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FAQ and Troubleshooting
Does Simple Organizer delete files? No. It only moves files. Duplicates you choose go to the Recycle Bin / Trash. See Safety.
I organised by mistake — how do I get my files back?
Press Undo last (Ctrl+Z), or pick the run in History…. See Undo and History.
Can I keep the exe in my Downloads folder and organise Downloads? Yes. The exe itself is never moved; everything else in the folder is organised normally.
Does it need internet or run in the background? No internet at all. Auto-Organize only runs while the window is open.
Check the Log tab after the scan — skipped files are counted there. Common reasons:
| Reason | See |
|---|---|
| It is a system file, shortcut, temporary file or a download in progress | Categories and File Types |
| It is hidden and Include hidden files is off | Scanning |
| It is in a sub-folder and Scan subdirectories is off | Scanning |
| It is inside a Git repository, a link/junction or a category folder | Scanning |
| A file with the category folder's name blocks the folder | Categories and File Types |
| The category folder is a link pointing outside the scanned folder | Categories and File Types |
| A scan limit (depth, folder count, timeout) was reached | Scanning |
| It is already in the right folder | — |
My file went to the wrong category. Add a rule — rules are checked before the normal sorting. .ts files are detected by content: videos go to Videos/TS, TypeScript to Code/JavaScript.
"… is an unusual folder" / "Scan this folder anyway?" You are scanning a drive root, a home folder, a system folder or a Git repository. Organising it can move files programs rely on. Confirm only if you really mean it; the answer is remembered.
"Auto-organize paused" Either the folder was not found (drive unplugged?) or it is an unusual folder you have not confirmed yet. See Auto-Organize.
"Simple Organizer is already running." Only one instance can run. Switch to the open window (it is usually brought to the front automatically).
"rules.json could not be read" / "Rules not available" Another program (sync client, virus scanner) had the file locked. Try again in a moment. See Rules.
"… online-only … not staged" OneDrive placeholders are not staged because that would download them. Organise without staging mode. See Staging Mode.
"Something went wrong"
An unexpected error happened. The details are in error.log — please open an issue and attach it. See Data and Settings.
SmartScreen / Defender warns about the exe. The exe is not code-signed. Right-click → Properties → Unblock, or More info → Run anyway. You can verify the download — see Installation.
Duplicates on a network drive cannot be trashed. Network drives have no Recycle Bin, so Simple Organizer leaves those files in place instead of deleting them permanently.
Is there a Linux binary? Not on GitHub at the moment — run from source or build it yourself. See Installation and Building from Source.
Dialogs have square corners. Rounded corners need window transparency, which is only available on Windows.
Drag and drop does not work.
Install tkinterdnd2 (pip install tkinterdnd2). See Building from Source.