For the occasional move, macOS is enough: drag between windows or onto an app's Dock icon. Dropover suits people who want a shake-to-open shelf and quick share links. Yoink suits people who want a shelf at the screen edge on older macOS. FileShelf suits people who also want file search and clipboard history in the same app.
At a glance
Prices as listed by each vendor on Oct 17, 2026.
| Option | How the shelf opens | Price | macOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built into macOS | No shelf; drag between windows or onto a Dock icon | Included | Any |
| Dropover | Shake the pointer, menu bar icon, notch, or a shortcut | Free on the Mac App Store; Dropover Pro $7.99 | 13+ |
| Yoink | Appears at the screen edge, or at the pointer, when you drag | $8.99 one-time; also in Setapp | 10.13+ |
| FileShelf | Shake while dragging, or push against a screen edge | 7-day trial, then one-time from $9 | 14+ |
What macOS gives you already
macOS has no shelf of its own, but it covers a lot of simple cases.
Drag and drop between windows
Press and hold on a file, drag it to where it should go, then let go. Hold Option while you drag to copy instead of move. This works well when both windows are visible.
Drop onto an app in the Dock
Drag a file over an app's icon in the Dock to open it in that app. You can also drag files and folders to the right side of the Dock to keep them there, and a folder there can show as a stack.
Stage Manager
Stage Manager keeps your current window in the middle and other apps at the side. Drag an app from the side into the middle to group it with the current one, so both are on screen. Turn it on from Control Center or in System Settings › Desktop & Dock.
Suits you if you move a file now and then and both places are easy to reach. When you gather files from several places first, a shelf saves the juggling.
Dropover
Dropover, by Tappable Software, collects files on a temporary shelf so you can move, share or process them all at once. Shake the pointer while dragging to open a shelf. You can also drop files on its menu bar icon or the notch, or use a keyboard shortcut you choose.
It also does sharing. Dropover Cloud uploads a shelf and gives you a public link. The vendor says uploads are anonymous, free and need no sign-up, and links can have a title, password or expiry date. You can also connect services such as iCloud Drive, Google Drive and Imgur.
Price: free on the Mac App Store, with an in-app purchase, Dropover Pro, at $7.99.
Version and macOS: 5.3.1, from September. Requires macOS 13 or later.
Suits you if you like the shake gesture and often send files to people as links.
Yoink
Yoink is a shelf for files and app content you want to move or copy. When you start dragging, it appears at the edge of your screen. You can set it to show right away, only when you get near the edge, or at your pointer. Drop items in, move on, then drag them out where they belong.
Price: $8.99 (9,99 € or £8.99), a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store or the developer's site; the site price can vary by country and tax. It's also part of Setapp, a subscription bundle of Mac apps. A free trial from the developer's site lasts 28 days.
Version and macOS: 3.7.6. Requires macOS 10.13 High Sierra or newer.
Suits you if you want a shelf that waits at the screen edge, or you're on an older version of macOS.
FileShelf's Shelf
FileShelf is our app, so weigh this with that in mind. The Shelf is one part of a Mac file library. Shake while dragging, or push against a screen edge, and a shelf appears. Gather files from anywhere, switch apps, then drag the whole stack out in one go. Drop files onto Email Size or Zip to get them ready to send. Your originals never change.
The same app shows your folders as big previews, finds files with plain-language search like “pdfs from last week”, keeps clipboard history on ⌃⌥V, and helps clean up forgotten downloads. Everything stays on your Mac.
Price: 7 days free, then a one-time license: $9, $19 or $29 for 1, 3 or 5 Macs for the first 200 customers, then $29, $49 or $69. No subscription. After the trial, Shelves need a license; browsing and search stay free. It's a direct download, notarized by Apple, not on the Mac App Store.
macOS: 14 Sonoma or later, on Apple silicon and Intel.
Suits you if you also want search, previews and clipboard history, and you'd rather have one app than three. If you only need a shelf, or you're on macOS 13 or earlier, Dropover or Yoink is the lighter choice.
One more option: QSpace's Stash Shelf
If you use the QSpace file manager, its Stash Shelf extension collects files and images from local folders, servers, the web or the clipboard. The vendor lists it at $0.99 as an add-on to QSpace. See our Finder alternatives page for more on QSpace.
How to choose
- You rarely move files between apps: stick with drag and drop and the Dock.
- You want a shelf and share links: Dropover.
- You want a shelf at the screen edge, or use older macOS: Yoink.
- You want a shelf plus search and clipboard history: FileShelf.
For step-by-step help, read how to move files between apps on Mac.
How we checked
On Oct 17, 2026 we read Apple's support pages, each vendor's site and the Mac App Store listing for Dropover. We left out ratings, download counts and anything we couldn't confirm. Prices change, so check before you buy.
7 days free, then pay once.
- Apple Support: Drag and drop items on Mac (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Apple Support: Use the Dock on Mac (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Apple Support: Organize your Mac desktop with Stage Manager (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Dropover: official site (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Mac App Store: Dropover - Easier Drag & Drop (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- Yoink for Mac: official site (checked Oct 17, 2026)
- QSpace: pricing (Stash Shelf extension) (checked Oct 17, 2026)