NameQuick vs Hazel: Smarter File Organization on Mac

#TLDR

Primary benefit – NameQuick uses artificial intelligence to read the contents of your files and assign descriptive names, turning cryptic file names into meaningful labels.

Key transformation – Instead of building complex rule trees, you can drop a file into NameQuick or set a watch folder and the app extracts dates, client names or amounts from the content and renames it; Hazel relies on user-defined rules to sort and tag files based on metadata such as name or date.

NameQuick value proposition – It offers Smart Rename, templates with placeholders and rules, watch-folder automation, BYOK support (Gemini, OpenAI, Claude or local models) and integrates with Hazel, making file renaming simpler and safer.

Target user fit – Busy professionals, photographers, researchers and freelancers on macOS who struggle with unorganized screenshots, PDFs and invoices will benefit from NameQuick's context-aware naming and Hazel's rule-based automation.

#Introduction

If you're reading this on a Mac, chances are your Downloads and Desktop folders look like a crime scene. I know because I lived it. Generic names like IMG_4823.jpg, download(3).pdf and Meeting_Notes.docx do little to tell you what's inside. I spent countless hours renaming files by hand, and trying to script rules in Finder or Automator quickly became a rabbit hole. As a solo developer, I decided to build a tool that could do the work for me.

Two apps promise to bring order to the chaos: Hazel and NameQuick. Hazel has been a staple of Mac automation for years, watching folders and applying rule-based actions such as moving, tagging or deleting files. NameQuick is my response to the limitations of rule-only tools. It uses artificial intelligence to understand what's in your files and generate descriptive file names. In this guide I'll share why I created NameQuick, how it compares to Hazel and how combining the two can help you tame digital clutter.

#The file chaos problem and why naming matters

Our digital lives are filled with photos, PDFs and office documents. Without consistent file names, it's almost impossible to find the right receipt or photo later. Many Mac users face the same pain points:

• Hundreds of screenshots with IMG_ prefixes or dates but no context about the subject or event.
• Receipts and invoices named download(3).pdf or Scan2025-08-15.jpg, making them hard to identify.
• Scanned documents with meaningless filenames that break your organizational system and slow down paperless workflows.

When you're a freelancer trying to track expenses, a photographer sorting thousands of images or a researcher archiving papers, the time spent renaming files by hand adds up. Legacy solutions like Finder's batch rename or shell scripts are brittle and require technical knowledge. That's where dedicated tools come in. Hazel and NameQuick both promise to automate file organization, but they take very different approaches.

#Hazel – rule-based automation on macOS

Hazel by Noodlesoft is a veteran in the Mac automation world. At its core, Hazel watches folders you specify and triggers actions when files meet the conditions you define. Think of Hazel as a set of if-this-then-that recipes for your file system. Here's how it works and what makes it powerful.

#Watching and sorting files

Hazel continuously monitors designated folders. You create rules based on file attributes such as name patterns, type, file size or creation date. When a file enters the folder and matches a rule, Hazel performs actions like moving it to a subfolder, renaming it, adding Finder tags or running scripts. For example, you can instruct Hazel to move downloaded invoices into a Receipts folder, rename them with today's date and add a blue tag. Hazel's pattern matching can also sort your photos by year and month or clean up your Downloads folder every Friday.

#Beyond moving files

Hazel's actions extend beyond simple moves. It can open, archive, tag and upload files, or run AppleScript and shell scripts. Version 6 introduced the ability to extract text from PDFs and images on the fly, handle encrypted PDFs, and revert processed files if something goes wrong. Hazel also watches the Trash: it can automatically delete old items or run "App Sweep" to remove support files when you uninstall an application. This depth makes Hazel a powerful housekeeping tool.

#Strengths and limitations

Hazel's rule-based approach shines when file metadata is enough to make decisions. If you want to move files based on extensions, dates or keywords in the filename, Hazel excels. It integrates with Finder tags, Photos and Music, and can be extended using AppleScript or Shortcuts. However, Hazel doesn't truly understand file content. Even with PDF text extraction, you must specify the patterns it should search for. Building complex rules requires time and experimentation, and there's no AI to fill the gaps. That's where NameQuick enters the picture.

#NameQuick – AI-powered naming assistant

As its creator, I designed NameQuick as a macOS-only app that takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of relying solely on file metadata, it uses artificial intelligence to inspect the content of your files and produce meaningful names. I like to think of it as a knowledgeable assistant that reads each document and summarizes it in a file name.

