Two powerful new features in ForkLift 4.6

Exciting news! ForkLift 4.6 introduces two major features that power users will love, especially those who rely heavily on tags and those who create custom tools.

Smarter tagging and autocompletion

The first major improvement in ForkLift 4.6 focuses on tags.

Working with tags in ForkLift has traditionally not been as seamless as in Finder, mainly due to macOS limitations for third-party developers. Unlike Finder, third-party apps cannot access and edit tag data in the same way, which means features like native tag autocompletion are not directly available.

In earlier versions, we introduced the Tags section in the Settings to allow users to add their own tags to the sidebar, making them easily accessible. With ForkLift 4.6, we are expanding this feature and making it more powerful.

ForkLift now uses the tags listed in the Settings for autocompletion in the Tags section of the Preview Pane or in the info window. As you type, it suggests matching tags from your predefined list.

To take full advantage of this feature, you should add the tags you use most frequently to the Settings. This ensures they are always available for quick and consistent tagging.

Better control over sidebar tags

Since you may not want to display every tag in the sidebar, we have made it easier to manage their visibility. To hide a tag, right-click it in the Settings and select “Hide from Sidebar”. To show it again, right-click and select “Show in Sidebar”

If you want to manage the visibility of multiple tags at once, it is easier to use the Sidebar Editor. Add the tags you want in the Settings, then close the Settings window. From the menu, select View > Show Sidebar Editor. When the Sidebar Editor appears, you can quickly hide tags by unchecking them. Once you are done, you can close the Sidebar Editor again from the View menu.

This gives you full control over which tags are visible without affecting their availability for autocompletion.

Assign tags directly from the sidebar

The sidebar is now more than just a way to filter files. You can still click a tag to view all associated items, but now you can also assign tags directly from the sidebar:

• Select one or more files or folders
• Drag them onto a tag in the sidebar
• Drop them to assign that tag

This makes tagging faster and more intuitive, especially when working with multiple files.

Improved tag input field

We have also improved the tag input field in the sidebar. Not only does it now include a dropdown to suggest matching tags as you type, but it can also expand to display all assigned tags, making them easier to view and manage. Previously, this field had limited space and could not show all tags at once when working with a large number of tags.

Custom tools, now one click away

The second major improvement focuses on tools.

The Tools feature has always been one of the more powerful, yet somewhat hidden, features of ForkLift. It allows you to create your own tools in the settings using zsh scripts, so you can execute complex actions and workflows more easily.

Previously, these tools could only be executed from the Commands menu, and later they became available in the right-click context menu. Now, we are taking this a step further:

You can add your custom tools directly to the toolbar and execute them with a single click.

Customize your tool icons

When creating or editing a tool, you can assign an icon to represent it both in the Tools section and in the toolbar. By default, new tools use a gear icon, and existing tools are also assigned this icon automatically.

You can easily change it:

• Click the icon in the top-left corner while editing or creating a tool
• Choose a new icon from the pop-up window

This makes it much easier to visually distinguish your tools at a glance.

How to add tools to the toolbar

Adding your tools to the toolbar is simple, but it happens in two steps:

1. Enable the option

• Go to the Tools tab in the Settings
• While creating or editing a tool, enable “Show in Toolbar”

2. Add it manually to the toolbar

• Right-click the toolbar
• Select “Customize Toolbar…”
• Find your enabled tool in the customization tray
• Drag it into the toolbar

Note: Enabling “Show in Toolbar” does not automatically add the tool, it only makes it available for selection.

Full List of changes:

New

• Tags autocompletion feature in the Preview Pane and Info Window based on the list of tags added under ForkLift > Settings > Tags
• Option to assign a tag to a file by dropping a file onto a tag in the sidebar
• Option to add custom tools created under ForkLift > Settings > Tools to the toolbar
• Option to hide and display tags in the sidebar under ForkLift > Settings > Tags through the right-click context menu

Improvements

• Improved expandable Tags field in the Preview Pane, now able to display all tags
• Option to exit the Tags field using the Esc key
• Option to select multiple tools in the Tools section of the Settings

Fixes

• Fixes an issue that indicated it was possible to add remote files as favorites to the sidebar by drag and drop
• Fixes an issue in Column View where, after disconnecting from a remote location, the location did not change back to the starting directory
• Fixes an issue on macOS Tahoe where hitting Esc in the tool editor while adding a new item did not cancel the operation and instead added the new item

Download ForkLift 4.6

File handling improvements

We have recently added the option to remove downloads from your Mac and offload items to iCloud Drive by right-clicking an item and selecting Remove Download. Now it is also possible to do this with multiple items at the same time, making it easier to manage large numbers of downloaded files.

