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The basics

Getting started

From first launch to your first item.

What you need

  • A Mac running macOS 27, or an iPhone or iPad running iOS 27 or iPadOS 27.
  • An iCloud account signed in on the device, if you want the catalogue to sync between devices and to keep photos and documents in iCloud Drive. Collections. works without iCloud, but then everything stays on the one device.

First launch

  1. The loading screen shows the Collections. mark, then the entry screen. Press Enter.
  2. A short welcome tour opens the first time only. It has four steps:
    • Welcome to Collections. explains what the app does.
    • Make it yours. asks for your name, your currency and an accent colour. The name becomes the byline on reports. All three can be changed later in Settings.
    • Sync and reminders. shows whether iCloud sync is on and offers to turn on loan reminders. Both are optional.
    • You're all set. offers Add Your First Piece, Import a Spreadsheet or Not now.
  3. You land on the Home hub.

You can watch the tour again from Settings ▸ About ▸ Replay Onboarding.

Your first collection

  1. On the Home hub, choose New Collection. On the Mac you can also use File ▸ New Collection or the shortcut ⇧⌘C.
  2. Give it a name and pick a Type. The type decides what the app calls your items and makers, and which fields the item form shows. There are 27 to choose from, and you can build your own. See Collection types.
  3. Pick a Library Layout: Artist Folders groups items by maker, Flat Grid shows every item in one grid. You can change this later.
  4. Press Create.

Not sure which type? Pick the closest one. Items keep their details if you change the type later.

Your first item

  1. Open the collection and press + (⌘N on the Mac). The form is titled after the type: New Artwork, New Vintage, New Volume and so on.
  2. Add a photo. Drop an image onto the form, or use Photos & Video, Files or, on iPhone and iPad, Camera.
  3. Enter a title and a maker. That is enough to save.
  4. The Status switch at the top says whether the item is In Collection, For Sale or Sold.
  5. Press Save, or Save & Add Another to keep going.

Some types can fill the form for you. For a book, scan the ISBN barcode or type the ISBN and press Look Up. For a car, enter the plate. For wine, photograph the label. See Capture and scanning.

Add a value

Open the item and enter an Insurance value. You can enter it in any supported currency, and the app converts everything to your base currency for totals and reports. The Home hub and Insights now show what the collection is worth.

Turn on sync and a backup

  • Sign in to iCloud on the device. Settings ▸ Sync reads Signed in to iCloud once the account is seen, and edits start flowing to your other devices. See iCloud sync.
  • Settings ▸ Data ▸ Backups keeps an encrypted daily snapshot on the device. Press Create Backup Now to make the first one. See Exporting and backups.

Already have a spreadsheet?

Open the Imports section and choose CSV or Excel. Every sheet is read, the columns are matched to the item's fields, and you see a preview before anything is written. A folder of photos and PDFs works too. See Importing.

Want something to look at first?

Settings ▸ Data ▸ Demonstration Collection adds The Influential Twenty, an ordinary collection of twenty landmark artworks with values, locations and notes, so every screen has something to show. Delete it whenever you like. Load Sample Collection adds a smaller set of three artists, two collections and three items.