Fossick

Install guide

Installing Fossick — what to expect

Your computer will show a security warning the first time you open Fossick. This is expected, and it takes two clicks to get past. Fossick isn't code-signed yet — certification is a paid process we're completing after our first cohort of customers, not before. The warning says the publisher is unverified; it does not mean anything was found wrong with the app. Nothing you index ever leaves your machine — that's the whole point, and you can verify it with the Wi-Fi off.

Windows

  1. Run the installer you downloaded (Fossick-Setup-x.y.z.exe).
  2. A blue full-screen prompt appears: “Windows protected your PC”. This is Microsoft SmartScreen.
  3. Click More info — a Run anyway button appears.
  4. Click Run anyway. Fossick installs and opens; you won't be asked again.

Updates from here are automatic — the app quietly updates itself on launch.

Mac

Fossick for Mac runs on Apple Silicon (M1 or later). Intel Macs aren't supported yet.

  1. Open the .dmg you downloaded and drag Fossick into Applications.
  2. Open Fossick from Applications. macOS will block the first launch with a message that it “could not verify Fossick is free of malware”. Click Done (not “Move to Trash”).
  3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the Security section — you'll see “Fossick was blocked…”. Click Open Anyway and confirm.
  4. Fossick opens, and launches normally from now on.

On macOS 14 or earlier there's a shortcut: right-click the app in Applications and choose Open, then Open again in the dialog.

Mac updates are manual for now — when a new version ships, re-download it from the download page. Auto-update lands with certification.

One rule that saves you a support email

Use the same email address at checkout as you use to sign in to the app. Your license is matched to your email — if you pay with one address and sign in with another, the app can't find your license and it looks broken. If that's already happened, just tell us and we'll fix it in a minute.

After installing

Fossick lives in your menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows) — there's no big main window. Opening the app brings up its Settings window; closing that window doesn't quit Fossick, it keeps running in the background so search is always one keystroke away.

  1. Sign in (or create your account) in Settings → Account.
  2. Add a real folder of your documents in Settings → Library — contracts, reports, whatever you actually lose time hunting for.
  3. Press ⌥ Space (Mac) and search for something by what it means, not what it's named.

Stuck on anything at all: getfossick@gmail.com — you'll get a reply from the person who built it.