Snow Leopard requires the use of MsgFiler 2.0.8. Download it below!
MsgFiler is a plug-in for Apple Mail which quickly files emails into existing mailbox folders. MsgFiler’s fast searching means you just have to type a few characters to find the right mailbox. Move selected messages with a click or open a mailbox without having to navigate the mailbox folder pane. MsgFiler is optimized for keyboard-only usage, perfect for Apple Mail power users.
Download
Download MsgFiler Here! Fully functional! The unregistered version will occasionally remind you to register. You can remove the alert with the full version after purchasing a license.
MsgFiler requires Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later and Apple Mail.
If you are having problems with MsgFiler, please refer to the Troubleshooting and FAQ section below.
Pricing
MsgFiler is Shareware US$8!
If you find MsgFiler an indispensable tool for filing your Mail messages, please considering purchasing a license. Doing so will remove the alert that appears when you use the application. It’s quick and painless through PayPal or Kagi. You will receive your registration code within 24 hours following your purchase.
Installation
MsgFiler is an Apple Mail Plug-In. To install MsgFiler, follow these instructions:
Automatic Installation
- Double-click on the MsgFiler Installer icon
- Follow the on-screen directions for installing MsgFiler
Setting a Custom Keyboard Shortcut
If you do not see the Command-9 keyboard shortcut to activate MsgFiler or if you want a custom shortcut to activate MsgFiler, follow the instructions below:
- From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences
- In the window that appears, click on Keyboard & Mouse
- In the window that appears, click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab
- Click the + button
- In the sheet that appears, choose Mail from the Application drop-down menu
- Enter “Move with MsgFiler” in the Menu Title field. Make sure you enter the text above exactly or Mac OS X will not be able to connect the menu item with the keyboard shortcut.
- Click the Keyboard Shortcut field and enter your custom command to launch MsgFiler
- Click Add to save your changes
Manual Installation
If you are running Leopard or Snow Leopard or if you have any difficulties installing MsgFiler, follow these instructions to install MsgFiler manually:
- Quit Mail.app
- Type Command-Shift-H to open a new Finder window in your Home Directory
- Double-click on the Library folder
- Double-click on the Mail folder
- If a folder called Bundles does not exist, create one
- Copy the MsgFilerPlugIn.mailbundle folder into the Bundles folder
- For Snow Leopard Users:
- Open Terminal.app in Applications/Utilities and type the following commands:
defaults write com.apple.mail EnableBundles YES defaults write com.apple.mail BundleCompatibilityVersion 4
- Open Terminal.app in Applications/Utilities and type the following commands:
- For Leopard Users:
- Open Terminal.app in Applications/Utilities and type the following commands:
defaults write com.apple.mail EnableBundles YES defaults write com.apple.mail BundleCompatibilityVersion 3
- Open Terminal.app in Applications/Utilities and type the following commands:
- For Tiger Users:
- Open Terminal.app in Applications/Utilities and type the following commands:
defaults write com.apple.mail EnableBundles YES defaults write com.apple.mail BundleCompatibilityVersion 2
- Open Terminal.app in Applications/Utilities and type the following commands:
- Launch Mail.app
MsgFiler should now be installed. You can open it via the Message menu or by typing Command-9 on the keyboard while in the Mail application.
Instructions
MsgFiler makes moving messages in Mail a snap!
- Select messages you wish to move
- Choose Move with MsgFiler from the Message menu or type Command-9.
- Enter some characters from the mailbox folder name. You can use the space character as a wildcard. For instance, entering "alex" will match any mailbox folder containing those characters.
- Type more characters to further filter the results. Searches are case-insensitive. The search will match the entire path to your mailbox folder.
- MsgFiler will display a list of mailbox folder matches below. Hit the down-arrow key or click a mailbox folder to select.
- Click the Move button or hit Return/Enter to move the selected messages into the mailbox folder.
Tip: If only one mailbox is found, pressing Return/Enter will file selected messages to that mailbox. You do not need to press the down-arrow key to select the mailbox before pressing Return/Enter.
Tip #2: You can make the Return/Enter key always perform the filing action by checking the option in Preferences, Enter key always performs filing action.
Copy Message
If you want to copy messages to the selected mailbox instead of moving them, click the Copy button or press Command-Shift-C.
Go To Mailbox
When a mailbox is selected in MsgFiler, you can click on the Go To Mailbox button or press Command-O to have Mail open the selected mailbox. This is useful is you want to quickly see messages in a particular mailbox.
