Getting started

Start with a folder you know. Browsing does not require an account or a search index.

First launch

The first time FileOctopus opens, the Welcome to FileOctopus window explains folder access before anything is asked. On the next step, click Allow beside Desktop, Documents or Downloads, or Allow All. macOS then shows its own message; click Allow there too. Full Disk Access is an optional later step. You can change folder access at any time in FileOctopus → Settings… → Privacy.

Coming from BetterFinder

FileOctopus is the new name of BetterFinder. On its first launch it copies BetterFinder's settings and saved data once: workspaces, saved searches, the sidebar, View Options and search locations. It only copies; BetterFinder's own copy stays as it was.

• macOS treats FileOctopus as a new app, so the welcome window and the folder prompts appear again.
• If BetterFinder is open, FileOctopus asks first. Quit BetterFinder copies the data once BetterFinder has quit, Quit FileOctopus tries again on the next launch, and Continue Without Data starts without it.
• FileOctopus never overwrites data it already has. See data from BetterFinder.

Open your first folder

1. Launch the FileOctopus build provided to you.
2. Choose a sidebar location, or use Go → Go to Folder… (⇧⌘G) and enter a folder path.
3. Choose a view from View: ⌘1 Icons, ⌘2 List, ⌘3 Columns, or ⌘4 Gallery.
4. Click a file and press Space to Quick Look. Double-click or use ⌘O to open it. Press Return to rename.

Run your first search

1. In the folder, press ⌘F.
2. Choose the folder scope and type a name, or a supported phrase such as pdfs from last week.
3. Read the active scope, filter chips, and any status message. Search results depend on the files and metadata in that scope.
4. Select a result to preview, open, or reveal it. See search modes and result actions.

Search across your folders

Open FileOctopus → Settings… and choose Search. Use + to add an index location. Wait for its status to settle, then select This Mac in Find. This Mac means the folders you added, not an automatic scan of every disk.

Leave Contents and Text in Images off unless you want that folder's contents indexed. You can still search file names. See index controls.

Know your build

Normal Release launches support file changes. Debug builds require the developer's explicit file-change launch configuration; automated demos use disposable fixture folders. A disabled action can therefore reflect the build's safety boundary as well as selection, permissions, or file availability.

There is no public installer or release download linked from this development guide. Start with keyboard shortcuts or troubleshooting when a command behaves differently than expected.