TmpDisk is an Open Source simple RamDisk management tool. RamDisks are disks that use your memory (RAM) to create virtual hard disks on your Mac. RamDisks can be any size, limited only by your total memory and lightning fast. They are also temporary. Any files stored on a RamDisk will be permanently deleted when the disk is ejected. No need to worry about deleting, trash or cleaning up temporary files anymore. Warning A TmpDisk will not survive a restart or ejecting. Any files or information on the disk will be PERMANENTLY deleted once the computer is shutdown or the disk ejected. TmpDisks are perfect for
- Saving large files such as photos while editing
- Downloading and extracting zip files
- Storing of temporary logs and files
- Easily cleaning up tmp files
- NEW in 2.3.0: Folder syncs for persistent RAM disk workflows
For support, tracking updates, announcement and to participate in the Imothee Community please join us on Discord
Maintaining TmpDisk for over 10 years has been expensive and exhausting. If you can, please support us! We're looking for testers, volunteers, translators, advocates and donations.
As of 2.3.0 TmpDisk supports macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) and later.
After 2.0.4 TmpDisk supports a minimum MacOS version of 10.14.6.
Down the latest release https://github.com/imothee/tmpdisk/releases/latest or clone the repository and build the application yourself. All required files are included.
TmpDisk installs as a Status Bar application. You can use the menu to create new tmpdisks, eject existing tmpdisks and click on a disk to open it in finder.
The command-line tool is now fully standalone and can create RAM disks without the GUI app running. Volumes created via CLI are automatically discovered by the GUI app.
Sync a folder to/from your RAM disk:
- On Create: Contents are copied from the source folder to the RAM disk
- Save Button: A save icon appears in the menu for synced volumes
- Auto-Save: Optionally sync back to source on a schedule
- Save on Eject: Choose to save, discard, or prompt when ejecting
New option to automatically eject volumes when the app quits.
Folder syncs let you copy a folder's contents to a RAM disk on creation, then save changes back when you're done.
- Create a synced RAM disk: Specify a source folder when creating the disk
- Work at RAM speed: Contents are copied to the RAM disk
- Save changes: Click the save icon or use
tmpdisk saveto sync back - Eject safely: Choose whether to save changes when ejecting
# Create with folder sync
tmpdisk name=Work size=2GB --sync=/path/to/project --save-on-eject=yes
# Create with auto-save every 5 minutes
tmpdisk name=Cache size=512MB --sync=/path/to/cache --sync-interval=5
# Manually save changes back to source
tmpdisk save WorkAs of 2.3.0 TmpDisk includes a fully standalone CLI that can create RAM disks without requiring the GUI app to be running.
Optionally install the CLI to your bin directory:
sudo ln -s /Applications/TmpDisk.app/Contents/Resources/TmpDiskCLI /usr/local/bin/tmpdiskTmpDisk CLI - Create and manage RAM disks
USAGE:
tmpdisk [command] [options]
COMMANDS:
create Create a new RAM disk (default)
eject Eject a RAM disk
save Save RAM disk contents back to sync source
list List all TmpDisk volumes
help Show this help message
CREATE OPTIONS:
name=NAME Set the disk name (required)
size=SIZE[MB|GB] Set the disk size (default: 64MB)
fs=FILESYSTEM Set the filesystem type (default: APFS)
Available: APFS, APFSX, HFS+, TMPFS, HFSX, JHFS+, JHFSX
FLAGS:
-a, --autocreate Add to autocreate list (recreated on app startup)
-i, --indexed Enable Spotlight indexing
-w, --warn Warn on eject if volume has files
-x, --noexec Mount with noexec (requires admin)
-H, --hidden Hidden volume (nobrowse)
-e, --autoeject Eject when app quits
--folders=a,b,c Folders to create in volume
SYNC OPTIONS:
--sync=PATH Sync source folder (contents copied to/from RAM disk)
--sync-interval=N Auto-save interval in minutes (0 = manual only)
--save-on-eject=X Save on eject: yes, no, or prompt (default: prompt)
EJECT OPTIONS:
--force Force eject even if volume is in use
EXAMPLES:
# Basic usage
tmpdisk create name=MyDisk size=512MB fs=APFS --indexed --autocreate
tmpdisk name=MyDisk size=1GB --hidden --noexec
# With folder sync
tmpdisk name=Work size=2GB --sync=/path/to/project --save-on-eject=yes
tmpdisk name=Cache size=512MB --sync=/path/to/cache --sync-interval=5
# Other commands
tmpdisk save MyDisk # Save contents back to sync source
tmpdisk eject MyDisk
tmpdisk eject MyDisk --force
tmpdisk list
Note: TMPFS and --noexec require admin privileges.
When using sudo, the volume is created for the invoking user.
Volumes created via CLI will:
- Write a
.tmpdiskmetadata file so the GUI app can discover them - Appear in the GUI app's menu if the app is running
- Be added to autocreate list if
--autocreateflag is used - Sync from source folder on creation if
--syncis specified
As of 1.0.4 you can also run the app from the command line and pass in arguments to create a TmpDisk on startup.
open -a /Applications/TmpDisk.app --args -name=TestDisk -size=64
Will create a TmpDisk name TestDisk with 64MB space.