Support
Help for FileCategorizer on Mac and Windows
Requirements
- ✅ Mac: Apple silicon required (M1 or newer; Intel Macs are not supported), macOS 15 or later.
- ✅ Windows: Windows 10 (64-bit) or Windows 11.
- ✅ 8 GB of RAM minimum, 16 GB recommended for the local AI. With 8 GB the app uses a lighter AI model and is slower.
- ✅ About 20 GB of free disk space: the AI models (about 10 GB) are downloaded once, at the first start.
Getting started
- Choose a vault folder. This is where FileCategorizer keeps its index and the AI models. It can be on an external drive. It is separate from the app.
- Let it download the AI models. The progress is shown. It takes a few minutes, depending on your connection.
- Feed Me. Choose the folders you want FileCategorizer to know (Pictures, Documents, ...) and let it read them once.
- Ask your Vault. On the first page, type a question in plain words, like "photos of the dog in Italy".
Common questions
After a reinstall, the app asks me to allow my folders again.
That is how macOS protects you: a freshly installed app has to be allowed again, once. FileCategorizer shows you which folders it needs and walks you through it. You can start it any time in Settings, Reconnect folders. Your files and your index are not affected.
My Photos Library cannot be read.
macOS protects the Photos Library more strongly than normal folders. Choose your Pictures folder when FileCategorizer asks, then open System Settings, Privacy & Security, Full Disk Access and switch FileCategorizer on. If it is already in the list but does not work, select it, remove it with the minus button, add the app again with the plus button, and restart FileCategorizer. This is optional: you can skip the Photos Library.
It is slow, especially the first search.
The AI runs on your own computer. The first request after starting the app has to load a large model into memory, which takes extra time. On a Mac with 8 GB of memory, macOS has to use the disk as extra memory, which makes everything slower. For that reason such Macs get a lighter model.
Does FileCategorizer change my files?
Only when you build an action and run it, and every action can be previewed first (dry run). Deleted files go to the Trash. Your Photos Library is never modified: to organize photos, make organized copies.
How do I restore my purchase?
Mac: open the last entry in the top navigation (it says "Trial: N Days Left" or "Restore & Purchase") and press Restore Purchases. Use the same Apple ID as for the purchase. Windows: the Microsoft Store restores your license when you sign in with the account you bought with.
Where are my files and the index?
In the vault folder you chose at setup. If you move the vault to a new computer, choose it again in the setup, and FileCategorizer picks it up.
How do I send you a log?
On the Mac, open Settings, Show log in Finder and attach FileCategorizer.log to your e-mail. The log contains events, folder paths and error messages, never the contents of your files, and it is never sent unless you send it.
How do I remove everything?
Delete the app, and delete your vault folder if you also want to erase the index and the AI models. Nothing is stored on our side.
Still stuck?
Write to support@filecategorizer.com and tell us what you did, what you expected, and what happened. A screenshot and the log file help a lot.