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Freeloader

A free file manager that actually pulls its weight.

Finder alternatives want your money. Finder wants your patience. Freeloader wants neither.

Freeloader is a native, free, open-source file manager for macOS. It provides the file-management features that should not require a subscription—or a support group.

Website · Download Freeloader 0.3.0

Support: miguel@miguelrodriguez.net

Features

  • Editable address bar with autocomplete and ~ expansion
  • Real ⌘X / ⌘V file moves
  • New-file and new-folder actions
  • Open-in-Terminal toolbar and context-menu actions
  • Stable multi-criteria sorting
  • Detailed transfers with bytes, speed, progress, errors, pause, and cancel
  • Optional expandable folder tree
  • Drag and drop between the file pane, tree, and Favorites
  • Tabs with independent back and forward history
  • List, compact, and icon views
  • Spotlight-backed recursive search
  • SMB share mounting with recent servers and native macOS authentication
  • Named workspaces that restore panes, tabs, views, and sorting
  • Bookmarks that remember how each folder should be displayed
  • Non-destructive image rotation, resizing, and format conversion
  • Quick Look, Get Info, permissions, extended attributes, and checksums
  • Undo for supported create, rename, copy, move, and Trash operations
  • Embedded Finder Sync extension

Requirements

  • macOS 15 or newer
  • Xcode 16 or newer when building from source

Run from Xcode

Open Freeloader.xcodeproj, select the Freeloader scheme and My Mac, then press ⌘R.

Run with Swift Package Manager

swift run Freeloader

Tests

swift test

Regenerate the Xcode project

The checked-in Xcode project is generated from the source tree:

ruby Scripts/generate_xcode_project.rb

Useful shortcuts

  • ⌘X, ⌘C, ⌘V: cut, copy, and paste
  • ⌘Z: undo the last supported operation
  • ⌘D: duplicate
  • ⌘I: Get Info
  • Space: Quick Look
  • Return: rename
  • ⌘Delete: move to Trash
  • ⌘⇧N: new folder
  • ⌘⌥N: new file
  • ⌘⇧.: show or hide hidden files
  • ⌘T: new tab
  • ⌘⇧T: reopen the last closed tab
  • ⌘W: close tab or window
  • ⌘N: new window
  • ⌘⇧G: focus Go to Folder
  • ⌘K: connect to an SMB server
  • ⌘[ / ⌘]: back / forward

License

MIT. Free as in no invoice. Open as in no secrets.

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A lightweight native macOS Finder replacement with better navigation and file operations

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