A Mac file organizer for developers: Downloads without the chaos
Developers' Downloads fill with scripts, JSON exports, logs, DMGs and ZIPs. How to keep them sorted on a Mac, and how Declutr handles code files and project folders.
A developer’s Downloads folder is its own kind of mess: data-export (3).json, install.sh, schema.sql, a dozen .dmg installers for tools you tried once, .zip releases, logs, screenshots for bug reports. DeclutrDeclutr sorts all of it in one click into folders like Code & Scripts, Archives, Documents and Images, leaves your project folders alone, and one Undo puts everything back.
Why developers’ folders get messy
- Throwaway files: API responses saved as JSON, CSV exports, test fixtures.
- Installers: every CLI, IDE and database client comes as a
.dmgor.pkg. - Releases:
.zipand.tar.gzof projects you unpacked once. - Screenshots and recordings for pull requests and bug reports.
None of it belongs in a repo, and all of it lands in Downloads or on the Desktop.
What Declutr does with it
| Files | Folder |
|---|---|
.swift .py .js .html .css .json .xml .php .cpp .java .kt .go .rs .rb .sh .sql .md .yml |
Code & Scripts |
.zip .tar .gz .7z .dmg .pkg .deb .rpm |
Archives |
.pdf .csv .txt .xlsx |
Documents |
.png .jpg .heic .svg |
Images |
.mp4 .mov |
Videos |
.app |
Apps |
The default list has no .ts or .tsx: add them, or any other extension, in Declutr’s File types settings (Pro).
Folders stay where they are: a cloned repository in Downloads is not opened or split up. Hidden files such as .DS_Store are skipped.
Rules for developer files (Pro)
Smart Rules match by name, extension, age or size, with AND/OR, and run before the categories:
- Name contains
exportAND extension isjson→Exports. - Extension is
log→Logs. - Extension is
dmgAND older than 14 days →To delete.
With a watched folder, each new download is sorted as it lands.
Script it yourself?
A find ~/Downloads -maxdepth 1 -name "*.json" -exec mv {} ~/Downloads/JSON/ \; works. So does a Shortcuts automation. You’ll maintain one line per extension, and a wrong mv has no undo. For a weekly cleanup, one click with Undo is less work than keeping a script right.
Declutr’s sort is free. Pro is a one-time $8.99 in the US: Smart Rules, watched folders, daily cleanup. macOS 13 Ventura or later.
Related: how to organize the Downloads folder and show hidden files on a Mac.
Questions people ask
Will a file organizer mess up my code projects?
Declutr only sorts the loose files at the top level of the folder you pick. Folders, including project folders and repositories, stay where they are, and it stops to ask before a folder that looks sensitive. One Undo puts every file back.
Which code files does Declutr recognize?
Its Code & Scripts category covers .swift, .py, .js, .html, .css, .json, .xml, .php, .cpp, .java, .kt, .go, .rs, .rb, .pl, .sh, .bat, .ps1, .sql, .md, .yml and .yaml. You can add or move extensions in its settings.
Can I sort files with a script instead?
Yes, a shell script or a Shortcuts automation can move files by extension. The trade-off is maintenance and no undo; a one-click sort with Undo is faster for the weekly cleanup.