To Recycle Bin D:\Family Archive\2019\08\IMG_4821.CR2
Same storage volume as another copy
This copy will remain
Folio for Windows
You capture the moments.Folio organizes the memories.
Every photograph, in its place.
The whole idea
You kept everything.Folio gives it a place.
- 01 · Scattered Four drives. One collection.
Folders inside folders named New folder (3). You keep all of it, just in case.
- 02 · Read Folio reads. It never touches.
What each photograph is, when it was taken, whether it has a twin. The scan changes nothing.
- 03 · Placed Then, with your approval, order.
Each photograph goes where it belongs, and every move is checked against the plan.
By the numbers
You ask what is there.Folio counts it.
- 128,432
- photographs read in one library
- 84.2 GB
- shown as reclaimable before anything moved
- 0
- photographs uploaded, ever
- 3
- activations on one license
The first two figures come from the library in Folio’s own design canvas, Family Archive (D:). They show what the app reports, not an average you should expect.
The app
You open Folio.Folio shows the whole archive at once.
How many photographs, one line of facts, a timeline of when they were taken, and three doors. No dashboard, no invented health score.
The interfacerebuilt on this page, not a screenshot.
Folio Family Archive (D:) 128,432 photographs
Taken on 1,070 days since 201884.2 GB reclaimableLast scan Today 14:22
When they were takenBusiest month: August 2019 · 1,584 photographs
01
Organize by date
Into year and month folders, alongside your photographs.
Open 02
Find duplicates
Files that are byte-for-byte identical. You decide what to keep.
Open 03
Rename in bulk
Consistent names for many files at once, with a preview first.
Open Changes require approval No job running Activity
Try it
You drop a folder.Folio shows the plan first.
Three steps, the same ones the app walks you through on day one. Drag the folder, or just press the buttons.
Live demoit runs in this page. Nothing here touches your computer.
Folio Family Archive (D:) Pictures8 of 1,248 shown
By datePreview
2019\08
2021\12
2024\05
8 planned · Nothing has moved
Drop a folder.
Folio scans it. Your files stay exactly as they are.
1 of 3
Changes require approval No job running Activity
01 · Organize by date
You pick the folders.Folio files them by the day they were taken.
The date the camera recorded, not the date Windows stamped on the copy. Change a choice and watch the plan change with it.
Try itevery control works. The plan updates as you choose.
Folders
Folder names
Only the date the camera recorded is used. A photograph without one stays where it is.
5photographs will move
Into year and month folders.
Inside D:\Family Archive. Nothing leaves this folder, and nothing is put on top of another photograph.
The plan
IMG_4821.CR2 2019\08\
IMG_4822.CR2 2019\08\
DSC_0043.JPG 2019\08\
MVI_0071.MP4 2021\12\
IMG_8012.HEIC 2024\05\
neg_0112.tif Stays: no capture date
New folders 6
- 2019\
- 2019\08\
- 2021\
- 2021\12\
- 2024\
- 2024\05\
Changes require approval Plan ready · nothing has moved Activity
02 · Find duplicates
You choose what to keep.Folio proves what is identical.
Mark copies yourself, protect one with Keep as backup, or let Folio choose. Try marking all four.
Try itmark, protect, review, then remove.
To Recycle Bin To Recycle Bin D:\Family Archive\Old phone\IMG_4821 (1).CR2
Same storage volume as another copy
This copy will remain
To Recycle Bin D:\Family Archive\Unsorted\IMG_4821 - Copy.CR2
Same storage volume as another copy
This copy will remain
To Recycle Bin E:\Backup 2020\IMG_4821.CR2
This copy will remain
0 copies moved to the Recycle Bin. You can put any of them back from the Windows Recycle Bin.
Move these copies to the Recycle Bin?
0 copies would be moved to the Recycle Bin
This is not permanent deletion. Anything moved stays in the Windows Recycle Bin until you empty it yourself.
Changes require approval Results reflect the current catalog Activity
- Identical content, not a matching name
- One copy of every photograph always remains
- Removed copies go to the Recycle Bin
When Windows cannot guarantee a copy can be restored, Folio refuses and says why: on USB flash drives and SD cards, on exFAT drives, when the Recycle Bin is off or too full, and for a file larger than the Recycle Bin. Nothing is ever deleted permanently instead.
