How to automatically organize files in Windows: an overview of the best applications

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Fortunately, there are special programs that are designed to help users with this task. And the better the organization of personal files will be built, the faster it will be possible to extract the necessary information from them.

In this article, we’ll talk about several great applications that can help you automatically organize and organize different types of files in Windows.

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File Juggler (automatic file organization)

If you are having problems organizing files on your computer, then consider using the automation utility. File Juggler tracks changes to folders and performs actions based on a set of rules. The application uses standard if-and-if conditional statements in IFTTT format (If This Then That is a free web service that creates chains of simple conditional statements called applets). With File Juggler, you can rename files, move, copy, extract from archives and much more.

Before using the application, make an initial plan of what you want to do with the files. Press button Add (Add) and enter a brief description of the action. Add the folder for which you want to perform the action in the section Monitor (Observation). And in the section If (If) add your processing condition.

Additional information on possible options for conditions is on this page. Finally, select the action you want to perform on your files in the field Then (Then).

Features and unique features:

• File Juggler allows you to control the contents of folders and automatically moves or copies the files you need.
• File Juggler can search for keywords or dates in the contents of files, as well as move or rename them.

• Automatically delete files that you do not need. Make it easy to find what you need and save disk space.

• File Juggler allows you to move and rename files based on the contents of a PDF file with the ability to search in it. This can be used to organize bills, credit card statements, and pieces of information.
• The application allows you to create variables for the precise organization of various types of content. Variables can be the file name, path to it, date, file properties, and much more.
• There is a separate journal tab called Log, (Log) which will help you track and verify the correct operation of the application.

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Download FileJuggler (Free trial for 30 days or $ 40)

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DropIt (automatic file organization)

The free DropIt application is open source and works on the same principle as File Juggler. To organize your files, you will need to create rules and actions. Right click on the floating icon and select Associations (Associations).

Then press the button Plusto create your own rules. Then drag and drop files or folders onto the DropIt icon to start processing them (see video below).

Like File Juggler, you can define a folder for logs or use integration with Sendto (Send to …) to transfer the results of processing files and folders.

You can determine how to filter your content: by name, date, size, property and use any of the 21 available actions. These include downloading, renaming, encryption, compression, changing properties, and more.

Field Rules (Rules) is a powerful DropIt function for creating filters. Here it works better than in File Juggler. With various types of characters, abbreviations and regular expressions, you can create unique filters for files: by name, extension or type.

Russian localization can be downloaded on the program website.

Unique features:

• Group associations in different profiles. For example, you can set up one association for an office computer and another for a home computer. Switching between profiles is easy.
• There are several exclusive actions in the application, including the function of splitting and combining files, creating a list of files in HTML format, creating a playlist, sending files by e-mail and much more.
• You can set a timer to monitor folders at set intervals. DropIt will also show you a progress window for monitored folders.
• The application also supports the use of environment variables in the field Destination (Appointment). This makes it possible to use the abbreviated file name instead of the full with the path, as well as reducing the date of creation or change, etc.

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Download DropIt (free)

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PhotoMove (automatic organization of photos based on EXIF ​​data)

Photo organizing applications such as Adobe Lightroom make it very easy to organize photos according to EXIF ​​data. If for some reason you do not use such applications, then cataloging and sorting all the numerous photos in folders is a real headache. Organizing photos on a computer with limited metadata support is a tedious manual task.

PhotoMove is an application that uses EXIF ​​data to automatically move (or copy) and sort photos into folders based on the actual date. To get started, select the source folder with your photos. Then set the destination folder.

Press button Move (Move) or Copy (Copy) to process your files. If necessary, go to the settings and define the folder structure, rules for processing duplicates, file types and much more.

Unique features:

• PhotoMove works great with NAS arrays. If you have an extensive collection of photos, you can directly move and sort photos in the NAS itself.
• Select the desired type of folder structure to organize your images. In the free version you can organize photos by year, month, date. The pro version has already ten different options.
• PhotoMove supports command line syntax. You can use the command line or command file to organize your photo collection.
• If your photos do not have EXIF ​​data, you can use the file date to sort or put photos without EXIF ​​data in a separate folder.

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Download PhotoMove (free, Pro version: $ 9)

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TagScanner (automatic music collection organization)

Anyone with a huge collection of music knows how hard it is to manage a poorly organized music library. And although the file name is important, the main thing is its metadata, which contains all the important information, including artist, album, year of release, cover art and much more. Editing metadata is a time consuming and complex task.

TagScanner is an application that allows you to organize and manage music collections. It includes many built-in configuration settings for editing tags of various audio formats.

Press button Browse for folder (Search in folder) to download audio files. The application will read their metadata and display them according to the sort mode.

Unique features:

• Extended text replacement and conversion functions in tags and file names are supported.
• An application can rename and reorganize audio files as a group. You can create a new folder structure based on the tag structure.
• TagScanner allows you to view tags and covers from online databases before putting them in mp3 files.
• You can create playlists and export information in CSV, HTML, M3U, etc.

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Download TagScanner (free)

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FileBot (batch rename movies and TV shows)

People who like to store movies or TV shows on their computer have common common problems: incorrect file names, lack of subtitled files, incomplete information. FileBot is a utility application that helps automate the task of organizing and renaming media files.

FileBot has an interface in the form of two panels. Drag the media folder to the panel Original Files (Original files). On the panel New Names (New Names) click Fetch Data (To get data). The application will try to automatically match your files with data from various online databases. As soon as you confirm the selected information, click Rename.

Unique features:

• FileBot can scan file names to find out which shows, seasons and episodes are contained in the video. It depends only on you how you decide to name the media files and want to organize them.
• The program will allow you to see a complete list of all episodes of your favorite series. Just find your show, select the source and sort order.
• The application also allows you to manually search and download subtitles, view them and fix encoding problems in different languages.
• Retrieve covers, posters, and create NFO files for your music library. If you use a Kodi media player, FileBot can fix various metadata related issues.

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Download FileBot (Paid, $ 6 per year subscription)

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Listary (convenient file search)

The automation applications discussed above will help you organize your files. Once you sort them, you will need a search tool. Listary is an excellent application for such a task, with which you can quickly find the files you need.

When you start it for the first time, Listary will ask you to configure the keyboard shortcuts.

Go to Options → Hotkeys (Options → Hotkeys) and enter a combination. When you press a hot key, a search popup appears on the screen. The Listary Fuzzy Search function recognizes the suffix, prefix, or any part of the file name. The results are instantly displayed in the search box.

Unique features:

• Listary integrates easily with a dialog box for quickly opening and saving files. You can search for files in any application that uses a dialog box to open them.
• Use the hotkey to quickly switch to the folder with the file you are working with. Open files faster without manually navigating the Open File dialog box.
• You can set custom keywords for any number of folders. Search for files only in the folder you need.
• Create shortcuts for files, folders, and applications that you often use.

The application will seem like a good alternative to the native file search function in Windows Explorer.

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Download Listary (free, Pro version: $ 20)

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How to manage your files

In fact, organizing personal files on Windows is a tedious job. But if one day you do not spend your time on it, then sooner or later, with the accumulation of files, it will lead to loss of performance and discomfort.

With the applications discussed above, you can organize files and control this process without much effort. Create a new digital habit for yourself, especially since it will also provide fresh ideas for managing files on your computer.

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