F FolderyMenu Help

Turn your Mac menu bar into a smart file and folder workspace

FolderyMenu does more than list files from a folder. Create custom, automatically updating file and folder menus using search rules, file filters, dates, keywords, sorting, subfolder consolidation, pinned items and other criteria — then access the results directly from your Mac's menu bar.

Instead of repeatedly searching Finder or navigating the same folder trees, FolderyMenu lets you create focused views such as Recent PDFs, Current Client Files, Photos Added This Week, Invoices, Downloads to Review, or almost any other file list that matches the way you work.

Smart File Lists File Filters Folder Search Menu Bar Access Pinned Files Foldery Folder

Create smart file lists instead of static folder shortcuts

A normal folder shortcut always opens the same folder. FolderyMenu can instead create a dynamic file list that changes automatically as files are added, modified, opened or removed.

Show only what matters

Start with a folder and narrow its contents by file name, extension, type, size, dates, keywords and other criteria.

Keep the results current

Because FolderyMenu reads the current contents of your folders, saved menu items can change automatically as your files change.

Create different views of the same folder

One folder can become several useful menu items. For example, create separate views for PDFs, images, recent files and spreadsheets without reorganizing the original folder.

Example: Your Downloads folder may contain hundreds of files. Instead of opening the entire folder, create separate menu items for “Recent Downloads”, “Downloaded PDFs”, “Images to Review” and “Files Added Today”.

Combine file filters to create highly specific results

FolderyMenu becomes most useful when several filters are combined. You are not limited to simply choosing a folder or searching for one filename.

File names and keywords

Include files whose names contain specific words or phrases, and exclude names you do not want.

File types and extensions

Build lists containing documents, PDFs, images or specific filename extensions while excluding unwanted file types.

Dates and file activity

Narrow results using dates such as when a file was added, modified or opened, including rolling periods such as the last several days.

Example: Create a menu called Recent Client PDFs that looks through a client folder and its subfolders, shows only PDF documents, excludes files containing “OLD” or “ARCHIVE”, and displays only files modified recently.
Another example: Create New Product Photos that displays only image files added during the last several days. Sort newest first and you have a continuously updating photo queue available from the menu bar.

Find recent, modified and newly added files faster

File dates can turn a large folder into a practical working list. FolderyMenu can use date-based criteria to surface files according to when they were added, modified or accessed.

Files added recently

Create a rolling list of files added during the last few days instead of searching through an entire folder.

Recently modified work

Surface files that have changed recently so active documents naturally rise above older archived material.

Recently used files

Sort or filter around recent file activity so documents you are actively working with remain easy to reach.

Example: Point FolderyMenu at a large Projects directory, include its subfolders, filter to files modified during a recent period and sort newest first. The result acts like a focused “What I've Been Working On” menu.

Automatically sort files or arrange menu items manually

Let FolderyMenu organize results automatically, or place important menu items in your own preferred order.

Automatic sorting

Sort file results by criteria such as name or date. For active work, descending date order can keep the newest or most recently changed files near the top.

Manual menu order

When your workflow matters more than alphabetical order, manually arrange menu items so your most important projects and resources appear exactly where you expect them.

Example: Arrange “Today's Estimates”, “Current Price List”, “Photos to Upload” and “Invoices” in the order you normally use them during the day. Inside a file list, sort by recently modified or recently accessed so active files rise toward the top.

Pin frequently used files, folders and menu items

Pinning keeps important resources easy to reach even when your automatic sorting or file results change.

Pin important files and folders

Keep a master price list, current project folder, frequently used spreadsheet, reference PDF or other important item immediately available.

Pin FolderyMenu items

Important menu items can remain at the top so frequently used smart file lists are available regardless of the normal menu sort order.

Good candidates to pin: a master client list, daily uploads folder, current writing project, frequently used spreadsheet, reference document, project dashboard or anything you repeatedly open during the day.

Consolidate files from many subfolders into one list

Folder consolidation is useful when your files are spread across many subfolders but you want to see the matching files together instead of repeatedly navigating the folder tree.

Flatten a folder tree

Treat files from multiple subfolders as one consolidated list when the files themselves matter more than their individual folder locations.

Combine consolidation with filters

After consolidating the subfolders, apply filters so the result contains only the documents, photos, PDFs or other files you actually want.

Example: You have Projects / Client A / Logos, Projects / Client A / PDFs and Projects / Client A / Photos. FolderyMenu can display files from those subfolders together, eliminating several levels of navigation.
Example with filtering: Search an entire Projects directory and its subfolders, consolidate the results and show only PDFs modified recently. You now have a single menu of recently changed project PDFs regardless of which project subfolder contains them.

Search by folder name — not just filename

Sometimes the information you know is the name of the folder rather than the name of the file. FolderyMenu can use matching folder names as part of the search.

Find matching folders

Return folders whose names match your search instead of mixing the results with every matching filename.

Example: Search for “Acme” and find folders such as “Acme 2026”, “Acme Estimates” and “Acme Photos”. This is useful for navigating customer, company and project folders.

List files inside matching folders

Take folder-name searching a step further by displaying the files contained inside all matching folders.

Example: Every customer has a folder named “QUOTES”. Search for folders matching “QUOTES”, choose to list files in the matching folders, and FolderyMenu can create one consolidated view of quote files from many customers. Add a document or PDF filter for an even cleaner result.

Search FolderyMenu and reach recently opened files quickly

When you already know part of a filename, folder name or menu item, search can be faster than navigating through Finder. FolderyMenu also provides quick access to files you have recently opened.

Global search

Search across FolderyMenu when you know what you want but do not remember which saved menu item contains it.

Search within results

Narrow an already filtered list even further when it contains many matching files.

