macOS only: this project uses AppleScript and Finder automation, so it is designed to run only on Mac.

Automatically organizes files in your Downloads folder into:

• Images: jpg, jpeg, png, gif, bmp, svg, ico, webp, tiff, heic
• Documents: pdf, doc, docx, txt, xlsx, xls, ppt, pptx, rtf, odt, pages, numbers, keynote
• Archives: zip, dmg, pkg, rar, 7z, tar, gz
• Videos: mp4, mov, avi, mkv, flv, wmv, webm, m4v
• Music: mp3, wav, aac, flac, m4a, opus, alac, ogg
• Other: Any files that don't match the above categories

Also includes:

• Log file: ~/Desktop/OrganizerLog.txt
• Cache file: ~/Library/Preferences/OrganizerCache.txt

DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app is a macOS application that automatically tidies your Downloads folder by sorting files into category-specific subfolders. Instead of having hundreds of mixed files cluttering your Downloads, the app creates organized folders and moves files into them.

• Scans your Downloads folder for files
• Creates category folders (Images, Documents, Archives, Videos, Music, Other) if they don't exist
• Moves files into the appropriate category folder based on file type
• Files with unrecognized extensions are moved to the "Other" folder
• Logs all actions so you know what was organized
• Caches processed files to avoid redundant moves on future runs

The "Other" category captures any file with an unrecognized or non-standard file extension that doesn't match the predefined categories. Two specialized handlers manage these files:

• moveOther(): Used in batch mode without caching. Scans all files, identifies those with unknown extensions, and moves them to the "Other" folder.
• moveOtherCached(): Used in cache mode. Same behavior as moveOther, but also maintains cache entries for "Other" files to prevent re-processing on subsequent runs. Files already in cache are skipped automatically.

This ensures no files are left behind in Downloads, regardless of their file type or how obscure the extension.

• Your Downloads folder is getting messy and hard to navigate
• You want a hands-off way to auto-organize files as they download
• You need to clean up an existing Downloads folder (run once, or keep it open)

1. One-time cleanup: Open the app, let it run, and close it when done
2. Ongoing auto-organization: Open the app and leave it running—it automatically organizes every 5 minutes
3. Check results: Open ~/Desktop/OrganizerLog.txt to see what files were moved and where

If you want to modify file types or category names, edit OrganizerBaseline.scpt in Script Editor before running the app.

1. Open DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app.
2. The app runs and organizes your Downloads folder.
3. Keep it open if you want auto-runs every 5 minutes (stay-open mode).
4. Check ~/Desktop/OrganizerLog.txt to see what was moved.

Because this is a shared AppleScript app bundle and may not be notarized, macOS Gatekeeper can block it on other devices.

Run this in Terminal (replace the path with your real app path):

xattr -cr "/path/to/DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app"

eg:

xattr -cr "$HOME/Downloads/DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app"

Then try opening the app again.

1. Go to System Settings -> t; Privacy & Securityrity.
2. In the Security section, find the blocked app message.
3. Click Open Anyway, then confirm.

1. Right-click DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Open again in the warning dialog.

If the app still fails to open, use Script Editor directly:

1. Open OrganizerBaseline.scpt in Script Editor.
2. Click the Run button.
3. Grant Finder/Desktop/Downloads permissions if prompted.

This runs the organizer logic even if the .app wrapper is blocked.

If needed, re-download or re-copy the .app bundle and run xattr -cr again.

If you open OrganizerBaseline.scpt, there are three modes:

• organizeBaseline: slow baseline (file-by-file loop), includes Other files via destinationForFile
• organizeBatchNoCache: optimized batch moves, processes Other files via moveOther handler
• organizeBatchWithCache: batch + cache (default mode), processes Other files via moveOtherCached handler

Note: In all modes, the "Other" category captures any files with unrecognized extensions. In cache mode, Other files are tracked and skipped on future runs.

• Before: move files one by one inside a repeat loop.
• After: move grouped file lists per category.

• Before: every run re-processes the same files, including unrecognized file types.
• After: previously processed filenames (including Other files) are skipped using cache on subsequent runs.

Run each mode on the same test data set and record the time from dialog/log:

• organizeBaseline
• organizeBatchNoCache
• organizeBatchWithCache (run twice; record second run)

Use Script Editor event log, or monitor Finder activity:

log stream --style compact --predicate 'process == "Finder"'

ps -axo pid,comm,rss | grep -i "DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro\|OrganizerBaseline\|osascript"

rss is in KB. Divide by 1024 to get MB.

1. Open OrganizerBaseline.scpt in Script Editor.
2. Click File -> Export.rt.
3. Set File Format to Application.
4. Enable Stay open after run handler.
5. Save as DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app.

If you distribute the app to other Macs, signing helps reduce launch warnings.

codesign --force --deep --sign - "/path/to/DownloadsFolderOrganizerPro.app"

Notes:

• --sign - uses ad-hoc signing (no paid certificate required).
• For best trust on external machines, use a Developer ID certificate and notarization.

Reference and credits: Applescript examples