Frequently Asked Questions

TheOrganizer is a free, offline desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux that automatically sorts files in any folder into subfolders by file type. Select a folder, click "Organize Now," and TheOrganizer handles the rest — in seconds.

It comes with six built-in categories (PDFs, Images, Videos, Documents, Executables, ZIPs) and lets you create unlimited custom categories for any workflow.

TheOrganizer reads each file's extension, matches it against your configured folder types, creates the target subfolder if it doesn't exist, and moves the file there. The whole process takes seconds even for large folders.

1. Select a folder (or drag-and-drop it onto the app)
2. Optionally use Preview Mode to see what will be moved before committing
3. Click Organize Now — done

Yes — completely free. No trial period, no premium tier, no subscription, no sign-up required. Download and use it forever at no cost. If you find it useful, you can support the project optionally.

Out of the box, TheOrganizer handles 60+ file extensions across six categories:

• PDFs — .pdf
• Images — .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .svg, .webp, .heic, .heif, .raw, .cr2, .nef, .arw, .tiff, .ico
• Videos — .mp4, .avi, .mkv, .mov, .wmv, .flv, .webm, .m4v, .mpg, .3gp, .ts
• Documents — .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .txt, .rtf, .odt, .csv, .md, .epub, .pages, .numbers, .key
• Executables — .exe, .msi, .dmg, .pkg, .deb, .rpm, .sh, .bat, .cmd, .ps1, .appimage
• ZIPs — .zip, .rar, .7z, .tar, .gz, .bz2, .xz, .tgz, .cab, .iso

You can also create unlimited custom categories — for example, "Music" for .mp3/.flac/.wav, or "Source Code" for .js/.py/.go.

Yes. TheOrganizer is designed to be completely safe:

• Only moves files — never deletes them
• System protection — automatically blocks organizing Windows system directories (System32, Program Files, AppData, Windows folder, drive roots)
• Conflict-safe — renames duplicate filenames rather than overwriting (e.g., "report (2).pdf")
• Undo available — every operation can be reversed in one click

No. TheOrganizer only moves files into subfolders. It will never delete a file under any circumstance. If two files share the same name, it renames one automatically (e.g., photo (2).jpg) — nothing is overwritten or lost.

TheOrganizer works 100% offline. It does not require an internet connection at any point — not for installation, not for organizing files, and not for saving your settings.

Your files never leave your machine. There are no analytics, no telemetry, and no cloud uploads of any kind.

TheOrganizer has a built-in safety guard that blocks organizing protected Windows directories. This is intentional — accidentally reorganizing system folders could break your Windows installation. The following paths are always blocked:

• C:\Windows (and all subfolders)
• C:\Program Files and Program Files (x86)
• C:\ProgramData
• AppData (Roaming, Local, LocalLow)
• Drive roots (C:\, D:\, etc.)

Yes. After every organize operation, TheOrganizer saves a detailed undo journal. You can restore all moved files to their original locations with one click. The journal is kept until you run the next session, so undo is always available immediately after organizing.

Preview Mode shows you exactly which files would be moved and where — without actually moving anything. It's ideal for checking the results before committing to an organization. You can review the preview and then click "Organize Now" to proceed, or cancel without changes.

The Ignore List lets you specify filenames or patterns that TheOrganizer should always skip. For example: desktop.ini, thumbs.db, *.tmp, or README*. Wildcards (*) are supported.

Yes. Enable Recursive Mode (the "Include nested folders" checkbox) to organize files across the entire directory tree — not just the top-level folder. This is useful for media libraries or project folders with deep nesting.

Yes. Watch Mode monitors a folder in real time and automatically organizes new files as they arrive — perfect for your Downloads folder. When active, TheOrganizer runs in the system tray so it doesn't get in the way.

Your folder types, ignore list, and rules are saved locally on your device:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\TheOrganizer\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/TheOrganizer/
• Linux: ~/.config/TheOrganizer/

You can also export your config to a JSON file and import it on another machine using the Import / Export Config feature.

• Windows: Windows 10 and Windows 11 (64-bit) — installer (.exe) and Windows Store (.appx)
• macOS: macOS 10.15 Catalina and later — Universal Binary, Apple Silicon (M1–M4), or Intel (x64)
• Linux: Any modern 64-bit distribution — AppImage, .deb (Ubuntu/Debian), .rpm (Fedora/RHEL)

If you're not sure, download the Universal Binary — it runs natively on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.

• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4): Download the arm64 build for the smallest file size and best battery efficiency
• Intel Mac (pre-2020): Download the x64 build
• Not sure? Click Apple menu → About This Mac — look for "Chip" (Apple Silicon) or "Processor" (Intel)

Yes. TheOrganizer is available as:

• AppImage — runs on any 64-bit Linux distro without installation (just make executable and run)
• .deb — for Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, and other Debian-based systems
• .rpm — for Fedora, RHEL, CentOS, openSUSE

TheOrganizer focuses on being simple, free, and cross-platform:

• Hazel (Mac only, $42 one-time) — powerful rule engine, but paid and Mac-exclusive
• File Juggler (Windows only, €29/year) — subscription-based, Windows-only
• TheOrganizer — completely free, works on Windows + Mac + Linux, privacy-first, no cloud

See our full comparison page for a detailed breakdown.

You can reach us at amit@thehobbyist.in. We read every email and prioritize bugs and highly-requested features in upcoming releases.

The latest release is v1.3.0. See the full Changelog for what's new in each version.