Rule recipes
Ready-made rules you can download, import, and adjust. Each one has been tested against sample files, and each arrives switched off so nothing runs until you say so.
Questions? See Help and FAQ, or go back to Sortcerer.
How to use a recipe
- Download the recipe file below. It ends in
.sortcererrules. - In Sortcerer, choose File → Import Rules… and pick the file. Double-clicking it does not open Sortcerer.
- Review the preview. You can uncheck rules you don’t want, and Sortcerer points out any folder that doesn’t exist on your Mac so you can choose another one.
- Imported rules arrive switched off. Change anything the recipe says to change, use the test panel with a sample file to see exactly what the rule would do, then switch it on.
The free version can import any recipe, but it runs at most 5 rules in total. A recipe that would take you over that limit imports, and the extra rules stay locked until you have a license.
Screenshots to a folder
Moves macOS screenshots off your Desktop into Pictures/Screenshots, in a subfolder for each month.
Example: Screenshot 2026-10-07 at 11.49.12 AM.png on the Desktop becomes Pictures/Screenshots/2026-10/Screenshot 2026-10-07 at 11.49.12 AM.png.
- 1 rule. It watches your Desktop for PNG files whose names start with “Screenshot”.
- The month folder comes from the file’s creation date.
- If your Mac names screenshots in another language, or saves them somewhere other than the Desktop, change the name condition or the watched folder after importing.
Downloads by file type
Tidies your Downloads folder by sorting PDFs, installers and archives into their own subfolders, without moving anything out of Downloads.
Example: report.pdf goes to Downloads/PDFs, App.dmg to Downloads/Installers, and photos.zip to Downloads/Archives.
- 3 rules: PDFs, disk images (
.dmg), and zip files. Anything else stays where it is. - Add more rules the same way for other file types you download often.
- Three rules is more than half of the free version’s 5.
Invoices by company
Finds PDFs that mention a company by name and files them in a folder for that company, with the date added to the file name.
Example: for a company called Acme Corp, invoice-4821.pdf becomes Documents/Invoices/Acme Corp/2026-10-08 invoice-4821.pdf.
- 1 rule, with the placeholder
Company Name Herein two places: the text the PDF must contain, and the destination folder. Replace both after importing. - For another company, duplicate the rule in the file and change the name in both places.
- The date in the file name is the file’s creation date.
- It watches your Downloads folder. Change the folder if your invoices arrive somewhere else.
Bank statements by month
Finds a bank’s PDF statements, reads the date inside, renames the file with the year and month, and files it in a folder for that bank.
Example: a PDF containing “Harborline Bank” and “Statement Date: October 31, 2026” becomes Documents/Statements/Harborline Bank/Harborline Bank 2026-10.pdf.
- 1 rule, with the placeholder
Your Bank Namein three places: the text the PDF must contain, the new file name, and the destination folder. Replace all three after importing. - The rule uses the first date it finds in the PDF. If your statements show another date first, such as a mailing date, test it with a sample and adjust. In the full version, Start from a file can build the rule from a sample statement for you.
- Scanned PDFs are read on your Mac too.
- It watches your Downloads folder. Change the folder if your statements arrive somewhere else.
Before you rely on a recipe
Sortcerer moves and renames files on your Mac according to rules, and you are responsible for the rules you switch on. Test each rule with a sample file first, and keep backups of anything important. See the license terms.