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Née app icon
macOS 14 · Apple silicon and Intel Free 7-day trial · $14.99 to keep

Née

Née converts files from a ring at the pointer. Hold Option while you drag files, drop them on an action, and the result is saved next to the original. There are 51 actions for images, PDFs, video, audio, documents, fonts and archives, and they all run on your Mac. Your JPEG, née HEIC.

The trial is the complete app for seven days from the first time you open it, with no account and nothing to enter. Buying is a single $14.99 payment, with every update included. You get a license key by email and on the page after you pay. Paste it into the same app and it stays valid, with no second download. One key works on two of your Macs. Not useful? Email ben@purplelink.llc within 14 days of purchase (terms). Version 1.0.0, released November 2, 2026. 5 MB disk image. Needs macOS 14 or later.

Also in the Mac Suite: ModernTex, Outbound Veil, Legroom, Keyfeel, Tapefolio, Panely, Summonly, Née and Vitae Plus for life, $59.99 once.

The Née ring for a photo: a dark circle of eight slices labeled JPEG, PNG, PDF, Shrink, WebP, No background, Text and Strip metadata, with JPEG highlighted in purple and a line under it reading Writes a JPEG copy next to the original. Keeps metadata.
The ring that opens for a photo. The slice under the pointer says what it will do.

How it works

Drag, and hold Option

Start dragging one file or several in Finder. Hold Option. A ring of the actions that fit those files opens at the pointer. If Option is already taken in an app, Settings lets you use Control or Shift instead.

Drop on a slice

Each slice is one action, such as JPEG, Compress or Transcribe. The result is a new file next to the original, and the original is not changed.

Undo if you want to

The menu-bar window lists every result. Undo moves a job's results to the Trash, so a wrong choice costs nothing.

You can also drop files on the menu-bar item or the Dock icon, or choose files in Finder and use the Services menu. Each opens the same ring without a drag.

Watch it work

A 24-second tour with no sound

The video is silent and has its own captions. It shows the ring opening over a photo, a file dropped on the JPEG slice, the PDF ring, the video ring, and the menu-bar window with its list of results and Undo. It is made from the app's own screenshots.

What it does

ImagesWrites JPEG, PNG, HEIC, AVIF, WebP, TIFF or GIF copies. Makes a copy at half size or 1920 px, or a smaller JPEG for email (2048 px at most, location removed). Removes the background, reads the text in an image into a .txt file, strips camera data and location, builds an .icns file, an Xcode icon set and web favicons from one image, puts images into one PDF, and renames photos by the date taken, such as 2026-11-02 14.05.33.jpg.
PDFsMerges PDFs and images into one file, splits a PDF into one file per page, compresses it, rotates it, writes each page as a 200 dpi PNG, makes a scan searchable by adding hidden text, writes the text to a .txt file, and writes the text, bold and italic to a Word document.
VideoWrites an MP4 or MOV copy, a smaller MP4 (HEVC, 1080p at most), an animated GIF of the first 10 seconds, or the sound track as M4A.
AudioWrites an M4A, MP3, WAV, FLAC or AIFF copy.
TranscriptionWrites what is said in a recording as a .txt file and as .srt subtitles, recognized on your Mac with Apple's speech recognition. It asks for Speech Recognition permission the first time.
DocumentsConverts Word, RTF, ODT, HTML and text files to DOCX, RTF, ODT, HTML, TXT or PDF. PDF output is for simple layouts.
MarkdownWrites a Markdown file as HTML, PDF or a Word document, with headings, lists, quotes, code, links and tables.
FontsWrites a WOFF web font, unpacks a WOFF font to TTF or OTF, and writes a one-page PDF specimen at sizes from 12 to 72 points. Check that a font's license allows web use before you convert it.
ArchivesUnpacks an archive into a new folder next to it, and packs what you drop into one ZIP, 7Z or tar.gz file.

The ring and the windows

Captures of the app. The ring changes with what you drag: a photo, a PDF and a video each get their own slices.

The Née ring for a PDF: slices labeled Merge, Compress, Split, Images, Searchable, Word, Text and Rotate, with Compress highlighted in purple and a line under it describing what Compress does.
The ring for a PDF.
The Née ring for a video: slices labeled MP4, Shrink, GIF, Audio, MOV, Transcribe, Rename and ZIP, with GIF highlighted in purple and a line under it reading Writes the first 10 seconds as an animated GIF.
The ring for a video.
Née's menu-bar window: a dashed drop area reading Drop files here, or hold Option while dragging them anywhere, and a Recent list with three finished jobs, each with Undo and a magnifier button, and a fourth line explaining that a shrunk copy was not kept because it was not smaller.
The menu-bar window: a drop area, and recent results with Undo.
Née's Settings: switches for opening the ring while dragging files and for showing Née in the Dock, a Hold this key while dragging menu set to Option, a Save results menu set to Next to the original, and a License section reading Trial: 6 days left, with Enter license key and Buy Née buttons.
Settings: the trigger key, where results go, and the license.

