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TagSpaces Lite

A privacy aware, open source file manager with tagging and note-taking capabilities

Download TagSpaces for free
free downloads for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
and for self-hosting
TagSpaces Lite is our free and open-source desktop application, offering core functionalities found in our other products. It runs locally on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, as well as on Android mobile devices, without requiring an internet connection or registration. The web version can be installed on a NAS system or any web server, allowing you to access your files through your browser without the need to install additional software.

File and Folder Tagging

Tags are stored in a platform and file-type independent manner. Unlike similar products, TagSpaces doesn’t rely on a central database for storing tags, but instead uses alternative methods for saving this metadata:
  • Tagging by file renaming — In this method, the tags are embedded in the file name. For example, if you add the tags vacation and alps to an image named IMG-2653.jpg, it will be renamed to IMG-2653[vacation alps].jpg. While file renaming has its limitations, the tags stay with the file across different operating systems, making it a durable and portable solution.
  • File tagging with a helper sidecar file — This method preserves the original file name, with no limit on the number of tags. The tags are stored in a sidecar file located in a .ts folder within the tagged file's directory.
  • Folder tagging with a sidecar file — Folders are tagged using a sidecar file named tsm.json, which is saved in the .ts subfolder of the tagged folder.
Learn More About Tagging
Activating tag persistence for files using sidecar files
Dialog for moving or copying files in TagSpaces

File Management Operations

TagSpaces Lite can function as a basic file manager, supporting the following operations:
  • Creating folders and text files
  • Renaming files and folders
  • Deleting files and folders
  • Moving files
  • Opening files with the system’s default application
  • Revealing folders in the operating system’s default file manager
  • Opening a file's parent folder in the default file manager

Create and Edit Notes as Simple Text Files

TagSpaces allows you to create and edit plain text, HTML, URL, and Markdown files. This makes it an offline alternative to note-taking and personal knowledge management apps like Evernote, OneNote, or Dropbox.

You can create new files at any time by clicking the plus button, as shown in the screenshot. A global shortcut for file creation is available: CTRL+SHIFT+N on Windows/Linux and CMD+SHIFT+N on macOS.

Newly created files are saved in the current folder and automatically opened in the appropriate editor.
    Learn More on Note-Taking
    Creating notes as text files with TagSpaces
    Screenshot showing AWS S3 location configuration

    Turn S3-Compliant Object Storage into an Online File Browser

    To collaboratively work on the same files with family or colleagues, the Pro version supports connectingcloud object storage as TagSpaces locations. These include services from providers like Amazon AWS or Wasabi, and you can also host storage privately using open-source solutions like MinIO (e.g., on your NAS).
    With this setup, you get a fully-featured file organizer and browser in the cloud, so you don't need to download files to preview, edit, or annotate them.
    • Connect and browser AWS S3 or Wasabi buckets as locations
    • Connect self-hosted MinIO folders as locations
    • Stream supported audio and video formats directly
    • Edit text files within the buckets
    • Upload files via drag-and-drop
    Learn More in the Docs

    Preview Files Directly in the App

    TagSpaces supports previewing many file types. Below are some of the built-in viewers:
    Explore More
    Previewing files in TagSpaces
    Source code highlighting in TagSpaces for a JavaScript file

    Source Code Browser and Editor

    The text editor supports syntax highlighting for many popular programming languages. Combined with the JSON editor, TagSpaces provides a basic source code navigation and editing environment. While it's not intended to replace your IDE, it offers a quick overview of source code repositories.

      Tagging with Drag-and-Drop

      TagSpaces is designed for touchscreens, but on desktop, it supports drag-and-drop operations, including:
      • Dragging tags from tag groups to files and folders in list or grid view
      • Dragging tags to the tagging area in file properties
      • Dragging a tag from one file to another to transfer that tag
      • Moving tags between tag groups via drag-and-drop
      Tagging files by dragging tags from the library to the files
      Searching for tags

      Search Capabilities

      TagSpaces includes an integrated file and folder search. Unlike classic desktop search tools, TagSpaces' search is limited to the currently opened location or folder. The search is based on an index created upon initiating a search and remains valid for 10 minutes by default:
      • The search algorithm prioritizes file name, folder name, tags, description, and path
      • There are three types of search:
      • Fuzzy — Delivers broad results, even if there are typos in the query
      • Strict — Delivers exact results based on the query
      • Semi-strict — Similar to strict but case-insensitive
      Learn More About Search

      Importing and Exporting Files to Your Desktop

      You can easily import and export files from/to your desktop or default file manager. Simply drag and drop the files into the application, and they will be copied/moved to the currently opened folder. Drag and Drop do other applications or the TagSpaces instances is supported as well.
        Video showing file import/export using drag-and-drop from/to your desktop
        Settings where file extension colors can be customized

        Color-Coded File Types

        To make it easier to distinguish different file types, you can assign a custom color to each supported file type in the application settings. These colors are visible wherever file type extensions are displayed in the app.

          Dark Mode Theme

          TagSpaces comes with a modern user interface that supports theming. It includes two themes: a light theme (default) and a dark theme. You can easily switch between these themes using the button shown in the screenshot.
            Dark mode theme
            Light mode theme
            Web version of TagSpaces Lite

            TagSpaces Lite as a Web App

            TagSpaces Lite can also be used as a web app, hosted on a static web server, Docker container or NAS. This enables you to access TagSpaces through your preferred web browser without needing to install the desktop app. The web version manages files located in object storage such as AWS S3, Wasabi, or Minio.

              Portable Mode

              The Windows and Linux versions of TagSpaces can run in portable mode, allowing you to use it from a USB stick or other portable devices. In this mode, all configuration data (such as tags, tag groups, and locations) is stored in the application's folder rather than the operating system's home directory. Learn more about portable mode in the documentation.

              Read the full license terms

              Free and Open Source

              TagSpaces Lite is open source, and its code is available on GitHub, released under the AGPLv3 license. Anyone can inspect the code, and we welcome pull requests for new features or improvements. Bug tracking is managed on GitHub's issue tracker.
                Download TagSpaces for free
                If you need more advanced functionalities, consider upgrading to TagSpaces Pro.