#Smart Rename: read and rename

At the heart of NameQuick is Smart Rename. Drop a PDF, image or Office document into the app and it analyses the file, extracting dates, names, amounts or other context to create a descriptive file name. For example, download(3).pdf might become 2025-01-15_Project_Update.pdf. I built Smart Rename around generative AI and OCR so that it can read the text in images and PDFs and even extract content from Word, PowerPoint or Excel files. Because the AI looks at the actual content, not just metadata, it produces names that are genuinely informative.

#Templates and custom prompts

While Smart Rename offers quick fixes, templates let you build repeatable naming conventions. I designed NameQuick's visual drag-and-drop template builder with eight extraction types (text, date, regex, literal, counter, conditional, computed and name) and more than 16 system placeholders such as {date:yyyy-MM-dd}, {year}, {month}, {original}, {extension} or {parent}. You can create fallback chains and conditional fields so that if one extraction fails, another placeholder takes over. Templates can also apply rules before or after extraction, allowing you to transform dates or clean up data. For free-form scenarios, custom prompts let you describe the naming scheme in natural language. Once saved, templates and prompts become presets you can apply to multiple files or watch folders.

#Watch folders and automation

NameQuick can operate manually or automatically. In manual mode, you drag and drop files into the app, select them from Finder, or use a global shortcut from the menu bar. In automatic mode, watch folders continuously discover and index files – including optional subfolders – and process them according to your chosen template or prompt. I added batch processing so that you don't need to rename files one by one. This means your Downloads folder can automatically rename new PDFs as soon as they arrive.

#Rules and metadata actions

Beyond naming, NameQuick offers a rules engine reminiscent of Hazel's. You can define conditions on filename patterns, file size, dates, EXIF metadata (camera make, GPS coordinates, dimensions, date taken), video duration or codec. Rules can be combined with AND/OR logic and executed before AI extraction or after renaming. Actions include moving files to dynamic folders using path templates (for example, {year}/{month}/{camera_make}/), tagging with Finder tags or color labels, adding comments, modifying creation or modification dates, and sending files to the trash. These rules allow you to build smart workflows that organise your files after renaming them.

#BYOK AI providers and privacy

NameQuick recognises that not every user wants to use the same AI service. I built support for bring-your-own-key (BYOK) providers like Gemini, OpenAI and Claude (Anthropic), and you can even run a local Ollama model. The app won't silently switch providers; errors are surfaced to you. Because local models are possible, NameQuick can run offline and keep your sensitive data on your machine. Safety features include "Undo Rename", blocked renames for invalid output and a "Clean Filenames" option to remove unwanted characters.

#Integration with Hazel and other tools

NameQuick doesn't replace Hazel; it complements it. I often use NameQuick to give files meaningful names and then hand them off to Hazel or Keyboard Maestro for downstream automation. For example, you might have a watch folder where NameQuick renames new photos based on the event and EXIF data, and then Hazel moves the renamed files into your photo library and runs a backup script. You can trigger NameQuick from the menu bar, a global hotkey or Finder's contextual menu, making it easy to integrate into existing workflows.

#Comparing NameQuick and Hazel – AI vs rules

Both NameQuick and Hazel aim to reduce the manual labor of file management, but they solve different problems. To understand which tool suits your workflow, let's examine their key differences.

#Complementary strengths

The comparison shows that NameQuick excels at creating meaningful names from content, something Hazel cannot do on its own, while Hazel shines at orchestrating actions based on metadata. In other words, NameQuick solves the naming problem; Hazel can still be valuable for people who need to move or process files after they've been named.

For example:

• NameQuick turns IMG_4823.jpg into 2025-03-10_Wedding_Garden_Sunset.jpg. If you want those renamed photos to be sorted into Photos/2025/03 and backed up, Hazel can take over.
• NameQuick reads a PDF invoice and names it 2025-01-15_Project_Update.pdf; if you'd like that file dropped into Invoices/2025 and an AppleScript triggered to log the expense, Hazel can perform those steps.

Rather than choosing one tool over the other, many users start with NameQuick for naming and then optionally employ Hazel for additional automation.

#Use cases and workflows

#Photographers and creative teams

For photographers and creative teams, raw file names like IMG_8482.CR2 are useless. NameQuick's templates with EXIF extraction can pull the date, location and camera make from your photos. You might define a template that names files as {date}_{location}_{subject}. The AI reads the subject from your own description or uses a custom prompt. After renaming, NameQuick's rules can move files into a folder structure such as {year}/{month}/{camera_make}/. Hazel can then further automate tasks like importing the photos into your editing software or adding color labels based on client names.

