How can we help?
Most questions are answered below or on a connection page. For anything else, email support@dockbird.app and a person will reply.
Troubleshooting
My SFTP connection fails with “Connect timeout (10 s)”.
Check that the host and port are reachable (try `ssh user@host -p port` in Terminal). If the host key prompt was left open for a long time the connection can time out; reconnect and approve it promptly.
FTPS transfers fail with a 522 or 425 error.
The server requires TLS session reuse on data connections, which DockBird cannot provide yet. On vsftpd set require_ssl_reuse=NO; on ProFTPD set TLSOptions NoSessionReuseRequired. Or use SFTP if the host offers it.
S3 says the signature is wrong on Hetzner or Scaleway.
Those services require the Region field to match the bucket location (for example fsn1 or fr-par). The preset sets it; change it if your bucket lives elsewhere.
My AWS profile does not work.
Static keys and assume-role profiles are supported. SSO (IAM Identity Center) profiles are not yet; use access keys for now.
A self-signed certificate keeps prompting.
DockBird stores the fingerprint of the certificate you accept. If the server rotates certificates on every connection, the prompt returns each time, which is by design.
Dragging several remote files to Finder only copies the first one.
Known limitation in this release. Drag the files into a local folder in the left pane instead, which handles any number of items.
General questions
Is DockBird free?
DockBird is a free download from the Mac App Store with a full-featured 7-day trial. After that a single one-time purchase unlocks it for good. There is no subscription and no account to create.
Which protocols does DockBird support?
SFTP, FTP, FTPS (explicit TLS), WebDAV and Nextcloud, plus Amazon S3 and every S3-compatible service: Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Scaleway, Linode and MinIO, or any custom endpoint.
Which Macs does it run on?
Any Mac running macOS 15 Sequoia or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. The download is about 39 MB.
Where are my passwords stored?
In the macOS Keychain, the same place Safari keeps yours. Connection details without secrets are saved in a small JSON file inside the app’s sandbox. DockBird never sends credentials anywhere except to the server you are connecting to.
Does DockBird collect analytics?
Two anonymous signals: that the app started, and which protocol a connection used. Never your servers, usernames, files or paths. They go to TelemetryDeck in the EU, which stores no IP addresses, and you can switch them off in Settings → Privacy — the app asks you the first time it runs. There is no crash reporter and no advertising SDK. See the privacy policy for the exact list.
How is it different from Transmit or Cyberduck?
DockBird is a smaller, newer app that focuses on a two-pane, drag-and-drop workflow with Finder’s shortcuts and a strict native, sandboxed build. See the comparison pages for the details.