A Mac file organizer for designers: exports, assets and references
Designers' Macs fill with PNG exports, SVGs, fonts, references and client PDFs. How to keep the Desktop and Downloads sorted, and what Declutr does with design files.
A designer’s Desktop fills up fast: hero@2x.png, logo-final-v3.svg, a moodboard of saved references, client PDFs, font ZIPs, screen recordings for a handoff. DeclutrDeclutr sorts all of it in one click into Images, Documents, Videos and Archives, leaves project folders where they are, and one Undo puts everything back.
A structure that holds up
- One folder per client or project, in Documents or a synced drive. Inside:
01 Brief,02 Refs,03 Work,04 Exports. - Dated names for anything sent:
2026-09-22 Acme homepage v2.pdf. Nofinal-final. - Desktop and Downloads are inboxes. Exports, references and client files land there, then get filed on Friday.
What lands where with Declutr
| Files | Folder |
|---|---|
.png .jpg .svg .webp .heic .gif .tiff .pxd |
Images |
.pdf .key .pages .pptx |
Documents |
.mp4 .mov .webm |
Videos |
.zip (font packs, asset kits) |
Archives |
.obj .fbx .glb .usdz .blend |
3D Models |
Design-app files such as .sketch, .fig or .psd go to Other by default. With Pro, add them to a category in Declutr’s settings, or create a Design category with its own icon.
Rules for design files (Pro)
- Name contains
@2xOR name containsexport→Exports. - Extension is
otfORttf→Fonts to install. - Name begins with
Screenshot→References. - Older than 30 days on the Desktop →
Archive.
With a watched Desktop, every new export is filed as it lands.
What it doesn’t do
Declutr sorts by extension, name, age and size. It doesn’t look at an image to tell a logo from a photo, and it doesn’t manage versions. It moves files and never deletes them.
The sort is free. Pro is a one-time $8.99 in the US: Smart Rules, custom categories, watched folders, daily cleanup. macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Related: how to organize your Mac desktop and how to change folder icons on a Mac.
Questions people ask
How should designers organize files on a Mac?
Keep working files in one folder per client or project, with dated names, and treat the Desktop and Downloads as inboxes: exports, references and client files land there, then get filed or trashed each week.
Does Declutr sort Figma or Sketch files?
Declutr sorts by extension. Images (.png, .jpg, .svg, .webp, .heic, .pxd), documents (.pdf) and videos have default categories; other extensions such as .sketch, .fig or .psd can be added to a category, or to a new category of your own, in its settings. Unknown extensions go to Other.
Will Declutr touch my project folders?
No. It sorts the loose files at the top level of the folder you pick and leaves folders where they are. One Undo puts every file back.