Espresso Help

Getting started

Install

  1. Download the disk image and open it.
  2. Drag Espresso to Applications.
  3. Open Espresso from Applications or Spotlight.

Espresso updates itself: when a new version is out, it offers to install it (you can turn automatic checks off in Settings › General).

Full Disk Access

macOS protects some folders (Mail, Messages, Safari, other apps' data…). To find files there, Espresso needs Full Disk Access. Without it Espresso still works, but skips those folders, and macOS may ask you separately for Desktop, Documents, Downloads and removable drives.

  1. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access (the welcome screen has a button that opens it for you).
  2. Turn on Espresso. If it isn't listed, click + and choose it from Applications.
  3. Return to Espresso: it notices automatically.

Espresso only reads names, sizes and dates — never the contents of your files — and nothing leaves your Mac.

Some folders belong to macOS itself (protected by System Integrity Protection or owned by system services). No app can open them, not even Finder, so Espresso skips them silently.

Choose your disks

On first launch, choose the disks to index — your startup disk is selected for you. Espresso grinds each disk once: the startup disk of a typical Mac takes well under a minute. You can search while it works; results appear as files are found.

When you connect a new disk, a small banner asks whether to index it. You can also add or remove disks in Settings › Disks.

Next steps