We have also improved how ForkLift prepares files before copying or deleting a large number of items. Subitems are now checked differently, which has significantly sped up the entire process.

In some cases, when you dragged a file from another app into ForkLift, the app would pass only a thumbnail instead of the original file. This has now been fixed, so you should be able to drag items, such as photos from the Photos app, without issues.

Fixes for Columns, Activities Window, and Drive Ejection

In ForkLift 4.5, we introduced new columns in List View that display additional data for files. This addition unfortunately caused several issues, which we have now addressed.

One problem was that retrieving the additional metadata sometimes caused ForkLift to automatically download files from cloud providers, even if those items had been offloaded to the cloud. This no longer happens.

It is now also possible to auto-size these columns by double-clicking the column header divider. The new columns had also caused the Name column not to auto-resize, even when that setting was enabled. After updating the macOS build environment and rebuilding ForkLift, this issue has been resolved. Hopefully, it will not return.

There was also a possible crash on macOS Tahoe that could occur when the Activities pop-up was open and automatically resized as items disappeared from the list. This turned out to be caused by a macOS bug and does not appear to occur on the latest macOS version, so updating macOS should prevent this crash. While investigating this issue, we also noticed that the Activities pop-up window was not always updating and resizing correctly, which has now been fixed as well.

Finally, in some cases ForkLift still asked to eject multiple drives even when only one drive was attached. This now works as expected.

Full List of changes:

New

• Option to remove multiple downloaded items at the same time from iCloud Drive by selecting Remove Downloads from the right-click context menu

Improvements

• Improved preparation for deleting and copying a large number of items
• Improved handling of drag-and-drop operations when dragging from some apps, such as Photos

Fixes

• Fixes a display issue of the Activities pop-up, where the window didn’t get resized correctly as the items disappeared from it
• Fixes the issue that auto-fitting the name columns wasn’t working
• Fixes an issue with the Always resize name column feature introduced in version 4.5
• Fixes the issue that media files automatically downloaded from the iCloud Drive even when they were stored in the cloud only
• Fixes an issue in Column and Icon View where selected items in the inactive pane were displayed with incorrect custom text colors
• Fixes the activity description when Undoing the Move to Trash activity
• Fixes an issue where in some cases ForkLift asked to eject all drives even when there was only one drive

Download ForkLift 4.5.1

New metadata columns, editable comments, and smarter workflows

With ForkLift version 4.5, we have introduced a powerful set of new metadata columns that are now always available in List View. These columns can be added by right-clicking on the column headers. One of the most frequently requested features regarding the new columns was the ability to add the Duration column and sort files by it. That is now fully supported, making it much easier to organize and manage various media files by length, as well as other metadata such as Rating, Album, and Musical Genre, etc.

In Finder, similar metadata-based columns are only available in specific folders that are expected to contain certain file types, for example, music-related columns like Rating, Album, or Musical Genre appear only in folders such as Music. If the same files are stored in differently named folders, those columns are not available. To remove this limitation, ForkLift now allows you to add these metadata-related columns in any folder, giving you consistent access to rich file information regardless of location. Simply right-click a column header (such as “Name”) at the top of the pane to see all available columns.

We have also added a new Comments column, along with the ability to edit comments directly in the Preview Pane on the right side of the window, as well as in the separate Info window (Command-I), making it possible to add a comment directly in ForkLift.

Another small but practical improvement is the enhanced Quick Open pop-up, which now shows the full command hierarchy. This makes it easier and safer to execute commands quickly on selected items by clearly showing which action will be triggered.

Previewing additional file types such as .doc, .docx, and .eml is now supported on remote connections, bringing the same preview experience to remote servers as you already have locally.

UI fixes, view stability, and macOS Tahoe compatibility improvements

This release also includes several view-specific issues and macOS Tahoe-related problems such as unwanted scrolling and multiple selection in Icon View, and a newly introduced bug in Column View where right-clicking navigated back to the root folder.

