PhotoMove Custom Folder Structure

PhotoMove Pro can build destination folders from a pattern you write yourself. That pattern is called a Custom folder template. You pick tokens for year, month, day, and camera. PhotoMove turns each file’s date (and camera, if you use it) into real Windows folders under the Destination folder from Step 2.

What Custom folder structure does

• Lets Pro users define their own destination folder layout with tokens.
• PhotoMove still Copies or Moves files under the Destination folder you set in Step 2.
• Free users keep the fixed dropdown presets only (Year/Month/Day, Camera Model layouts, and so on).

The original filename is not part of the template. PhotoMove still places each file’s normal name inside the final folder.

How to open and save a Custom template

1. On the main PhotoMove window, find Output Folder Structure: on the right side.
2. Open the dropdown and choose Custom…
3. A small dialog opens: Custom Folder Template.
4. Edit the template string. Click OK to save.

After OK, the closed dropdown shows something like:

Choose Custom… again anytime to reopen the dialog and edit the template.

Cancel:

• If you just switched to Custom from another preset, Cancel returns to that previous structure.
• If you were already on Custom, Cancel keeps the previous saved template.

Your saved Custom template is remembered for later runs.

How to build the Custom field string

The string is a pattern for folders under your Destination folder.

• Use / (forward slash) between folder levels. PhotoMove turns those into Windows folders.
• Tokens such as {YYYY} are replaced per file from that file’s date or camera info.
• You may type literal text in a segment (for example Trip or Photos). Keep path-safe characters.
• Invalid Windows filename characters are cleaned automatically.
• Empty segments are skipped.

Supported tokens

Unknown tokens such as {Something} are ignored or removed.

Worked examples

Sample file: taken 2026-08-24, camera Canon EOS R5. Destination folder = C:\SortedPhotos.

Year / Month / Day

Classic nesting with dashes typed in the template

Same idea using {Sep} so Options controls the join character

Short year + month name + day

Camera first, then year and month

Date folders, then camera

One flat folder name (no /)

Year only

Common mistakes

• Using \ instead of / between folder levels — use /.
• Typing only plain text with no tokens — every file would get the same folders.
• Expecting {City} to fill in today — it is reserved and currently empty.
• Thinking Custom changes the Source folder — it only affects Destination layout.

Separators (Options tab)

On the main PhotoMove window, open the lower-right Options tab. There you choose how separators work for folder-name pieces:

• Default style uses underscore _
• Use dashes uses -
• No separator joins parts with nothing between them

In a Custom template, include {Sep} wherever you want that Options choice:

You can also type - or _ directly in the Custom string. Those are literal characters. They do not change when Options changes.

/ is only for separating folder levels. It is not the Options separator.

How this relates to the built-in presets

• Presets such as Year/Month/Day or Camera Model Year/Month still exist. You do not need Custom for those.
• Custom is for layouts the dropdown does not offer.
• Separator Options still apply to built-in preset structures as before. For Custom, they apply when you use {Sep}.

Related help: Choosing Your Output Folder Structure (presets and general layout). This page is the Custom template deep-dive.

Short try-this recipe

1. Set Destination to something like C:\SortedPhotos.
2. Set Output Folder Structure to Custom…
3. Enter {YYYY}/{MM}/{DD} and click OK.
4. Click Find, then use Preview / Copy (Preview is on by default in the latest download).
5. Confirm folders such as C:\SortedPhotos\2026\08\24\ appear as expected.

More on Preview and Undo: PhotoMove Preview and Undo. Main screen walkthrough: Using PhotoMove — Step By Step.

Need Pro for Custom? Upgrade to PhotoMove Pro ($8.99 one-time).

FAQ