Features — DeskSweep

Built to be safe

Because DeskSweep moves your files, it checks before removing anything and lets you put things back. All of this works in the free version.

Copy, verify, then remove

Even on the same disk, files are copied first and their contents, structure, and attributes verified before the originals are removed. Zips are checked entry by entry and after extraction.

Every step is recorded

Each step is recorded before and after, so an interrupted sweep can be rolled back or finished.

Deleting means the Trash

Tidying installers, duplicates, and old backups only moves them to the Trash; nothing is permanently deleted.

The destination never moves

The destination and any folder containing it are excluded from sweeping. Free space is checked before each run.

Sweep

What to tidy, and where it goes.

Start where files pile up

Tidy Desktop and Downloads

Free

Choose Desktop, Downloads, or both — the two places where files pile up most on a Mac. Swept files are copied to the destination and verified before they are removed from their original location.

How to use

In Settings (設定) → Folders (フォルダ) → Backup Sources (バックアップ元), click Allow Access… (アクセスを許可…) and select your Desktop (or Downloads) folder.
Turn on the checkbox for each folder you want to tidy. You can also toggle them in the main window or the menu bar.
Click Preview… (プレビュー…) in the main window, check the items to be moved, then run.

Useful when

Clearing temporary files left on the desktop
Regularly collecting downloaded attachments

Note

Because of the macOS sandbox, a checkbox alone does not grant access. Select the folder once to allow it.

Internal storage or an external drive

Choose a destination

Free

Each run creates a backup inside the folder you choose. Connected external drives work too. The destination and any folder containing it are automatically excluded from sweeping.

How to use

In Settings (設定) → Folders (フォルダ) → Backup Destination (バックアップ先), click Change… (変更…) and select a folder.
To save to an external drive, connect it before running.

Useful when

Keeping swept files somewhere you can look back at later
Moving files to an external drive to free up space on your Mac

Note

DeskSweep checks free space before running and stops if there isn't enough.
Saving to the same disk as your Mac does not protect against disk failure. Keep a separate backup of important data.

Know when each sweep happened

Names that show the date

Free

Use the date, time, year, month, day, weekday, and profile name in the name of each backup folder.

How to use

Enter a name in Settings (設定) → Folders (フォルダ) → Backup Name and Format (バックアップ名と形式). Available placeholders are listed below the field.
Choose a date style in {{{date} Format|{date} の書式}} and check the result under Example (例).

ExampleBackup_{date} → Backup_2026-10-29 / {profile}_{date}_{time} → Work_2026-10-29_1830

Useful when

Telling at a glance when a backup was made and what it was for

One file per run

Bundle into a Zip

Free

Bundle the swept items into a single Zip. DeskSweep verifies the archive and its extracted contents before removing the originals. Undoing from the history extracts the files back to their original location.

How to use

Turn on Compress to Zip (Zip に圧縮する) in Settings (設定) → Folders (フォルダ) → Backup Name and Format (バックアップ名と形式).

Useful when

Managing each run as a single file
Keeping the number of files at the destination down

Note

The Zip is not password-protected (not encrypted).
How much smaller it gets depends on the file types.

More than the usual two

Add any folder

PRO

Tidy folders other than Desktop and Downloads with the same rules.

How to use

In Settings (設定) → Folders (フォルダ) → Additional Folders (追加のフォルダ), click Add Folder… (フォルダを追加…) and select the folder.
Use the checkbox to include or exclude it, and the “−” button to remove it from the settings.

Useful when

Tidying folders of exported images or received documents
Emptying a temporary work folder regularly

Note

Removing a folder from the settings does not delete the folder or its files.
Before adding an important work folder, check your exclusion rules and the preview.

Decide what to keep

Leave your working files alone.

Finder-tagged files stay put

Keep files by tag

Free

Exclude items with Finder tags from sweeping. Use any tag as the rule, or only specific tags.

How to use

In Settings (設定) → Exclusion Rules (除外ルール) → Tags (タグ), choose all tags or specific tags.
For specific tags, type a name and click Add (追加), or click one of the tags found. Click × next to a tag to remove it.

Useful when

Keeping files tagged “Important” or “In progress” on the desktop

Note

If any item in a folder matches a rule, the whole folder stays where it is.

Never touch what's still downloading

Keep in-progress downloads

Free

Files detected as still downloading are excluded from sweeping.

How to use

Turn on Exclude in-progress downloads (ダウンロード途中のファイルを除外) in Settings (設定) → Exclusion Rules (除外ルール) → Basic Rules (基本ルール).