Finally, we fixed an issue where hidden file extensions remained visible after renaming a file. Once you finish editing the file name and exit rename mode, the extension is now correctly hidden again.

Full List of changes:

New

• Editable Comments field in the Preview Pane
• New columns (Comments, Durations, Dimensions, etc.) in List View, available via the right-click context menu on column headers
• Quick Open now shows the menu hierarchy of commands

Improvements

• Shows additional information in Activities when comparing remote files

Fixes

• Fixes an issue in Column View where a right-click navigated back to the root
• Fixes the placement of the Tags pop-over on macOS Tahoe
• Fixes an issue in Column View where, in some cases, right-clicking an item showed an incorrect context menu
• Fixes an issue where ForkLift couldn’t QuickLook some file types such as .docx, .doc, .eml on remote connections
• Fixes an issue where the available free space wasn’t displayed after changing the view type
• Fixes an issue in Icon View where navigating files with the arrow keys could leave multiple items selected
• Fixes an issue in Icon View where, in some cases, the selected item was centered in the pane, causing unwanted scrolling
• Fixes an issue where the View toolbar item didn’t display an icon while customizing the toolbar
• Fixes an issue which made it possible to save the Favorite Manager or the Connect Panel as part of a workspace
• Fixes an issue which displayed the keyboard shortcut for the Show Previous Tab command incorrectly in the menu
• Fixes an issue that didn’t hide the hidden file extension after the file name was edited
• Localization fixes and improvements
• Numerous minor fixes and improvements

Download ForkLift 4.5

ForkLift’s new checksums feature in action

ForkLift 4.4.5 introduces a long-awaited new feature: the ability to calculate file checksums directly in the app. This has been one of the most frequently requested features, especially by users who regularly work with large files, backups, or remote transfers and need a reliable way to verify file integrity.

ForkLift supports multiple checksum algorithms: MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512. This gives users the flexibility to choose the level of speed and security that best fits their workflow. Checksums can be calculated for one or multiple selected files via the Commands menu (Commands > Calculate Checksum). ForkLift does not calculate checksums for folders.

When the command is selected, ForkLift calculates the checksum for each file individually in a dedicated pop-up window, where the checksum type can be changed at any time. If you switch to a different algorithm, ForkLift automatically remembers your selection and uses that checksum type the next time you calculate a checksum, making repeated checks faster and more convenient.

This feature is particularly useful for verifying that files have not been altered or corrupted during transfers, ensuring that two files are truly identical, or meeting specific technical or security requirements. While checksum calculation is currently available from the menu, this is just the first step. We are already planning further improvements and additional options to calculate and display checksums in future updates.

Why checksums matter

A checksum is a small piece of data that represents the contents of a file, similar to a digital fingerprint. When a checksum is calculated, ForkLift analyzes the file and produces a unique string of characters based on its contents. Even the smallest change to the file, for example, a missing byte or a corrupted transfer, will result in a completely different checksum.

Checksums are commonly used to make sure that files are copied, downloaded, or transferred correctly. By comparing the checksum of the original file with the checksum of the copied or downloaded file, you can immediately see whether they are truly identical, without having to open or inspect the files themselves.

For everyday users, this means extra confidence that important files, backups, or downloads are intact and have not been damaged or altered along the way. For professionals, checksums provide a reliable way to verify file integrity across different devices, servers, and storage locations.

How to calculate checksums in ForkLift

To calculate a checksum for a file, select the file in ForkLift and choose Commands > Calculate Checksum from the menu. ForkLift will calculate the checksum and display the result in a pop-up window.

At the bottom of this window, you can select a different checksum algorithm if needed. Once the calculation is complete, copy the displayed checksum and click OK.

To verify a transferred file, paste the copied checksum into a text editor, then calculate the checksum of the copied file using the same algorithm. Compare the two checksum strings: if they are identical, the transferred file is not corrupted and is exactly the same as the original file.

Please note that when calculating the checksum of a remote file, ForkLift first downloads the entire file before calculating the checksum. Depending on the file size and connection speed, this process may take some time.

