Sortwise
Sortwise
Your Mac reads new files and puts them where they belong.
Sortwise watches the folders you choose, like Downloads, Desktop and Screenshots. It reads each new file and renames, moves or tags it by rules you write in plain sentences. Files are read on your Mac, nothing is ever deleted, and every action can be undone.
For Mac · Apple silicon · macOS 26 or later
Free to download. Pro is a one-time purchase of $19.99, with no subscription.
- invoice (3).pdf
- Scan 2026-10-12 at 09.41.pdf
- Screenshot 2026-10-29 at 14.02.11.png
- document.pdf
- Fabrikam-Setup-2.4.dmg
- Documents › Invoices › 2026Northwind_2026-10-14.pdf
- Documents › Invoices › 2026Tailspin Toys_2026-10-12.pdf
- Pictures › Screenshots › 2026-102026-10-29 Build settings.png
- Documents › Bank › Contoso BankContoso Bank_Statement_2026-09.pdf
- Downloads › InstallersFabrikam-Setup-2.4.dmg
RuleMove invoices and receipts to Documents › Invoices › {year}, named {vendor}_{date}
How it works
Three steps, and you decide how much Sortwise does on its own.
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Pick the folders to watch
Downloads, Desktop, your Screenshots folder, a scanner inbox or any folder you choose. Sortwise checks each new file as it arrives, and catches up on files that came in while it wasn’t running.
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Write rules in plain sentences
Describe what should happen. Sortwise shows the rule it understood, which you can read and edit, and previews it on files already in the folder before you save. Starter rules for invoices, bank statements, screenshots and installers are ready to use.
RuleBank statements go to Documents/Bank/{vendor}
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Review, or let it file
With Ask First, proposals wait in To Review: approve, edit or skip each one. When you trust a rule, switch it to Automatically and new files are filed as they arrive.
Reads. Files. Undoes.
Sortwise understands what a file is, follows your rules and your folders, and keeps a record of everything it did.
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Reads documents on your Mac
With Apple Intelligence, on device, Sortwise reads PDFs, scans and photos of paper, screenshots and text files, and picks out what matters: the kind of document, its date, the company or person, the amount. A value that isn’t in the document is dropped, never guessed.
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Rules in plain English
Write “Invoices go to Documents/Invoices/{year} named Vendor_YYYY-MM” and Sortwise turns it into a rule you can see and change. Classic conditions work too: kind, extension, name, size, date added, the website a file came from, Finder tags. Each rule can rename, move and tag.
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Ask First or Automatically
Every rule starts in Ask First, so nothing moves until you approve. Switch a rule to Automatically when you trust it. Even then, a file Sortwise isn’t sure about still waits in To Review.
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A dry run before tidying
Organize Existing Files tidies a folder that’s already full. It always starts with a dry run: you see the whole plan with nothing touched, untick what you want to keep, then apply it as one run.
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Undo anything. Never deletes.
Every action is a rename or a move, logged in Activity with the reason. Undo puts a file back under its old name in its old folder, and Undo All reverts a whole run. Sortwise never deletes or overwrites a file, and it waits for files that are still downloading or syncing.
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Shortcuts
Organize File, Organize Folder Now, Get File Info and Pause Organizing are available in Shortcuts and Spotlight. Organize File fits straight into a macOS folder automation.
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In the menu bar
See at a glance whether Sortwise is watching, how many files wait for review and what it filed last, with Undo right there. Pause for an hour when you need a quiet folder.
Private by design
Bank statements, payslips, contracts and IDs are exactly the files people want filed, and exactly the ones they don’t want uploaded.
Files are read on your Mac.
Sortwise uses Apple’s on-device model to understand documents. There is no account and no Sortwise server that sees your files.
A later version will offer Apple’s Private Cloud Compute for documents your Mac can’t read well. It will be off until you turn it on for a folder, and you will choose what is sent.
- File names, paths and contents never reach VPO Labs, not in usage data, crash reports or feedback.
- Anonymous usage data and crash reports are a checkbox you see during setup, before anything is sent. Turn them off at any time in Settings › Privacy.
- Feedback has no attachments and no screenshots. You choose whether to add an e-mail address or diagnostics.
- No account, no ads, no tracking. This website sets no cookies and runs no analytics.
Free, with a one-time Pro
The free version is the trial: one folder, three rules, everything reviewed by you. Pro unlocks the rest, once.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Watched folders | 1 | Unlimited |
| Rules | 3 | Unlimited |
| Rules in a sentence, live preview | Included | Included |
| Ask First, To Review, Activity, Undo | Included | Included |
| Automatically mode | Not included | Included |
| Organize Existing Files | First 50 files | No limit |
| Shortcuts actions | Get File Info | All |
Mac App Store
$19.99 one time
- Buy in the app, under Settings › Pro.
- Family Sharing included.
- The App Store shows the price for your country, which may differ from the US price.
Direct download
$19.99 one time
- A license key for up to 3 of your Macs. Paste it in Settings › Pro.
- Sold by Dodo Payments, our merchant of record. Taxes are added at checkout where they apply.
- Moving to a new Mac? Choose Deactivate This Mac on the old one.
The two purchases are separate: an App Store purchase unlocks the App Store version, and a license key unlocks the direct download.
Questions
What do I need?
A Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later. Intel Macs aren’t supported.
Reading documents by their content uses Apple Intelligence, which must be available on your Mac and turned on in System Settings.
What if Apple Intelligence isn’t available on my Mac?
Sortwise still works, with basic reading. It recognises many document kinds, dates, companies and amounts with text recognition and keyword matching, and marks those proposals “Basic reading”. Classic rules (kind, extension, name, size, date added, source website, Finder tag) and the starter rules work as usual.
Writing a new rule as a sentence needs Apple Intelligence; without it you build rules with the classic rule editor. Rules that depend on reading a document don’t run automatically on basic reading unless you allow it for that rule.
Does Sortwise ever delete files?
No. Sortwise has no delete action at all. Every action is a rename, a move or a Finder tag, it never overwrites a file, and every action is logged in Activity and can be undone.
When a move goes to another disk, Sortwise copies the file, checks that the copy matches, and only then moves the original to the Trash, where you can still get it back. Undo brings it back too.
Where are my files read?
On your Mac. Sortwise uses Apple’s on-device model and the Mac’s own text recognition. File names, paths and contents never reach VPO Labs.
A later version will add Apple’s Private Cloud Compute as an option for documents your Mac can’t read well. It will be off until you turn it on for a folder, and Settings will let you choose what is sent. See the privacy policy.
How do updates work?
Mac App Store version: the App Store installs updates. Settings › Updates shows your version and what’s new.
Direct download: Sortwise checks sortwise.vpolabs.com for a new version about once a day and asks before installing it. Every update is signed by VPO Labs and notarized by Apple. You can turn automatic checks off in Settings › Updates and check by hand.
Which version should I get?
Both have the same features and the same price for Pro. The App Store version includes Family Sharing and updates through the App Store. The direct download’s Pro is a license key you can use on up to 3 of your Macs.
What can I do for free?
Watch one folder with up to three rules, review every proposal in To Review, undo anything, and tidy up to 50 existing files with Organize Existing Files. The free version doesn’t expire.