Getting started
Start on your computer. It builds the catalog, and your phone shows a synced copy.
- Download CachePix for a Mac with Apple silicon (M1 or later) on macOS 12 or later, or for 64-bit Windows.
- Sign in with the 6-digit code CachePix emails you. There's no password.
- Choose a plan or start the 14-day trial. Stripe Checkout opens in your browser.
- In Drives & Folders, choose Catalog a Folder… and pick a folder or a drive.
CachePix first samples about 24 photos to estimate the disk space its previews will need. Cancel a run any time, and the next one picks up where it stopped.
Want to look around first? In the CachePix phone app, tap Just exploring? Try a sample catalog. It needs no account and no computer.
Pairing your phone
Phone sync is off until you turn it on. Then the catalog syncs one way, from your computer to your phone, over your local network. It never syncs over the internet or cellular.
- Install the CachePix app (iOS 18 or later on iPhone and iPad, or Android 9 or later) and sign in with the same email.
- On your computer, open Pair Phone… in Drives & Folders and click Turn On.
- Scan the QR code with the phone app.
Pairing not working?
- CachePix is running on your computer with phone sync on: open Pair Phone… and click Turn On.
- Your phone and computer are on the same network.
- On iPhone, CachePix is allowed under Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network.
- Your firewall lets CachePix through on port 48152.
- If your computer's address changed, unpair in the phone app and scan the code again. CachePix doesn't find computers on its own.
A phone pairs with one computer at a time. Lost a phone? Regenerate pairing code, on the computer, disconnects all paired phones. It stops future syncs but doesn't erase what the lost phone already has.
HD previews and Get HD
HD previews download automatically for a capture-date window you choose: 30 days, 90 days, 1 year (the default), 2 years or All photos. Free Up Space removes them in one tap and keeps the thumbnails.
A photo without a cached HD preview shows a scaled-up thumbnail and a button labeled "Get HD over wifi" (the app's current wording). Tap it while your phone is on the same network as your computer and CachePix is running with phone sync turned on. The drive can stay unplugged.
Full-size originals stay on your drives. The phone carries thumbnails and HD previews at the size your computer sets, 2048px by default. See HD previews and phone storage for numbers measured on 190,566 photos (885.66 GB) in two folders on one external drive.
Why some photos show only a filename
In 0.2.1, HEIC, HEIF and TIFF photos are cataloged and searchable but show a filename tile on your computer and no image on your phone. iPhone photos saved as HEIC files (.heic) look like this. See supported formats for the full list.
- JPEG
- PNG
- WebP
- 15 RAW formats
- HEIC, HEIF and TIFF: searchable, previews coming on Mac
- No video, GIF or BMP
Editing metadata and Pending Edits
In CachePix 0.2.1, the pencil in the Library preview edits captions, keywords, people, place, rating and more. A saved change is searchable at once and waits in Pending Edits. On Mac, plugging in a drive doesn't write it, so click Apply Now, or relaunch CachePix with the drive connected and automatic sync on (the default).
Cataloging never modifies, moves, renames or deletes your files. CachePix writes metadata only when you edit it, and only the fields you changed, as standard XMP in the file or in a sidecar next to RAW files.
On Mac, RAW files, DNG included, get a new .xmp sidecar and are never written themselves. Other formats are updated in place, metadata only. If another app changed the file first, CachePix asks: Apply My Edits or Keep the File's Version.
Known limits in 0.2.1. If a RAW file already has a Lightroom or Photo Mechanic sidecar, keep editing it in that app for now. Color labels may not match Photo Mechanic, and a removed keyword can return from the file's older IPTC keyword field. If a write fails, 0.2.1 still clears the edit from Pending Edits as if it worked. If an edit matters elsewhere, check it in your other app.
Changed keywords in another app? Connect the drive and run Sync Search Metadata. It re-reads only the files that changed.
Storage & Backup
Storage & Backup… in Drives & Folders has three tools. Move Store moves your previews to another folder or drive. Back Up saves a timestamped catalog snapshot. Restore swaps in a backup on relaunch and keeps the old database.
