TeleFolder
Download on the Mac App Store

Menu bar project finder for macOS

Project folders, found instantly.

The keyboard-first, zero-telemetry navigation engine built for professionals managing deep local drives and multi-terabyte network shares. Press ⌃⌥⌘ Space, type a few letters of a job number or name, press Return: the project folder opens in Finder.

Download on the Mac App Store Setup & support

macOS 26 or laterNative SwiftApp Sandbox

  • Zero data collection
  • Zero folder restructuring
  • 14 days free, then $29.99 once
  • No subscription

Sample projects for illustration. Names are fictional; any resemblance to real projects, firms or places is coincidental.

Monday, 9:14 a.m.

A scene from every office.

Anyone who keeps a folder per job has played every part in it.

  1. “Christine! What’s the job number for the Hendricks remodel?”Christine is on a call.

  2. “Jimmy — is it under 2400–2499, or did it go to the 2024 archive? I just need to change one date on one drawing.”Jimmy is at lunch. It is 9:15.

  3. Someone opens the server, guesses 2471, and gets the wrong job.

  4. Or: press the shortcut, type hend, press Return. 2417 Hendricks Remodel opens in Finder. Nobody had to shout.

Performance

The network is out of the keystroke path.

TeleFolder reads your folders ahead of time and keeps its own index on your Mac. Typing filters that index in memory — the file server isn’t touched until you open a folder.

  • ⌃⌥⌘ Spaceor⌃⌥ P
    Global summon Brings the search panel up over any CAD, BIM or Finder window — or click the menu bar icon. Change either shortcut in Settings.
  • 0trackers
    100% on-device No telemetry, no accounts, no cloud routing. Your project list never leaves the Mac.
  • SMBNFSAFPWebDAV
    Unified shares This Mac, external drives and server mounts, searched as one list.
  • 26,000+
    Stress-tested Projects in our stress tests, still filtered on every keystroke.
  1. ScanBefore a scan, missing shares are mounted quietly with your keychain password. Then each location is read the way it’s filed.
  2. IndexThe project list lives on your Mac. Projects on a share that drops off stay listed, dimmed, as last seen.
  3. FilterEvery keystroke narrows the in-memory list. Every word must match, in any order: hosp 24 finds 2417 Mercy Hospital.
  4. OpenReturn opens the folder in Finder. If its share isn’t connected, it’s connected first.

The index refreshes on its own when it’s older than you allow (Settings › General), or on demand with Rescan ⌘R.

Built-in search. It spins, then returns an email about a potluck that shares four letters with your job, and every sheet in the set. Not the folder.
TeleFolder. The project. One row. Press Return and you’re in the folder.
Situation Spotlight & Finder search TeleFolder
Projects on the office server Many file servers and NAS boxes aren’t indexed for Spotlight, so searches come back slow, partial or empty. Reads the server’s folders itself and keeps its own list, so every job on every share is searchable.
What you get back A spinning wheel, then every email, PDF and drawing sheet that happens to contain those letters — rarely the folder you wanted. One row per job: the project folder itself. Press Return and it opens.
Off the network or the VPN A share that isn’t connected isn’t searched at all. Projects stay listed, marked “not connected”, so you still find the job number.
Shares that aren’t mounted You connect first, in Finder › Connect to Server, then search. Connects your shares quietly before each scan, with the password from your keychain — no sign-in windows.
Old jobs in a zip or disk image Just another file. Listed as an archived project, beside the jobs still in folders.

Features

Your filing stays put. Finding it gets quick.

TeleFolder learns how your office files jobs, then gets out of the way. It reads your folders as they are and never moves or renames a thing.

  • Live work here, the archive on the server.

    Network share routing

    Folders on this Mac, external drives and network shares are searched as one list. Shares are mounted through NetFS before each scan — quietly, within your mount timeout, with the password from your keychain.

    • Projects on a share that isn’t connected stay searchable, dimmed
    • Opening one connects its share first
    • Failures say why in words: unreachable server, missing share, rejected password
    smb://afp://nfs://https:// (WebDAV)

  • Client names and job numbers stay in the building.

    Zero telemetry, 100% local

    TeleFolder builds its list from your folders, on your Mac, and keeps it there. No cloud, no sync service, no servers of ours — it connects only to the file servers you add yourself.

    • No account: no sign-up, no email, no password to forget
    • No analytics, tracking, ads or crash reporting
    • Searching needs no internet — on a plane, too
    • Runs in the App Sandbox: it reads only folders you choose

  • Five folders deep to reach one job.

    Global hotkey architecture

    Summon the search panel from any app without touching the mouse. Type 2417 or library, move with the arrow keys, press Return.

    • Escape clears the search, then closes the panel
    • Or double-click, or drag a project into Finder or an Open dialog
    • Copy a folder’s name or full path, or show it in the folder that holds it
    ⌃⌥⌘ Space⌃⌥ Pdefaults · change in Settings

  • Every office files a little differently.

