Help
How to install Shutterfold, scan your files and read the report.
- Install and open the first timeInstall Shutterfold on your Mac and open it the first time. macOS asks once, because Apple has not notarised the app yet.
- Full Disk Access and the Photos libraryWhy Shutterfold needs Full Disk Access to read your Photos library, how to turn it on, and what it lets the app do.
- What the scan reads and never writesThe free scan reads your sources on your Mac and changes nothing. Files that are only in the cloud are counted and never downloaded.
- SourcesThe places Shutterfold reads today, and the clouds you will connect. Apple Photos, iCloud, Google, OneDrive, Dropbox, Box, folders and drives.
- Reading the reportWhat each line of the Shutterfold report means. Extra copies, files in one place only, and files that are only in the cloud.
- Free and paid plansWhat the Free plan covers for one person, what the paid plan adds, how self-hosting fits, and what works in the app today.
- UninstallRemove Shutterfold from your Mac, with its reports and settings. Your photos and files stay as they are.
- Refunds and contactRefunds for the Shutterfold paid plan once it opens, and how to reach the two people who make Shutterfold.
Common questions
Is it really free?
Yes, for one person. Free connects one account of each cloud, pulls into storage you own, merges it all into one library and keeps it merged every month. Today the free app scans your Mac and drives, with no account and no card. You pay only if you add what we host.
Will it delete my files?
No. The scan writes nothing. The merge keeps the best copy of every file and sets the rest aside for 30 days. Nothing is deleted until you say so.
Are my files uploaded?
Not on the Free plan. The app runs on your Mac and writes to storage you choose. Our servers are used only when you turn on something we host, such as our storage or our AI. We never keep, sell or train AI on your photos.
Which clouds can I connect?
Dropbox, OneDrive and Box connect directly. For Google Photos, you connect Google and Google sends a full copy of your library, which Shutterfold pulls in. iCloud photos come in through the Photos library on your Mac. Cloud connect is in development. Today the free app reads the folders that Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox and iCloud Drive keep on your Mac, plus Apple Photos and any folder or drive.
Where does the library go?
Into a folder or a drive you choose, with photos in Apple Photos if you like. On the paid plan it can also live on our storage. You get a report that accounts for every file.
What does it handle?
Every kind of file. Photos and videos come first. Documents and everything else get the same scan and the same report. Near copies of photos, like edits and smaller versions, are found too.
Why does macOS ask before it opens?
Apple has not notarised Shutterfold yet, so the first time, macOS stops it. Open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway. You do this once.
What does the paid plan add?
What we host. More than one account of the same cloud, gigabytes pulled beyond the free allowance, AI sorting with no key of your own, storage on our servers, family accounts with one library for several people, access from anywhere, and sharing links. You pay for what you use. Prices are set at launch.
Can I host it myself?
Yes. Self-hosting is the Free plan: one person, your own storage, and your own AI key if you want AI sorting. Sharing links need our servers. We are friendly to open source and to people who host their own things.
Still stuck?
Email hello@shutterfold.com. Tell us the exact message that Shutterfold shows. Krish and Saksham read every email.