Help
Answers to common questions, and what to do when something does not go as expected. For a full walkthrough, read the guide.
Basics
Is it free?
Yes. There is no paid version, no account and no limit on how often you use it.
Are my files uploaded?
No. All the work is done by your browser on your own device. There is no server that receives files or file names. Details are on the privacy page.
Will it delete anything?
No files are ever deleted. If you switch on "Delete emptied folders", subfolders that the sort has emptied are removed. That is all.
Does it work without internet?
Once the page is open, yes. Sorting does not use the internet connection.
Which browsers work?
All current ones. Chrome and Edge on a computer sort the folder itself. Firefox, Safari and phones give you a sorted copy as a .zip file, because they do not let websites change files on your disk.
When selecting a folder
The browser asks whether to "upload" my files
Firefox and Safari use this wording whenever a page is allowed to read a folder. FileSort reads the files on your device and sends nothing anywhere. Choose Upload to continue.
"Can't open this folder because it contains system files"
Chrome and Edge show this for Downloads, Documents, Desktop and a few other system folders. Make a new folder inside it, move the files you want sorted into that folder, and select the new folder.
Dropping a folder on the page does nothing
Drag and drop works in Chrome and Edge. In other browsers, use the Select button.
On my phone I can only pick files, not a folder
Phones do not offer folder selection to websites. Select the files you want sorted and you get them back as a sorted .zip file.
When some files are not sorted
FileSort leaves a file alone when:
- it is inside a subfolder and "Include subfolders" is off;
- its name starts with a dot and "Include hidden files" is off;
- it is already in the right folder, for example a photo that is already in Images;
- it is desktop.ini or Thumbs.db, which belong to Windows;
- it is inside an app bundle, a code repository or a node_modules folder.
A file now has "(1)" in its name
Two files with the same name were headed for the same folder. Rather than overwrite one, FileSort numbers the second: report.pdf and report (1).pdf.
A file could not be moved
The message under the list names the file and the reason. Usually the file is open in another program, or was moved or deleted after the list was made. Close the program, press Refresh and sort again.
Undo
I do not see the Undo button
Undo exists in Chrome and Edge only, since other browsers never change your folder. In Chrome and Edge, make sure you selected the same folder you sorted. If the hidden file .filesort-undo.json was deleted from that folder, undo is no longer possible.
Undo skipped some files
A file is skipped if something else now has its old name in its old place, or if the sorted file was moved or deleted in the meantime. Nothing is overwritten. The message lists the files concerned.
Can I undo more than one sort?
Yes. Each press of Undo reverses one sort, newest first.
The sorted copy (.zip)
The folder is too large for a copy
A copy can hold up to 3.5 GB or 60,000 files. For more, use Chrome or Edge on a computer, where the folder is sorted directly, or sort the folder in parts.
How do I open the .zip file?
On Windows, right-click it and choose Extract All. On a Mac, double-click it. On Linux, right-click and choose Extract Here. You get a folder named after the original with "sorted" added.
Are the files in the copy compressed or changed?
No. They are stored exactly as they are, with their original dates.