Hazel

Rule-based file organisation for macOS that watches folders and automatically files, renames or deletes

As of 1 September 2026, Hazel starts at $42/one-time. A Mac utility that applies user-defined rules to folders such as Downloads or Desktop, automatically moving, renaming, tagging or trashing files that match conditions. Softwr lists it under Utilities. Hazel is made by Noodlesoft, available on Mac.

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Overview

What Hazel does

Hazel monitors specified folders and runs rules against new or changed files based on conditions such as file name, kind, date, tags, or file content, then performs actions like moving to a destination folder, renaming with a pattern, adding a colour label, running a script, or trashing after a set time. It also supports duplicate detection and automatic emptying of the Trash after a chosen period. The distinguishing capability against a general automation tool is depth of file-specific conditions and a mature rule engine refined over many major versions, letting rules chain and nest conditions in ways that a generic automation app is not built around. Hazel does not do window management, gestures or clipboard history; it does exactly one job, keeping folders tidy without manual intervention, and does it with more file-matching nuance than Automator or Shortcuts on macOS. Hazel 6 costs 42 US dollars for a single user licence, with a 65 dollar family pack for multiple users, and a 20 dollar upgrade price from an older version; there is a 14-day free trial but no free tier. Buyers are users drowning in a Downloads folder, freelancers organising client files by naming pattern, or anyone who wants receipts and invoices auto-filed by content. The trade-off is that rules are entirely manual to set up, so the value only appears after time invested writing conditions, and mistakes in a rule can move or delete files unexpectedly if not tested carefully.

What people use it for

A freelancer who wants invoices and receipts auto-filed into client folders based on the text inside them
Anyone whose Downloads folder becomes unmanageable and wants files auto-sorted by type or age
A photographer who wants imported files renamed by date pattern and moved to a project folder automatically
A user who wants old files in a scratch folder auto-deleted after a set number of days without remembering to clear it manually

Where it falls short

Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Hazel.

There is no free tier, only a 14-day trial, so the full 42 dollar cost is a real barrier for a casual user just wanting one simple rule.
Rules are entirely hand-built, so the tool provides no value until a user invests time writing and testing conditions.
A misconfigured rule can silently move, rename or delete the wrong files, and mistakes are only obvious after the fact unless tested carefully first.
It is Mac only, so it does nothing for a Windows machine sharing the same file workflow.
It focuses purely on file automation, so a user also wanting window management, clipboard history or gesture control needs entirely separate tools.

Cross-shopped

What people choose instead of Hazel

Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.

Hazelvs
Karabiner-Elements
Karabiner-Elements: If your automation need is input device behaviour rather than file organisation
Hazelvs
BetterTouchTool
BetterTouchTool: If you want broader system automation covering gestures and shortcuts alongside some file actions
Hazelvs
Alfred
Alfred: If you want file actions triggered manually from a launcher rather than automatically on a watched folder

Pricing

What Hazel costs

Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.

Single User Licence

$42 /one-time

One user, Hazel 6
Free updates within the major version
14-day free trial before purchase

Family Pack

$65 /one-time

Multiple users covered under one purchase
Same feature set as the single licence

Capabilities

Features

Folder watching
Rules run automatically when files are added or changed in a monitored folder
Conditional actions
Move, rename, tag, colour label, trash or run a script based on file attributes
Content-based matching
Rules can match on text found inside a file, such as a keyword on an invoice
Duplicate detection
Finds and handles duplicate files across watched folders
Trash auto-empty
Empties the Trash automatically after a configurable number of days
App Sweep
Detects and removes leftover files when an application is uninstalled

Answered, with sources

Questions people ask

Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.

Is Hazel a subscription?

No. It is a one-time purchase per major version, currently 42 US dollars for a single user licence.

Can Hazel read the content of files, not just names?

Yes, rules can match on text found inside supported file types such as PDFs and text documents.

Does Hazel run in the background automatically?

Yes, it watches configured folders continuously and applies rules as files change, with no manual trigger needed.

Keep looking

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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Hazel, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.

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