Recently opened

Return to files you were just using without locating their folders again.

Example: You remember that yesterday's document contained “proposal” in the filename, but not where it was stored. Search from FolderyMenu or check Recently Opened rather than navigating several Finder folders.

Use FolderyMenu with local and cloud-synced Mac folders

Your working files do not have to live in one location. FolderyMenu can organize accessible folders from your Mac and common cloud-synced locations such as iCloud Drive, OneDrive and Google Drive.

Local folders

Create menu items for project folders, Downloads, Documents, shared directories and other locations available on your Mac.

Cloud-synced folders

Build useful views around files stored in iCloud Drive, OneDrive or Google Drive when those locations are available through macOS.

One workflow

FolderyMenu lets you create menu items around the work itself instead of remembering which storage service contains it.

Example: Keep a local project folder, an iCloud reference folder and a OneDrive client folder available as separate smart menu items in the same menu bar utility.

Open filtered results in Foldery Folder

Foldery Folder is a Finder-style visual view for a saved FolderyMenu item. It opens that item's current results using the same filters, search rules and folder behavior you configured in FolderyMenu.

Keep the same filtered results

If a menu item is filtered to PDFs, images, filenames, keywords or other criteria, Foldery Folder opens that same focused result set.

Keep filtering while browsing folders

When you open a folder within Foldery Folder, the original filtering rules continue to apply. A PDFs-only item can remain focused on PDFs as you browse deeper.

Work visually with your files

Use views such as gallery mode, adjust thumbnail sizes, preview files with Quick Look, and drag files to Finder, email, webpages or applications that accept dropped files.

Example: Open a “Product Photos” menu item in Foldery Folder, switch to gallery view, enlarge the thumbnails and drag the selected images directly into your CMS, email message or design application.
Another example: Create a “Client PDFs” menu item, filter the results to PDF documents, then open Foldery Folder to review and Quick Look the matching documents visually without browsing unrelated files.

FolderyMenu workflow examples

The most useful FolderyMenu setups combine folders, filtering, dates, sorting, consolidation and pinning. Here are several practical ways to use FolderyMenu beyond simply displaying the contents of a folder.

Recent project files

Start with your Projects folder, include its subfolders, show only recently modified files and sort newest first.

Result: A continuously changing menu of the projects and documents you have been actively working on.

All customer quotes

Find folders named “Quotes”, list their contents together and filter the results to documents or PDFs.

Result: Quotes from many customer folders appear together in one menu.

Photos waiting to upload

Select your photo directory, include subfolders, filter to images added recently and sort newest first.

Result: A visual queue of new images ready for your website, CMS or other application.

Downloads cleanup

Create separate views for recent downloads, PDF downloads, images and large files instead of treating Downloads as one enormous folder.

Result: Find the important files quickly and see which files need to be moved or reviewed.

Invoice finder

Search your business folders and subfolders for filenames containing “invoice”, restrict results to PDF documents and sort by date.

Result: Relevant invoices across multiple folders become one focused chronological list.

Current client workspace

Pin the client's main folder, current contract and master spreadsheet. Add the client portal as a web link and the applications you normally use with their files.

Result: FolderyMenu becomes a small client command center in the Mac menu bar.

Recently changed PDFs

Search a large directory tree, consolidate its subfolders, include only PDFs and restrict the list to recently modified files.

Result: See changed PDF documents without knowing which subfolders they are stored in.

Reference library

Create a menu from a large reference folder, filter it to useful document types and use Foldery Folder when you need previews or gallery-style browsing.

Result: A focused reference library that remains quickly accessible without keeping Finder windows open.

Today's working files

Combine recent activity rules with your work folders and sort the resulting files by date.

Result: A compact menu bar view of the files most relevant to the current workday.

More than a Mac menu bar folder launcher

Many menu bar utilities provide shortcuts to folders. FolderyMenu is designed around curated file results: you define what you want to see, and FolderyMenu builds the menu from the matching files, folders and resources.

Start with a location

Choose the folder, directory tree or other resource that contains your work.

Define what matters

Apply search rules, file types, dates, keywords, exclusions, folder-name matching, consolidation and sorting.

Access the result instantly

The resulting custom list remains available from the macOS menu bar without recreating the Finder search each time.

The idea: Do not create another shortcut to your 2,000-file Projects folder. Create a menu containing the 20 files from that folder that matter to you right now.

Back up and restore your FolderyMenu setup

After building custom menus, filters, pinned resources and workflow lists, your FolderyMenu configuration becomes part of your working environment. Backups let you preserve that setup.

Good times to create a backup: before reorganizing your menus, before testing a beta version, before removing a large number of items, or before moving your FolderyMenu workflow to another Mac.

Common FolderyMenu questions

Can FolderyMenu show files from subfolders in one list?

Yes. Folder consolidation can flatten files from subfolders into a single result list. You can then apply additional filters such as file type, filename, keyword or date.

Can I filter files by date on a Mac?

FolderyMenu can create menu items based on file dates and recent activity, making it useful for lists such as recently modified documents, newly added files or current working files.

Can I search for folders instead of files?

Yes. FolderyMenu can search using folder names and can also list files contained inside folders whose names match your search.

Can the same folder have several different menus?

Yes. You can create different filtered views of the same source folder, such as PDFs, images, recently modified documents or files matching a particular project keyword.

Does FolderyMenu replace Finder?

FolderyMenu is designed as a Finder companion rather than a complete replacement. It gives you faster menu bar access to curated file lists and can open those results in Foldery Folder when you need a more visual Finder-style view.

Can FolderyMenu organize more than files?

Yes. FolderyMenu can keep files, folders, applications and web links together so frequently used resources are available from one menu bar location.