03 · Rename in bulk
You name it once.Folio names them all.
Names you will still understand in ten years. Only the name changes: every photograph stays in its folder and keeps its file type.
Try ittype any name. The preview follows every keystroke.
Type the name only. Each photograph keeps its own file type.
Number them by
Counting from one, in the order shown: 001, 002, 003.
Between the name and the number
6photographs will be renamed
IMG_4821.CR2 Bali 2019 001.CR2
IMG_4822.CR2 Bali 2019 002.CR2
DSC_0043.JPG Bali 2019 003.JPG
MVI_0071.MP4 Bali 2019 004.MP4
neg_0112.tif Bali 2019 005.tif
IMG_5120.HEIC Bali 2019 006.HEIC
Renamed in place. Name collisions are flagged, never silently overwritten.
Changes require approval Preview only · nothing renamed yet Activity
The gallery
You see photographs.Folio handles the filenames.
Tiles carry the photograph and nothing else. Names, paths, sizes and dates belong to a photograph you have opened.
Try itthe controls work. Click a photograph, then press Escape.
Changes require approval Scale: M · Sorted by capture date Activity
Scale is a control, not a setting
S, M, L: contact sheet, normal, close reading. The main decision on this page, so it is not buried in a menu.
The viewer covers the wall
Opening a photograph does not navigate away. Escape reads as putting a print back down.
Video and photo, told apart
A clip is indistinguishable from a still frame, so it carries one small badge. Nothing else sits on a tile.
The rules it keeps
Folio never changes a file you have not seen in a plan. Scanning only reads. Removed copies go to the Recycle Bin, where you can put them back. One copy of every photograph always remains. Every change is checked against the plan. And if a job is interrupted, Folio tells you exactly what finished, and what did not.
The promise
Understand before you move.Verify before you remove.
Folio doesn't ask you to trust it. It shows you everything first, so you can check.
Watch it runthe plan below approves itself, then verifies every change
What will happen
12,480 files into 31 month folders
Into D:\Family Archive, arranged by the date each photograph was taken. Same drive. Nothing is copied off it, and nothing is deleted.
IMG_4821.CR2 2019_08\
IMG_4822.CR2 2019_08\
DSC_0043.JPG 2019_08\
IMG_4830.CR2 2019_08\
neg_0112.tif 2004_06\
neg_0113.tif 2004_06\
6 of 12,480 shown. The full plan is paged and scrollable before you approve it, including what will not be done and why.
The job
Plan
See exactly what will change, before it changes.
Confirm
You approve. Nothing changes until you do.
Move
Same drive, one file at a time.
Verify
Every completed change checked against the plan.
Done
What changed, and what did not.
Changes require approval Waiting for you Activity
“Changes require approval” stays in that status bar the whole time. It isn't a warning you'll learn to click past.
Safety
You keep the memories.Folio keeps the proof.
There is no such thing as a risk-free file operation, and Folio never claims one. It offers proof, recoverable steps, and a refusal to act when conditions are not met.
Cleanup uses the Recycle Bin
What Folio removes in a cleanup you approved goes to the Windows Recycle Bin. There is no silent permanent delete.
One copy always remains
Folio will not propose removing every copy of a photograph. A plan that would leave you none is refused, and the review says which copy stays.
A matching name proves nothing
Two files called IMG_4821.CR2 are not duplicates because they share a name. Folio compares what is inside them, and a group appears only when every copy in it is byte-for-byte identical.
Your backups stay backups
A second copy can be a deliberate backup. Mark it Keep as backup and Folio never offers it for removal, not even when it chooses for you.
It reports what actually happened
An unverified operation is never reported as finished. If a job is interrupted, Folio says what completed, what did not, and what to do next.
Unplugging a drive is not a disaster
Drives that come and go are the normal case. Their records stay in the catalog while they are away, and a stopped scan picks up where it left off when you choose Resume.
Local-first
Local only.
Nothing is uploaded.
Folio reads the drives you nominate and writes its catalog to your own PC. Nothing is copied to a server, scanned in a cloud, or used to train anything. There is no sync queue.
