Everyone knows the feeling: your Downloads folder is overflowing, and the filenames are no help at all. IMG_4521.jpg, Scan_2026_03.pdf, Document (3).docx, Screenshot 2026-04-01 at 14.23.12.png. What do these files contain? No idea. So you click through them one by one, open, inspect, rename manually. That works for three files. Not for three hundred.
This is exactly the problem Distill solves -- a macOS app that uses AI to analyze files and automatically generate meaningful filenames. Free, with a preview before every change, and fully local if you want.
The Chaos in Your Downloads Folder
Files come from everywhere: scans from the printer, photos from your phone, email attachments, browser downloads. Every application assigns a different filename -- and none of them say anything about the content.
The result: you can never find anything. Finder's search only helps if you know the exact filename -- or at least part of it. But who remembers Scan_20260315_143022.pdf when searching for the electrician's invoice?
Manual renaming is a solution, but not a realistic one. It takes time, is error-prone, and with larger volumes you quickly give up. What's missing is a tool that understands a file's content and derives a useful name from it.
AI Reads Your Files -- and Names Them Properly
That's exactly what Distill does. You drag files into the app (or let it watch a folder), and the AI analyzes the content: for a PDF it reads the text, for an image it recognizes the subject, for an email it extracts the sender and subject line. From this information, the app generates a consistent filename following a pattern you define yourself.
Scan_2026_03.pdf becomes 2026-03-15 Invoice Electrician-Mueller.pdf. IMG_4521.jpg becomes 2026-04-02 Photo Construction-Site Attic.jpg. No more guessing, no more clicking through files -- the filenames immediately tell you what's inside.
Five AI Providers -- You Decide
Not everyone wants to send their documents to a cloud service. That's why Distill offers five different AI providers that you can freely choose between:
- Claude (Anthropic): Particularly strong at analyzing complex documents and long texts.
- OpenAI (GPT-4o): Proven all-round solution with high recognition accuracy.
- Google Gemini: Google's AI model with good multilingual support.
- Ollama (local): Open-source models that run entirely on your Mac. No data leaves your machine, no account needed, no cost.
- Apple Intelligence (on-device): Uses the AI built into macOS. No additional software, no configuration, everything stays on device.
You can switch providers at any time. Use Ollama or Apple Intelligence for confidential documents, Claude or GPT-4o for maximum precision.
How the Workflow Works
The process is deliberately kept simple:
- Select files: Drag one or more files into Distill via drag & drop -- or use the Finder extension directly from the context menu.
- AI analyzes: Distill sends the content to your chosen AI provider. Suggestions come back within seconds.
- Review preview: You see a diff view for each file: old name on the left, new name on the right. Nothing happens without your confirmation.
- Confirm: One click, and all files are renamed. The changes go into the history -- every single one can be undone instantly.
You have full flexibility over the naming scheme: Distill works with configurable templates using tokens like date, category, and description. You define how your filenames should look -- the AI fills in the values.
Folder Automation
If you regularly save files to the same location -- such as a scan folder or your Downloads folder -- you can let Distill work in the background. Folder watching detects new files automatically, analyzes them, and renames them according to your rules.
It works quietly and reliably. You save a file, and the next time you look at the folder, it already has a meaningful name. No manual intervention needed.
For developers and power users, there's also a REST API and an MCP server that let you integrate Distill into your own workflows and automation pipelines.
Privacy: Local Options
Not every document should be sent over the internet. That's why Distill offers two providers where all data stays on your device:
- Ollama runs as a local server on your Mac. You download an open-source model, and all analysis happens offline. No API key, no account, no outbound connection.
- Apple Intelligence uses the AI built into macOS. Here too, no data leaves your device. There's nothing to set up -- if your Mac supports Apple Intelligence, it works immediately.
With the cloud providers (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini), the extracted text content is sent to the respective servers for analysis. The files themselves are never uploaded. Which provider you use and when is entirely your decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Distill cost anything?
No. Distill is free on the Mac App Store. For cloud AI providers (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini), you need an API key from the respective provider. With Ollama or Apple Intelligence, everything works completely free and without an account.
Which AI provider is best?
It depends on your priorities. Claude and GPT-4o deliver the most precise results for complex documents. Ollama is ideal when all data must stay on your machine. Apple Intelligence offers the easiest setup with no additional software.
Can I undo a rename?
Yes. Distill keeps a searchable history of all renames. Every change can be undone instantly with a single click -- no matter how long ago it was.
What file formats are supported?
PDFs, images (PNG, JPG, HEIC, TIFF), Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), emails, HTML, RTF, and media files. The AI extracts relevant metadata from each format to generate the filename.
How do I define the naming scheme?
Through configurable templates with tokens like date, category, and description. You set up the scheme once, and Distill applies it to all files. Multiple schemes for different folders or file types are possible.