Questions and answers
Short answers, with a link to the manual where the full explanation lives. If your question is not here, write to support@mediaflowswift.com.
Before you buy
What does MediaFlowSwift do?
It takes footage off your cards and drives, checks every copy, files it into a tidy folder layout, and keeps a record of where each clip is — including on the archive drives on your shelf. It runs on your Mac, on your own storage. See what MediaFlowSwift is.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no account and no sign‑in. You download the app and open it.
Does it collect usage data?
The app collects none — no usage data and no analytics. This website is a different thing: it uses Google Analytics, but only if you say yes when it asks, and the privacy page says exactly what that sends.
Does it send my footage anywhere?
Not unless you turn something on yourself. A few features use a service run by another company, and each one is off until you switch it on in Settings › Privacy, which lists what is sent, to whom, and what for. See what leaves this Mac.
What Macs does it run on?
macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or newer). Intel Macs are not supported. The download page has the details.
Is there a trial?
Yes — fourteen days of the full Studio Pro app, with no card. It starts when you agree to the terms of use, the first time you open the app. See the download page.
What does it cost?
Studio is $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. Studio Pro is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year. The plans section shows what each one includes, side by side.
How many Macs does one plan cover?
One plan covers one person on up to three Macs.
Where do I find my licence key?
It is shown as soon as the payment goes through, and it is also on your receipt.
What happens when a plan ends?
MediaFlowSwift keeps opening every project and keeps showing where every clip is; restoring from an archive and copying footage out always work. Only importing, Organize, proxies, the editing drive, writing, publishing and the database server pause.
Where do I find your refund policy?
On the refund policy page.
Getting started
How do I import footage?
Connect a card, a USB drive or a folder and import from it; iPhones and cameras connected over USB work too, by a different route. See importing from a card, drive or folder and importing from an iPhone or camera.
How do I start a project and organize clips?
Make a project, point it at a destination folder, and run Organize. See creating a new project and organizing media to storage.
Can I use footage that is already in folders?
Yes — a folder is one of the places you can import from. Bear in mind what Organize then does: it files clips into its own layout at the destination you choose, which is Destination / Category / Camera / Filename. See where imports go and choosing the destination folder.
How do I find one clip?
Filter and search inside the project you have open. Searching across every project needs a shared database; see filtering and searching and searching all projects.
Managing your footage
How do I tag or rate clips?
Star ratings and selects mark the keepers; tags and categories describe what a clip is. See star ratings and selects and working with tags.
How do I hand footage off to an editor?
MediaFlowSwift writes reports of what was shot, what was kept and where it went, and can export a template for your editing software. See choosing an export for your editor and the NLE template export.
What happens before MediaFlowSwift deletes anything?
Nothing is deleted until the copy has been proved. Clear Card reads each organized copy back in full and matches it against the recorded checksum before it deletes the file on the card — it does not rely on the check made earlier. Free Up Space proves each file the same way before it moves or deletes it, and shows you a list first; by default it reads the organized copy again too, but it can be told to trust the check made at organize time instead. See Clear Card and freeing up space.
Can I watch clips without opening another app?
Yes. There is a player inside MediaFlowSwift, including a pop‑out window and keyboard review. See video playback controls and reviewing clips with the keyboard.
Privacy and outside services
Where do I see what is connected?
Settings › Privacy inside the app is the authoritative list: every outside service, whether it is on, and what it sends. The privacy page describes the same list; the one inside the app is the authoritative one, and it changes with the app.
Can I turn a service off?
Yes, any of them, at any time, from Settings › Privacy.
Does the app phone home?
For two things only. It asks whether there is a newer version — shortly after launch, when the Mac wakes, then every few hours, and every half hour while this site cannot be reached. Nothing about you or your Mac goes with that request. And once you have entered a licence key, it checks that key: when you enter it, once a day after that, when you click Check now, and when you release a Mac. Each check sends the key and a one-way code made from this Mac’s hardware id — the same for every user account on this Mac, and never the hardware id itself. The Mac’s name goes only with activation. The answer is your plan, when it renews or ends, and which Macs hold seats — no email, no account name, nothing about your projects. Without a connection the last answer holds for two weeks, so a trip away does not pause your work; see your licence key.
If something goes wrong
MediaFlowSwift does not see my card or drive
See import not detecting files. If the footage lives in iCloud or another cloud folder, read footage in iCloud or other cloud storage as well.
Importing or organizing keeps failing on a network drive
See organize errors on a network drive and resource busy errors on a network share.
A clip I imported reads as missing
The Where column tells you which kind of missing it is, and they are not the same problem. Start with understanding the Where column, then clips showing as missing. If you moved your whole library to another drive, this guide is the one you want.
Searching every project finds nothing
See searching all projects finds nothing.
Where do I report a problem?
Email support@mediaflowswift.com. The support page lists what to include, and reporting a problem shows how to gather it from inside the app.