Useful when

Tidying while files are downloading
Sweeping automatically on a schedule

Note

Only files that can be detected as downloading are covered. This does not detect files open or being edited in other apps, so protect working files with tag or recent-days rules as well.

This week's work stays put

Keep recent files

Free

Keep files added or modified within a number of days you choose.

How to use

Set the number of days in Settings (設定) → Exclusion Rules (除外ルール) → Basic Rules (基本ルール).

Example7 days → keep items added or modified in the last 7 days / 0 days → sweep recent files too

Useful when

Clearing out old documents while leaving this week's work alone

Note

If a folder contains a protected item, the whole folder may stay.

Fine-grained rules

Keep by extension, name, or size

PRO

Specify files to keep by extension, name pattern, or a size limit.

How to use

Open Settings (設定) → Exclusion Rules (除外ルール) → Advanced Rules (詳細ルール).
Enter extensions such as app, key, numbers and names such as Screenshot*, *.wip, separated by commas. * matches any text and ? matches any single character.
Turn on Set a size limit (サイズ上限を設ける) to keep items larger than the size you set.

Useful when

Making sure apps and work-in-progress files are never moved
Leaving large assets such as videos alone

Note

Names are not case-sensitive.
After changing rules, check the result in the preview.

Check and undo

Look before you sweep, and undo if needed.

What moves, what stays, and why

Check the preview

Free

Before running, see a list of what will be moved, what will be kept, and why.

How to use

Click Preview… (プレビュー…) in the main window.
Turn on Preview before running (実行前にプレビューで確認する) in Settings (設定) → General (一般) to see the preview every time you click Back Up Now (今すぐバックアップ). We recommend this at first.

Useful when

Your first sweep
After changing rules or adding folders

Note

Runs from a hotkey, a schedule, a drive connection, or Shortcuts do not show the preview.

Put swept files back

Undo from the history

FreePRO

See the date, profile, and item count of each run in the history, and put swept items back where they were. Zipped runs are extracted, and Finder tags are restored.

How to use

Open History (履歴) and click Undo (元に戻す) for the run you want to reverse.
Use the Show in Finder button to open the destination.

Useful when

Using swept files in their original place again
Looking back at what was swept and when

Note

The free version shows the last 5 runs; Pro shows the full history.
To undo, the files at the destination must still exist and be accessible.

Stays consistent if stopped midway

Recover from interruptions

Free

DeskSweep records each step as it goes. If the app quits midway, it uses that record to roll back moves that weren't finalized, or to finish cleanup for those that were.

How to use

If Recover Interrupted Operation… (中断した処理を復旧…) appears in the menu, run the recovery first.
You can't start a new sweep until recovery is complete.

Useful when

When a sweep was interrupted, for example because the app quit

Note

This protects against interrupted operations in the app. It does not restore data after disk failure or damage.

A tidy destination

Don't let backups pile up either.

Images with images, documents with documents

Sort by kind

PRO

Inside each backup, save files into folders by kind, such as images and documents.

How to use

Turn on Settings (設定) → Organize (整理) → Sort by Kind (振り分け). The category names are shown in Settings.

Useful when

Finding saved files by kind later

Note

This does not rearrange files in their original location.

Decide what happens to .dmg and .pkg

Tidy installers

PRO

Choose whether .dmg and .pkg files are backed up, moved to the Trash, or left where they are. In the free version they are backed up like any other file.

How to use

Choose an option in Settings (設定) → Organize (整理) → Installers (.dmg / .pkg) (インストーラ（.dmg / .pkg）).

Useful when

When installers for apps you've already installed keep piling up in Downloads

Note

DeskSweep does not check whether an app is installed. If you still need an installer, choose to leave it.
Before moving files to the Trash, a safety copy is kept inside the backup (this needs free space).

By content, not by name

Detect duplicates

PRO

Duplicates are detected by content, not by name. When a run contains identical files, one is saved and the rest go to the Trash. Items identical to something already backed up are left in place.

How to use

Turn on Settings (設定) → Organize (整理) → Duplicate Files (重複ファイル).

Useful when

When you download the same attachment or document again and again

Note

Only the folders being swept are checked.
Because contents are read, it can take a while with many large files.

Clean up by count or age, automatically

Prune old backups

PRO

Move old backups created by DeskSweep to the Trash based on how many to keep or how long to keep them.

How to use

Turn on Settings (設定) → Organize (整理) → Auto-prune Old Backups (古いバックアップの自動整理), then enable Backups to Keep (残す世代数) or Retention Period (保存期間) and set a value.

