Glowbug
Shelfy
A file shelf beside your Dock
by Glowbug
One-time purchase · macOS 14 Sonoma or later · Apple silicon and Intel · Version 0.3.0,
- Price
- $9.99one time
- Category
- ProductivityMac app
- Requires
- macOS 14or later
- Size
- 3.8 MBdownload
- Version
- 0.3.08 November
- Developer
- Glowbugindie
- PDFContract.pdf
- HEICTeam photo.heic
- PNGLogo.png
- PDFInvoice.pdf
- PNGMoodboard.png
- HEICBeach.heic
- TXTNotes.txt
Drag a file to the shelf beside the Dock ↓
esc to close
Drag a file onto the shelf, or tap it. Then click it on the shelf for one-click actions. Everything happens in your browser.
Shelfy puts a glass shelf in the empty space beside your Dock for the files you are working with, and keeps your newest screenshots and downloads one drag away.
It is made for people who drag things all day: a PDF from Mail into a form, three screenshots into a chat, a photo from Downloads into a slide. Instead of piling files on the Desktop, you drop them on the shelf, and they wait there until you need them.
Shelfy lines up with the Dock to the pixel, resizes with it, hides with it and steps aside for full-screen apps. There is nothing to set up: open it, and the shelf is already where your eyes go.
See it in 30 seconds
The shelf
A shelf that knows where your Dock is
The left side of the Dock holds whatever you drop on it: files, folders, links, text and images. Dragging something off the shelf copies it, so the original stays exactly where it was.
- Follows files that are renamed or moved, and says so when one is missing
- Pin what you want to keep; the rest clears itself after 7 days (or 1, 30, never)
- Every removal can be undone
Recents
Your newest screenshot is always one drag away
The other side of the Dock shows your ten newest screenshots and ten newest downloads, ready to drag into a chat, an email or a document. Unfinished downloads stay hidden until they are done.
- Screenshots you copy with ⌃⇧⌘4 are kept too: the newest twenty, for a week
- ⌃⌥V pastes the newest screenshot where you are typing and leaves your clipboard alone
- Since 0.3 it can show any folder, or a clipboard history you turn on yourself
Search
Everything in one panel with ⇧⌘Space
One shortcut opens the shelf, your screenshots and downloads in a single searchable panel. Type a few letters, press Space to look closer with Quick Look, Return to open. Search even finds words inside screenshots.
- Change the shortcut, or turn it off
- Paste with ⌘V straight into the open panel to add something
- Text in screenshots is read on your Mac and kept in memory only
One click
Right-click, and the job is done
Right-click anything on the shelf to compress it, convert it, resize it, remove its background or the hidden location in a photo, copy the text out of an image or PDF, merge PDFs, make a GIF, or zip it. Each action makes a new file; the original is never changed.
- Convert to JPEG, PNG, HEIC or WebP
- Runs on your Mac: nothing is uploaded
- Open With, Copy Path, Rename, AirDrop and Markup are right there too
New in 0.3
Shake to Shelf, and a tidy Desktop in one click
Shake the pointer while you drag a file and a shelf appears right under it. Tidy My Desktop moves everything on your Desktop into a dated folder in Documents, with Undo, and never deletes a thing.
- Notes on the shelf for the thing you must not forget
- Import from iPhone with Continuity Camera
- Hold ⌥ while dragging several files out to drop them as one zip
Everything in Shelfy
Lines up with the Dock
Resizes, hides and moves with it, and steps aside for full-screen apps.
Recents strip
Ten newest screenshots and downloads, ready to drag.
⇧⌘Space search
Shelf, screenshots and downloads in one panel, with Quick Look.
One-click actions
Compress, convert, resize, remove backgrounds and hidden info, copy text.
Shake to Shelf
Shake while dragging and a shelf appears under the pointer.
Weighs nothing
About 0.1% CPU and 26 MB of memory while it waits.
According to Glowbug’s own measurement, Shelfy uses about 0.1% CPU (0.12% on average, 2.3% at its busiest moment) and 26 MB of memory while idle beside the Dock.
Pricing
Pay once. No subscription, no account.
Shelfy
Up to 3 Macs
one-time purchase
- A shelf beside the Dock
- Newest screenshots and downloads
- ⇧⌘Space search
- One-click file actions
- Shake to Shelf and Tidy My Desktop
- Up to 3 Macs
- Free updates
There is no free trial and all sales are final, so the demo at the top of this page is the way to try it first.
Checkout and license keys are handled by Gumroad. Your key arrives by email and works on up to 3 of your own Macs.
Requires macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. 3.8 MB download.
Questions
Getting started
Which Macs does Shelfy work on?
Any Mac with macOS 14 Sonoma or later, Apple silicon or Intel. The download is 3.8 MB, signed with a Developer ID and notarized by Apple.
What permissions does Shelfy ask for?
Both are optional. Accessibility only lets it read where the Dock is, so the shelf lines up with it. Desktop and Downloads access only lets it list what is new there.
How many Macs can I use my Shelfy license on?
Up to 3 of your own Macs. If you replace one, email adgan.business@gmail.com and its place is freed for the new Mac.
Using Shelfy
Does dragging a file off the shelf move it?
No. Dragging out copies it and the original stays where it was. If you want to move a file onto the shelf instead, hold ⌘ while you drop it.
How long do things stay on the shelf?
Seven days by default, or 1 day, 30 days or never if you choose. Pinned items stay until you remove them, and every removal can be undone.
Can Shelfy paste my newest screenshot for me?
Yes. ⌃⌥V pastes the newest screenshot into whatever you are typing in, and leaves your clipboard exactly as it was.
Privacy
Does Shelfy upload my files anywhere?
No. It only remembers where your files are. It goes online for two things: checking your license with Gumroad and checking for updates.
Why isn’t Shelfy on the Mac App Store?
Lining the shelf up with the Dock needs the Accessibility permission, which Mac App Store apps are not allowed to use. Shelfy is sold directly instead.
Guides about Shelfy
Shelfy
How to Copy a Screenshot to the Clipboard on Mac
Add Control to any Mac screenshot shortcut and it is copied instead of saved. Here are all the ways, how to paste it, and how to find it again later.
Shelfy
How to Clean Up a Messy Mac Desktop (and Keep It Clean)
Stacks, sorting, hiding desktop icons and moving screenshots elsewhere: the built-in ways to tidy a cluttered Mac Desktop, and how to stop it filling up again.
