Version 1.5 is on the Mac App Store. No NorthPane account required.
Your everyday two-pane workspace · version 1.3 screenshot
What you can do in NorthPane
From everyday file management to working with code. Expand a topic for the details.
Files & archives
Two panes, batch renaming, background copies and undo. Browse archives and remote servers directly in your panes.
File operations & servers
Rename many files at once
Multi-Rename (⇧F2) renames the marked files by mask, with a counter, dates, search and replace and case changes. Every new name is shown before anything moves, and Undo puts them all back.
Copies that stay out of your way
F5 and F6 run as a background queue with progress, pause and cancel. A name that already exists is asked about per file or once for the rest. Synchronize Folders and Find Duplicates are in Tools.
Go to any file, instantly
⌘P finds a file or folder by name across every folder you granted, as you type, and keeps up with changes on disk.
Undo for file operations
⌘Z takes back a rename, a move, a copy, a new folder or a trip to the Trash. The Edit menu says what it will undo.
Your keys and a sidebar
Change, record, export and import every pane shortcut, starting from two presets. A sidebar shows your folders, volumes and servers and follows the active pane.
Tags and cloud files
Tags show as colored dots and can be set on the marked files. Files in iCloud Drive and other cloud folders show their status and never download on their own.
More servers, remembered
WebDAV and S3-compatible storage join SFTP and FTP, SFTP follows your SSH config, and server tabs come back after a restart, connecting only when you ask.
Also in 1.4: four new color themes, with one for the light appearance and another for the dark; F3 plays WAV and MP3 with a waveform; the path above a pane can be copied or typed into; and ZIP archives over 4 GB now open.
Archives and passwords
7z, RAR and ARJ as folders
Browse 7z, RAR and ARJ alongside ZIP and TAR. Copy files out or extract the archive separately. RAR and ARJ support reading and extraction.
Four formats when packing
⌥F5 offers ZIP, 7z, TAR and TAR.GZ. ZIP is always the default. For ZIP and 7z, you can enter and confirm a password.
Unlock when opening or extracting
ZIP and 7z support AES-256; 7z also protects file names. Supported encrypted archives prompt for a password, with another attempt after a typo. Passwords are not saved.
Editor & notes
Edit code, open source and header files side by side, and explore the links between your notes.
Tabs, editor and templates
Restoring tabs
Relaunch restores local tabs, folders, the cursor and the active pane. SFTP, FTP and FTPS stay directly in your panes.
CPP and header side by side
Each editor keeps its own cursor position and save state. Save just the changed file or both files in the pair.
Templates and Writing Tools
Start a document, code file or project from a built-in or personal template. Writing Tools are available for notes and prose.
Enter to explore an app
Press Enter on an .app bundle to browse its contents. Launch it from the context menu. Native macOS, Apple silicon and Intel, with no account needed.
File questions and note maps
Answers with checked citations
Ask stays within your selection. Citations open on the original lines and are checked against the current file. The assistant never changes files by itself; a cited outline is saved as Markdown only after your approval.
Search by words and meaning
Search inside files, or add a local embedding model to search by meaning. Explore symbols, references, callers and callees in the code map and Find Files.
Note maps and JSON Canvas
Markdown gains Map and Links views. Renaming or moving notes offers a preview of link repairs. Export either map to JSON Canvas and edit Canvas files directly in the app.
Local AI
Ask about selected code and files. Answers link to their sources; the model runs on your device or a local server.
Models, references & limitations
Understand binary instructions
Explain a captured disassembly excerpt. Follow linked references to the instructions behind an observation, then return to their location in Binary Lab.
Ask about source code
Select a function and ask what it does. Keep the explanation tied to the source, then explore symbols, callers and references in a code map.
Keep inference local
Use Apple Intelligence on supported devices, an imported GGUF model or a compatible local server. Choose the runtime and model in the explanation dialog.
AI interpretations can be wrong. References help you inspect the supporting instructions; they do not prove the interpretation. Binary analysis never runs the file.
Binary Lab
Bytes, instructions and symbols in one workspace. Inspect file headers and control flow without running the program you are analyzing.
Analysis tools
Functions, symbols and bytes
Functions, imports, sections, strings and bookmarks in one navigator. Hex, disassembly and a typed inspector side by side.
See the control flow
Connect the instructions through basic blocks and branches. In 1.3, fit the graph to the window or zoom in for a closer look.
Headers, compression and byte edits
Inspect Mach-O, ELF and PE headers, explore entropy and compressed streams, or preview byte patches and save a separate copy.
A guide to binary analysis
Use the built-in ARM64 sample to try an AI explanation of instructions and check the answer through its references.
Open the sample
Choose AI → Binary AI walkthrough. NorthPane opens its own small sample and shows the instructions.
Ask for an explanation
Choose a local model and select Explain with AI. Read the answer alongside the captured instructions.
Check the evidence
Follow a numbered reference, then the instruction address. The walkthrough completes after you return to the verified bytes.
Recorded in NorthPane 1.5. Loading waits are shortened. Space Quest IV is shown as a demonstration; the game is not included.
Running DOS & saving sessions
Open. Unpack. Play.
Press Enter on a supported installer to browse its contents. Select the DOS game and NorthPane offers to unpack and run it. Already unpacked? Start playing straight away.
Save your place
⌘S saves the whole DOS session. Next time, continue where you left off. Manage your sessions in Tools → DOS → Saved Sessions.
A virtual PC in your viewer
Run DOS .exe, .com and .bat files, or boot a disk image. Control–Command releases the keyboard and mouse; F3 keeps the hex view beside the running program.
Try the included Color Lab sample in Help → What’s New. Files created by a DOS program stay on its virtual disk until you choose Write Changes to Folder.
Screenshots
Real screens from version 1.3. Select an image to enlarge it.
Binary Lab: fit the control-flow graph to the windowThe source code editorA map of notes and their links
More screenshots & batch renaming
Binary AI: answer and captured instructions together · 1.3Source AI: explain the selected code · 1.3Code map: functions, callers and references · 1.3From assembly to symbols and bytes · 1.3Ask: an answer from the selected files · 1.3A citation opened on its original lines · 1.3Multi-Rename: every new name before anything moves · 1.4
Common questions
What is available today?
NorthPane 1.5 is on the Mac App Store. It adds DOS programs, games from supported installers and saved sessions, alongside the file tools, editor, local AI and Binary Lab from previous releases.
Are games included with NorthPane?
Space Quest IV and other commercial games are not included. Use your own game files or a supported installer. NorthPane includes its own Color Lab DOS sample to try. Compatibility varies by program.
What does local AI need?
NorthPane runs on macOS 14 or later. Apple Intelligence needs a compatible Mac and system configuration; other local runtimes depend on the model and available memory. The app shows availability and language limitations before generation.
Does the AI understand the whole executable?
Binary explanations work on a bounded disassembly snapshot, up to 32 instructions. They are an aid to analysis, not a decompiler or a guarantee of what the whole program does. Captured code is read, never executed.
Are Czech and English supported?
The website and new binary AI interface are available in both languages. Model language support is separate: the system model used for these Czech screenshots answered in English, and the app reports that limitation.
Can every archive app open a password-protected ZIP?
AES-256 ZIP requires a compatible archive app and leaves file names visible. Encrypted 7z also protects file names. Split multi-volume archives are not supported.
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