# Default Folder X

> Faster Open and Save dialogs and folder access on the Mac

Default Folder X is a Mac utility from St. Clair Software that adds navigation tools to the Open and Save dialogs of every application. It keeps recent and favorite folders in menus, lets you save into any open Finder window with a click, and sets a default folder per application. The same menus, a Quick Search window and a drawer for parked items are also available in the Finder and the menu bar. It is sold as a one-time, per-user license after a 30-day trial.

- **Category:** Desktop Utilities
- **Made by:** St. Clair Software
- **Website:** https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 9, 2026

## Pricing

Default Folder X is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $39.95 one-time purchase (single-user license).

- **Pricing model:** Free trial
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** Free for 30 days with the download from the vendor's site.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Single-user license | $39.95 one-time purchase per user | One license per person, usable on every Mac where that person is the sole user. Updates are free until the next major release. |
| 2+ licenses | $34.95 one-time purchase per user, when buying 2 or more | Lower per-license price when two or more single-user licenses are bought together. |

Read from https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/ on Oct 9, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Default Folder X before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **$34.95 each for 2 or more licenses** (Other savings): The product page prices a single-user license at $39.95 and drops the price to $34.95 per license when two or more are bought. Source: https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/
- **Educational discounts** (Education): The product page links to educational discounts, which are sold through the Student App Centre store. The amount is not shown on the vendor's page. Source: https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/
- **Upgrade pricing for earlier licenses** (Other savings): Version 6 is free for licenses bought on or after March 1, 2023, $9.95 for those bought from September 1, 2022, and $19.95 for older ones. Source: https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/upgrade.html

## Key features

- **Enhanced Open and Save dialogs:** Adds a toolbar to file dialogs in every app, with hierarchical menus that expand as the mouse moves over folders and a larger field for typing file names.
- **Recent and favorite folders:** Remembers recently used files and folders, re-selects the last file opened, and gives favorite folders their own configurable keyboard shortcuts.
- **Click a Finder window:** With a file dialog open, clicking any Finder window makes the dialog jump to that folder, so a file can be opened from or saved to it in one click.
- **Quick Search:** Command-Shift-Space opens a search window: typing a few letters of a file, folder or application name brings up recently used items to open in a dialog or the Finder.
- **Default folders per application:** A default folder can be set for each application so its dialogs start in the right place, and the app can remember a folder you save into repeatedly.
- **Finder drawer and menu bar drop target:** Items can be parked in a drawer below a Finder window, or dragged to the menu bar icon and moved straight to a folder chosen from its menus.

## Good for

- Mac users who open and save files across many folders every day
- People who want keyboard shortcuts to favorite and recent folders
- Buyers who prefer a one-time license to a subscription

## Worth knowing

- macOS only: version 6 runs on macOS 10.13 through 27, and macOS 10.10 to 10.12 need the older version 5.6.6.
- There is no free version; after the 30-day trial a $39.95 license is required.
- A license covers updates until the next major release, which the vendor says typically comes every 5 to 7 years; upgrades after that are paid.
- Licenses are per user, not per computer, so each additional person needs a license of their own.

## Works with

Finder, iCloud, AppleScript, Setapp

**Tags:** File management, Menu bar app, One-time purchase

## Alternatives

- [Path Finder](https://toolgpa.com/tools/path-finder): Dual-pane file manager for Mac, built as a Finder alternative. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/default-folder-x-vs-path-finder)
- [ForkLift](https://toolgpa.com/tools/forklift): Dual-pane file manager and file transfer client for macOS. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/default-folder-x-vs-forklift)
- [Yoink](https://toolgpa.com/tools/yoink): Drag-and-drop shelf for files and snippets on the Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/default-folder-x-vs-yoink)
- [Hazel](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hazel): Rule-based automatic file organization for the Mac. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/default-folder-x-vs-hazel)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 9, 2026:

- https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/
- https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/upgrade.html
- https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/faq.html
- https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/release.html

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/default-folder-x
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).