RUGby
Download
Moves like real cloth
Grab it anywhere and it lifts, wrinkles and trails behind you, then relaxes flat wherever you let go.
A desktop rug for your Mac
Sweep it under the rug.
RUGby turns your desktop into a wooden floor with a soft, real-cloth rug on it. Drag messy icons underneath and they're out of sight. Move the rug to find them again.
Old stuff
taxes_FINAL_v3.pdf
Screenshot 2026-10-09.png
todo (2).txt
untitled folder 4
archive.zip
Drag the rug around, or sweep an icon under it.
Out of sight, out of mind
A tidy desktop without actually tidying. RUGby only changes what you see, never your files.
Your files stay put
Nothing is moved, renamed or deleted. Icons just sit on your desktop, underneath the rug.
Light that follows the sun
A patch of window light drifts across the floor through the day, and the room dims at night.
Stays out of your way
Clicks go straight through to your desktop everywhere except the rug itself.
Barely there
The physics only runs while the rug is moving. At rest it uses next to no CPU or battery.
Your floor, your rug
Pick a small, medium or large rug, or switch the wooden floor off and keep your own wallpaper.
How it works
-
Open RUGby
A wooden floor appears behind your icons, with a rug in the middle. RUGby lives in the menu bar .
-
Sweep things under it
Drag an icon onto the rug. The edge lifts, the icon slips underneath, and the rug settles over it.
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Lift it when you need it
Looking for something? Drag the rug aside and everything is right where you left it.
Install
- Download RUGby.dmg and open it.
- Drag RUGby into your Applications folder.
- Open RUGby. The first time, macOS may say it can't verify the app: click Done, then go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
- To start RUGby automatically, add it in System Settings → General → Login Items.
Questions
Does RUGby move or delete my files?
No. RUGby never touches your files. The rug is drawn on top of your desktop, so icons underneath are just covered up. Move the rug, or quit RUGby, and they're all still there.
Why does macOS say it can't verify RUGby?
This version isn't notarized by Apple yet, so macOS asks you to confirm you trust it the first time. Open it once, then click Open Anyway in System Settings → Privacy & Security. You only need to do this once.
My icons jump back out from under the rug.
Finder is arranging your desktop for you. Right-click the desktop, set Sort By to None, and turn off Use Stacks.
Will it slow down my Mac?
No. The cloth only simulates while the rug is moving, then goes to sleep. Sitting still, RUGby uses next to no CPU.
How do I quit or uninstall it?
Click the RUGby icon in the menu bar and choose Quit RUGby; your normal wallpaper comes straight back. To uninstall, drag RUGby from Applications to the Trash.