Projects

Understand how projects work in Sorta

Projects

A project in Sorta is the foundation of your organization system. It's a folder containing your work with a defined structure and optional automated sorting rules.

What is a Project?

A project is:

  • A folder on your Mac that contains all files for a specific task
  • Organized with a folder structure (template or custom)
  • Trackable by Sorta for automated file sorting
  • Independent from other projects

Project vs. Folder

Regular Folder

  • Just a folder on your Mac
  • No organization system
  • Manual file management
  • No automation

Sorta Project

  • Organized with a defined structure
  • Trackable for patterns
  • Optional automated sorting (Flows)
  • Templates for consistency

Creating Projects

Quick Create

  1. Click the Sorta menu bar icon
  2. Click New Project
  3. Choose location, name, and structure
  4. Your project is created with all folders

After Creation

Your project appears in the Sorta popover. You can:

  • Click the name to open in Finder
  • Right-click for more options
  • Drag projects to reorder

Project Management

View Project Details

Click on a project to see:

  • Location — Where the folder is on your Mac
  • Structure — Current folder organization
  • File count — How many files it contains
  • Last accessed — When you last opened it

Rename a Project

  1. Right-click the project name
  2. Select Rename
  3. Enter a new name
  4. Press Enter

The folder name on your Mac also changes.

Move a Project

  1. Right-click the project
  2. Select Move
  3. Choose a new location
  4. Sorta updates the project path

Duplicate a Project

  1. Right-click the project
  2. Select Duplicate
  3. Choose a location for the copy
  4. A complete copy is created with all files and structure

Perfect for starting similar projects.

Delete a Project

  1. Right-click the project
  2. Select Delete from Sorta
  3. Confirm the action

Important: Only Sorta's tracking is removed. Your files remain on your Mac.

To delete files too:

  1. Open the project in Finder
  2. Delete the folder normally
  3. Sorta will notice it's missing and remove it automatically

Project Organization

Project Structure

Every project has a folder structure defining how files are organized.

Example: Design Project

Website Redesign/
├── Assets/
│   ├── Images/
│   ├── Fonts/
│   └── Icons/
├── Source/
│   ├── Design/
│   ├── Drafts/
│   └── Working/
├── Export/
│   ├── Final/
│   └── Deliverables/
└── Archive/

Customize Structure

After creating a project, you can:

  1. Add folders — Create new folders for specific needs
  2. Rename folders — Match your naming conventions
  3. Delete folders — Remove unnecessary folders
  4. Create subfolders — Nest folders as needed

Changes are made through Sorta's Structure Editor.

Apply Different Structure

Want to reorganize an existing project?

  1. Right-click the project
  2. Select Apply Structure
  3. Choose a different template
  4. Sorta creates missing folders (doesn't delete existing ones)

This is useful when your workflow changes.

Working with Projects

Adding Files

Simply drag files into the appropriate folders. You can:

  • Drag from Finder
  • Drag from apps
  • Use Quick Access to jump to folders fast
  • Use Finder sidebar for quick navigation

Using Flows for Auto-Sorting

Set up Flows to automatically organize files:

Rule: New PNG files in "Inbox" → Move to "Assets/Images"
Rule: Files named "*final*" in any folder → Move to "Export/Final"

Learn more: Creating Flows

Quick Access to Projects

From Finder

  • Projects appear in the Sorta section of Finder sidebar
  • Click to open instantly

From File Dialogs

  • Press ⌘⇧Space to open Quick Folder Picker
  • Select a project to navigate to it in the dialog

From Menu Bar

  • Click Sorta icon
  • Click project name to open in Finder

Project Settings

Access project settings by clicking the settings icon in the Sorta popover.

Project Information

  • View project name and location
  • See folder structure
  • Check file count

Structure Management

  • Edit the folder structure
  • Apply a new structure
  • Create structure variations

Advanced Options

  • Set excluded folders (for large projects)
  • Configure sorting rules
  • View project logs

Best Practices

Name Your Projects Clearly

Use descriptive names:

  • ✅ "Website Redesign Q1"
  • ✅ "Client Photo Shoot - March"
  • ❌ "Project 1" (too vague)
  • ❌ "Stuff" (not helpful)

Choose the Right Structure

Select a template that matches your work:

  • Design Project for designers
  • Video Project for video editors
  • Photography for photographers
  • Basic for general work

Keep Projects Focused

One project = one distinct task or deliverable:

  • ✅ Create separate projects for different clients
  • ✅ Create separate projects for different campaigns
  • ❌ Mix multiple clients in one project
  • ❌ Create a "Misc" project for everything

Archive When Done

After finishing a project:

  1. Create an "Archive" folder inside the project
  2. Move completed work there
  3. Keep the project structure for future reference
  4. Or delete the project if you don't need it

Organizing Multiple Projects

Project Categories

While Sorta doesn't have folders for projects, you can organize them:

  • Use clear naming conventions
  • Use Sorta's built-in search/filter
  • Create a folder structure in Finder for your projects
  • Use Finder favorites for quick access

Quick Access

Use the Sorta menu bar popover to:

  • See all projects at a glance
  • Quickly switch between projects
  • Search for projects
  • Create new projects

Troubleshooting

"Project not found" error

  • The project folder may have been moved or deleted
  • Check Finder to see if the folder still exists
  • If missing, delete the project from Sorta and recreate it

Can't open a project

  • Check that you have read/write permissions for the folder
  • Try restarting Sorta
  • Check System Settings for Accessibility permissions

Project taking too long to load

  • If the project has thousands of files, it may load slower
  • Consider archiving old files to another location
  • Large projects may need their own system for performance

Changes to folder structure not reflecting in Sorta

  • Close and reopen the project
  • Restart Sorta
  • Check that you have proper permissions for the folder

Next Steps

Now that you understand projects: