Lives in your menu bar
No Dock icon, no window to babysit. Click the icon, drop a file, done. Upload several files at once and retry failed ones with a click.
New in v0.2.0 · Global shortcut ⌃⇧⌘U
Your files.Your cloud.
Drop a file on the menu bar, get a link on your clipboard. Aktar uploads straight to your own S3-compatible storage. No account, no middleman.
Stored in KeychainYour keys never leave your Mac
Link copied⌘V
Works with the storage you already have
How it works
Three steps. Then it's muscle memory.
- 01
Connect your bucket
Pick a provider, paste your access keys and bucket name. Keys go straight into the macOS Keychain.
- 02
Drop, paste or browse
Drag files onto the menu bar popover, pick them from Finder, or press ⌃⇧⌘U in any app to upload whatever is on your clipboard.
- 03
Paste the link anywhere
The public URL lands on your clipboard as a plain link, Markdown, HTML, or your own template.
Features
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
A small, native app that does one job and does it well.
Bring your own storage
Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, DigitalOcean Spaces, MinIO or any S3-compatible endpoint. You pay your provider, not us.
Copy it your way
URL, Markdown, HTML, or a custom template. Images get embed markup, everything else gets a link.
Variables: {url} {filename} {name} {ext}
A searchable upload history
Every upload with thumbnails and previews for images, PDFs, text and Markdown. Filter by destination, select several and copy them in bulk.
Multiple destinations
One bucket for screenshots, another for client work. Switch the destination right from the popover.
Your naming, your structure
Object paths are templates. The default is {year}/{month}/{uuid}.{ext}, and you can mix in {date}, {time}, {filename}, {random} and more.
Delete at the source
Shared the wrong file? Delete it from your bucket right from the history, not just from the list.
New
Upload from anywhere
Press ⌃⇧⌘U in any app and whatever is on your clipboard, a screenshot or a file copied in Finder, is uploaded without opening the panel. You can change it to any combination in Settings.
⌃⇧⌘U
Tip: ⌃⇧⌘4 puts a screenshot on your clipboard, ⌃⇧⌘U turns it into a link.
Stays out of your way
Optional notifications when an upload finishes, auto-close after upload, and launch at login.
Screenshots
A closer look
Built with SwiftUI, so it feels right at home on macOS.
Pick a destination, drop your files and grab recent links without leaving what you're doing.
Search every upload, preview it, and copy the link in whichever format you need.
Record your own global shortcut, or keep the default ⌃⇧⌘U. It works even when the panel is closed.
Decide what lands on your clipboard after each upload, including your own template.
Connect a bucket in under a minute. Presets fill in the right endpoint and region for you.
Privacy
Private by design
Aktar has no servers. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to phone home to.
Keys in the Keychain
Your access keys are stored in the macOS Keychain and only used to sign requests to your own endpoint.
Direct uploads
Files travel straight from your Mac to your bucket. No proxy, no middleman.
No telemetry
No analytics, no tracking, no account system.
Sandboxed & notarized
Runs in the App Sandbox with the Hardened Runtime, and every release is notarized by Apple.
Open source
MIT licensed. Read the code, build it yourself, send a pull request.
Download
Get Aktar
Free and open source. Pick your platform.
- WindowsIn progress
- iOSIn progress
- AndroidIn progress
Build from source
Prefer to compile it yourself? You'll need Xcode and XcodeGen.
git clone https://github.com/getaktar/mac.git
cd mac
brew install xcodegen
xcodegen generate
open Aktar.xcodeprojIs Aktar free?
Yes. Aktar is free and open source under the MIT license. There is no subscription, no account and no upload limit on Aktar's side.
Read moreWhat are the system requirements?
A Mac running macOS 14 Sonoma or later, and an account with any S3-compatible storage provider.
Read moreWhich storage providers does Aktar work with?
Any storage that speaks the Amazon S3 API. Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, DigitalOcean Spaces and MinIO have built-in presets, and everything else works through the "Other S3-Compatible" option.
Read moreWhat is the Public Base URL?
It's the address your files are served from, such as a custom domain or CDN in front of your bucket (for example files.example.com). Aktar joins it with the object path to build the link it copies.
Read moreHow do I turn a screenshot into a link instantly?
Press ⌃⇧⌘4 to capture an area to your clipboard, then press ⌃⇧⌘U. Aktar uploads the screenshot and copies its link, ready to paste.
Read moreCan I upload without opening the app?
Yes. Press ⌃⇧⌘U in any app and Aktar uploads what's on your clipboard: a file you copied in Finder or an image such as a screenshot. The link is copied as soon as the upload finishes.
Read moreWhat gets copied to the clipboard after an upload?
Whatever you choose in Settings → Output: the plain URL, Markdown, HTML, or your own template. Images are copied as embeds, other files as regular links.
Read moreCan the Aktar team see my files or keys?
No. Aktar has no servers. Files go straight from your Mac to the storage endpoint you configure, and your access keys are stored in the macOS Keychain.
Read moreWhy does my link show Access Denied or a 403 error?
The upload worked, but the file isn't publicly readable at your Public Base URL. Let the bucket (or the domain or CDN in front of it) allow public reads, and check that the Public Base URL points at the right bucket.
Read more
Your next link is one drop away.
Download Aktar, connect your bucket, and never open an upload form again.
Download for Mac