- Works offline after activation
- No cloud storage bill, ever
- Your files stay in your folders
Folio’s catalog is not a backup. It helps you understand your archive. Keeping a real second copy is still your job, and Folio is built to help you keep one.
Where it fits
You have other options.Folio is the one that asks first.
Not cloud storage. Not another cleaner. Here is the difference, row by row.
| Folio Pay once, keep your folders | Cloud photo subscription Rent storage, monthly | Generic duplicate cleaner A list and a Clean button | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it costs | $10, once | Roughly $2 to $10 a month, for as long as you want your photos | Often free, or a yearly “PC utilities” bundle |
| Where your photos live | On your own drives, in your own folders | On someone else’s servers, in their format | Wherever they already are |
| How duplicates are judged | Byte-for-byte identical content, verified | Usually not its job | Frequently name, size and date, which is a guess |
| Before anything changes | The complete plan, every file and destination, then your approval | Sync happens continuously, by design | A checkbox list and a Clean button |
| Backup copies on another drive | Mark one Keep as backup and it is never offered for removal | Not modeled | Usually counted as waste to be deleted |
| If you stop paying | Nothing happens. You already own it. | Storage is reduced, and you have to move everything | Varies |
| Works offline | Yes, after a one-time activation | No | Usually |
Categories of product, not any specific vendor. Subscription prices are typical and change often, so check current pricing yourself.
What comes next
Two things are being built. Neither one is on this invoice.
Folio has four pillars. Three ship today. This is the fourth, and the second platform.
In development
Import from phone
A plugged-in phone is a connected source, not automatically a Folio library. When the transfer flow lands, copy is the default and the destination is verified before anything is freed. Camera memory cards already import today.
In development
Folio for macOS
The engine that reads, plans and verifies has no Windows dependency, so the Mac version builds on it rather than starting over. What differs is how each system handles recoverable removal, and that part is being written for the Mac.
Your license already covers it, at no extra cost.
Windows is what you get today. Neither of these has a release date, and neither is something this page charges you for. Need something else? Tell us.
Pricing
You pay once.Folio is yours for good.
Less than a year of even the cheapest cloud photo plan, paid once instead of forever.
One-time purchase
$ 10
USD, once. Not per month. Not per year. Not per photo.
Secure checkout · license key by email
- Folio for Windows 11 (64-bit)
- Folio for macOS when it ships, at no extra cost
- 3 activations, one per Windows account you use it in
- Every future update, free for life, major versions included
- Unlimited photos and drives. No per-gigabyte limits
- Works offline after a one-time activation
Windows 11, 64-bit, is what ships today. Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) is built for but not yet tested. Folio for macOS and connected-device transfer are in development with no release date. Your license already covers macOS, so you will not be asked to pay again. Price is in US dollars.
Team, studio, or a family sharing one archive? Write to folioarchive@gmail.com
From the developer
You buy it once.Folio keeps its developer going.
Folio is made by one person. There is no company behind it, no investors and no team. I designed it, I wrote it, and I answer every email myself.
I will be honest with you, because honesty is the whole point of this app. The money from each license is what I live on day to day, and first of all, what puts food on my table. Things are hard for me right now, and every purchase makes a real difference.
So if Folio saves you an afternoon, or saves a photograph you would have lost, buying it is the best way to keep it alive and to keep me working on it. If you cannot buy it today, telling one person with a messy photo archive helps too. So does writing to me about what is broken or missing.
Thank you for reading this far.
The Folio developer
Or write directly: folioarchive@gmail.com
Questions
Worth asking before you trust software with your memories.
Is Folio really going to delete my photos?
Not without you reading a plan and pressing a button. Scanning and analysis only read. A cleanup you approve moves copies to the Windows Recycle Bin, where you can put them back, and one copy of every photograph always remains.
Where Windows cannot guarantee that a copy can be restored, Folio refuses the cleanup and says why: on USB flash drives and SD cards, on exFAT drives, when the Recycle Bin is off or too full, and for a file larger than the Recycle Bin.
Cleanup never deletes permanently. Emptying the Recycle Bin stays your decision, made in Windows.
There is one exception, and it is off until you turn it on. When you import from a camera card, Settings has Allow deleting imported files from the card. With it on, Folio can delete a card file only after it has re-read your copy and the card file and found them identical, and only from a plan you approve. By default imported files are moved into an Imported folder on the card, not deleted.
How does Folio decide two photos are the same?
By comparing what is inside the files. Two photographs are duplicates only when they are byte-for-byte identical. A shared name, size or timestamp is a hint, never proof.
A group appears only once its copies are verified identical, so there is no "probably the same" list to trust. Photographs that merely look alike are not detected.
I keep a copy of everything on a backup drive. Will Folio wipe it?
Not if you tell it that copy is your backup. Folio notes which copies share a drive, and any copy you mark Keep as backup is never offered for removal, including when you let Folio choose. Without that mark, Let Folio choose keeps exactly one copy of each photograph, so mark your backups first.
To be precise: marking a copy to keep records your intention. It is not evidence that a backup has been made or checked, and Folio will not claim otherwise.
Does anything get uploaded?
No. Folio reads the folders and drives you nominate and keeps its catalog on your own PC. Your photographs, filenames and catalog never leave it.
The internet is needed once, to activate your license. After that Folio works with it switched off. When it is online, Folio confirms the license about once a week and checks for updates; neither sends anything about your photographs.
What about RAW files and videos?
Both are catalogued alongside your JPEGs. RAW files such as .CR2 keep their extension through every rename, and clips carry a small badge in the gallery.
Two limits today: Folio does not yet read the capture date from ORF, RW2, CR3 and RAF files, so organizing by date leaves those where they are. Previews of HEIC, AVIF and RAW depend on the image support installed in Windows.
Windows says “Windows protected your PC” when I run the installer. Is that safe?
Yes, that message is expected, and nothing is wrong with the file. Folio does not carry a digital signature yet. That signature is the publisher fingerprint Windows SmartScreen looks for, and a brand-new installer has no download history either. Windows shows the same warning for any installer in that position.
To continue, choose More info, then Run anyway. To make sure you have the genuine file first, compare its SHA-256 with the one on the download page. In PowerShell, run Get-FileHash on the installer you downloaded.
We plan to sign future releases, and there is no date for that yet. Until then Folio also has no automatic updates: when a new version comes out, you download the installer again. Your license and your catalog carry over.
Can Folio import from my camera’s memory card?
Yes. Plug in the card and Folio offers to copy or move what is new, organized by date on the way in. Plug the same card in later and it shows only what you have not imported yet. There is also a Safe eject button for when you are done.
Being straight with you: this is new in 1.0 and has had less real-world testing than the rest of Folio. Start with Copy, check the result, and leave deleting from the card turned off until you trust it.
Does it run on Windows 10?
It is built to, but it has only been tested on Windows 11 so far. Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) should work; on a computer without Microsoft Edge WebView2 the installer adds it, which needs an internet connection once.
Is there a Mac version?
In development, and your license already covers it. Folio is a Windows application today, and macOS is the next platform.
Being straight with you: there is no release date. Buy it for the Windows application. The Mac build is a bonus, not the thing you are paying for.
Can it pull photos off my iPhone or Android phone?
Not in today’s build. Connected-device transfer is being built, and this page describes it as direction rather than delivery. Your license buys what ships today plus every future update for life, major versions included, so if it lands, you get it.
How many computers can I install it on?
One license includes 3 activations, for one person, not an office. Each Windows user account you activate Folio in uses one; restarting, updating or reinstalling Folio does not.
Another PC, another Windows account, a reinstall of Windows, or deleting Folio’s own data uses another activation, and activations cannot be moved back.
What happens if I unplug a drive halfway through a job?
Folio keeps everything that genuinely finished and tells you what did not. It never reports an unverified operation as complete. The drive’s records stay in the catalog, and when it is back you choose Resume to continue the scan.
Feedback
You know what is missing.Folio wants to hear it.
A feature you need, something that confused you, or a problem you hit. Every message is read by a person. We cannot promise to build everything asked for, and we will not guess at dates.
Write to us at folioarchive@gmail.com
Get Folio
You already took the photographs.Let Folio do the rest.
One payment, for the afternoon you finally stop dreading. And for every time after it, when you want to know exactly what you have.
- Windows today
- macOS included when it ships
- Pay once, no subscription