Organize

Organize sorts a messy pile of files into a small set of folders. Select the files, and NameQuick reads them, proposes folders, and shows you exactly where every file will go. AI does the reading; you approve everything before anything moves — and the whole batch can be undone with one click.

When to use it#

Reach for Organize when you have a pile that already exists — a Downloads folder with 200 mixed files, an old archive, a project handoff — and you want it sorted into folders without setting anything up first.

Organize or Rules — which one do you need?#

Both file things into folders, but they solve opposite halves of the same problem:

The rule of thumb: Organize cleans up the past, Rules keep the future clean. They chain naturally — run Organize once to dig out, then set up Rules in a watch folder so the pile never comes back.

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How it works#

A run has six steps, and you can stop at any point before the last one without touching a single file on disk.

1. Start it#

Select the files you want to sort, then click Organize (the folder icon next to Smart Rename in the floating action bar). A small popover asks Organize N files? before anything runs, with two toggles:

• Rename files — each file gets a folder and a clear name. Off, and each file just gets a folder.
• Read file contents — reads text inside documents and PDFs for more accurate sorting. Images, video, and audio aren't read. When this is on with a cloud provider, a note reminds you: "File text is sent to your AI provider."

Your active AI model is shown at the bottom (AI model: …). On managed runs, a credit estimate appears too — "Up to N credits · N left". Nothing plans, spends, or moves until you click Organize here.

2. Find the best folders#

NameQuick reads the selection and proposes a set of destination folders ("Finding the best folders"). This step just reads — nothing is filed yet.

3. Approve the folders#

The Sort into these folders? sheet shows the proposal as a rail of folder chips, each with a per-folder count. This is your structure, so you stay in control:

• Rename any folder, or edit its description — what goes in this folder — to steer the AI.
• Add match words: files whose name or content contains one of these words go straight to that folder, instantly and without AI.
• Add your own folders, or remove ones you don't want.
• Don't like the grouping? Suggest again — a fresh set, or group by type, year, sender, or work vs. personal.

Click Use these folders when the set looks right.

4. Sorting#

The file list itself becomes the progress view. As each file is classified, it dims and then settles back in with a teal → folder chip showing where it's headed. If you turned on renaming, a naming pass runs afterward ("Naming your files"). Progress reads "N of N files" in the floating bar.

5. Review#

The list regroups by destination folder. Each header shows a count and a New folder marker for folders that don't exist yet. Every file shows its thumbnail, its proposed name, and its old name — so you can see exactly what's changing. Hover any row for Move to… or Leave in place.

Files NameQuick couldn't confidently place sit in an amber Needs a look group, each with an inline folder picker. The floating bar reads Move N files.

6. Move — and undo if you like#

Click Move and the whole batch is filed in one operation (and renamed, if you enabled it). Afterwards a receipt confirms "Moved N files" with Undo right there — one click restores every file to where it was.

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Editing the proposed folders#

The Sort into these folders? sheet is fully editable before you commit. Three levers matter most:

Folder chips. Tap a chip to open its editor. Rename the folder, or edit the "What goes in this folder" description — that description is what the AI uses to decide what belongs, so it's your strongest steering tool. Add folders the AI missed with Add folder, and remove ones you don't want.

Match words. Add words to a folder and any file whose name or content contains one of them is sorted there instantly, without the AI. Match words are free, deterministic, and useful for folders with an obvious rule — anything containing invoice, say.

Suggest again. If the whole grouping misses, Suggest again gives you a fixed set of angles instead of a free-text prompt: Try again for a fresh set, or group by type, year, sender, or work vs. personal. A flaky retry never destroys your current folders — if it fails, your existing set stays put and a note explains why.

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Nothing moves until you approve#

Organize is built so a run can't surprise you:

• The confirm step comes first. The popover shows what will happen — and the credit estimate, on managed runs — before any AI work starts.
• Cancel is free until Move. Everything through discovery, sorting, and review is a proposal. Cancel at any point and nothing on disk has changed.
• Ambiguous files are never force-moved. Files the AI can't confidently place land in Needs a look with an inline picker. Move never waits on them — you can file the rest and come back.
• Every run ends in a review screen. You see every destination, every new folder, and every proposed name before committing.
• Undo reverts the whole batch. After Move, one click on Undo restores every file to where it was.

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AI providers and privacy#

Organize runs on whatever AI you've already set up. There's no separate configuration.

• Local models (Ollama, LM Studio, or MLX): everything runs on your Mac and no file text leaves the machine. Local models can be less accurate on mixed folders — if many files land in Needs a look, try a stronger cloud model or define the folders manually.
• Your own API key (BYOK — OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and more): Organize stays on the provider you chose. When Read file contents is on, file text is sent to that provider.
• Managed AI: no setup and no keys. Before a run, the confirm popover shows a credit estimate ("Up to N credits · N left") as an upper bound — you confirm that estimate by clicking Organize, and you're never charged more than the number you saw.

Match words are always free and never involve the AI, on any provider.

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FAQ#

Does Organize rename files too? Only if you ask it to. Rename files in the confirm popover is a toggle. With it on, each file gets a folder and a clear name (a naming pass runs after sorting); with it off, files keep their names and only move. Names worth a second look land in Review first.

What happens to files it can't place? They go into the amber Needs a look group with an inline folder picker, instead of being forced into a folder. Move files the rest of the batch without waiting — the unplaced files stay exactly where they are until you decide.

Can I undo a move? Yes. After Move, the receipt shows an Undo button that reverts the entire batch in one click, restoring every file to its original location. If some files couldn't move, you'll see how many, and Undo still applies to the rest.

Does cancelling cost anything? No. Everything before you click Move — reading files, proposing folders, sorting, review — is a proposal. Cancel at any point and nothing on disk has changed. On managed runs, credits are only committed against the estimate you confirmed when the move runs.

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Organize is coming soon. Want it sooner or have a workflow in mind? Tell us on the roadmap. Until then, Smart Rename names files and Rules keep new files filed automatically.