Getting started

1. Install Recall

1. Download Recall.dmg and open it.
2. Drag Recall into the Applications folder.
3. Open Recall from your Applications folder.

Recall lives in the menu bar. From there you can open the Recall window, start Quick Search, pause remembering, open Settings and check for updates.

2. The Welcome window

On the first launch, Recall opens a Welcome window with three steps.

Step 1: “Recall remembers the files you work with.”

A short summary of what Recall does: it notices when files in your watched folders are opened or changed and records the file name, path, time and the app involved (a best guess). It never reads or stores file contents, and your history stays on your Mac.

Step 2: “Choose what Recall watches.”

You see the folders Recall will watch: Desktop, Documents and Downloads by default. Remove a folder with its minus button, or add more with Add Folder….

Then click Start Remembering. macOS now asks once for each folder whether Recall may access it. Click Allow so Recall can see the files in it. When everything is set, the window shows “Recall is remembering.”

If you declined access by mistake, allow it later in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Files & Folders. The Recall window and Settings show an Open Privacy Settings… button that takes you there.

Step 3: “Find anything in a second.”

Shows your Quick Search shortcut, ⌥ Space. Press it right there to try it, then click Done.

3. Choose your folders

Recall only remembers files in the folders it watches. To change them, open Settings from the menu bar (or press ⌘ , in Recall):

• Watched Folders: add folders with Add Folder…, or remove one with its minus button.
• Excluded Folders: use Exclude Folder… for folders inside a watched folder that Recall should never remember. Recall also forgets what it already remembered there.

Hidden files, temporary files and developer build folders (such as node_modules, build or DerivedData) are always ignored.

4. Quick Search

Press ⌥ Space in any app, or choose Quick Search in the menu bar. A small panel appears. Before you type, it lists your most recent files, grouped by day. Type part of a file name, folder or app to narrow it down.

You can also right-click a result to open it, reveal it in Finder or copy its path.

To change the shortcut, open Settings › Quick Search, click the shortcut and press a new one. Reset brings back ⌥ Space. You can also turn the shortcut off there.

For a bigger view, choose Open Recall in the menu bar. The Recall window lists your whole history and has its own search field (⌘ F).

5. Time words

You rarely remember a file name, but you often remember roughly when. Add a time word to your search and Recall only shows files from that time. For example: invoice yesterday, slides last week or report monday.

• German time words always work, whatever language your Mac or Recall uses, and so do the English ones.
• Upper and lower case don't matter.
• Weeks follow your Mac's calendar settings.
• To search for a time word literally, put it in quotes: "last week" finds files with “last week” in their name, folder or app.

6. Type words

Looking for a kind of file? Type words find files by type, and you can combine them with names and time words, like image yesterday.

• image, photo, picture (also plural)
• video, movie (also plural)
• audio, music
• spreadsheet (also plural)
• presentation (also plural), slides
• code
• archive (also plural), zip

Type words are English. A file extension works too: pdf finds files with “pdf” in their name.

7. Privacy controls

Recall only remembers what you let it.

• Pause: in the menu bar, choose Pause Remembering and pick For 1 Hour, Until Tomorrow (until 6:00 the next morning) or Until I Resume. Choose Resume Remembering to continue early. You can also turn off Remember file activity in Settings.
• Exclude folders: Settings › Excluded Folders › Exclude Folder…
• Remove single entries: in the Recall window, select files and choose Remove from History… from the right-click menu or press ⌘ ⌫.
• Delete recent history: in Settings › Privacy, choose Delete Last Hour…, Delete Today… or Delete All History…. Recall asks before it deletes. Your files themselves are never touched.
• Keep history (Pro): choose how long Recall keeps your history: 1 Week, 1 Month, 3 Months, 1 Year or Forever. Older history is deleted automatically. Recall Free keeps 7 days.

8. Activate Recall Pro

After you buy Recall Pro, you get a license key from Polar.

1. Open Settings and find the Recall Pro section.
2. Click Enter License Key…, paste your key and click Activate.
3. Settings now shows “Recall Pro is active”.

Activation needs an internet connection once. After that, Recall works offline. To move Pro to another Mac, choose Deactivate on This Mac… first. A license works on up to 3 Macs at a time.

9. Updates

Recall updates itself with the open-source Sparkle framework. On the second launch, it asks whether it should check for updates automatically. You can change your answer any time with Check for updates automatically in Settings › General.

To check right away, choose Check for Updates… in the Recall app menu or in the menu bar.