A real-world example from our release process

While preparing this ForkLift release, we ran into an issue during our final update checks. After uploading all required files and completing the release setup, selecting Check for Updates from the ForkLift menu resulted in an update error, without any clear indication of what went wrong.

At first glance, the update.xml file appeared to be correct, but the most likely explanation was that it still contained an error. To test this, I created a new update.xml file and uploaded it again. After that, the update process worked as expected.

Since the old and new files looked the same to me, I wanted to confirm whether they were indeed identical, so I calculated the checksum of both versions. The resulting checksums were different, which immediately confirmed that the files were not the same:

8d3328f4258f5744d8f7f943172317af3f353a9c6bbf5df2d02986edb27b34fd
vs
d71725c5e8b45b45353199076d63ae3aabf80e0d277da8b5ba3d890e5680db93

I then used ForkLift’s Compare feature by selecting both files and choosing Commands > Compare from the menu. The comparison highlighted a single line that differed between the two files. At first, the difference was difficult to spot, as the lines looked identical at a glance. After closer inspection, I realized that in the first update.xml file, I had accidentally left a few characters from the previous version. The second file was created correctly and worked without issues.

In this case, I simply wanted to double-check whether the two files were identical. In most situations, you would use this process to verify that a copied file matches the original. As this example shows, checksums are invaluable for confirming that files are truly identical, and comparison tools help pinpoint exactly where those differences exist.

Full List of changes:

New

• Option to calculate a checksum from the Commands menu
• Option to rename tags through the right-click context menu in the Tags tab in Settings
• Option to delete tags through the right-click context menu in the Tags tab in Settings

Improvements

• Adds a checkmark to the selected view in the View menu
• Removes unnecessary checkmarks from the View menu

Fixes

• Fixes an issue that caused Quick Actions not to be visible in the Services menu when an item was selected for the first time
• Fixes the issue that folder sizes were not updated in the file view in List View when calculated in the Preview Pane
• Fixes an issue that caused item comments not to be visible after transferring them to an external drive
• Removes Date Last Opened as a default column in List View
• Fixes a progress indicator alignment issue in the Preview Pane
• Fixes an issue that caused the available free space of devices not to be visible in the sidebar when there was not enough space to display the name
• Fixes localization errors in multiple languages
• Adds localization to the tab context menu
• Numerous minor fixes and improvements

Download ForkLift 4.4.5

Our Biggest Deal of the Year on All ForkLift 4 Licenses

Winter has arrived, and so has our largest ForkLift 4 promotion yet! For a limited time, we are offering 50% off on all ForkLift 4 licenses. If you have been waiting for the perfect moment to upgrade your Mac file management, this is it.

ForkLift 4 brings faster file operations, an efficient two-pane interface, advanced sync features, and a smooth workflow that works well both for professional use and for everyday file organization. Now you can get all of that at a price that won’t return anytime soon.

Buy ForkLift

The Sale Has Ended

Single-User License

• 1-Year License: $19.95 → $9.95
• 2-Year License: $34.95 → $16.95

Family License

• 1-Year License: $29.95 → $14.95
• 2-Year License: $49.95 → $24.95

Small Business License

• 1-Year License: $69.95 → $34.95
• 2-Year License: $119.95 → $59.95

If you already have an old ForkLift license, then don’t forget to enter it in our store and you will get 100 extra days to your license. Here you can read how our licensing works.

Buy ForkLiftDownload ForkLift

Fixes for the Preview Pane, sidebar, and visual issues on macOS Tahoe

ForkLift 4.4.4 brings a number of important fixes and refinements.

One of the key fixes in this update addresses an issue where the information section of the Preview Pane didn’t always update correctly in some cases while navigating through files. This means that when you browse files with the Preview Pane open, the displayed information now updates reliably as expected.

We have also fixed several macOS-related visual issues, including black areas that could appear in Full Screen Mode and a problem that made it impossible to resize the window when the Preview Pane was visible on the latest macOS versions. Unfortunately, with every macOS Tahoe update, new compatibility and graphical issues have appeared, but we hope that this time everything will work as expected.

The sync process has also been improved, an issue has been fixed where, in some cases, synchronization didn’t start on the first attempt.

In addition, secondary click behavior in the sidebar has been improved: Option-clicking and Control-clicking now work as intended.

