The Zella Library: Find, Open & Manage Your Recordings

Animated Zella library grid with search and format filters

Quick answer: Every recording you make lands in the Library. Open it with ⌘L or the menu-bar menu → Open Library. From there you can search captures by name, filter by format, open one straight into the editor, reveal it in Finder, or delete it — so you manage your recordings without hunting through folders.

On this page: what the Library is · open it · search & filter · open in editor · reveal & delete · where files live · impact · FAQ

What is the Library?

The Library is Zella’s built-in browser for everything you’ve captured. Instead of opening Finder and remembering which Zella_….mp4 was which, you get a visual grid of your recordings with search, format filters, and one-click actions. It’s the home base between recording and editing.

How to open the Library

Press ⌘L, or
Click the Zella icon in the menu bar → Open Library.

The Library window opens with your captures listed newest-first.

How to search and filter your recordings

Search: type in the “Search captures…” box to filter by file name instantly.
Filter by format: use the format filters to show only MP4, MOV, GIF, or M4A captures.

Combine them — e.g. search “demo” while filtered to MP4 — to find exactly the take you want.

How to open a recording in the editor

Double-click a capture (or right-click → Open in Editor). The Studio editor opens with that clip loaded, ready to cut, caption, and export — the same as if you’d just finished recording it.

How to reveal or delete a recording

Right-click any capture for its actions:

Open in Editor — load it into Studio.
Reveal in Finder — jump to the file on disk (to move, copy, or upload it).
Delete — remove the recording. (This is a destructive action — the capture is removed.)

Where do the files live?

Recordings are saved to your output folder — by default ~/Desktop/Zella — as Zella_<date>_<time>.mp4. The Library simply indexes that folder. You can change the output folder in the recording Setup panel (the Change link). Because the Library points at real files, Reveal in Finder always shows you the actual recording you can back up or share.

What the Library saves you

For content creators and video editors, the Library removes the friction between capture and edit:

No folder archaeology — search by name instead of scrubbing through dozens of timestamped files.
Straight to editing — open any past recording into Studio in one click, days or weeks later.
Safe housekeeping — filter, preview, reveal, and delete old takes to keep your drive tidy, all from one window.

Animated right-click menu with Open, Reveal and Delete actions

Library FAQ

Where do my Zella recordings go? To your output folder (default ~/Desktop/Zella). The Library lists them all — open it with ⌘L.

How do I re-open an old recording to edit it? Open the Library (⌘L), find the capture (search/filter), and double-click it or choose Open in Editor.

How do I find the actual file to upload it somewhere? Right-click the capture → Reveal in Finder.

Can I filter to just GIFs or audio exports? Yes — use the format filters (MP4 / MOV / GIF / M4A).

Does deleting in the Library remove the file? Yes — Delete removes the capture, so use it deliberately.

Pro tips & gotchas

Open the Library with ⌘L; it lists every capture newest-first.
Search by name and filter by format (MP4/MOV/GIF/M4A) together to find a take fast.
Right-click a capture for Open in Editor, Reveal in Finder, or Delete — Delete removes the file, so use it deliberately.
The Library indexes your output folder (default ~/Desktop/Zella); change it via Change in the Setup panel.