Prefs
Click the Preferences button to modify the following preferences for MsgFiler
About
To view how many messages you have filed using MsgFiler, to enter your license key to register MsgFiler or to check if there is an update to MsgFiler, click About.
Checking for Updates
You can check to see if a new version of MsgFiler at any time by clicking the About button and the Check for Updates… button.
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Please send any bug reports and suggestions to msgfiler-support (at) tow.com.
- How do I uninstall MsgFiler?
- Quit Mail. Remove the MsgFilerPlugIn.mailbundle folder from the ~/Library/Mail/Bundles folder.
- MsgFiler does not load properly into Mail. I can't see the Move with MsgFiler menu item
- This may be an incompatibility with other third-party mail plug-ins. We're looking into it! In the meantime, you can try installing the MsgFilerPlugin.mailbundle in
/Library/Mail/Bundlesinstead of~/Library/Mail/Bundles. - My hard drive is formatted as HFS+ Journaled (Case-Sensitive). MsgFiler does not appear in Mail.
- This has been resolved in MsgFiler 2.0.3.
- The installer doesn't appear to work. I have to install MsgFiler manually each time.
- Please upgrade to version 2.0.3, which comes with a new installer
- I don't see the Command-9 keyboard shortcut for MsgFiler in the Message menu
- Follow the directions listed above to create your own keyboard shortcut for MsgFiler.
- MsgFiler does not remember its last position on Tiger
- This has been fixed in version 2.0.2 of MsgFiler.
- MsgFiler does not file messages when there are two or more Message Viewer windows open
- This is a known issue with Mac OS X Tiger and will be resolved in a future release of MsgFiler.
- MsgFiler does not work in Snow Leopard!
- Please upgrade to version 2.0.4 of MsgFiler.
- I'm running Snow Leopard and MsgFiler does not seem to accept my license code
- First, make sure that you have entered your Name and License Code exactly as it's entered in the registration email. Be sure to remove any spaces before and after the Name and License Code.
If that does not work and you are absolutely sure you entered the name and code correctly, type the following command in the Terminal application:sudo update_dyld_shared_cache -forceHit return and enter your login password to execute the command. This will clear some system caches which will allow MsgFiler to accept the code.
If that does not work, contact MsgFiler support (email address below).
Version History
- November 14, 2006: Version 1.0.0 Released.
- December 27, 2007: Version 2.0.0 Released. MsgFiler has been rewritten in Cocoa and is fully integrated into Mail. Improved searching and filing performance.
- December 29, 2007: Version 2.0.1 Released. Fixed bug where registration alert would appear even after the app was registered.
- February 12, 2008: Version 2.0.2 Released. Added the ability to copy messages instead of moving messages. Added additional preferences. Pressing the Escape key now closes MsgFiler. MsgFiler supports filing through MiniMail mail plugin from OliveToast. Fixed a bug in Tiger where MsgFiler window would not save its position. Fixed a bug in Tiger where messages would not be filed properly.
- July 30, 2008: Version 2.0.3 Released. Added new installer application. MsgFiler now works properly on HFS+ Case-Sensitive Disk Partitions. MsgFiler ignores mailbox directories (white folders into which you can't file messages). Added Hide mailboxes from inactive and offline accounts feature. Refined new interface for the MsgFiler window.
- August 26, 2009: Version 2.0.4 Released. Added support for Snow Leopard.
- September 10, 2009: Version 2.0.5 Released. Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6.1.
- October 24, 2009: Version 2.0.6 Released. Compatibility with Mac OS X 10.6.2.
- May 20, 2010: Version 2.0.7 Released. General compatibility fixes.
- August 31, 2010: Version 2.0.8 Released. General compatibility fixes. Added preference for forcing the Return/Enter key to always file messages.
Acknowledgments
MsgFiler is inspired by QuickFile, a plug-in for Mozilla Thunderbird by Paul Tomlin. Big thanks go out to Alex King for the initial encouragement to write MsgFiler. Thanks also to Paul Guyot, Steve Weller, Victor Alexander, the folks at NS Coder's Night, and John Buckley for the installer.
I just installed OS 10.6.4, which disabled MsgFiler 2.07 because of an apparent incompatibility with Mail 4.3. When will a new version of MsgFiler be available?
Try re-installing MsgFiler 2.0.7 again. That should fix things with 10.6.4.
Just noticed that the recent Snow Leopard upgrade to version 10.6.4 has disabled version 2.0.7 of msgfiler in Mail.