#Freelancers, businesses and paperless workflows

Invoices, receipts and contracts arrive with meaningless names. NameQuick reads PDF and image content to extract key information like invoice number, date, client name or amount. A template can assemble these fields into 2025-01-15_ClientName_Invoice123.pdf. With watch folders enabled, your Downloads folder stays tidy because new receipts are automatically renamed. After renaming, NameQuick's own rules engine can move the files into client folders, add Finder tags or modify dates. If you want additional automation like logging the transaction in your accounting software, you can still hand the file off to Hazel or a script. You'll spend less time hunting for download(3).pdf and more time doing billable work.

#Researchers, students and academics

When you're managing dozens of research papers or data sets, consistent naming ensures you can find sources later. NameQuick can read the title and publication date from PDFs and use a template such as {date}_{title}_{journal} to rename them. You can also extract the author names or keywords using custom prompts. Once your files are named, NameQuick's rules can categorize them by project, attach tags like "literature review" or "results" and automatically move them into your reference manager's import folder. Hazel remains an option if you prefer to integrate other automation tools or run scripts, but it's not required for basic organization. This combination makes literature reviews and data archiving less painful.

#Journalists and content creators

Journalists juggle story drafts, interview recordings and reference documents. NameQuick's AI can interpret a story brief or transcript to propose an appropriate file name. Templates can include the story slug, the date and a short description. After renaming, NameQuick's rules can organise assets by publication date, attach color labels and even trigger a move into your story archive. Hazel remains optional for deeper tasks like pushing audio files to transcription services or purging old drafts after publication. With minimal effort, your newsroom stays organized and your creative energy goes toward storytelling rather than file management.

#Power users and automation enthusiasts

If you already use automation tools like Keyboard Maestro, Automator or Shortcuts, NameQuick fits right in. You can trigger NameQuick's renaming from a hotkey or from within a Hazel rule, then pass the renamed file to other tools. Since NameQuick supports BYOK AI providers and local models, power users concerned about privacy can keep data on their own machine. Hazel's ability to run AppleScript or shell commands means you can call NameQuick via its command-line interface and embed it in larger workflows. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

#Conclusion

Managing digital files on macOS doesn't have to be a chore. NameQuick brings artificial intelligence to the party, reading the actual content of your images and documents to create meaningful names. Templates, watch folders and a rules engine allow you to automate naming and organizing tasks with minimal setup. When files are named intelligently, everything else becomes easier.

Hazel still offers a mature, flexible rule engine that watches folders and applies actions based on file metadata. It's perfect for sorting downloads, organizing documents by type or date, and running scripts when conditions are met. I built NameQuick because I wanted a smarter way to handle my own files; Hazel was never the problem, but it couldn't read my documents. In my view the smartest approach is to let NameQuick solve the naming problem and then, if you need additional automation, pass the files to Hazel.

Whether you're a photographer, freelancer, researcher or power user, combining AI and rule-based workflows can transform your file management into a smooth, efficient experience. I hope you'll give NameQuick a try and see how it fits into your own workflow.

#Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

#How does NameQuick read file contents?

NameQuick uses optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text from images and PDFs and natural-language AI models to interpret the content. It can also read Office documents. This allows it to identify dates, names, amounts and other context within your files, producing descriptive names like 2025-03-10_architecture_review.docx.

#Can I use NameQuick and Hazel together?

Absolutely. NameQuick focuses on generating meaningful names based on content, while Hazel excels at rule-based file actions. After NameQuick renames a file, Hazel can move it to a destination folder, add tags or run scripts. The NameQuick developer recommends using both tools in tandem for the best workflow.

#Is NameQuick safe to use?

Yes. NameQuick includes safety features like blocked renames when the output is invalid, a "Clean Filenames" option to remove unwanted characters and an "Undo Rename" function. Because you can use a local AI model, no file content needs to leave your machine.

#What types of files can NameQuick rename?

NameQuick supports images, PDFs, Word, PowerPoint and Excel documents. It uses OCR for images and PDFs and built-in text extraction for Office files to analyze their content. You can also rename videos based on duration or codec via its rules engine.

#Do I still need rules if I use NameQuick?

It depends. Smart Rename works great on its own, but for more complex workflows—like moving files to specific folders based on projects or adding tags—you can create rules within NameQuick or rely on Hazel.