Guide
Search footage across all your drives.
Last year’s shoot is on a drive in a drawer. Here’s how to find a shot in it without plugging in ten drives to look.
In short: Add each drive or folder to Sift and let it index. Sift then searches all of them in one search, and clips on drives that are unplugged stay searchable so you know which drive to grab. Reconnect the drive to open the original.
No editor needed. Sift works on its own as a desktop app on Mac and Windows: search, preview, build Selects and share footage by link without opening an editor. The editor panels are optional.
The problem
Editors collect drives. A project’s footage can sit on a card reader, two externals and a NAS. Built-in project search only sees what’s imported, and Finder search needs the drive mounted and the file name to help.
Ways to do it
| Folder naming + Finder | A catalog app | Sift | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search by content | No, names only | Depends on the app; many rely on tags you add | Yes: Visual, Spoken and People |
| Offline drives | No, drive must be mounted | Most catalog apps keep the list | Yes, stay searchable |
| Setup | Discipline | Catalog each drive | Add folders once; new files are noticed |
Dedicated catalogs such as NeoFinder or Kyno are good at listing files and metadata; see how they compare.
A setup that keeps working
- Add the top folder of each drive, not every subfolder.
- Name your drives something you will recognize. Results on drives that aren’t connected are marked Offline, and the folder shows where the original lives.
- Plug each drive in once to index it. After that it can stay in the drawer until a search finds what you need.
- Use the folder filter to narrow to one shoot, and the offline filter to hide drives that aren’t connected.
Limits
An unplugged drive can only show you what Sift indexed before. If you add new footage to it, reconnect it so Sift can index the new files. Sift doesn’t copy or move your originals.
Step by step.
- Connect the first drive
Plug it in and add its top folder in Sift.
- Let it index
Search what’s ready while it works. Repeat for each drive; Sift remembers them.
- Search everything
Describe a shot or type a spoken line. Results come from all drives at once.
- Open or find the drive
If the drive is connected, open the clip. If not, the result is marked Offline and its folder shows which drive to reconnect.
Questions
Does it search drives that aren’t plugged in?
Yes. Indexed media on a disconnected drive can remain searchable. Reconnect the drive to open the original.
Does it work with a NAS or network folder?
You can add folders your computer can open. Indexing a big NAS over a slow network takes longer, so start with a small folder.
Does it copy my footage?
No. It builds an index and leaves your files where they are.
Updated 2026-10-22
Keep reading.
Try it on your own footage.
Free for 3 days or 25 searches. No card. Then $99 a year for one computer, Mac or Windows. Everything in Sift, including the optional editor panels and one free link to share footage.