Hive Image Organizer Help

Your library is a folder in a place you choose, and Hive works on that folder directly.

Details

Nothing is uploaded to a Hive server. The cloud is involved only when you put the library folder in iCloud Drive, and then iCloud keeps it up to date across your devices.

Hive is a native app on iPhone, iPad, and Macs with Apple Silicon.

Details

All three come from the App Store. If you open an Eagle library from iCloud Drive on iPhone or iPad, iOS 18 or later is recommended, because files stay downloaded more reliably.

Yes. Copy the library folder to your iPhone or iPad, then open it in Hive.

How to copy it

1. Copy the library folder from your Windows PC into the Files app on iPhone or iPad.
2. Open Hive and choose the copied folder as a library.

About syncing

• Sync tasks can stall or fail.
• Crashes are reported often.
• In some cases, files have been lost or damaged.

A Smart Folder collects items by rules you set, and keeps itself up to date.

Details

Filter the library by tags, folders, stars, or markup until it shows the set you want, then save that filter as a Smart Folder. On devices with Apple Intelligence you can also describe the folder in plain language. Basic Smart Folders are in the free version, and Pro adds the full feature.

No. Hive runs on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Details

An Android version isn't part of our current plans.

Yes. Hive for Mac is a native macOS app for Macs with Apple Silicon, M1 or newer.

Details

• Images are sharper at desktop sizes, and the app is built for a mouse and keyboard.
• It's a free download from the App Store, and it opens with the free version.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac can share one library. Sync across devices is part of Pro.

Yes, with Pro. One library syncs across iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Details

• Put the library in iCloud Drive so every device can reach it.
• Without Pro, each device keeps its own library.

From the App Store on a Mac with Apple Silicon.

Details

It's the same App Store listing as the iPhone and iPad app. There's no separate installer on the website, and Intel Macs aren't supported.

Use the guide in the Library view's toolbar to connect Hive to your Eagle library folder.

Quick start

In the Library view, open the guide from the toolbar and follow the steps. If the Eagle library is in iCloud Drive, turn on Keep Downloaded for it first.

Copy the Hive library folder to your computer and choose it as a library in Eagle.

Steps

1. Open the Files app and find your Hive library folder.
2. Copy the folder to your Mac or Windows computer.
3. In Eagle, choose the copied folder as a library.

Open in Files · Available in the app

There are several ways to bring something into Hive, and they all lead to the same library.

The ways in

• The share sheet, from any app with a Share button
• Import Center, where you paste one link or many
• The Safari extension on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
• The Chrome extension for Hive for Mac
• Photos and Files, drag and drop, and Shortcuts
• Auto Read Clipboard, which is optional and found under Settings > Import

Enable the Hive extension in Safari, then capture images and videos from the current page and send them directly to Import.

Safari Import

• Native Safari Extension: Collect media directly while browsing in Safari. No copy and paste required.
• Faster Workflow: Keep page context and jump directly from Safari to Import.
• Cleaner Metadata: Preserve source URL and page context for accurate references later.

How to enable and use

1. Enable Hive in Safari Settings: Open Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions, then turn on Hive.
2. Open Hive from Safari Page Menu: In Safari, tap the page menu button in the toolbar, then choose Hive under Extensions.
3. Select Media and Import: Open Hive extension, select the media you want on the page, then tap Import.

Install the Hive extension from the Chrome Web Store and keep Hive for Mac open. The extension sends what you save to Hive on the same computer.

Steps

1. Open Hive for Mac with a library, so it's ready to receive what you save.
2. Install the Hive extension from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to the toolbar.
3. Drag images, video, or links into the Hive panel, or use Save URL, Capture Area, Capture Visible, or Capture Page.
4. If you use Safari on the Mac, turn on the extension that comes with Hive for Mac, in Safari's settings under Extensions.

It notices when you've copied a link, an image, or a file, and offers to import it when you open Hive.

Details

• It's off until you turn it on.
• You can turn it on or off at any time under Settings > Import.

Yes. Browsing, searching, and organizing all work without a connection.

What needs a connection

• Syncing between devices.
• Importing a link, because Hive has to fetch the page.

Start with a simple structure and add to it when you need more.

A good starting point

• Use a folder for each project or client.
• Use tags for things that appear across projects, such as a material or a kind of lighting.
• Use Smart Folders for the sets you keep filtering for.

Images, video, audio, PDFs, links, text and HTML files, PSD and Procreate files, and 3D models.

Details

• Images: PNG, JPG/JPEG, GIF, WebP, HEIC, BMP, TIFF, AVIF, SVG, JPEG XL, RAW (.dng), and Live Photos.
• Video: MP4, MOV, M4V, MKV, and WebM.
• Audio: MP3, M4A, AAC, FLAC, WAV, AIF/AIFF, and ALAC.
• Documents and links: PDF, HTML, text documents, and URLs.
• Design files and 3D models: PSD, Procreate, and models such as .usdz, .obj, .stl, and .glb.

They decide what happens right after you import.

The two modes

1. Add Details: before saving, you choose the folder, tags, stars, and a note for the batch.
2. Auto Save: everything is saved right away, and you organize it later.

Duplicate Check compares images as they're imported, so the same picture isn't saved twice. It only checks images.

What it costs

1. Comparing images uses noticeable processing power and memory.
2. On a large library or a big batch, importing can slow down a lot.

Use Auto Save when you're collecting quickly, and Add Details when you already know where something belongs.

A simple rule

1. Use Auto Save when speed matters and you're happy to organize later.
2. Use Add Details when you want the folder and tags right from the start, or want to write down why you kept something.
3. Switch between them as your situation changes.

On iPhone and iPad, a library can live in one of three places.

Details

• On the device
• iCloud Drive, recommended when you use more than one device
• An external SSD formatted as APFS, with Pro

Not at the moment.

Details

The rules iOS applies to apps limit library locations to those that work with iCloud. We're still looking at whether other cloud services can be supported.

Choose the folder again in its new location.

Steps

1. Open the library selection in Hive and choose the folder in its new place.
2. Check that the folder's structure is complete before confirming.
3. If the folder is in iCloud Drive, wait until its files have downloaded.

We don't recommend it on iPhone and iPad.

Details

• The rules iOS applies to apps don't allow a dependable cache for a library over the network.
• Reading over SMB can be around 200 times slower than local storage, which makes loading and syncing unreliable.

Use iCloud Drive if you work on more than one device, or an external SSD formatted as APFS for fast local storage.

It's optional, and you can turn it on or off at any time.

Details

It's used only to notice something you've copied that could be imported, such as a link, so importing takes fewer steps.

The free version holds up to 80 images and 10 folders.

Details

• That's enough to try the whole way of working on a small project.
• Pro removes the limits and adds sync, more libraries, full Smart Folders, Eagle import, external SSD libraries, and export on Mac.

Yes. One purchase covers all three.

Details

• Use the same Apple Account you bought Pro with.
• If Pro doesn't appear on a device, use Restore Purchase in Hive.

Write to us first if something isn't working. Refunds themselves are handled by Apple.

Contact Hive first

Use the email link below to describe the problem. Many issues turn out to be a setting we can help with.

Request a refund from Apple

If you'd still like a refund, use Apple's refund request page.