Version 6 of Default Folder X, our app for quickly accessing folders and files in Open and Save dialogs and the Finder, has a bunch of exciting new features! This page gives an overview and instructions for the major additions in DFX 6.

In addition to this information, you’ll find more here:

• Default Folder X Overview: The product page listing Default Folder X features and screenshots.
• Default Folder X Release: A page with a full list of the changes in version 6 and download links.
• Default Folder X Download: A direct link to download DFX 6.

And now on to the new features…

Quick Search

This gives you keyboard-based access to Recent and Favorite Items, including recently-launched applications and recently-used Finder windows. Note that it does NOT search your whole Mac, it searches the files, folders and apps that Default Folder X remembers for you¹. In most cases, it will find exactly what you want without showing all the extra stuff you don’t want.

Personally, I find this a HUGE productivity booster, as it works system-wide, including within file dialogs. Press Command+Shift+Space and a window pops up, allowing you to select items by typing a few letters:

Once you’ve searched, hitting the Return key or clicking an item will open the selected result. If a file dialog is open, the item will open in the file dialog. If not, it will be opened in the Finder. You can also drag items from the search results to the Dock or another application.

Control+click on any result to get a contextual menu for more operations on that item. If it’s a folder, the menu will contain a “Contents” submenu that lets you navigate through the folder and its subfolders using Default Folder X’s hierarchical menus.

Using the up and down arrow keys or hitting Command+number key selects a result in the list. Command+1 selects the first, Command+2 the second, etc.

Searching Folders: When a folder is selected in the results, hitting the right arrow key or the ‘>’ button starts a search within that folder. The left arrow key goes back to where you came from, either the parent folder or the overall search results.

Narrowing Your Search: Clicking on the button to the left of the search field lets you limit the search to particular types of items. Note that there are keyboard shortcuts for all of them so you don’t have to take your hands off the keyboard.

If you search specifically for applications, Default Folder X will also search for apps in the standard Applications folders rather than just showing recently used apps – because I personally use Default Folder X as my go-to app launcher 😁

If you choose Spotlight, you’ll get results from your system’s Spotlight index instead of from Default Folder X. If you’re at the top level of the Quick Search window, this searches your entire Mac. If you’re searching within a folder, Spotlight will give you all files and folders whose names match within that folder and all of its subfolders.

The default keyboard shortcut for the Quick Search window is Command+Shift+Space. If you’d like to use a different shortcut, you can change it in Default Folder X > Settings > General. 

Expanded Filename Field

This is automatically available in all applications.

In Save As dialogs, the box where you type the filename is way too small. How ’bout we fix that?

Drag and Drop

You can now drag and drop files and folders onto Default Folder X’s icon in your menu bar. When you do, it will pop up its menu so you can select a destination for them. As with the Finder, dragging an item to a different folder on the same volume will move it, while dragging to a different volume will copy it. The same modifier keys used by the Finder also apply (Command+drag always moves an item, Option+drag copies it, Command+Option+drag creates an alias).

Customizable Menu

Default Folder X’s menu in the menu bar can be reorganized. You can add and remove different features and submenus and reorder them by dragging them around in the new menu editor. Just click on the “Customize” button in the General tab of your Default Folder X settings.

For fans of Folder Sets, they’ve been removed from the default menu configuration in v6, but you can add them back to the menu here.

Save Actions

Automatically perform actions on a file after you save it. This can be as simple as immediately opening the saved file or attaching it to an email, or as complex as using AppleScript, Automator or Shortcuts to process the saved file in some customized way. 

These options appear in a new “Actions” tab below every Save dialog:

To add more scripts or workflows, use the last item in that action’s menu to open the appropriate folder, then copy your script or workflow into it. For shortcuts, Default Folder X automatically shows all shortcuts you’ve saved in the Shortcuts app.

Sync Settings via iCloud

You can now synchronize your Default Folder X preferences between multiple Macs. Note that both Macs need to be logged into iCloud using the same Apple ID, and must have the same folder structure so that recent and favorite folders on one machine are also present on the other. If they’re not, the missing items will be grayed out in Default Folder X’s menus.

To turn on synchronization, just enable the checkbox in Default Folder X > Settings > Options. The setting must be turned on on all Macs that you want to synchronize.

Improved Finder Drawer and Drag Zone

The drawer in the Finder and Drag Zone on the left side of file dialogs have been rewritten. They now support proper drag and drop, including dragging to reorganize items, multi-selecting items, etc.

Use the drawer as a temporary holding area when dragging files from one place to another, or leave items in it so you can access them quickly when you need them. Note that if there’s a folder in the drawer, you can drag items into it.

Enhancements All Around

Many existing features throughout Default Folder X have been improved:

• Support for macOS 14 Sonoma
• Settings that are easier to navigate and understand.
• Default Folder X interface has been refined, including the addition of a translucent theme.
• Selecting multiple items in the Folder and Folder Sets settings performs operations on all of them.
• The Option key toggles Default Folder X’s menu sorting between sort-by-name and sort-by-date.
• The path to a selected item is shown in the Info tab below Open dialogs. Click on the path to copy it.
• Recently-changed items in specific folders can be excluded from Default Folder X’s menus.
• Default Folder X’s menu now offers submenus for Recent Apps and Recent Finder Windows.
• Finder label colors are now shown in the menus.
• Recently used applications are tracked.
• Support for the macOS Shortcuts app.

And much more!

Try It Yourself!

These descriptions give you the outline, but it’s always better to try features out and see how they feel when you actually use them. You can download Default Folder X and try it for yourself. There’s a free, 30 day trial.

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1. Quick Search searches your Favorites, Finder windows, 200 most recent folders and closed Finder windows, and 1000 most recent files and apps. ↩︎