Default Folder X 5.7b1: Smoothing out the Ventura experience

There’s a new public beta release of Default Folder X available: version 5.7b1. It’s compatible with Apple’s latest pre-release version of macOS 13 Ventura, and includes some fixes to work more smoothly with the new System Settings app, which is Ventura’s replacement for System Preferences.

System Settings is still rough around the edges, so there are a few quirks in the flow of granting Default Folder X the various privacy permissions it needs. Most notably, you’ll need to authenticate for each separate permission you give it (Accessibility, Full Disk Access, and Screen Recording). This is because System Settings doesn’t reliably set the state of the Privacy & Security controls if it’s already running when an app requests to be added. As a result, Default Folder X has to quit System Settings before it asks for each permission, or the little switch next to its icon will do nothing to the underlying setting when you turn it on and off. That means that instead of supplying your admin password or Touch ID once and turning on all the necessary switches all in one go, you’ll see the System Settings window go away, then come back, asking for admin permissions each time. Hopefully, this bug in System Settings will be resolved before Ventura ships and I can remove this little dance.

Default Folder X 5.7b1 also fixes a minor bug when running under Ventura and on older versions of macOS. There were circumstances in which Default Folder X could mistake your home folder for your iCloud Drive folder, showing the wrong name in the path menu that appears above the file listing in Open and Save dialogs. That’s been fixed.

Release notes and download links are available on the Default Folder X Testing page, or if you’re running a previous beta of Default Folder X 5.7, just choose “Check for Update” from its menu in your menu bar.

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