Working with Projects

Create and manage projects in Sorta

Working with Projects

After completing the onboarding flow, you'll have created your first project. This guide covers creating additional projects and managing them effectively.

What is a Project?

A project in Sorta is:

  • A folder on your Mac that contains all your work for a specific task
  • Can have any folder structure you design (or use a template)
  • Can have automated rules (Flows) to sort files automatically
  • Completely separate from other projects

Examples:

  • "Client Rebrand" (for a design client)
  • "Q1 Marketing Campaign" (for marketing work)
  • "Home Renovation" (for a personal project)

Creating Additional Projects

After your first project, creating more is quick and easy.

From the Dashboard

  1. Open Sorta (click the Dashboard)
  2. Go to the Projects tab
  3. Click Create Project button

Fill in Project Details

A dialog will appear with the following fields:

  1. Project name — Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Website Redesign", "Q2 Campaign")
  2. Client — Select from your client list or add a new one (default: "Personal")
  3. Description (optional) — Add notes about the project
  4. File structure — Choose which structure template to use

Choosing a Structure

When creating a project, you select which structure template to use.

Your Custom Structures

The structures you created appear in the dropdown:

  • The structure you created during onboarding
  • Any additional structures you've created
  • The default structure (if you didn't customize)

Applying a Structure

  1. Click the File structure dropdown
  2. Select the structure that fits this project
  3. The project will be created with that folder organization

Different projects can use different structures — choose what makes sense for each project type.

Learn more about customizing structures.

After Creating a Project

Once you click Create, Sorta:

  1. Creates the project folder in your storage path
  2. Applies the selected structure (all folders created automatically)
  3. Adds the project to your Projects list
  4. Makes it available for file sorting

Managing Projects

Viewing Project Details

Click on a project in the Projects tab to see:

  • Project path — Where the folder is located
  • Structure used — Which template was applied
  • Last modified — When files were last changed

Opening Projects

  • Click project name — Opens the project folder in Finder
  • Right-click → Open — Same as above
  • Use Quick Access (⌘⇧Space) from anywhere

Project Actions

Right-click a project to access:

  • Open in Finder — Navigate to the folder
  • View in Project Page — See detailed project view with files
  • Delete from Sorta — Remove tracking (files stay on disk)

Multiple Projects

You can create as many projects as you need:

  • One per client — Keep client work separated
  • One per campaign — Organize marketing/creative campaigns
  • One per type — Separate personal, client, and experimental work

Each project is independent with its own structure and files.

Next Steps

Now that you understand project management:

  1. Explore Sorta's features — Learn about flows, sorting, and quick access
  2. Customize your structures — Create templates for different project types
  3. Set up automated flows — Let Sorta sort files automatically
  4. Use Quick Access — Navigate projects faster

Tips

  • One project at a time — Start with one project while you learn Sorta
  • Choose the right template — The template should match how you naturally organize work
  • You can always change — Edit the folder structure anytime by right-clicking the project
  • Templates are customizable — After using Sorta, you can create your own templates from projects

Troubleshooting

"Permission denied" when creating a project

  • Make sure you have write permissions for the location you chose
  • Try creating the project on your Desktop first
  • Check that the parent folder isn't read-only (System Settings → File System)

"Project already exists" error

  • The name you chose already exists in that location
  • Try a different project name or location
  • You can rename existing folders in Finder before creating the project

Folders didn't create automatically

  • Close and reopen Sorta
  • Check Finder — the folders might be hidden (View → Show Hidden Files)
  • Try creating a new test project

Learn More