Kempt
In short
Downloads gets messy because files arrive with names like “document (3).pdf”. Fix the names and the filing follows. By hand: sort with Stacks and rename in Finder. Automatically: Kempt reads each new download on your Mac, gives it a clear name and files it, and holds back anything it is unsure about.
Without any app
Group what’s there
In Finder, open Downloads and choose View › Use Groups, grouped by Kind. PDFs, images and installers separate at once.
Rename the important ones
Select a file, press Return and type a name with the date and sender, for example “2026-10 Rent receipt Foncia.pdf”.
Move them into a few folders
Keep it shallow: Home, Money, Work, Health, ID. Deep trees are where files go to be forgotten.
Clear installers
Sort by Kind and move .dmg and .pkg files to the Trash once the app is installed.
With Kempt
Every download, named live
When a file lands, the notch shows the name Kempt read from the document, then files it after a short countdown you can stop.
Unsure? It waits
Files Kempt is not sure about go to “Needs a look” instead of being moved. In tests with 540 real downloads, 6.7 % waited.
Undo anything
Every move is listed in Activity with the reason, and can be undone per file, per batch or per day.
Questions people ask
Can macOS organize Downloads automatically on its own?
Not by content. Finder can group and sort, and Folder Actions can run scripts, but nothing built in reads a PDF and names it. Kempt does that on your Mac.
Will an app delete my downloads?
Kempt never deletes. It moves files into folders, and its Clean Up only sends items to the Trash, with Undo.
Does it work with files from Safari, Chrome and Mail?
Yes. Kempt watches the Downloads folder itself, whatever saved the file.