What it will not do

Keep a PDF's layout in WordPDF to Word writes the text, bold and italic. The page layout is not kept.
Convert PowerPoint or ExcelIt handles text documents, not slides or spreadsheets. Word to PDF is for simple layouts, and a complex layout may differ.
Cut out every background cleanlyBackground removal is poor on some images. The result is a new file, so the original is safe, and you can undo it.
Run every action on every MacAVIF writing, HEVC encoding and speech recognition depend on what the Mac supports. When an action cannot run, Née says why.
Change your originalsResults are new files next to the original. Renaming photos by date is the one action that renames the originals, and Undo renames them back.
Send your files anywhereThere is no cloud converter and there are no accounts. Nothing you drop on Née is uploaded.
Run on Windows, iPhone or iPadIt is a Mac app and needs macOS 14 or later.

Privacy and permissions

Your files stay on your Mac

Conversion, text recognition, background removal and transcription all run on your Mac with Apple's own frameworks. There are no accounts and no analytics inside the app.

One use of the internet

The app checks for a new version. Nothing you drop on it is in that request. Details are on the privacy page.

Few permissions

While you drag, Née reads only the names and types of the files, and reads a file's contents after you drop it. It needs no Accessibility or Input Monitoring permission. Transcription asks for Speech Recognition the first time you use it.

Price and trial

Seven days free

The trial is the complete app, counted from the first time you open it. No account and nothing to enter.

$14.99, once

One payment in US dollars, through Stripe. After the trial, running an action asks for a license key, which arrives in the receipt email and on the page after you pay. The ring, History and Undo keep working. Every update is included.

One key, two Macs

The key unlocks Née on up to two of your own Macs, works offline and needs no second download. Refunds within 14 days: email ben@purplelink.llc.

System requirements

macOS14 or later.
MacApple silicon or Intel.
InternetNot needed to convert. Used only for the update check.

Frequently asked questions

What does Née need to run?
macOS 14 or later, on a Mac with Apple silicon or an Intel processor. Every action uses what macOS provides, so a few depend on the Mac: AVIF and HEVC encoding need a Mac that supports them, and transcription needs a language your Mac can recognize without the internet. Née says so when an action cannot run.
Do my files leave my Mac?
No. Every action runs on your Mac with Apple's own frameworks, including text recognition, background removal and transcription. There is no account and nothing is uploaded. The only use of the internet is the app's check for a new version. While you drag, Née reads only the names and types of the files being dragged; it reads a file's contents after you drop it.
Does it change my original files?
No. Each result is a new file next to the original. If the name is taken, Née adds 2, 3 and so on, as Finder does. The one exception is Rename by date taken, which renames the originals and can be undone.
How do I undo a result?
Choose Undo in the menu-bar window, or open History and undo any recent job. Undo moves that job's results to the Trash. It never deletes them.
Does it need an Accessibility or Input Monitoring permission?
No. The ring opens from mouse events and the drag itself, so neither permission is needed. Transcription asks for Speech Recognition permission the first time you use it.
What if I drag from Photos, Mail or Safari?
Those apps hand over a promise of a file, not a file on disk. Née waits for the file, works on it in a temporary folder and saves the result to your Downloads folder.
What if another app already uses Option-drag?
In Settings you can pick Control or Shift as the key instead of Option. You can also open the ring without a drag, from the menu-bar item, the Dock icon or Finder's Services menu.
Can it convert Word or PowerPoint files to PDF?
Word, RTF and similar text documents become a PDF for simple layouts only; a complex layout may differ. PowerPoint and Excel files are not converted.
Does one license work on more than one Mac?
One license key works on two of your own Macs. Paste the same key into Née on each one.
What happens when the trial ends?
The trial is the complete app for seven days from the first time you open it, with no account. After that the ring still opens, but running an action asks for a license key, and History and Undo keep working. You get a key by email and on the page after you pay; choose Enter License Key in Née and paste it. It works offline and needs no second download.
How do I get help?
Email ben@purplelink.llc. If you lose your download link, the Find a purchase page emails it again to the address you paid with.
Can I get a refund?
Email ben@purplelink.llc within 14 days of purchase. See the terms.

Write to Ben

A question about Née that this page does not answer? Write to Ben here.

Prefer your own mail app? Write to ben@purplelink.llc. The form delivers your message by email through Resend and does not store it on this site. Privacy.

Free file converters

Née is a Mac app. On another computer, these free pages do the same image conversions in a browser tab, one file or a batch at a time, and nothing is uploaded.

Try it on a folder of files you already have.

Seven days of the complete app, no account and nothing to enter. Then decide whether to keep it.

Try it free for 7 days Buy Née

macOS 14 or later · Apple silicon and Intel