Your desktop, stacked your way.
Gather any files into a pile you can move anywhere. Double-click and they spring back to exactly where they were.
Try it: select files, stack them, double-click to spread.
Stacks, but yours.
macOS has its own Stacks, but it only groups files automatically by kind or date. You can't choose which files go together. You can't move a stack. And expanding it doesn't put files back where you left them. DStack does all three.
Drag to compare.
Three ways to make a stack
Keyboard
Select files, press ⌃⌥S.
Right-click
“Stack 3 Items”, right in Finder's menu.
Shift-drag
Hold Shift while dragging files. Let go. Done.
Small app. Lots of care.
Auto-Stack by Type
One click sorts loose files into Screenshots, Images, PDFs, Documents, Videos, Audio, Archives and Installers. Folders are left alone.
Drag stacks anywhere
Each stack is a little pile with live previews and a count badge.
Smart names
Stacks name themselves, like “4 PDFs”.
Exact spots, every time
Files return to precisely where you left them. Rearrange, and the new layout is remembered.
Add files any time
Drop more files onto a stack.
Dissolve with a flick
Drag a spread stack's outline far away and it dissolves. Or dissolve every stack from the menu.
Turn a stack into a folder
Right-click a stack, or convert them all from the menu bar. Each becomes a real folder on your Desktop named “DS_” plus the stack's name, right where the stack was.
Undo, just in case
Changed your mind? One click in the menu puts every file back in its stack.
Your files stay real files.
- DStack really moves your files into a DStacks folder on your Desktop (~/Desktop/DStacks). No fake overlay.
- If the app quits, your files are still right there on disk.
- It never deletes a file.
- No account, no internet connection, no tracking.
Lives in your menu bar.
Mon 9:41Install in a minute
- 1
Download and install
Download DStack, open it, and drag the app to your Applications folder.
- 2
Open it and allow access
Open the app from Applications. macOS asks to let it use your Desktop and Documents folders and to control Finder. Allow all three, or stacking won't work.
- 3
Read the storage notice
On first launch, a notice explains where stacked files go. Tick the box to confirm you understand, then continue. Remember: uninstall only from the menu bar icon.
- 4
Make your first stack
Select some Desktop files and press ⌃⌥S. Turn on Launch at Login and the Finder right-click menu from the menu bar icon if you like.
Help
Uninstalling
To remove DStack, choose Uninstall DStack… from the menu bar icon to return your files to the Desktop first. If removed another way, your files remain safe in your Desktop/DStacks folder.
Where are my files?
When a stack is collapsed, its files are in ~/Desktop/DStacks, one folder per stack. Spreading or dissolving a stack moves them back to the Desktop. In the app, Help & Recovering Files… opens that folder for you.
Turn a stack into a folder
Right-click a stack and choose Convert Stack into a Folder, or choose Convert All Stacks into Folders… from the menu bar icon. Each stack becomes a folder on your Desktop called DS_ plus the stack's name, with your real files inside. A file that can't be moved stays in its stack, and you're told which.
Undo a conversion
Choose Undo Convert into Folders from the menu bar icon. Every file goes back into its stack and the DS_ folder is removed. Files you renamed are still found; files you moved elsewhere stay where you put them. Undo covers the latest conversion only.
Recover files by hand
If the app was deleted without using Uninstall:
- In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder… (⇧⌘G).
- Type
~/Desktop/DStacksand press Return. - Open each folder, one per stack, and drag the files to your Desktop.
Questions
Which macOS?
macOS 15.6 Sequoia or later.
Why does it ask for permissions?
It needs access to your Desktop folder (stacked files are kept in a folder on your Desktop) and permission to control Finder, so it can read and restore icon positions. It does not need Accessibility access.
Why isn't it on the Mac App Store?
App Store apps run in a sandbox that can't move desktop files or arrange Finder icons, so it's distributed directly and notarized by Apple.
Can I turn a stack into a normal folder?
Yes. Right-click the stack and choose Convert Stack into a Folder, or choose Convert All Stacks into Folders… from the menu bar icon. Each stack becomes a folder on your Desktop named “DS_” plus the stack's name, like DS_4 PDFs, and your files move into it. Undo Convert into Folders in the menu bar puts them all back in their stacks.
My files came back in a grid?
Turn off “Sort By” and “Use Stacks” for the desktop in Finder's View Options.
What if I uninstall?
Choose Uninstall DStack… from the menu bar icon and your files go back to the Desktop first. If you remove the app another way, nothing is lost: stacked files are real files in a DStacks folder on your Desktop, one folder per stack, and you can drag them back to the Desktop.