Move to Main Archive

Automatically arrange the photos into folders by date

In this article

Tonfotos provides a Move to main Archive function to keep your photo library tidy by organizing images into subfolders based on their creation date. This is especially useful for managing large folders, such as ones where you regularly download photos sent to you. You can move entire folders, specific groups of photos, and even handle duplicates right from this tool.

NOTE: You don't need to designate a "Main Archive" location to use this feature. Each time you move photos, you have the option to choose the destination.

How subfolders are named

Subfolder names are based on the photo's creation date as specified in the image metadata.
Photos are organized into <Year> folders, each containing subfolders named in the YYYY-MM-DD format. For example, a photo taken on October 29, 2024, is moved to a 2024/2024-10-29 subfolder.

Moving an entire folder with subfolders

Go to the Folders tab.
Right-click the folder you want to move, then select Move to main Archive..., or select Photo > Move to main Archive...
In the dialog that opens, select a library location from the Save to: drop-down list.

HINT: You can select the same library location where the folder is currently stored. This is useful if you want to organize the photos into subfolders within the same location, not moving them elsewhere.

The photos are moved to Year/Date subfolders in the selected location. If the source folder becomes empty after moving all files, it is deleted automatically.

Moving selected photos

You can do the same operation for only a few selected photos:

Select the photos in the main window. To select multiple photos, click the first photo, hold Shift, and click the last photo.
Press F6 or select Photo > Move to main Archive...
In the dialog that opens, select one of the library locations from the Save to: drop-down list.

Repeating the last operation

To repeat the same operation with more photos, press ShiftF6. The photos will be moved to the last used location.

WARNING: If an exact duplicate already exists in the Year/Date formatted subfolders, you will be prompted to choose if the photos should be kept or deleted. This is another way to remove duplicates from your library. See more in Duplicates.