Guides

Everyday Mac file jobs, done properly

These guides cover the small jobs that take longer than they should: a Downloads folder nobody has sorted in a year, a PDF too large to email, a screen recording with no sound, a port that something is still holding.

Each one starts with what macOS already gives you, in Finder, Preview, the Screenshot toolbar or Terminal, because that is often enough. Then it shows how Orrel does the same job and says plainly where Orrel stops. The comparison pages do the same for other Mac apps, with sources for every claim about them.

Tidy and find

Getting Desktop and Downloads under control, finding files by what you remember, and clearing out space.

• How to organise the Downloads folder on a Mac

  Four ways to get a Mac Downloads folder under control, from Finder's grouping and Smart Folders to Folder Actions, and how Orrel sorts it by type with a preview and undo.

• How to keep a Mac desktop tidy automatically

  Stacks, Sort By and a different screenshot folder keep a Mac desktop usable. Here is how each works, and how Orrel files screenshots and invoices off the desktop with a preview and undo.

• How to rename screenshots automatically on a Mac

  macOS names every screenshot by date and time. Here is how to change the prefix and save folder with Terminal, batch-rename in Finder, and have Orrel name each one after the words on screen.

• Where do screenshots go on a Mac, and how to change it

  Mac screenshots save to the desktop by default. How to find them, change the folder from the Screenshot toolbar or Terminal, and where Orrel saves its captures.

• How to find files on a Mac by date, size, type or text inside

  Spotlight, Finder search criteria and mdfind in Terminal can all find a file you half remember. Here is how to use each, and how Orrel turns a plain sentence into the same filters.

• How to find large files on a Mac

  Storage settings, a Finder size search and two Terminal commands will show you what is filling your Mac. Here is how to use each, and how Orrel lists large files and old installers to review before they go to the Trash.

• How to find duplicate files on a Mac

  macOS has no duplicate finder outside Photos. Here is how to find exact duplicates with a Finder search or Terminal checksums, and how Orrel matches copies by content and sends them to the Trash after you review them.

• How to clear storage on a Mac

  How to use Storage settings to free space on a Mac, what System Data is, which deletions are safe, and the parts Orrel helps with and the parts it does not.

• How to delete downloads on a Mac

  Deleting downloads on a Mac means the files in Finder, not your browser's list. How to clear both, empty the Trash, and review old downloads with Orrel.

PDFs and conversion

Merging, shrinking and locking PDFs, and changing a file's format without uploading it anywhere.

• How to combine PDF files on a Mac without uploading them

  Preview and Finder can combine PDF files for free, with a few traps. Here is how each works, how to reorder, rotate and remove pages, and how Orrel merges into a new file and leaves the originals alone.

• How to compress a PDF on a Mac and reduce its file size

  Compress a PDF on a Mac for free with Preview, make a gentler filter in ColorSync Utility, or let Orrel try three levels and keep only a result that is actually smaller.

• How to split a PDF or extract pages on a Mac

  Pull pages out of a PDF with Preview or the Print dialog, split it into single pages with Automator or Shortcuts, and how Orrel extracts and splits.

• How to password-protect a PDF on a Mac

  Preview can lock a PDF with a password in a few clicks. Here is how, what the owner password actually controls, and how Orrel adds or removes a password while keeping the original file.

• How to remove a password from a PDF on a Mac

  If you know a PDF's password, Preview or Orrel can save a copy that opens without it. Here is how, and why neither can unlock a PDF without the password.

• How to convert a PDF to JPG on a Mac

  Preview exports one PDF page at a time as a JPG. How to do it, how to convert every page with Automator or Shortcuts, and how Orrel saves each page as an image.

• How to convert a Word document to PDF on a Mac

  Save a .docx as PDF with Word, Pages, TextEdit or the Print dialog, what each keeps of the layout, and how Orrel converts Word, RTF and Markdown to PDF.

• How to convert HEIC to JPG on a Mac

  iPhone photos arrive as HEIC, which some websites and Windows PCs will not open. Here is how to convert them with Finder's Convert Image, Preview or sips in Terminal, and how Orrel does it from a right-click.

• How to convert PNG to JPG on a Mac

  Convert PNG to JPG with Preview, Finder's Convert Image or sips, what happens to transparent areas, and how Orrel converts between image formats from a right-click.

• How to resize images on a Mac

  Resize one image or a batch with Preview, Finder's Convert Image or sips, and how Orrel resizes, compresses and strips location data into new copies.

• How to convert MOV to MP4 on a Mac

  QuickTime can't export MP4 and renaming only changes the label. What works on a Mac: avconvert or ffmpeg in Terminal, or a right-click in Orrel.

• How to compress a video on a Mac

  Shrink a video with QuickTime Player, Finder's encoder or iMovie, all free on a Mac, and how Orrel compresses, trims or makes a GIF from a right-click.

• How to open and view Markdown files on a Mac

  TextEdit and Quick Look show .md files as plain text. How to open Markdown on a Mac, preview it in an editor, or see it formatted with Space in Finder.

Screenshots and recording

Capturing the screen with sound, turning a clip into a GIF, and getting text out of an image.

• How to screen record on a Mac with audio, including internal sound

  The Screenshot toolbar records your microphone but, before macOS 27, not the sound your Mac plays. Here is what each macOS version can do, the BlackHole workaround, and how Orrel records system audio and your voice together.

• How to turn a Mac screen recording into a GIF

  macOS cannot save a screen recording as a GIF. Here is how to do it free with ffmpeg in Terminal, what makes GIFs large, and how Orrel makes a GIF from a recording or any video in a couple of clicks.

• How to copy text from an image or screenshot on a Mac

  Live Text lets you select words in photos and screenshots in Preview and Photos. Here is how to use it, where it does not reach, and how Orrel copies text from any part of the screen with one shortcut.

For developers

Finding what is holding a port, and giving an AI assistant safe access to the files on your Mac.

• How to find and stop what is running on port 3000 on a Mac

  EADDRINUSE means something already holds the port. Here is how to find it with lsof, stop it safely with kill, avoid the common one-liner trap, and how Orrel shows every localhost port with the project and the tool that started it.

• How to see CPU usage on a Mac

  How to see CPU usage on a Mac with Activity Monitor, top and ps, and how Orrel totals each app's helper processes and flags what dev tools left running.

• How to give Claude access to files on your Mac with MCP

  MCP lets Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cursor use tools on your Mac. Here is how to add a server by hand, what the official filesystem server can do, what to watch for, and how Orrel connects with one click.

How Orrel compares

Fair comparisons with other Mac apps, with sources for every claim about them.

• Orrel vs Hazel: which Mac file organiser fits

  Hazel runs your own rules on any folder; Orrel files Desktop and Downloads with three fixed templates that read what is inside each file. A fair comparison of what each does, what each costs, and who each suits.

• Orrel vs CleanShot X: screenshots, recording and more

  CleanShot X is a dedicated capture app with scrolling capture, a webcam overlay and cloud links. Orrel covers everyday screenshots, markup and recording alongside search, tidying and PDF tools. A fair comparison with sources.

• Orrel vs Spotlight: when the built-in search is enough

  Orrel searches the same Spotlight index macOS keeps, so this is less a rivalry than a question of what you search for. Here is what Spotlight does well, where Orrel adds visible filters and screenshot text, and where it does not.