    Any folder layout

    One folder of projects, or projects grouped by number range (2400-2499), year, month or quarter, client, A–Z or any folder name — one or two levels deep, or at any depth. Pick a familiar scheme from a menu (Year › Month, A–Z › Client, Client › Matter, Active / On Hold / Closed, PARA, Johnny.Decimal) or let the wizard recognise yours.

    • A folder counts as a project when its name starts with a number or a date, matches a code pattern you build from menus, or holds a marker such as .git or an Xcode project — or every folder counts
    • A client folder holding several jobs becomes their group; one with a single job is listed as the job
    • Phases or other sub-projects inside a job are listed too, grouped under it
    • Finder aliases are followed to the real folder, inside the folders you’ve added
    • Template, snapshot and recycle folders are ignored; add your own, with rules for one location only

  • Finished jobs, out of the way.

    Archives, handled

    An archive location, archive subfolders such as _Archive, or status folders: “Closed” archived, “On Hold” listed last, “Declined” hidden.

    • Jobs packed into zip, 7z, RAR, tar, StuffIt or a disk image can be listed as archived projects
    • Hidden until you click the archive button, then mixed in or grouped below

  • Live and archived. Two drives.

    One row per job

    A job kept in two places can be one row, matched by name or by project number, marked “+1 location”.

  • Sorted the way you count.

    Sorting

    By project number, a number pattern you set, year-aware job number, client group, name or date — reverse it any time.

  • Set it up once.

    Saved configurations

    Save your setup under a name and switch between setups, or save one to a file for a colleague. Every load first backs up the setup it replaces, and folders that aren’t where the file says are relinked in one step.

  • Your menu bar, your rules.

    Make it yours

    Give the app your own name, and choose its menu bar icon: its own glyph, any SF Symbol, your own PNG, SVG or PDF, or a one- to three-letter monogram. It can start at login.

  • Under a minute.

    Setup wizard

    It asks how your projects are stored, has you choose the folders, and previews what it finds, with one-click fixes when the result looks wrong.

Fits the way you already file

Tell the setup wizard how your projects are stored and it finds them — the buckets, years and client folders become groups, and each job is one row.

listed as a project

By number range
  • Projects
    • 2300-2399
    • 2400-2499
      • 2417 Highland Valley Brewery Expansion
      • 2401 …
By year
  • Archive
    • 2023
    • 2024
      • 2024-128 Brand Refresh
      • 2024-083 Seasonal Campaign
By client
  • Clients
    • Alder Atelier
      • 2025-334 Product Launch Kit
      • 2024-328 Logo Suite
    • Birchwood Roastery

Built for

Architects, structural engineers and Mac power users who file by job number.

However your trade numbers its jobs, TeleFolder reads the structure you already have.

  • Architects & engineers

    Number-range buckets, year-prefixed numbers and phases listed as their own rows.

    • 2400-2499 / 2417 Hendricks Remodel
    • 24-017 Harbor Point Clinic
    • 24-017.02 Phase 2

  • Design studios & agencies

    Jobs filed under each client, with the client shown beside every result.

    • Alder Atelier / 2024-328 Logo Suite
    • Birchwood Roastery / 2025-041 Packaging

  • Law & accounting practices

    Client and matter folders, one or two levels deep — the matter is the row.

    • Juniper Tea House / 10234-007 Lease Review
    • Meridian Health / 10871-002 Audit 2025

  • Video & post-production

    Finished jobs on drives that are usually unplugged, or packed into zips and disk images.

    • Archive 2023 / 23-112 Spring Campaign.zip
    • Cold Storage 04 / 22-087 Documentary.dmg

Every name here is invented, for illustration.

Tour

A small panel. A lot of folders.

  • Set up in a minute

    Four short steps. Answer a few questions about how you file, point it at your folders, and watch the preview fill in before you commit.

    1. Step 1 of 4

      How do you store your project files?

      • All active projects are in one single folderNo sub-categorization folders
      • Projects are grouped inside category or bucket folderse.g. grouped by year, number range or client
      • Projects are scattered across multiple drives or sharese.g. active work on this Mac and an archive on a NAS

    2. Step 2 of 4

      What are the group folders?

      • Number ranges2400-2499
      • Years2025
      • Clients or categoriesAcme Corp
      • Something elseAny folder name

      Where do finished projects go?

      • They stay with active projects
      • A separate archive folder or driveOrganised by year
      • An archive subfolder inside each group or client

    3. Step 3 of 4

      Choose your folders

      • Projectssmb://server/Projects · by number range
      • Archivesmb://server/Archive · by year

      Preview 997 projects

      • 3298 Northgate Terrace Observatory
      • 3297 Lakeview Bluff Middle School
      • 2417 Hendricks Remodel

    4. Step 4 of 4

      Finishing touches

      A folder is a project when its name…

      • Starts with a number2417 Hendricks Remodel
      • Starts with a date2025-03-14 Site Survey
      • Matches a pattern (regex)PRJ-101 Warehouse
      • Global shortcut⌃⌥⌘Space
      • Start at Login

    Everything can be changed later in Settings. Project names are fictional.

Pricing

Buy it once. Keep it.