You can now also open items from the Show Devices, Quick Open Devices, and Go to Folder pop-ups by double-clicking them, making navigation more convenient for users who prefer using the mouse instead of the keyboard to select items.

 

Full List of changes:

Improvements

• You can now open items from the Show Devices, Quick Open Devices, and Go to Folder pop-ups by double-clicking them

Fixes

• Fixes an issue that caused column widths in Column View not to be correctly restored after restarting
• Fixes an issue where the information section of the Preview Pane didn’t always update in some cases when navigating through files
• Adds missing localization in the Settings window
• Fixes an issue that made it impossible to resize the window when the Preview Pane was visible on the latest macOS versions
• Fixes an issue in Full Screen Mode with a visible Preview where black areas appeared at the top and bottom of the window on the latest macOS versions
• Fixes an issue where no Preview was shown when an item was already selected and the Preview Pane was opened
• Fixes an issue during sync where, in some cases, folder content analysis didn’t start on the first attempt
• Fixes a possible hang when Option-clicking a sidebar item to open it in the other pane if a second pane wasn’t visible
• Fixes an issue where Control-clicking allowed editing non-editable favorites such as tags
• Fixes an issue in List View where the disclosure triangles in front of folders weren’t centered when using a font size other than 12 px
• Numerous minor fixes and improvements

Download ForkLift 4.4.4

New Sidebar Selection Style and macOS Tahoe Fixes

This version introduces the new macOS Tahoe selection style in the sidebar, which changes the text color of the selected item. If a sidebar icon has a color because it is a color tag or a favorite with a custom color, the name of the favorite now inherits that color when the item is selected. Items without a color are selected using the system accent color of macOS, which is blue by default. This feature is available only in the Light, Dark, and Default themes.

In this version, we have removed the AppMover feature because it was never able to work properly.

Most of the fixes in this update address issues related to the transition to macOS Tahoe. Among the most reported problems now resolved are the tab-reordering issue in the user interface, and column view bugs where column widths were not restored after restarting ForkLift, and long file names were truncated even when the “Resize Columns to Fit” option was enabled.

Full List of changes:

New

• New sidebar selection style on all macOS versions that matches the macOS Tahoe selection style, which is available only in the Light, Dark, and Default themes

Fixes

• Removes the AppMover feature that should have moved ForkLift to the Applications folder when launched from a different location
• Removes remaining icons from the menu on older macOS versions
• Fixes the issue where column widths were not correctly restored in Column View after restarting
• Fixes an issue with the Resize Columns to Fit feature where columns were not wide enough to display long file names
• Fixes a possible crash on macOS Tahoe when connecting to Backblaze with an incorrect password
• Fixes a possible crash on older macOS versions when connecting to Backblaze with an incorrect password on the third attempt
• Fixes a visual issue when reorganizing tabs in the tab bar
• Fixes the Activities toolbar button on macOS Tahoe that was too small
• Fixes the issue where no completion sound was played after successful transfers to remote locations
• Fixes the misplaced icons above the Preview Pane when ForkLift was launched without a toolbar
• Numerous minor fixes and improvements

Download ForkLift 4.4.3

Assign custom icons when saving favorites

ForkLift has already supported custom icons for favorites, but in this release, you can now assign a custom icon directly when saving a new favorite. To add a location to your favorites, select the desired file or folder, then choose Favorites > Add to Favorites from the menu.

A pop-up will appear where you can give your favorite a name and select a Favorite Group. With this update, you can also assign a custom icon right in this dialog. Simply click the icon in the pop-up to choose a custom icon from a small window. You can also select a color at the top of the window. By default, no color is selected, so the icon color will match the theme’s color scheme and/or the selected Accent color in the System Settings. For example, it will appear blue in Light Theme using the default System Settings.

If you want a specific color, select it. To revert to the default icon, click the Use Default Image button. Once everything is set, click Add to save the favorite. You can also change the icon at any time later by editing an existing favorite.

New Amazon S3 regions

We have added five new Amazon S3 regions and reorganized the list of regions to make them easier to find. Regions are now organized into major region groups, with individual regions listed alphabetically within each group:

• Malaysia
• New Zealand
• Taipei
• Thailand
• Mexico (Central)

Fixes

ForkLift 4.4.2 contains many fixes, mostly addressing issues caused by GUI changes related to the design update to match the style of macOS Tahoe 26.

