Folderwatch: Real-Time Folder Monitor
See folder changes live without saving activity logs.
Screenshots
Features
Live Change Timeline
See files added, edited, renamed or removed as they happen, with names, locations, sizes and change times.
Separate Folder Timelines
Watch multiple folders while keeping each folder's activity in its own independent timeline.
Search and Filters
Search activity by name and filter the timeline by the type of change.
Noise Reduction
Temporary and system noise is filtered out, while repeated saves are grouped into a single entry.
Folder Controls
Pause or resume folders, include subfolders optionally, and choose how many recent changes each folder keeps.
Burst Summaries
Large bursts of activity are summarized with a clear indication and an approximate number of changes.
About
Folderwatch shows you exactly what is happening inside the folders you care about, as it happens. Pick a folder and Folderwatch starts a live timeline for it. Every file that gets added, edited, renamed or removed appears immediately, with its name, its location inside the folder, its size and the moment it changed. Watch as many folders as you like — each one keeps its own separate timeline, so activity in your Downloads folder never gets mixed up with activity in a project folder. WHY PEOPLE USE IT Something in a folder keeps changing and you want to know what. An installer scattered files across your disk and you want to see where they landed. A sync client is busy and you want to confirm it is actually finishing. A build or export job is supposed to be writing output and you want to watch it arrive. A shared folder changed overnight and you want to see what moved. Folderwatch answers all of these without you refreshing a file browser over and over. NOTHING IS SAVED, EVER Folderwatch keeps activity in memory only, for as long as the app is open. There is no history file, no activity database and no log of your files anywhere on your disk. Close the app and the timeline is gone. The only thing remembered between sessions is which folders you asked it to watch, so you do not have to add them again. Nothing is uploaded. There is no account to create, no sign-in, no cloud service and no telemetry. Your file names never leave your computer, because the app never sends them anywhere. BUILT FOR REAL FOLDERS Real folders are noisy. Editors write temporary files, systems drop hidden metadata files everywhere, and a single save can produce a burst of low-level changes. Folderwatch filters out that noise before it ever reaches your timeline, so what you see is the change you actually made rather than the machinery underneath it. Rapid repeated saves to the same file are grouped into a single entry instead of flooding the list. Renames are shown as renames, with the old and new name together, not as a delete followed by an unrelated new file. And when something truly enormous happens — extracting a huge archive, copying thousands of files at once — Folderwatch tells you plainly that a large burst occurred and roughly how many changes it covered, instead of drowning the timeline or silently missing them. CONTROLS THAT STAY OUT OF THE WAY Search the timeline by name. Filter to just the kind of change you are interested in. Click any entry to see its full details, then reveal it in File Explorer or open it directly. Pause a folder when you want the noise to stop and resume it later. Include subfolders or keep the watch to the top level only. Choose how many recent changes each folder keeps. Folderwatch is a small, quiet desktop app. It stays out of your way until something changes, and then it tells you. FEATURES AT A GLANCE - Live timeline of every file added, edited, renamed and removed - A separate independent timeline for each watched folder - Instant search and filtering by change type - Full details for any entry, with reveal in File Explorer and open - Optional subfolder watching, per folder - Pause and resume any folder at any time - Automatic filtering of temporary and system noise - Repeated saves grouped into one entry - Clear summaries when a huge burst of changes happens - Activity kept in memory only and discarded when you quit - No account, no cloud, no telemetry, no uploads - Available in nine languages
Frequently Asked Questions
What file changes can Folderwatch monitor?
It shows files that are added, edited, renamed or removed, including each file's name, location, size and change time.
Can I monitor multiple folders?
Yes. You can watch as many folders as you like, and each folder keeps a separate timeline.
Does Folderwatch save my activity history?
No. Activity stays in memory while the app is open and the timeline is discarded when you quit. Only the folders you chose to watch are remembered between sessions.
Can I pause monitoring or include subfolders?
Yes. You can pause and resume any folder and choose whether to watch its subfolders.
Are my file names uploaded?
No. The description states that nothing is uploaded, there is no cloud service or telemetry, and file names never leave your computer.
Privacy & Requirements
- Privacy
- Activity is kept in memory only and discarded when you quit. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account, sign-in, cloud service or telemetry, and file names never leave your computer.
- Languages
- Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), English (United States), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish