# How to move, rename and sort photos into date folders

> Right-click photos → Move to → Organise into date folders…, or batch rename with Rename… (F2) and a pattern like {date:yyyy-MM-dd}_{n:3}. Stars go with them.

Source: https://firelet.media/help/move-and-rename-photo-files
Published: 2026-11-05 · Updated: 2026-11-05
Applies to: Windows, macOS, Linux

To batch rename photos in firelet.media Gallery, select them, press [[F2]] (or right-click → **Rename…**), type a pattern such as `{date:yyyy-MM-dd}_{n:3}` and check the preview before pressing **Rename**. To move them, right-click → **Move to** → **Choose a folder…**, or **Organise into date folders…** to sort them into year and day folders. Both change the files on disk and keep your stars, keywords and albums attached.

## Moving files from inside the gallery

Most of what you do in the gallery (stars, keywords, edits, corrected dates) never touches your files. Moving and renaming are the exceptions: they really do move and rename the files on disk. Doing it from inside the gallery has one big advantage: "Stars, keywords, albums, faces and edits go with them", and any `.xmp` sidecar moves too.

If you move or rename photos in File Explorer instead, the gallery's next scan sees one file disappear and a new one arrive, so what it knew about the old file doesn't follow. If you have to use Explorer, write XMP sidecars first; **Import from XMP** in **Albums & keywords** can then read stars, labels, keywords and captions back.

The destination must be inside one of your library folders (Library → **Sources**). To move photos somewhere new, [attach that folder](https://firelet.media/help/add-photo-folders) first.

## Steps: move to a folder

1. Select the photos in the grid.
2. Right-click one of them and choose **Move to** → **Choose a folder…**.
3. In the **Move pictures** window, **Into one folder** is selected. Press **Choose…** and pick the destination.
4. Check the preview, **Where each picture goes**, and the summary under it, for example "120 will move · 3 already there".
5. Press **Move**.

Folders you've moved to recently are listed at the top of **Move to**. Choosing one moves the photos straight away when every one of them can go, and shows the preview when some can't.

## Steps: Organise into date folders…

1. Select the photos to sort. To take a whole folder, right-click any photo in it, choose **Filter by this folder**, then press [[Ctrl]]+[[A]].
2. Right-click and choose **Move to** → **Organise into date folders…**.
3. **Into date folders, by when each was taken** is selected. Under **Under**, pick the library folder to sort into.
4. Pick a **Layout** (see the table below).
5. Check **Where each picture goes**, then press **Move**.

For a photo taken on 14 July 2024:

| Layout | Folder |
|---|---|
| `yyyy\MM` | `2024\07` |
| `yyyy\yyyy-MM` | `2024\2024-07` |
| `yyyy\MM\dd` | `2024\07\14` |
| `yyyy\yyyy-MM-dd` | `2024\2024-07-14`, the same as Import uses |
| `yyyy` | `2024` |

> [!TIP]
> Date folders follow the dates the gallery shows, including your corrections. [Fix wrong dates](https://firelet.media/help/fix-photo-dates-and-times) first, or a trip taken with a camera on the wrong clock lands in the wrong folders.

## Steps: batch Rename… (F2)

1. Select the photos. They are numbered in grid order, so sort by **Oldest first** if you want the numbers to follow time.
2. Press [[F2]], or right-click and choose **Rename…**.
3. Type a pattern in **New names**. For several photos it starts as `{date:yyyy-MM-dd}_{n:3}`.
4. Check the preview: each file's current name beside what it becomes, and a summary such as "48 will be renamed".
5. Press **Rename**.

![The Rename dialog with a name pattern and a preview of old and new names](https://firelet.media/help/media/shot-rename-dialog.webp "Now and Becomes: check every new name before you press Rename")

The file extension never changes, so a JPEG stays a JPEG. If two photos would end up with the same name, or a name is already taken in that folder, the preview says so and those files are left alone.

## Name pattern tokens

| Token | Becomes |
|---|---|
| `{name}` | The original name, without its extension |
| `{n}` / `{n:3}` | A counter from 1; `{n:3}` pads it to 001, 002… |
| `{date:yyyy-MM-dd}` | When it was taken (or else modified). Change the format inside, e.g. `{date:yyyy-MM-dd_HHmmss}` |
| `{camera}` | The camera, once **Read camera data** has run |
| `{folder}` | The name of the folder it is in |
| `{title}` | The title you gave it |
| `{stars}` | Its star rating |
| `{place}` | City and country, once place names are looked up |

Mix tokens with your own text, for example `Iceland_{date:yyyy-MM-dd}_{n:3}` or `{folder}_{name}`. An unknown token is left as written, so a typo shows up in the preview instead of vanishing.

## What moves with the files

When you move or rename inside the gallery, everything it knows travels with each file: stars, flags and labels, keywords and albums, faces and names, edits, and corrected dates and places. Sidecar `.xmp` files move alongside. Nothing is copied. You end up with the same files in new places, still in every album, as explained in [albums and keywords](https://firelet.media/help/albums-and-keywords).

For more on sorting a messy collection, the blog covers [photos scattered across drives](https://firelet.media/blog/photos-scattered-across-drives) and [organising photos by date automatically](https://firelet.media/blog/organize-photos-by-date-automatically). New photos from a card can be filed by date as they come in, too; see [importing from an SD card or camera](https://firelet.media/help/import-from-sd-card-or-camera).

## Questions

### Do moves keep my ratings and albums?

Yes. Moving or renaming inside the gallery keeps its stars, keywords, albums, faces and edits with each file, and sidecar files move too.

### Which tokens can a name pattern use?

{name}, {n} or {n:3}, {date} (with a format such as {date:yyyy-MM-dd}), {camera}, {folder}, {title}, {stars} and {place}.

### Can I move photos to a folder outside my library?

No. The destination must be inside one of your library folders. Attach the folder in Library first, then move.