You probably already knew this, but wanted to let you know just in case. I really depend on your great plugin and looking forward to your update.
Thanks,
TED GRIGG – License holder
THANKS ! for having a copy of MsgFiler that works with the new MacOS 10.6.4 **on the day the new OS was released**. When I saw the new OS disabled my MsgFiler i came to your site, downloaded your latest 2.0.7 and installed it. It works just fine.
Re-installing MsgFiler 2.0.7 works like a charm for Mail 4.3 under 10.4.6. Thanks!
When I updated to 10.6.4 and Mail said that MsgFiler had been disabled I got worried ‘cuz I use it all day every day. Came here, installed the update and I’m back in business.
Thank you Adam!
……I’m glad I paid the shareware fee.
Ted and all – Mail in 10.6.4 by default disables all Mail plugins, even if they are compatible with 10.6.4. You’ll need to reinstall to get it working again.
Also, I know there’s something wrong with comments. Your comments are being posted, even if you’re redirected to a 404 page. I’ll fix this soon.
I just came across your plugin, and am so glad that I did!! Works great with 10.6.4. One question, and possibly feature request — is there the ability to restrict folders from a list? I have an IMAP account with lots of nested folders, and a similar Archive folder structure on my local machine. It would be nice to have the ability to restrict the Archive folder from showing up.
Thanks for your work on this app. My daily workflow just got much cleaner!
First and foremost, thanks for a great app!
Now for the help request: I’m running 10.6.4, received the error message about disabling msgfiler plugin due to incompatibility with mail 4.3 & message 4.3. Downloaded and installed MsgFiler 2.07. Received the same error msg. Rebooted, redownloaded, reinstalled, and received the same error. Anything suggestions?
Is there a way to modify the “copy” shortcut? After years of using Outlook I would like to use ctrl-v to move a message and ctrl-y to copy a message.
Nice app. I’m considering buying msgfiler. Two things I miss though, from Nostalgy:
- Ability to learn, based on previous keypresses & selections.
- The unnecessary extra keypress (Enter + Enter again) that is required when multiple folders are matched in the search results. (This doesn’t happen if there is only one search result – a single Enter works). I don’t see the benefit – not that likely to save one from making mistakes, and just penalises you the rest of the time.
Any possibility of either or both options in future? Would be nice to know what’s coming up (roadmap).
Thanks
Paolo
My time to update MsgFiler is currently very limited due to current projects, so while there’s lots on the feature roadmap, including better keyboard support and smarter mailbox matching, there’s no timetable for when this uber-update is going to come out.
I have many 100′s of email folders that I store my messages in, and to my delight, have found that MsgFiler works very well with 10.6.4!
Saves time and really speeds up my email organization!
8$ well spent!!!!!
Anything you add to the app in the future will only make it uber better :)
Thanks for a great app!
MsgFilter is exactly what I was looking for to help speed up e-mail processing. It’s so much faster than having to drag and drop messages into mail folders. My inbox is now heading back toward empty — where it should be! Definitely eight bucks well spent. Thank you!
My time to update MsgFiler is currently very limited due to current projects, so while there’s lots on the feature roadmap, including better keyboard support and smarter mailbox matching, there’s no timetable for when this uber-update is going to come out.
I would pay $16 per license for a version of MsgFiler with smart mailbox matching (i.e. learning which email address gets filed to which mailbox, then automatically choose and/or move to destination folder) and more configuration options.
Agree w/Paolo from 29 Jun 2010:
“The unnecessary extra keypress (Enter + Enter again) that is required when multiple folders are matched in the search results. (This doesn’t happen if there is only one search result – a single Enter works). I don’t see the benefit – not that likely to save one from making mistakes, and just penalises you the rest of the time.”
A single ENTER key should always select the highlighted folder, independent of the number of matches.
This is my top feature request, and maybe a simple fix?
Otherwise love the simple elegance of MsgFiler.
Just tried 2.0.8 on leopard (10.5.8) without success.
Seemed to install without errors, but after starting Mail again
see no sign of MsgFiler in Message menu. Re-installed 2.0.3
which is working fine and is still the best shareware I’ve ever got!
Hey Jeff,
same here: Leopard 10.5.8, MsgFiler installation without any errors but MsgFiler can’t be found after Mail restart. Rolled back to 2.0.3, works like a charm.
If anyone was having problems with 2.0.8 not installing properly on your machine, please re-download the Disk Image and try again. There are a problem with the build architecture on the app, which I have correct. Sorry for the inconvenience!