No subscription, no renewals, no account to create. Try every feature free for two weeks, then decide.

TeleFolder

$29.99 once, for life

after a 14-day free trial with every feature on. All future updates included.

  • Pay once, keep it for life
  • Every future update included, free
  • No subscription, no renewals
  • No account, no ads, collects no data
  • Yours on every Mac signed in to your Apple Account
  • Bought through the Mac App Store
Download on the Mac App Store

Does it pay for itself?

Rough math, from the hour a week the founder used to lose hunting for folders:

1 h/week × $30/h = ~$30/week

So at $29.99, about a week. At a higher rate, sooner:

If your time is worthit pays for itself in
$30 an hourabout a week
$60 an hourabout 2½ working days
$100 an hourabout 1½ working days
$150 an hourless than a day

An estimate, not a promise: it assumes an hour a week saved. Your hours will differ — that’s what the free trial is for.

For studios & offices

Set it up once. Share it with everyone.

One person sets TeleFolder up for the office’s drives and shares, then chooses Configurations › Save to File. Everyone else picks Load from File and is searching the same projects in a minute — any folder that sits somewhere else on their Mac is relinked in one step.

Each person tries it free for 14 days, and buys it once for their own Apple Account.

  1. Set up on one Mac with the wizard
  2. Save to File — a small .json configuration
  3. Load from File on every other Mac

Privacy

TeleFolder collects no data.

  • No accounts
  • No analytics, ads, tracking or crash reporting
  • Connects only to file servers you set up
  • Everything stays on your Mac

TeleFolder Privacy Policy

Effective October 2026

TeleFolder is a Mac menu bar app for finding and opening project folders. It collects no data.

What the app does not do

TeleFolder collects no data from anyone. It has no accounts, analytics, advertising, tracking or crash reporting. It sends nothing to the developer or to anyone else.

What stays on your Mac

Your settings, saved configurations and the list of projects it found are kept in the app’s own folder on your Mac. Permission to read the folders you choose is kept in the app’s preferences. Passwords for network shares are kept in your macOS keychain.

Network connections

The app connects only to file servers you add yourself, to mount the shares that hold your projects. Those connections go to your server, never to the developer.

This website

This site uses no cookies, analytics or trackers, and its scripts never contact anyone.

Changes and contact

If this policy changes, the new version will be posted on this page. Questions: support@telefolder.com.

Support

Questions, problems or ideas.

Email support@telefolder.com and we’ll get back to you.

Getting started

After launch, TeleFolder lives in the menu bar. Click its icon, or press ⌃⌥⌘ Space, to search; right-click it for Preferences, Rescan and the Setup Wizard. The wizard asks how your projects are stored and shows a preview of what it finds.

Is it a subscription?

No. After the 14-day free trial, TeleFolder is a single $29.99 purchase through the Mac App Store, yours for life with every future update included. There are no renewals, and nothing to cancel.

What happens when the trial ends?

TeleFolder asks you to unlock it. Your folders and settings stay exactly as they were, and everything works again the moment it’s unlocked. Restore Purchase is in the same window and in the menu.

Which Macs does it run on?

Macs running macOS 26 or later. It’s available only on the Mac App Store.

We have several people. How do we roll it out?

Set it up on one Mac, choose Configurations › Save to File, and send the file round. Everyone else chooses Load from File. Each person buys it once for their own Apple Account after their trial.

A location says “Needs access”

macOS only lets the app read folders you have chosen. Click Grant… and choose the folder.

A network share isn’t found

Open Preferences › Folders & Roots, select the location and enter the share address (for example smb://server/Projects). Saved passwords are kept in your keychain.

The wrong folders are listed as projects

Run the Setup Wizard again, or change the naming rule and ignore list under Rules & Sorting.

A client folder with several jobs should be a group

Open the folder’s editor (Preferences › Folders & Roots › Edit…) and turn on “A folder that contains projects is a group”.

A job has phases or episodes that should be listed too

Turn on “List sub-projects inside projects” in the folder’s editor; a sub-project pattern lets you match names of your own.

Can it find projects by what’s inside them?

Yes — a folder can count as a project when it holds a marker, such as a .git folder. Choose “Contains a marker” as the naming rule under Rules & Sorting, and pick from the built-in marker sets or add your own.

Can zipped or imaged jobs be listed too?

Turn on “List archive files as archived projects” in the folder’s editor. Zip, 7z, RAR, tar, StuffIt archives and disk images named like a project are listed as archived.

What happens to Finder aliases?

An alias is followed to its real folder, as long as that folder is inside one of the folders you’ve already added. One pointing anywhere else is ignored.

How do I set a keyboard shortcut?

Preferences › General › Global shortcut. The defaults are ⌃⌥⌘ Space and ⌃⌥ P.

How do I move my setup to another Mac?

Use Configurations › Save to File, then Load from File on the other Mac. Folders that are somewhere else there can be relinked in one step.

Project folders, found instantly.

Try it free for 14 days. Then $29.99 once, for life — all future updates included. No subscription.

Download on the Mac App Store