Getting started

Before you begin

KeepDrop works directly with local Finder folders. It does not connect to Apple Photos or iCloud Photos. Export media to a local folder first if needed; a Live Photo requires its image and paired video.

Use All to browse the shared library, Favorites to revisit starred items, and Similar to review related photos. Adding or selecting a folder does not move or delete its files.

For a first review that includes file operations, use a small folder of disposable copies.

01 / Add a folder

1. Choose File → Add Folder… or press ⌘ O. You can also use the + beside Folders in the sidebar.
2. Select a local folder and grant access when macOS asks. Wait for scanning to finish.
3. Select the folder to browse it, or choose All to see media from every added folder. Favorites is available even when it is empty.

Adding a folder registers access to its originals without making another copy. Removing it from the library leaves its files in Finder; it does not necessarily clear every saved review decision.

02 / Browse in Flow

1. Select All, Favorites or a folder, then choose Flow in the Gallery / Flow control at the top.
2. Scroll through photos at their natural proportions. Video and Live Photo playback follows the Flow playback settings.
3. Double-click a photo, or select it and press Return, to open Focus.

03 / Look closer in Focus

1. Open a photo from Gallery or Flow. Focus gives it the main viewing area.
2. Use the toolbar + and − controls to change magnification. Drag a magnified image to inspect another part of it.
3. Click a thumbnail in the filmstrip along the bottom to view another photo.
4. Use the back arrow at the top left of the content area to return to the browser.

04 / Open Similar

1. Choose Similar in the sidebar. You do not need to move a folder into a separate DROP workspace.
2. Wait for analysis of the shared library. Similarity analysis includes subfolders and can group photos from different registered folders. Standalone videos are excluded.
3. Double-click a group, or select it and press Return, to compare candidates side by side.
4. Choose candidates in the filmstrip. Zoom and pan the comparison views together to inspect details.

05 / Choose Keep

1. Inspect the photos and decide which ones you want to retain.
2. Move the pointer over a comparison photo to reveal Keep, then click it. You can keep more than one photo in a group.
3. Continue through the candidates in the filmstrip. Click Keep again on a kept photo if you want to change that decision.
4. Check the kept photos before proceeding to Done.

Keep on a photo

A review decision. Done preserves photos marked Keep and proposes moving the remaining photos in the current review scope to Trash. Marking Keep does not move the photo into a KEEP folder.

Favorite / heart

An App favorite, separate from the Keep review decision. A Favorite mark does not substitute for Keep when completing a Similar review.

06 / Review and Done

1. Click Done in the upper-right toolbar. A confirmation explains the current review scope and how many photos will remain or move to Trash.
2. Read the summary. Verify the kept count, the number proposed for removal and any filter scope. Choose Cancel to return and change your choices.
3. Confirm with Done only when the summary matches your decision. Files without Keep in that review scope are moved to the Mac’s Trash.
4. Wait for the result. Review the completion message. If an operation reports a partial result or a failure, check what happened before trying again.

Use Done for this keep-and-review workflow. The separate Delete control acts on its own selection; read that action’s confirmation independently. Confirmed file operations affect your originals, including the image and video members of paired Live Photos.

A capture of the final confirmation screen will be added with the selected release. The steps above describe the current App’s Done confirmation.

Undo and recovery

While the App is still open

1. After a successful move to Trash, choose Edit → Undo Move to Trash or press ⌘ Z while that action is available.
2. Wait for the operation to finish, then check the original folder in Finder.
3. For a Live Photo, check that both its image and video have returned. Read any error or conflict message rather than assuming every file was restored.

After quitting KeepDrop

After quitting, the same-session Undo command is no longer available. KeepDrop records Trash operations for recovery, but interrupted moves and restores do not have a blanket automatic-recovery guarantee. You can also open the Mac’s Trash and use Finder’s Put Back action where available. Check the destination and both parts of any Live Photo.

If the Trash has been emptied

KeepDrop does not recover files from an emptied Trash. Recovery depends on another existing copy or a backup.

The final release will be checked for paired-file recovery, external-drive behavior and interrupted operations. Keep the source drive connected while a file operation is running.

Keyboard reference

These shortcuts apply when the relevant App view has focus and the command is available.

See the App in action

Open the film directly ↗

This introduction does not demonstrate the final Done confirmation, Trash or Undo. Similar synchronized zoom and pan footage is still pending.

If something gets stuck

For other issues, see Support. Installation and release availability are listed on the release page.