Make AI Do Your Bidding.
DEVONthink is the most powerful research and AI database on the Mac, iPad, and iPhone. This Field Guide takes you from a blank database to a system that files, finds, and connects everything for you. Soup to nuts.
You’re drowning in files. DEVONthink can fix that.
PDFs, scans, web clippings, email, screenshots, notes. They pile up across a dozen folders and apps, and when you need one of them, it’s gone. You know there’s a better way. You’ve heard the way is DEVONthink.
Then you open it.
DEVONthink is one of the deepest apps on the Mac. Databases, indexing, smart groups, smart rules, an honest-to-goodness AI engine. It’s all there, and it’s a lot. Most people buy it, poke around, feel the weight of it, and quietly go back to the messy Downloads folder.
That’s the gap this Field Guide closes. It starts at zero and walks every piece in plain language, with downloadable sample data so you’re never just watching. By the end, you’re not fighting the app. You’re running it.
Get everything in. Let the AI do the rest.
DEVONthink really comes down to two moves. First you get your stuff in, from any source. Then you let the app’s intelligence help you organize it and find it again.
Capture is everywhere. Scan a document, clip a web page, import your email, drop in from the share sheet, run OCR on an image. Then the smart side takes over. Smart Rules file things automatically the moment they arrive. See Also and Classify surface connections between documents you’d never have spotted yourself.
This guide teaches both halves, step by step, with a sample database you build alongside me. The automation chapter alone, Smart Rules and Smart Groups, is the part long-time users keep telling me was worth the whole price.
No scripting required to start. Just your files, finally under control.
Watch 40 minutes of the course
Want to see the teaching style before you commit? Here you go. A free 40-minute sample, the same clear, walk-a-friend-through-it pace as the rest of the course.
If it clicks, the other hundred-plus videos will too. If it doesn’t, no hard feelings.
The whole app, one piece at a time
DEVONthink is broad. The course breaks it into pieces you can actually learn, then shows how they fit together into one system. Here’s the shape of it.
Databases Done Right
Set up databases the way that scales, not the way that paints you into a corner. When to use one big database, when to use many, and how to keep them healthy.
Capture From Anywhere
Scans, email, web pages, the share sheet, OCR on images. Every on-ramp into DEVONthink, plus the all-important difference between importing and indexing.
Smart Rules & Smart Groups
The automation heart of the app. Set rules that file, rename, tag, and OCR on their own, and smart groups that gather what you need without lifting a finger.
The AI Engine
See Also, Classify, and the Concordance. DEVONthink’s intelligence reads your library and surfaces connections and filing suggestions you would never find by hand.
Search & the Inspector
Find anything fast with the search bar and advanced operators, then read every detail about a document through the Inspector panes.
Everywhere You Are
Sync your databases safely, then carry them on iPad and iPhone with DEVONthink To Go. The mobile app gets its own full section.
A system, not a pile
By the end you won’t just understand DEVONthink. You’ll have a working system you trust, and the confidence that whatever you put in, you can find again.
- Databases set up the right way, ready to grow with you.
- A capture habit that gets every file into one trusted place.
- Smart Rules that file and tag your documents while you sleep.
- The search and AI chops to find anything in seconds.
- Your whole library in your pocket with DEVONthink To Go.
- The paperless, find-it-fast confidence longtime users rave about.
“My best purchase this year”
“As a DEVONthink user for over 10 years with a database of over 30,000 items, I’d consider myself sophisticated. David’s Field Guide was like an intricately detailed map and a high-beam flashlight. Workspaces and Smart Rules were worth the price of the Guide alone.”
“I’ve always been interested in digging into DEVONthink but hesitated because of the learning curve. Now that David’s released this field guide, that hesitation is gone. Every field guide I’ve gone through has allowed me to make monumental progress.”
“At last I understood the difference between indexing and copying docs, saw the benefits of separate databases, and most importantly got to understand smart groups and smart rules. This field guide has transformed and amplified my use of the application. My best purchase this year!”
“I had files, notes, emails, website captures, and screenshots stored in various locations with no way to find them again. David walks you through every step. I’m only halfway through and can’t believe how organized my files are, and the confidence I have that I can find what I need.”
“A few years ago I decided to go paperless and have been using DEVONthink for scanned documents. The course opened my eyes to features I hadn’t been using. The search and linking features I discovered in the MacSparky course make this a superb resource.”
“If you’ve wanted to use DEVONthink but haven’t known where to start, or tried and gave up, or if you know the basics but want to go deeper, I think you can’t go wrong with the DEVONthink Field Guide.”
More from people who took the course. Hover any card to pause.
“In his typical thorough and logical manner, David takes you step-by-step through everything you need to get the most out of DEVONthink. Excellent, and a steal for the value!”
“I was astounded by the number of features I didn’t know were in DEVONthink until I watched David do his magic. This course has something for everyone interested in helping their data work for them.”
“I knew I’d not only buy the course immediately, but that I’d finally understand what I long wanted to know. I’m getting exactly what I need to build, organize, and leverage my system.”
“I have spent years messing around with these software packages and not getting anywhere. You have a great way of presenting the software and it is a real pleasure to learn from you.”
“Your explanation of DEVONthink was incredibly easy to follow, and I especially appreciate your presentation’s focus.”
