Help, whenever you need it
Buy, install, connect, press F5. When something doesn't work, the answer is usually below.
Up and running in four steps
- 1
Buy
Buy AnyBucket with your email. There's no account to create. Polar then takes you to your purchase.
- 2
Download and copy your key
In your purchase, download the ZIP and copy your license key.
- 3
Move it to Applications
Open the ZIP from Downloads to unzip it, drag AnyBucket into your Applications folder and open it.
- 4
Paste the key and connect
Paste your license key when AnyBucket asks for it. Then press ⇧⌘K to connect your first server.
Help topics
Step-by-step pages for setting up, licensing and the Macs and servers AnyBucket works with.
- Getting startedFrom buying to your first copy with F5: install, license, connect a server, open a second pane.
- License and updatesTwo Macs per license, seven days offline, moving a license to another Mac, and how updates work.
- CompatibilityThe Macs, macOS versions, servers and storage providers AnyBucket works with, and what FTPS needs.
- TroubleshootingStep-by-step fixes for host keys, SSH keys and jump hosts, FTPS, S3 endpoints, stopped transfers, notifications and the license.
Guides for your servers
- SFTP on a MacWhat macOS offers for SFTP, what a good SFTP client for Mac should do, and how to connect, step by step.
- SSH keys and jump hostsSet up keys, ~/.ssh/config and ProxyJump once, and use them for SFTP in Terminal and AnyBucket alike.
- S3 client for MacBrowse Amazon S3 and every S3-compatible store from your Mac, and copy to and from them with F5.
- Cloudflare R2 on a MacCreate an R2 API token, connect with your account ID, and use R2 buckets like folders on your Mac.
- Backblaze B2 on a MacCreate a B2 application key, connect with your bucket's region, and back up folders to B2 from your Mac.
- WebDAV on a MacTwo ways to use a WebDAV share on a Mac: Finder's Connect to Server, or AnyBucket beside your other servers.
- FTP and FTPS on a MacFinder reads FTP but can't upload. Here's how to upload, download and sync over FTP and FTPS from a Mac.
Troubleshooting
The fixes people need most. The troubleshooting guide has every step in detail.
“The key of … isn't known yet” or “changed”
AnyBucket checks SSH host keys against your
~/.ssh/known_hosts, like Terminal. Compare the fingerprint with the one your server's administrator published before you trust it. A changed key is expected after a server is rebuilt; otherwise, don't connect.SFTP keys or jump hosts don't work
AnyBucket runs
/usr/bin/ssh, so whatever works with ssh user@host in Terminal works in AnyBucket: your agent, ~/.ssh/config (Host, IdentityFile, ProxyJump) and security keys. Try the same host in Terminal first. More in SSH keys and jump hosts.FTPS doesn't connect
FTPS needs
python3 from Apple's Command Line Tools: run xcode-select --install in Terminal. For a self-signed certificate, AnyBucket asks once and remembers your choice for that bookmark.An S3-compatible store lists nothing or refuses
Set the endpoint URL in the bookmark, and turn on path-style addressing for MinIO, LocalStack and most self-hosted stores.
A transfer stopped
Transient failures retry by themselves after 1, 3 and 8 seconds. Anything still failing waits under Needs attention in the Transfers window (⌥⌘T) and the menu bar panel, with its error. Retry resumes it. Interrupted transfers come back after you relaunch.
No notifications
Allow AnyBucket under System Settings → Notifications. In AnyBucket, Settings → Notifications shows the permission and has a switch for each kind.
AnyBucket asks for the license again
Without internet, AnyBucket keeps working for seven days after its last successful check. If Polar refused the activation, for example because it was removed in the customer portal, choose AnyBucket → Manage License…, deactivate and activate again.
Questions, answered
How many Macs can I use it on?
Two. One license covers two Macs; use the same key on both. To move it to another Mac, deactivate it under AnyBucket → Manage License… or remove the Mac in your Polar customer portal. See license and updates.
Which Macs and servers does it work with?
macOS 15 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel, in one universal app. Servers: SFTP, FTP, FTPS, WebDAV over HTTP and HTTPS, Amazon S3 and S3-compatible stores. See compatibility.
How do I update?
AnyBucket checks for a new version once a day and opens the download page when there is one. AnyBucket → Check for Updates… checks now. It never installs anything by itself.
Do transfers keep going when I close the window?
Yes. Closing the last window keeps AnyBucket running in the menu bar, and transfers carry on. Choose Quit AnyBucket in the menu bar panel to stop it.
Where are my passwords and bookmarks?
Passwords and secret keys are in your login keychain, one item per bookmark. Bookmarks, history, workspaces and the transfer queue are JSON files in
~/Library/Application Support/AnyBucket/.Still stuck? Tell us
Email support@clevermechanisms.dev with your macOS version, the kind of server and what happened. Every message gets read.
What to include
- Your macOS version and AnyBucket's version, from AnyBucket → About AnyBucket.
- The protocol and, for S3, the provider: Amazon, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, MinIO…
- What you did, what you expected, and what happened instead, with the exact error message.
- For SFTP: whether
ssh user@hostworks in Terminal.
Please never send passwords, secret keys or license keys. Replace host names you'd rather keep private.