Finder alternative for going through files fast: keyboard-driven file triage

Finder and Explorer are good at finding and opening a file. When you want to go through a whole folder and decide what stays and what goes, they slow you down: click the file, open the preview, close it, delete, next file. There is a different kind of program for that, a keyboard-driven file viewer. Some call the idea “Tinder for files”: one card, one decision, next.

What Finder and Explorer already offer

The built-in tools can do more than many people think. On a Mac, the space bar opens Quick Look and the arrow keys switch files. On Windows, Explorer has a preview pane (Alt + P). Both are fine for single files. For hundreds of files they lack an order, a progress display and a way to make the decision right there: deleting, moving and renaming remain separate steps.

What a file viewer does differently

A program built for going through files turns the process around. It shows one file after another, large, and the decision is the input: one key for keep, one for delete, one for skip. You also get visible progress and a way to step back.

1. One file in view, as large as possible, without opening it.
2. One key per decision (arrow left, right, down), no mouse needed.
3. Deleting goes to the trash first, and a summary comes before anything is deleted.
4. One step back is always possible.

When it is worth it

For folders where a lot has piled up and you need a quick look at each file before deciding: downloads, desktop, screenshots, phone photos. If you know exactly which file you want, searching in Finder or Explorer stays faster.

How it works with GetSpace

GetSpace is a file viewer like this for Mac and Windows. Everything runs on your computer, no account needed.

1. Choose a folder or drop it on the window.
2. The file shows up as a large card. The space bar makes it even larger.
3. Arrow left sends it to the trash, arrow right keeps it, arrow down skips it. M moves, R renames, Z undoes.
4. The summary shows everything that would be deleted. Only after you confirm does it go to the trash.

Download for MacDownload for Windows

GetSpace is a Mac and Windows app, so it doesn’t run on phones. Email yourself the link and download it on your computer.

Email me the link

Free to start · 200 files on day one, then 50 a day · No account

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