Sorty: Give Mac Files a Folder Plan You Can Review

A Downloads folder rarely gets messy because people forgot what a folder is. It gets messy because files arrive with different reasons to keep them. Sorty is a native macOS organizer that asks an AI provider you choose to suggest semantically named folders and a plan for moving files.

The important part is the pause before anything changes: you can inspect and adjust the proposed plan before applying it. This review follows the project README, v1.2.1 release, and privacy policy checked on 24 September 2026.

Turn a cluttered folder into a plan you can inspect

Choose a folder and describe the kind of organization you want. Sorty uses the configured model to suggest meaningful destinations instead of relying only on a fixed set of file extensions. Custom personas—such as Developer, Photographer, or Student—let you tune suggestions for different kinds of work.

Before files move, the interactive preview lays out the proposed structure and lets you review or adjust destinations. That makes Sorty less of a one-click sorter and more of a planning tool: the model proposes, while you decide what should actually happen.

Bring the workflow into Finder and the menu bar

Sorty can start from its main window, a Finder context-menu action, menu-bar controls, or its sorty:// links for automation. Watched folders are available for people who want recurring monitoring, but automatic organization still depends on configuring a provider and choosing the relevant behavior.

The project also supports storage destinations beyond a single local folder, including external drives and supported Google Drive workflows. Its history records organization runs and offers rollback, so you can revisit what Sorty did instead of treating each run as an opaque batch operation.

A preview is a guardrail, not a backup

Dry-run modes, validation, exclusions, duplicate controls, and the editable preview help catch a bad plan before it is applied. Duplicate cleanup has its own review flow; it is separate from ordinary folder organization and should not be mistaken for a general-purpose backup or versioning system.

Organization changes still affect real files. Start with a copy of an important folder, inspect the first plan carefully, and keep an independent backup. Rollback is useful for tracked operations, but it is not a substitute for a backup of everything on the drive.

Choose an AI provider with the data path in mind

The README lists OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Groq, OpenRouter, Ollama, and compatible endpoints. A local Ollama instance can keep model processing on the Mac; Apple Foundation Models are another on-device option, but Sorty requires macOS 26 or later for that integration. API credentials are stored in the macOS Keychain.

For cloud providers, Sorty's privacy materials say file names and metadata are sent so the model can suggest a structure; file contents are not uploaded unless you explicitly enable Deep Scan, which sends small excerpts to the provider you selected. Optional anonymous app analytics and crash reporting are separate and require opt-in. The app's locally stored organization history can contain file paths and metadata and is not encrypted, so consider that when sharing a Mac account.

Install the official v1.2.1 release

The current official download is the universal Sorty.zip for macOS, which resolves to v1.2.1 at the time of checking. Unzip it and place Sorty.app in Applications; the project lists macOS 15 or later as the minimum.

The release is not signed with an Apple Developer ID or notarized, so macOS may show a warning. After onboarding, the app can offer to move itself to Applications; accepting that action asks for administrator authorization and clears quarantine on the moved copy. Only approve that prompt for the app obtained from the official release link. The upstream installation notes describe the manual fallback and the release page carries the versioned archive.

Who should try Sorty—and what to check first

Sorty fits Mac users who regularly clean up project folders, downloads, or watched workspaces and are comfortable reviewing an AI-generated plan. Its Finder entry points and history make it practical for repeated file work, while the provider choice gives technical users room to pick a local model or a cloud service.

It is less compelling if you need a notarized App Store-style install, want every model to run locally by default, or expect folder organization to be risk-free without review. Cloud models may have their own cost and data terms; on-device Apple Foundation Models have a higher macOS requirement. Treat the preview as part of the workflow, not a step to skip.

GPL-3.0 and project links

Sorty's source is licensed under GNU GPL-3.0, not a permissive MIT-style license. The project is useful both as an end-user app and as a substantial SwiftUI example, but redistributed modifications must follow the GPL's terms. See the repository, changelog, installation guide, and privacy policy for current details.

open https://github.com/sorty-organizer/Sorty/releases/latest/download/Sorty.zip