Not a backup. CachePix is a catalog, not a backup. It makes your archive findable. It doesn't make a second copy, so keep backing up your drives.
Signing in and the 14-day check
There are no passwords. Each sign-in uses a 6-digit code sent to your email, and your computer and phone sign in separately. No sign-in code? Check your spam folder.
Browse and search your catalog with the drives unplugged and the computer at home. CachePix checks your plan online at least once every 14 days.
Plans and billing
$4.99 a month or $29.99 a year after a 14-day free trial, or $99 once for Lifetime. One plan covers your computer and your phone with the same email. A card is required for the trial, and you're charged when it ends unless you cancel. Lifetime has no trial.
- Buy on your account page or in the desktop app, never in the phone apps. Those are free downloads that need a plan. See plans and pricing.
- Manage or cancel with Manage billing, on your account page or in CachePix Settings. Cancel at least a day before a trial ends to be safe. Access lasts to the end of the paid period.
- Refunds: Monthly and Annual plans aren't refunded for part of a period. Lifetime is refunded on request within 14 days of purchase: contact us. Details are in the Terms.
- Delete Account, in the phone app's Sync tab, cancels any plan first, then removes your account. Your photos and catalog aren't touched.
Privacy
Your photos, previews and catalog never leave your own computer and phone. CachePix's only online service is your account: email sign-in, the plan check, and Stripe billing in your browser. The account holds your email, an account ID, plan status, a Stripe customer ID, support messages and sign-in session tokens. We never see your card number. The apps also check cachepix.com for the minimum supported version, and the desktop app checks downloads.cachepix.com for updates.
CachePix has no facial recognition, face detection or AI tagging. People names come from metadata in your files, or names you type in CachePix. Details are in the Privacy Policy and the CachePix FAQ.
Common questions
Why can't my phone find my computer?
Check that CachePix is running on your computer with phone sync on (Pair Phone…, Turn On) and both devices share a network. Allow Local Network access on iPhone, and let CachePix through your firewall on port 48152. CachePix doesn't find computers on its own, so if your computer's address changed, unpair and scan the code again.
Why do some photos show only a filename?
Usually those are HEIC, HEIF or TIFF files. CachePix 0.2.1 catalogs them and you can search them, but it can't make thumbnails or previews for them on your computer or your phone. Previews for these formats are coming on Mac. Video, GIF and BMP files aren't cataloged.
When are my metadata edits written to my files?
On Mac, CachePix writes an edit about 3 seconds after you save it if a cataloged drive is connected. Otherwise it waits in Pending Edits until about 10 seconds after the next launch with a drive connected and automatic sync on, until you click Apply Now, or until Sync Search Metadata runs.
Why is CachePix asking me to sign in again?
CachePix confirms your plan online at least once every 14 days. If a device has been offline longer, connect it to the internet and, if asked, sign in with the 6-digit code we email you. There's no password to reset. If your plan has ended, choose a plan on your account page.
How do I move my previews to another drive?
In CachePix, open Drives & Folders, then Storage & Backup…, and choose Move Store. Pick a folder or drive you keep connected. CachePix copies your previews there and checks each one before switching. Your photos don't move, and the catalog database stays on your computer.
How do I back up my catalog?
In CachePix, open Drives & Folders, then Storage & Backup…, and click Back Up. CachePix saves a timestamped snapshot of your catalog, saved searches included, with your previews if you choose. It doesn't back up on a schedule, so back up again after big changes.
How do I unpair my phone or switch to a new computer?
In the CachePix phone app, choose Unpair, then Keep Data or Remove Data. A phone pairs with one computer at a time, so unpair first, then open Pair Phone… on the new computer, click Turn On and scan its code. Regenerate pairing code disconnects all of a computer's phones.
Can I move my catalog to a new computer?
Yes, from one Mac to another. On the old Mac, open Storage & Backup… and click Back Up with previews, so you can browse with the drives unplugged. On the new Mac, install CachePix, sign in with the same email and restore that backup. It swaps in on relaunch. Then unpair your phone and scan the new Mac's code.