With tags, you can store files anywhere and bring them together with shared tags, which you can filter using Spotlight search and smart folders. We’ll show you some apps that extend the functionality of tags in macOS to help you organize and find files at the time of need.
1. Leap
Leap is a Finder and Spotlight replacement that reinvents how we store and search for files. It uses the file/folder hierarchical system but exposes the underlying metadata attributes and tags. On the left, you’ll see the tags panel, with tags either created by you or apps that use OpenMeta.
Click any tag to view all the files, no matter where it’s stored. Select a file and click the Get Info button to add a file description, add tags, and edit the creation date. You can see files organized by name, file type, location, tags, and more. And you can show or hide panels with a single click.
The crumb trail helps you define the search with three parameters: What (how the search will get done), Where (location and kind of files), When (date range or year). In comparison to Spotlight, the app presents you with a clear choice of search options to further refine your search.
Features of Leap
The bookmark feature lets you save the current crumb tail so that you can get back to that search quickly. You can even bookmark a particular tag group you frequently use. Search for a file type (for example, PDF) no matter where it’s stored. For example, preferred places (default macOS folders), standard (use-related folders), or saved places. Export a list of the documents as HTML. Select the list view and check the columns you want, then choose File > Export Search Results. If you use Time Machine as a backup system, Leap can show you all the revisions of any backed-up documents.
Download: Leap ($49, free trial available)
2. Little Tagger
What are you going to do with files that arenrsquo;t tagged in Finder? Having to tag multiple files, one at a time, is a hassle. Little Tagger is a menu bar app that assists you in tagging your files and folders. At first, you need to import your tags into the app. Go to Preferences > Tags and click Import Tags. You have to perform this procedure only once. In the future, it’ll automatically update the tags in the background.
To start tagging, select your files or folders in Finder and drag-and-drop them to the menu bar icon. Then, type in the name of the tag in the text field. The app will auto-suggest tags based on relevance or usage. If the tag doesnrsquo;t exist, you’ll see a popup upon pressing Enter. Type in the name and choose a color. At last, click Execute.
Features of Little Tagger
Tag files of a particular type present in a huge folder. You can filter the list of files from the Any File dropdown menu located in the top-right corner. Set up a profile with specific presets, like the list of selected tags, include subfolder items, file aliases, and file type or name filter to perform recurring tagging jobs. Filter files by name with different modifiers (contains, does not contain, begins with) or extension (filter images with the PNG extension).
Download: Little Tagger ($7.99)
3. EagleFiler
EagleFiler is a personal information manager that fits into a variety of use cases. The app is intuitive to use and borrows interface elements from the Mail app to retain simplicity. The left pane consists of a source list that includes library, smart search parameters, and tags lists. To get started, Control-click Records and choose New Folder. Type in the name and click Create Folder.
When you’re viewing a web page or an email message, or browsing files in Finder, press the capture shortcut (Option + F1) to bring up a dialog box. Choose your destination folder and click Capture. You can even drag-and-drop files, or use EagleFiler bookmarklets to capture information. The records list shows the contents of the selected source. And the viewer shows the contents of the selected file.
For each file, you can add metadata like labels, tags, and notes. Any tag you add gets synced with Finder tags. They also get copied to the Spotlight comments field to make them searchable and accessible to other apps. The tag storage system is more robust than Finder. If tags get lost or corrupted, the app will try to restore them.
Features of EagleFiler
Your data and notes are stored as regular files using standard formats (RTF, PDF, MBOX), so there’s no lock-in or risk of data corruption. Each note attached to a file supports rich text and links. They’re stored as RTF files in Finder, and you can search them with Spotlight. Includes support for email apps like Eudora, Entourage, Thunderbird, MailMate, PowerMail, and more. It preserves the entire message, including the header, body, flag status, and attachment. Import content from Evernote and convert it to RTFD, preserving formatting, tags, links, and images in the process. In addition, it integrates with Skim, Alfred or Launchbar, PopClip, and other built-in services.
Download: EagleFiler ($49, free trial available)
4. Alfred
If you’re looking to use tags for accessing files, then Alfred should be the app of your choice. By default, Alfred includes a keyword to search for files prefixed with a particular tag. Launch Alfred, type “tags” along with your tag name to show all the relevant files.
You can create a File Filter workflow for a specific tag and search based on the name of the file. Head to Preferences > Workflows, click the plus (+) button in the bottom-left, and choose Templates > Files and Apps > File Filter from Keyword and Open. Type in the keyword name and click Create. In the Basic Setup, set your keyword.
Then, in the Advanced tab, add the kMDItemUserTags and set a value to match the keyword. Once done, use your keyword to search only with a particular tag. In the long run, it’ll save you time if you’re heavily invested in tags.
Features of Alfred
Add a keyword tag to files in the Spotlight comments (Any File > Get Info > Comments). The built-in fuzzy search will quickly find your file. Press the right arrow key to take action on your files. For example, you can email tagged files with a few keystrokes. Install the Add a Tag and Label Color workflows to quickly add a tag or color label to selected files in Finder.
Download: Alfred (Free, premium version available)
5. Hazel
Hazel is an automation tool for macOS that monitors changes to folders and performs a particular action based on the rules you create. You need to specify only two things in a rule: what to look for in the selected folder (the condition) and what to do when the conditions are met (the actions). A rule can match a vast range of conditions for both files and folders.
To get started, add a folder and click Create a new rule. Type in the rule name, then set a condition to look for Finder tags. When a rule matches the condition, it then takes one more actions. In this case, you can tell Hazel to move files to “Documents” when set with the tag “Guides.” Some conditions and actions have fewer or more popup menus or require you to fill in blanks, and so on.
Features of Hazel
You can monitor smart folders, which are saved Finder searches. For example, you might search for files with a certain tag that are also over a given size. Conditions can use a wide selection of attributes. They include extension, date created, opened, or modified, current time, and tags. It’s possible to create custom date, text, or table attributes. You can use shell scripts, or command-line programs, in either conditions or actions. For example, the grep command can perform pattern matching on your files using regular expressions.
Download: Hazel ($42, free trial available)
Enhance Finderrsquo;s Tag Functionality With These Apps
Not many people use Finder tags in their day-to-day workflow. Once you start using them, you can organize and find files in a matter of seconds. The apps discussed above cover different areas of tags functionality.
We recommend you try these apps and see if they work for you. In addition, read our guide to find other apps that blend with Finder to enhance its capabilities.
