Did it ever occur that you are wasting a lot of time doing useless, repetitive tasks on your computer? For instance, when you want to share an image to Facebook or Twitter but find that it’s too big, you have to open a photo editing tool to crop or edit the photo, save the image in a smaller size and upload it to the platform. Or, when you need to move files to another location, you open the file manager and then go to the folder destination before moving the file.
But what if you could simplify these monotonous tasks? That’s where FilePane comes in handy. The app allows users to manage files using quick shortcuts and actions.
So, what exactly is FilePane?
FilePane is a macOS-only file management utility application that adds drag-and-drop actions to your computer. It lets you perform various actions and complete tasks with a simple drag. For instance, the app enables you to quickly move a file to another location, edit or resize pictures on the fly, compress folders or files, convert documents to PDF and print them, etc.
What’s more, the application is clever enough to detect the file type you are dragging and showcases several options and actions according to the file’s format. For example, the app will show you actions to crop/resize the photo or set it as your desktop background if you are dragging a picture file.
How to install FilePane?
FilePane is available for download on the Mac App Store, the developer’s website, or Setapp. Users can test the app for 7 days without cost, and after the trial period is over, you have to purchase the premium version to get the license key.
Once you have downloaded and purchased the app, you can install it and drag the file to your Applications folder. After that, run the app from Launchpad.
How to use FilePane?
Once FilePane is installed, you can run the application from your computer’s Launchpad. When the app is running, you will notice a Drop Here popup box to drag files. Drop your files to the box, and it will activate further actions.
Depending on the type of file you are dragging, various actions will appear. For instance, if you are dragging a folder, you will see action options like Zip (compress the folder), Email File, Finder (to open the folder in Finder), Airdrop (to share the file with colleagues or friends quickly), Trash, Move and Copy Files, etc. Moreover, a new file sub-menu will be created.
Are you dragging image files? If so, the action menu will show options, such as Upload (to Message, Facebook, or Twitter), Desktop Picture (to set the image as your desktop wallpaper), Open Image Editor (to resize the photo), Convert (to convert the image file to TTF, bmp, jpg or png), etc.
Moreover, FilePane works with web browsers. Click on any picture and drag, or you can highlight a paragraph or sentence and drag. You will notice the Drop Here box, and it will let you save the text to the clipboard, or you can share it across your social media accounts.
As you can see, FilePane will show you different actions depending on the type of file you are dragging. The actions will be shown as buttons, and if you don’t understand what the buttons mean, you need to hover your mouse pointer over the buttons or icons. Then, after a few seconds, you can see what the buttons do.
Besides the primary usage and features of FilePane mentioned above, the app offers various other hidden gems. You will discover these hidden features as you use the app every day. For instance, you can select and drag a bunch of text and drop it into the popup box to quickly get the character and word count. You can even connect your Facebook or Twitter account to send texts as social media posts.
You will also find sub-actions hidden inside action fields waiting to be explored. You can even click on the “/path” button to copy a file’s path. Therefore, the app is a powerful addition to your arsenal to complete mundane tasks and save time efficiently.
The bottom line
FilePane is a potent, nifty macOS-only tool that you didn’t know you needed. Once you download the app and start using it, you cannot live without it because completing mundane tasks is fun and less time-consuming. In addition, the straightforward but highly effective drag-and-drop action menu is a huge time-saver, and it makes Mac users wonder why the app hasn’t been included as default with macOS.
So, go ahead and download the app to improve the productivity of your Mac computer. The easy drag-and-drop feature will make it easier to finish your tasks.