“Just finished the DEVONthink Field Guide. Fantastic! I’ve been using DT for quite a few years, but I knew I wasn’t making full use of it. Bought the field guide and learned a ton!”
“David’s instruction was so concise that even before the mid-point of the course, I found myself able to use DEVONthink much sooner than I had anticipated.”
Who this is for, and who it is not
This is for you if
You’re ready to get your files under control.
- You’ve got files scattered across folders, apps, and devices.
- You bought DEVONthink, felt the learning curve, and bounced off it.
- You’re going paperless, or doing research, school, or legal work.
- You want the app’s automation and AI working for you, not gathering dust.
- You use a Mac, and an iPad or iPhone you’d like in the loop too.
This is not for you if
Be honest with yourself on these.
- You’re on Windows or a PC. DEVONthink is Apple only.
- You want a lightweight notes app. DEVONthink is a serious database.
- You’re not willing to spend a few evenings learning a deep tool.
- You only have a handful of files and no plans to grow.
Twenty-three sections, one clear path
From your first database to a system that runs on its own, with full PDF and ePub transcripts and closed captioning throughout. Downloadable sample data lets you build right alongside me.
Get Set Up & Get Everything In
Why DEVONthink, how the app is built, and every way to capture your stuff into it.
- Install, interface, views, and workspaces
- Creating and managing databases
- Import vs. index, the share extension, OCR, scanning, and the Sorter
Organize & Find
Turn a pile of files into a structure you trust, then find anything in it instantly.
- Groups, tags, flags, labels, duplicates, and replicants
- Working with PDFs, images, and websites
- DEVONthink links, WikiLinks, search, and advanced search
The Inspector, Email & Automation
The deep tools, including the chapter long-time users say was worth the whole price.
- Every Inspector pane, including See Also and Classify
- Importing email and the Apple Mail plugin
- Templates, Smart Groups, and Smart Rules, basic to advanced
Mobile, Sync & the Power Users
Take it everywhere, keep it in sync, and watch how the experts run their own setups.
- DEVONthink To Go on iPad and iPhone, plus DEVONthink Server
- Syncing safely, preferences, and third-party apps
- Bonus: Power User setups from Kourosh Dini, Stephen Hackett, and more
The Power Users section is a highlight on its own: full interviews with Kourosh Dini, Stephen Hackett, Jonathan Buys, David Hall, Burton Hable, and Gabe Weatherhead, each walking through how they really use DEVONthink.
One price. Everything included.
No subscription. No upsells. No tiers. One purchase, and the whole guide is yours.
Everything, $49
- 100+ video lessons, 8.5 hours of streaming or downloadable instruction
- Downloadable sample data sets and scripts to follow along
- Full PDF and ePub transcripts, every lesson captioned
- Full coverage of DEVONthink To Go on iPad and iPhone
- The Power Users bonus interviews
- Lifetime access, on any device you own
Check out with Stripe
Secure checkout, taxes handled, receipt in your inbox.
Your invite arrives
A second email lands moments later with your personal access link.
Start organizing
Everything is waiting in the MacSparky community, sample data ready to download.
David Sparks
David started MacSparky in 2007 and has spent the years since teaching people to get more out of their technology and their time. He programmed his first computer in 1980 and has been on a quest to be more productive with Apple gear ever since.
He publishes the MacSparky blog, cohosts the Mac Power Users and Focused podcasts, and runs the MacSparky Labs, where he goes deep on workflows every week. He’s a past speaker at Macworld and the ABA TechShow, and he ran his entire law practice on a paperless system built around tools like DEVONthink.
DEVONthink is where David keeps the research, documents, and reference material behind nearly everything he makes. This guide hands that hard-won system straight to you.
Frequently asked
Do I need to own DEVONthink first? +
Yes. DEVONthink is a separate app from DEVONtechnologies, and it offers a free trial. The early lessons cover comparing the editions, downloading, and installing, so you can follow along from the start.
Will this work on my iPad and iPhone? +
Yes. DEVONthink is an Apple app, and the course covers the Mac plus DEVONthink To Go on iPad and iPhone, with a full section on the mobile app, syncing, and even DEVONthink Server. There’s no Windows or Android version of DEVONthink.
I’m brand new to DEVONthink. Is this too advanced? +
Not at all. The course starts at zero with why you’d use DEVONthink and a gentle demonstration, then builds up. It’s written to be accessible to beginners and useful to power users, and longtime users keep telling me they learned features they never knew existed.
How is the course delivered? +
The Field Guide lives in the MacSparky community on Circle. After you buy, you get two emails: a receipt from the payment processor, then an invitation with your access link. Click it, set up your account, and every video, transcript, and data set is waiting for you.
Can I download the videos and follow along with the data? +
Yes. The videos stream or download, you get PDF and ePub transcripts, and the course includes downloadable sample data sets and scripts so you can build a real database right alongside the lessons.
What’s the refund policy? +
14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. If the course isn’t for you, write in within the first 14 days and you get a full refund.
Make AI do your bidding
Every file you can’t find is a file DEVONthink could have filed for you. Learn the two moves, get everything in and let the intelligence work, and your Mac becomes the research assistant you always wanted.