Folder Crest

A native macOS app that puts a crest on your folders: text, emoji, an SF Symbol or any image, engraved into the macOS folder icon or placed on top in its own colors - with an optional tint for the whole folder.

Install

• macOS 26 Tahoe or later on Apple silicon (arm64 only, no Intel build).
• Download the latest release.
• Optional: the SF Symbols app and the SF Pro fonts, needed only if you want to drag SF Symbols onto icons.

To build from source: Xcode 26.5, then open Folder Crest.xcodeproj and run the Folder Crest scheme, or

xcodebuild -project "Folder Crest.xcodeproj" -scheme "Folder Crest" \
  -destination 'platform=macOS' build

Run the tests with test instead of build. The UI tests drive the real mouse and keyboard, so the Mac is not usable while they run; add -skip-testing:"Folder CrestUITests" to run only the unit tests.

Usage

• Drag text, an emoji, an SF Symbol, or an image file onto the main area to add a symbol to the icon.
• Adjust size, offset, and rendering (engraved or original colors) in the Icon inspector.
• Pick a folder tint in the Folder Color inspector.
• Drop a folder onto the preview and click Apply to Folder, or create a new folder with the icon.
• Save an icon to the sidebar library with ⌘S; it stores the recipe, not the image, so it re-renders at full resolution.
• Localized in English and German (see docs/LOCALIZATION.md to add a language).

Limitations

• System folder color - Folder Crest writes each icon as a finished image. If you later change the system folder color (System Settings → Appearance → Folder color), folders modified by Folder Crest keep their color. Folder Crest itself picks up the new color as its default after a restart or after Reset All.

How it works

Folder Crest is written in Swift and SwiftUI. Icons are rendered on the CPU from the system's folder graphic using Core Graphics, Core Text and vImage; the library is kept in SwiftData. The app has no third-party dependencies.

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome - bug fixes, new features and translations alike. For larger changes, please open an issue first to discuss the idea.

1. Fork the repository and create a branch from master.
2. Make your changes and run the tests (see Install).
3. Commit with a short, descriptive message and open a pull request against master, describing what you changed and why.

License

MIT