Help · Settings
Every option in Settings, in the order the Mac app shows them, with the Windows differences noted. Most of them decide how fast or how cautiously FolioSort works; none of them changes a photo on its own.
A setting changes the next run, never files that are already organized. The two buttons that act on the spot — Rebuild… for the search indexes and Restore All for hidden faces — only touch FolioSort's own index files, never a photo.
Two safety nets cannot be switched off at all: Confirm before Move operations and Never delete originals automatically both read Always on.
On a Mac, Settings has five tabs: General, Safety & Integrity, Appearance, License and About. On Windows the same options are grouped as General, Conversational Search, Organizing, Safety & Integrity, License and About.
Launch at loginFree
Opens FolioSort when you log in. Off by default. Useful mainly if you use Watch Folders, which only run while the app is open.
Restore last sessionFree
Re-opens the source and destination you used last, so a folder you organize every week is already picked. On by default.
Show wizard for new foldersFree
The guided setup the first time a source folder is seen — see Wizard. Turn it off once you know which screen you want. On Windows the equivalent is Show setup wizard on next launch, which runs the first-time setup once more.
Completion sound · System notification on finishFree
How a long run tells you it is done. The sound is on by default; the system notification is off until you turn it on, and is the one to use when you start a big copy and walk away from the computer.
On the Mac this sits at the bottom of General; on Windows it has its own tab. It adds an Ask button to AI Search, so you can ask about your photos in a sentence. It needs the AI Search index and a paid license.
Enable conversational search
Only your typed question is sent, and only to the endpoint you set below — normally a local AI model that you run on your own computer, such as Ollama or LM Studio. Your photos are never sent, and nothing goes to FolioSort.
Endpoint · Model · API key (optional) · Test
http://localhost:11434/v1
for Ollama, http://localhost:1234/v1 for LM Studio.Verify after transferFree · on by default
After each file is copied or moved, FolioSort reads both copies back and compares a checksum, so nothing arrives corrupted. It more than doubles the time of a run — measured at 2.4×, about 16 seconds extra per GB — because every file is read twice more.
Leave it on for USB drives, SD cards and network shares, where a bad write is most likely. Turning it off is reasonable for a quick reorganization inside one internal SSD.
AlgorithmXXHash64 freeSHA-256 Pro
The checksum Verify after transfer uses. XXHash64 is very fast and reliable for catching a bad copy. SHA-256 is slower but cryptographically strong — the one to pick if you keep checksums for an archive or a client.
When duplicate foundDon't Move freeAsk · Automatic Pro
What happens when a file with the same name is already at the destination.
Replace never deletes: the file it replaces goes to the Trash (Recycle Bin on Windows).
Confirm before Move operations · Never delete originals automatically
Shown as Always on, and there is no switch. Every Move asks first, and no screen deletes a file permanently — removals go to the Trash and can be undone.
Tidy up folders a Move leaves emptyFree · off by default
A Move takes the files and leaves the old folder tree standing, which can look as if the photos vanished. With this on, source folders left with nothing in them go to the Trash after a Move. A folder that still holds any file is always kept, and the folders you picked yourself are never removed.
Search indexes · Rebuild…
AI Search and People keep an index of your photos so searching is instant; the line beside the button says how many photos each holds. Photos you delete drop out on the next scan automatically, so this is only for when results disagree with the disk. Rebuild… empties both indexes and the next scan builds them again, which takes as long as the first time. Photos are not touched and named people keep their names.
Hidden faces · Restore All
Everything you marked as Not a person in People — a wheel, a clock face, a blank frame — stays hidden across scans. Restore All brings every one of them back the next time People re-groups your photos. Use it when the Undo that appeared at the time is long gone.
Compact file rows · Show thumbnailsFree
Compact rows fit more files on screen in the source list. Thumbnails can slow down scans of very large libraries — turn them off if a scan of tens of thousands of files feels sluggish. On Windows, Show thumbnails is under Organizing.
Default folder templateWindows
Under Organizing on Windows: the folder structure new Organize sessions start with.
Accent ColorMac
FolioSort follows the accent colour set in macOS System Settings; there is nothing to change here.
Paste license… · Restore · Deactivate License
Where a key is entered, recovered after a reinstall, or released to move it to another computer. Each of these, and every error message activation can show, is on its own page: activating your license.
Check for Updates… · Release Notes
Looks for a newer version now instead of waiting for the automatic check, and opens what changed in each one. Updates are free.
Install ID · Copy
An anonymous code for this installation. It is not your license key and says nothing about you or your photos. If you write to support, pasting it lets us find your case in seconds.
FAQ
Only if speed matters more than proof. Verify after transfer reads both copies back and compares a checksum, which more than doubles the time of a run — measured at 2.4 times, about 16 seconds extra per GB. It is on by default because it is the check that proves no file arrived corrupted, which matters most on USB drives, SD cards and network shares.
It depends on When duplicate found in Settings. Don't Move, the free default, leaves the incoming file where it is. Ask Each Time shows both files and lets you choose Skip, Rename, Replace or Replace if Larger. Automatic applies the action you chose without asking. Replace never deletes: the file it replaces goes to the Trash.
Settings, Safety & Integrity, Search indexes, Rebuild…. Both indexes — AI Search and People — are emptied and rebuilt the next time you scan, which takes as long as the first time. Your photos are not touched, and people you have named keep their names. Photos you deleted drop out of the index on the next scan without needing this.