Full List of changes:

New

• Option to select a custom icon for a favorite when saving it
• Support for new Amazon S3 regions:
  • Asia Pacific (Malaysia)
  • Asia Pacific (New Zealand)
  • Asia Pacific (Taipei)
  • Asia Pacific (Thailand)
  • Mexico (Central)

Fixes

• Fixes an issue that made the sidebar narrower in every new ForkLift window
• Fixes a possible crash that could occur after closing a ForkLift window
• Fixes a display issue with tag outlines when the Dark Theme was selected
• Fixes an issue in Column View where cloud icons next to folders had incorrect padding
• Fixes an issue where toggleable toolbar buttons looked disabled when active
• Numerous minor fixes and improvements

Download ForkLift 4.4.2

A variety of small and not so small fixes

Tabs are now restored correctly

One of the most important improvements in this version is that your tabs are properly restored after restarting ForkLift, even when they contained remote connections. This means you can continue exactly where you left off, without having to reopen your remote servers manually.

Reliable 32 px icon previews

We have also addressed a long-standing issue where icon previews disappeared in List View when the 32 px size was selected, especially while scrolling through large directories. With this fix, previews remain visible and consistent, making it easier to identify your files.

Better handling of full-width whitespaces

For users working with Japanese or Chinese filenames, we fixed an issue where full-width whitespace characters were not copied correctly in Terminal style paths. This ensures that the paths can be used in Terminal correctly.

Sidebar Editor improvements

ForkLift now remembers when you show or hide favorite groups in the Sidebar using the Sidebar Editor. Previously, these changes were not preserved after restarting the app.

Other improvements

Alongside these key changes, ForkLift 4.4.1 also brings a series of smaller fixes and refinements, such as layout adjustments, icon alignment, and cleaning up leftover macOS Tahoe-style menu icons.

Full List of changes:

Fixes

• Fixes a minor layout issue in the Settings window
• Fixes an issue where full-width whitespaces were escaped incorrectly when copying the Terminal style path
• Fixes the icon preview loading issue in List View when the 32 px icon size was selected
• Fixes an issue with Quick Look for items whose names start with a space
• Fixes an alignment issue of the cloud icon (used for downloading large files) inside the Preview Pane on remote servers
• Removes the remaining macOS Tahoe-style menu icons (most were already removed in the last version)
• Fixes an issue that prevented showing and hiding favorite groups in the Sidebar using the Sidebar Editor
• Fixes an issue introduced in version 4.4 that prevented remote locations from reopening after restarting ForkLift

Download ForkLift 4.4.1

Faster Performance, Smarter Column View and iCloud Indicators

The latest ForkLift release brings performance improvements, better visuals, and enhanced stability.

Performance and Stability

• Recent Folders in the Sidebar now update more efficiently, preventing the hangs that could occur during updates.
• Fixed a crash in Column View on macOS Tahoe 26.

Smarter Column View

Column View now displays iCloud status icons for files stored in iCloud Drive and on other platforms using Apple’s File Provider. These indicators are now consistent across all three views, so you always know which files are stored locally and which are in the cloud. Clicking the icons won’t download files, you can download them via the context menu or in the Preview Pane.

Visual and UI Enhancements

• Redesigned Settings window to align with the look and feel of macOS Tahoe 26.
• Better visualization of spring-loading folders in Icon View.
• Menu icons are now only shown on macOS Tahoe 26.

Full List of changes:

New

• ForkLift now requires macOS Sonoma (macOS 14.6)
• Adds a cloud icon in Column View to indicate files in iCloud Drive that are not downloaded

Improvements

• Removes the icons from the menus on macOS versions before macOS Tahoe 26 where that setting is not a system-wide design
• Changes undo/redo activity logging for the Move to Trash command
• Better visualization of spring-loading folders in Icon View
• Recent Folders in the Sidebar now update more efficiently to avoid potential freezes
• Redesign of the Settings window to better align with the new design of macOS Tahoe 26
• Various macOS Tahoe 26 improvements

Fixes

• Fixes a crash in Column View on macOS Tahoe 26
• Fixes a text wrapping issue in the Sidebar on macOS Tahoe 26
• Numerous minor fixes and improvements

Download ForkLift 4.4