If you are a Mac user like me, you know the pain. When you want to move files, you need to multi-windows in Finder. If you want to access different cloud storage, you need to open new tabs every time. Managing and moving files is not that convenient on Mac.
But when I found ForkLift, everything became much easier. It’s a tool that helps me manage files easily and you can use it to connect cloud storage and FTP to transfer files more efficiently.
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What Is ForkLift?
ForkLift 3 is a file manager and file transfer client for Mac. The app is much more efficient than Finder (the built-in app).
ForkLift has a special design in its interface – dual panes, which make it seamless in moving your files around. With this app, you can also connect and access cloud services and servers and easily transfer files from local disks to the cloud.
How Does ForkLift Work?
After you install and open ForkLift on your Mac, you’ll see four different panes.
- On the top is a toolbox, shortcuts for different views, connect, sync, and search.
- The left side shows your hard drive and connection from the cloud services or FTP.
- In the middle, there are dual panes, which is the second-level view of the hard drive on the left.
- The right side is the preview pane, it shows you all the details of your files.
1. Efficient File Management
Dual Panes
If you want to move folders or files on Mac, you have to open at least two windows to make it easier to do. But with dual panes from ForkLift, things become much easier. You are able to set up which folder you want to show on the left and on the right.
If you combine that with quick select and smart search, the process is even quicker. You can search the files by filename, extension, tag, content, and spotlight, and search results will be shown almost instantly.
Quick Preview
Quick Preview shows you more info about the file without opening it. This saves time and helps you find the right file much more quickly.
For PDFs, you are able to check every page in the preview. For audio and video files, you can playback. What’s more amazing here is that text files are editable. You can edit the text directly in the preview pane!
Multi Rename
Changing file names in bulk is one of my favorite features. Here, you have many options, for example, you can change the case, replace text, add dates or sequences, or save them as preset.
2. Easy Transfer
Cloud Storage and Severs Connection
ForkLift can connect to cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox, which makes it super convenient to transfer files between local and remote.
Once you give permission for ForkLift, and then all the files in your Google Drive and Dropbox can be downloaded automatically in ForkLift and then shown directly there.
ForkLift also supports SFTP, FTP, WebDAV, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Rackspace CloudFiles, SMB, AFP, and NFS. Once connecting to your servers, you can drag and drop files from local to the cloud or verse visa.
Droplet
ForkLift also works well with the Mac menu bar. You can find this feature called Droplet on the menu bar. Droplet allows you to drop files to the Mac menu bar and upload them to your cloud storage directly. Time-saving!
Price and Platform Compatibility
As of this writing, ForkLift 3 is only available for macOS.
You can download a free trial from their official website. For the fully paid version, the cost per single license is $29.95. They also offer family and small business licenses. If you have a group of people or your team to use it, this should be a better option.
ForkLift 3 can also be found in Setapp, a Mac app subscription service that’s getting more popular. You can have a 7-day free trial and then $9.99 per month. You are able to access all the apps there for free, including ForkLift.
Is ForkLift 3 Worth it?
If you deal with a lot of local files and remote files in the cloud, ForkLift is a great tool to improve your efficiency and productivity.
Without opening different browsers to connect the cloud storage and servers, you can directly access all the files in one ForkLift. The dual panes in ForkLift are an awesome feature that enables you to manage and move files without pain. It’s much more efficient than the Finder.
The cost of the full version (i.e. $30) is not cheap. But considering the value and convenience it brings, and the productivity gains, it’s totally worth it. And I highly recommend this app.
