Troubleshooting & FAQ

macOS won't open Beaver

If macOS says Beaver can't be opened, or that it can't verify the developer:

1. Click Done or OK to close the message.
2. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll down to the Security section and click Open Anyway next to the message about Beaver.
4. Confirm, and enter your Mac password if asked.

You only need to do this once.

A file I added doesn't appear

• Check the file type is supported. HEIC, PSD, TIFF, AVIF and font files aren't indexed.
• Check the file isn't inside a folder named node_modules, .git, dist or build. Beaver skips those.
• Check a type filter isn't hiding it. Click All next to the search box.
• If the folder is on an external drive that wasn't connected when Beaver started, quit and reopen Beaver after connecting the drive so it can watch the folder again.

A new subfolder isn't in the sidebar

The sidebar lists subfolders that contain at least one indexed file. Add a supported file and the subfolder appears.

Thumbnails are missing or out of date

Open Settings > Advanced and click Clear Cache. Beaver deletes its thumbnails and rescans your folders. This also adds still frames to videos that were indexed by an earlier version of Beaver.

AI and PDF files have no preview

Beaver shows a file icon for AI and PDF files. Open them from the inspector preview to see them in their default app.

I lost tags or notes after renaming or moving a file

If you rename or move a file in Finder, Beaver treats it as a new file. Use Rename and Move in Beaver instead. See Managing Files.

Rename didn't change a file

Beaver won't overwrite an existing file. If another file in the same folder already has the new name, the rename is skipped.

Remove Background failed

The first use needs an internet connection to download the background-removal model. Check you're online and try again. The feature works with PNG, JPG, JPEG and WebP images.

Can I rename or delete a tag?

Not yet. You can remove a tag from each asset in the inspector.

Does Beaver work on Windows or Linux?

No. Beaver is a Mac app.

Starting over

To reset Beaver completely, quit it and delete ~/Library/Application Support/beaver. When you reopen Beaver, the library is empty and you can link your folders again. Your files aren't affected, but tags, ratings and notes are lost.