Download Heftless

Free, with no account, no telemetry and no paid tier. The Mac app is a universal binary for macOS 14 or later. The Windows app is an early preview: same engine, same rules, still being tested.

Download for macOSFree · v1.1.0 · 4.0 MB · macOS 14 or later · Windows · Android

Every build

sha256 mac 2eada1427f9b… · win x64 967c4e468cb4… · win arm64 0df23f2aa779…

First launch on macOS

  1. Unzip and move Heftless to Applications.
  2. Right-click it and choose Open. This build is not yet notarised, so macOS will ask once.
  3. If macOS refuses, run this once:
xattr -cr /Applications/Heftless.app

Grant Full Disk Access when the banner asks. It takes effect immediately.

First launch on Windows

  1. Unzip and run Heftless.exe. It is a single file and needs no installer.
  2. SmartScreen will say the publisher is unknown. Choose More info, then Run anyway. The build is not code-signed yet.
  3. Nothing needs administrator rights. Everything moves to the Recycle Bin, never deleted.

Questions

Is it free?
Yes. No paid tier, trial, licence key or account. The Android version will be free too.
Can it delete something I need?
It cannot delete anything on its own. Every removal shows a review sheet with a checkbox per path, and confirming moves files to the Trash, where Put Back restores them. Emptying the Trash is the only permanent action, labelled as such and off by default.
Why Full Disk Access?
macOS protects the Trash, app containers, Desktop and Documents. Without it Heftless still works but shows those places as inaccessible. The grant applies immediately, no relaunch.
Why does macOS warn on first open?
The build is signed ad-hoc rather than with an Apple Developer ID. Right-click and choose Open, or run xattr -cr on the app once.
How do updates work?
Heftless checks this site once a day for a newer version and shows a native update window with release notes. Nothing installs until you click Install. Turn automatic checks off in Settings, or check manually from the Heftless menu.
Which platforms?
macOS 14 or later on Apple silicon and Intel. Windows 10 1809 or later as an early preview, x64 and ARM64. Android is in development.
Does it send anything anywhere?
Only the update check, which fetches a small XML file from this site. There is no server of ours, no analytics, no crash reporting.