Useful when

When daily sweeps keep adding backups to the destination

Note

The most recent backup is always kept.
If both a count and a period are set, backups matching either condition are pruned.
Check the result before emptying the Trash.

Make it a habit

Set your rules once, then let it run.

Automatically, at a set time

Daily or weekly schedule

PRO

Choose a weekday and time to sweep automatically.

How to use

In Settings (設定) → Automation (自動実行) → Schedule (スケジュール), set a time for Daily (毎日) or a weekday and time for Weekly (毎週).
Check the plan under Next (次回). Choose Manual only (手動のみ) to stop.
Also turn on Launch at login (ログイン時に起動) in Settings (設定) → General (一般).

Useful when

Making a habit of tidying before the end of each workday or at the weekend

Note

DeskSweep must be running.
If the scheduled time passes while the Mac is asleep, it runs once after waking.
The preview is not shown. Check the result manually before setting a schedule.

Plug in the drive, and it tidies

Run when a drive connects

PRO

When the destination drive is connected, DeskSweep sweeps with the settings that use that drive.

How to use

In Settings (設定) → Folders (フォルダ), set a destination on the external drive.
Turn on Settings (設定) → Automation (自動実行) → External Drive (外付けドライブ).

Useful when

Collecting files on an external drive you connect regularly

Note

DeskSweep must be running and have access permission.
Connecting the drive starts the sweep, so check the result in the preview before turning this on.

Switch between work and personal

Profiles for each purpose

PRO

Save combinations of sources, destination, exclusion rules, and automation for each purpose. The free version uses one profile.

How to use

Click Add Profile (プロファイルを追加) in Settings (設定) → General (一般) → Profiles (プロファイル).
Use the round selection button to choose the profile to edit, then set up each tab. Rename it in the name field, duplicate it with the overlapping squares, and delete it with the trash can.

Useful when

Using different approaches such as “Work”, “Personal”, or “Month-end cleanup”

Note

The last profile can't be deleted.
Deleting a profile does not delete the backups it created.

One keystroke, no window

Run from a hotkey

PRO

Run the selected profile with a key combination you register.

How to use

Click the button in Settings (設定) → General (一般) → Global Hotkey (グローバルホットキー) and press a combination that includes ⌘, ⌥, or similar. Press Esc to cancel, or Clear (解除) to remove it.

Useful when

Tidying whenever you like without switching windows

Note

Runs without the preview.
Choose a combination that doesn't clash with other apps.

Add tidying to your routine

Use in Shortcuts.app

PRO

Call DeskSweep's Run Backup (バックアップを実行) action from Shortcuts.app on macOS.

How to use

Create a shortcut in Shortcuts.app and add DeskSweep's Run Backup (バックアップを実行) action.
Specify a profile name if needed. If left blank, the current profile is used.

Useful when

Adding a sweep to the routine you run when finishing work

Note

Set up the folders and destination in DeskSweep first.
Runs without the preview.

Using the app

Whichever way suits you.

In a window, or from the menu bar

Window or menu bar

Free

Use DeskSweep in a window, or from the menu bar.

How to use

Choose on the first-launch screen, or in Settings (設定) → General (一般) → Launch Mode (起動時の表示). The change applies immediately and is remembered.

Useful when

Setting things up in the window at first, then switching to the menu bar once you're used to it

Note

In the menu bar, DeskSweep doesn't appear in the Dock. Use the broom icon at the top right of the screen.

Always there when your Mac starts

Launch at login

Free

DeskSweep opens automatically when you log in to your Mac.

How to use

Turn on Settings (設定) → General (一般) → Launch at login (ログイン時に起動). If macOS asks for permission, check System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions.

Useful when

Using the menu bar or automation without starting the app by hand

Note

This does not turn on your Mac or wake it from sleep.

Tells you when it's done

Completion notifications

Free

Get a notification with the result of each sweep.

How to use

Turn on Settings (設定) → General (一般) → Notify when finished (完了したら通知する), and allow DeskSweep in System Settings → Notifications.

Useful when

Getting on with other work instead of waiting

From the “?” on each setting

Help while you set up

Free

Read the steps and caveats for each setting from the “?” next to its heading. Pro features are explained even before you buy.

How to use

Click “?” to open the explanation. Click Close (閉じる) or press Esc to return.

Useful when

Setting up exclusion rules or automation
Checking Pro features before buying

Free vs. Pro at a glance

See which features are in each version in the comparison table.

View comparison