Create files in current folder with a lightweight macOS menu bar app.

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FileOn is a small macOS menu bar app built for one specific annoyance: creating a file exactly where you already are in Finder, without dropping to Terminal or opening another app first.

FileOn main view showing the current folder and filename entry field
FileOn picks up the folder you already have open in Finder, so creating a file becomes a quick type-and-return action.

Creating a new file on macOS is still more awkward than it should be. If you are already in Terminal, touch solves it. If you are inside an editor, there is usually a command for it. But when you are working directly in Finder, sketching out a writing project, organising notes, or building a folder structure for a manuscript, there is surprisingly little support for simply making the file you need in the place you are already looking at.

That recurring irritation is what led to FileOn. The app lives quietly in the menu bar, reads the front Finder window, and lets you create a file in that location immediately. Type a filename, press Return, and the file appears there. If no Finder window is open, it can still work in another chosen location.

The behaviour is deliberately simple, but it covers the cases that matter most in day-to-day work:

  • create files directly in the folder open in Finder
  • create nested paths such as notes/todo.md in one step
  • end a name with / to create a folder
  • choose another destination when you do not want to use the current Finder location

That makes it especially useful when setting up project structures with a mix of Markdown notes, plain-text files, LaTeX sources, or other small working documents. Instead of repeatedly creating folders first and files second, the structure can be sketched out almost as fast as you can type it.

FileOn settings showing launch at login and a configurable global keyboard shortcut
Settings stay minimal: optional launch at login and a global shortcut so FileOn is ready from anywhere.

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FileOn also includes a configurable global shortcut, so the window can be summoned from anywhere without breaking your workflow. Launch at login is optional, which makes it easy to keep the app available without needing to think about it.

The app is free to use, has no accounts, no telemetry, and no data collection. It is a native macOS utility designed to stay light and fast.