Offline Files
Drive unplugged. File found.
Features
Offline Files is a macOS app for anyone who works with multiple external drives. It indexes your volumes locally and makes every file searchable, even when the drive is disconnected.
Plug in a drive once and Offline Files scans its entire contents. Filenames, paths, sizes, creation and modification dates are all stored on your Mac. From that point on, you can search and browse everything without reconnecting. The app also saves free space info from the last sync, so you always know which drive still has room.
Built for photographers, editors, filmmakers, and anyone else whose projects live across too many hard drives. No more guessing which drive has the file you need. Search first, plug in second.
Smart Indexing
Automatically scans and indexes your drives, including external volumes.
Offline Search
Find files on disconnected drives. No cable required.
Duplicate Detection
Spot duplicate files and clean up storage faster.
Volume Groups
Organize drives into logical groups by project, client, or year.
Drive Overview
See all indexed drives with status and last sync information.
Favorites & Notes
Bookmark important files and add notes to any volume.
Press
Coverage from photography, filmmaking, and Mac publications.
CineD
Offline Files for macOS – Search Any Drive, Even When It’s Unplugged
Berlin-based editor and cinematographer Paul Kothe has released Offline Files, a macOS app that indexes external hard drives and makes their contents searchable even when the drives are disconnected.
PetaPixel
This Mac App Lets You Find Photos No Matter Which Drive They’re On
As photographers know all too well, image libraries can be a lot to keep track of. Between internal storage and external drives, sometimes many of them, finding exactly the right photo or folder can be very frustrating. Photographer and cinematographer Paul Kothe agrees, so he built an app to solve the problem once and for all.
Newsshooter
Offline Files– macOS app that indexes external drives
Offline Files is a small macOS app that indexes external drives once and keeps the metadata locally, so you can search across all your volumes even when the drives are unplugged. The concept is simple: search first, plug in second.
iFun.de
Offline Files: Metadatensuche für externe Laufwerke
iFun stellt Offline Files als lokale Metadatensuche vor, mit der auch nicht verbundene externe Laufwerke durchsuchbar bleiben.
2026-02-19
Apfelpatient
Wo liegt die Datei? Offline Files kennt die Antwort sofort
Apfelpatient zeigt, wie der lokale Index externe Laufwerke dauerhaft durchsuchbar macht und die Suche nach dem richtigen Datenträger verkürzt.
2026-03-02
appgefahren.de
Offline Files: Mit dieser App durchsucht ihr externe Festplatten
appgefahren beschreibt Offline Files als praktische lokale Lösung, um Dateien auf nicht angeschlossenen Festplatten vorab zu finden.
2026-03-03
Loved by creative professionals
Five-star reviews from the Mac App Store.
Brilliant
I just found out about this app via a news item, went to the App Store and purchased it. Within 15 minutes I scanned and logged the data on 15 full 5TB external drives. What blew my mind was the speed and the simple, elegant interface. The search functions are excellent. If you have a vast collection of hard drives, this is a no-brainer.
Cliff Elliott
Endlich aufräumen auf den Platten
Auf ein Tool wie Offline Files habe ich Jahre gewartet. Endlich bekommt man die Unmengen von Files auf den vielen Platten in den Griff. Wo sind die Daten? Wo sind Files mehrfach abgelegt? Wie kann ich bestimmte Filetypes finden? Alles möglich mit dem Tool. Großartig!
Djiitii
Effiziente Ordnung
Schnell und unauffällig verrichtet das Programm seinen segensreichen Dienst – endlich intelligente Ordnung in den Festplattenstapeln. Super schneller und persönlicher Support! Strong buy recommendation!
studiojahn
Needed this!
The one software I really needed in my workflow to organize my archiving drives.
Alexsudeeee
So useful
Simple and great and useful app for all filmmakers and photographers! Great UI too.
Jwr_p
Even got better with the update
This app really saves me time! No more plugging in the wrong drives when searching for specific projects, folders, etc. Also good for an overview of free disk space and management.
timkallweit
Screenshots
Details
About the Developer
Paul Kothe is an editor, cameraman, and photographer based in Berlin. He works across multi media, music videos, brand films, and artist portraits. Offline Files is his first app, built out of a real problem in his own daily workflow: too many drives, no overview.
