out nearly 20 years ago. TWENTY.
> macOS, today, won't even show you something as basic the image dimensions (not file size)
That’s just wrong. That’s possible since at least 8 years.
ttps://www.macg.co/os-x/2018/11/astuce-afficher-les-metadonnees-completes-exif-des-images-dans-le-finder-104455
Not anymore, I suppose: https://imgur.com/a/cGxXBiN
I just took this screenshot in macOS 18, same view (gallery)
In the Menu Bar of the Finder go to View -> Show Preview Options, then you get a dialog where you can select which info should be shown in the preview.
Ok, this is crazy.
1. I open the dialog, "Dimensions" appears (it was already selected)
2. It fails to load the dimensions of a screenshot macOS itself took: https://imgur.com/ufs0UfZ
3. I close the dialog, the new fields disappear
To me this confirms that macOS is still a toy for Apple 20 years later.
macOS 15 *
I think it's more people would rather built their own opinionated file manager than explore or understand how much Finder can really do. This app does a tiny fraction of what Finder can do and has been able to do for decades.
It's not a widespread issue but it's hardly new. DiskTop was an add-in that's almost as old as the Mac itself, and PathFinder has had a business model for most of the life of OSX.
Alternative file managers are arguably a healthy property; the alternative is the phone where you cannot compete meaningfully with the Files app. And Finder works for most basic needs, something which is not true of its mobile counterpart.
(Context: similar to you)
I suppose it's similar to how people used to buy things like Directory Opus. The point isn't so much that the default one doesn't work. A bunch of functions like those listed here, e.g. batch rename and easy image conversion, would be a great help to power users, and should be better than having to install a separate program for each one.
I doubt it's aimed at everybody, but it shouldn't need to be. Software tailored to a specific group's needs is likely to be better for them than something too generic.
Guess you have never used norton/windows/midnight commander either?
Apple makes good hardware but their software is really sucky nowadays. Finder was always crap but today even Windows Explorer is crap so all the default OS file managers stand in the same shit pool.
During the days of my Powerbook G4 and 1st gen Intel Mac days, I used to use Path Finder [^1] over the native Finder, as it provided a richer and more comprehensive toolset. The base Finder wasn't bad, but Path Finder did more. Totally understand in today's era why you might jump to enshittification as the reason for this. Sometimes though, someone see the functionality a tool does, and goes "I wish it did this, but a little bit more".
^1: https://cocoatech.io/
Do you have any kind of public AI statement on the ways this product utilizes or is built with generative AI, if any?
I have a template if anyone wants it
https://libls.org/ai-use.html
the point being? the battle of using agentic AI for software development being "stealing" has long been lost.
Some people may not trust vibecoded projects with their entire filesystem if they don't know how much human review the code has underwent. Worst-case scenario could be a catastrophe.
Says who?
I do not think people actually think it’s not stealing in all honesty. I’m pretty sure it’s something like “but we cannot do differently” and we kind of collectively “decided” to stop talking about it.
It’s still plainly wrong, and a theft.
You can downvote me all you want, but morally, what has been done is unacceptable.
I'm not familiar with .net on Mac, what binding did you use to make this? .NET MAUI? https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/maui/developer-tool...
Not MAUI. It's .NET's macOS target (net10.0-macos, the macos workload that descends from Xamarin.Mac), which ships C# bindings for the native Apple frameworks. So the UI is plain AppKit used directly from C#.
Why would anyone trust an app from an anonymous source access their whole filesystem with read/write access? Who are you hello@whimfiles.com and where are you from?
nothing beside the lack of willing is stopping you from removing its internet access before giving it the file system permissions
What if it writes to your .bashrc with a malicious alias for sudo?
Cross-volume moves can't use rename(2), so they fall back to copy-then-delete. If the copy dies halfway, does it roll back or leave a partial file at the destination?
First screenshot on the front page has a design issue: text of selected file is in black instead of white.
> First screenshot on the front page has a design issue: text of selected file is in black instead of white.
Good catch. That's already fixed (selected-row text is white now, matching Finder). Just an old screenshot on the site. I'll get it updated. Thanks for flagging it.
Just add an Up Directory button and you’ll be infinitely better than Finder.
That's a great tool dude! I was looking for similar thing would give it a try
“Your Downloads folder has 847 files.” Oh no.. do I have a problem? +10k files
I really, really need a better Finder. I've been using Path Finder for many years, but it was always a so-so replacement and the company wasn't very interested in moving it forward (even fixing bugs took many years). I eventually gave up and stopped paying for it.
I now use the Finder (column view) and it sucks.
At a first glance, I like this app. The problem I have is that I tend to think about the long term: will this app be around in 5 years? There is a plethora of AI-coded apps (this in itself doesn't bother me) where the author loses interest after just a couple of weeks.
And (here come the HN downvotes, because this is really unpopular on HN) the one-time pricing model doesn't lend itself to long-term sustainability, unfortunately. I know people hate to hear that, but ask anyone who tried to run a small or solo-founder business whether it's possible to make ends meet with one-time purchases.
Would you mind elaborating on how the Finder isn’t your cup of tea?
I’m curious, because at this point I’ve used everything from the spatial Classic Mac OS Finder to to every OS X Finder to every Windows Explorer version since to Windows 95 to Dolphin to the menagerie of Nautilus forks, and I don’t quite understand the discontent with the Finder for the most part. If anything I find the W11 Explorer overall more frustrating these days.
Mostly because I have to do way too much clicking to see things in the column view. Columns are usually too narrow. Then you have to scroll horizontally to get to see your files. Search is slow. Open windows are kinda-remembered, but not always, it seems. And I'd like some folders to be sorted by date modified (downloads, anyone?) and most others by name. Then there is no quick "fuzzy find in a subtree" fzf-like functionality. I mean, compared to the Windows garbage this is better, but it has seen little love over the last 20 years or so and it shows.
i have a theory: all file browsers suck, they just suck in different ways for different people
my other theory is that its entirely possible to make a good file browser, but nowadays theres not much investment in them beyond fixing major issues for most users...
its got a lot better over the years (old pathfinder user here) but for me anyways its the constant explosion of new windows and lack of split-view (and also integrated terminal but i know apple will never do that)also, i love column view in finder and that makes every other fileviewer (even the one in kde with the terminal) suck for me...
i have been searching and using all kinds of finder replacements and i actually tried and bought about 4 of them (qspace pro, forklift, marta, spacedrive, path finder, commander one, double commander and more)
the one i am sticking with since quite a while and fits my requirements is bloom . It had some issues early on, but i had no problems with it since a long time.
Try Bloom, I liked it dual pane manager
Just switched from windows to Mac and the rumors are true. Finder is terrible.
Slightly unrelated but do yourself a favour and download the Alt Tab app for MacOS. I haven't used a Windows machine daily for a long time but that window switching behaviour never went away for me, especially if I'm working on just the laptop screen.
I've been using it for the last 3 years since I needed to use Macs for work and it is a boon compared to the janky/jarring native Mac app switching behaviour.
Feel like using the terminal CLI directly is better than Finder.
it's only port install mc that keeps me from reviewing all alternative file managers for mac os :)
Or just plain fzf/yazi.
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I guess I cannot operate a computer.