Cinematographer and photographer Paul Kothe has released the latest version of a macOS app called Offline Files, which indexes files on external, network and selected cloud volumes so that users can search the archive even when an external drive is disconnected. It is designed for filmmakers, editors and anyone whose work has outgrown a single drive.

The problem is familiar in creative work. A client asks for a clip, photo or project from two years ago. The file exists, but it could be on any one of a dozen SSDs. Instead of plugging drives in one by one, Offline Files shows the matching volume and file path first. The user then connects the one drive that holds the file.

Offline Files stores its catalog locally on a Mac. The app doesn’t have its own cloud service, account or server, nor does it upload file contents. It is a search and index tool, not a digital asset manager, Lightroom replacement, proxy generator or NLE bin manager.

The current release expands the local workflow with cached offline thumbnails, macOS Spotlight integration, and Storage Analytics and Smart Analyze features. Smart Analyze uses on-device processing to detect subjects in images and make them searchable with translated terms. Users can also add Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive and OneDrive as opt-in volumes after granting access.

With Offline Files, users can:

• Search indexed files while their external drive is offline.
• See cached thumbnails for photos and videos from disconnected drives.
• Find an offline result through macOS Spotlight.
• Search photo content with on-device Smart Analyze.
• Compare volume and file-type usage in Storage Analytics.
• Search BRAW, ProRes, RAW and other media metadata.
• Find duplicates across indexed volumes.
• Add drive groups, notes and Finder paths to an archive workflow.
• Add supported cloud folders only when the user chooses to grant access.
• Use the app in 14 languages.

In video and post production, Offline Files helps editors locate camera originals, client drives, exports and old project folders without reconnecting every drive on the shelf. They can search by file name, path, date, size or media metadata, then connect the correct volume.

“I built Offline Files because the search for one old file should not start with a pile of drives and a cable,” Kothe says. “You should be able to find the file first, then connect the one drive that matters.”

Offline Files is available on the App Store for Mac. The app supports English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Brazilian Portuguese, Korean, Hindi, Turkish, Indonesian, Dutch and Polish.