Image Organizer FAQ and Troubleshooting

FAQ and Troubleshooting

Privacy and safety

Do my photos or faces get uploaded anywhere? No. Everything is analyzed on your PC and stored in a local folder. The app doesn't need an internet connection.

Will RulZ change my photos? No. It only reads them. It never moves, renames, edits or deletes your files, not even when you remove a folder from the Library.

Where is my data, and how do I reset it? In %LOCALAPPDATA%\RulZ Image Organizer (Library page, Open). Close the app and delete that folder to start fresh. Your photos are untouched.

Installing

Windows says "Windows protected your PC". The app isn't code-signed (a certificate costs money). Click More info, then Run anyway.

The app won't start or closes immediately. Make sure you unzipped the whole folder (don't run the .exe from inside the zip) and that you're on 64-bit Windows 10 or 11. Antivirus tools sometimes quarantine unsigned apps; allow the folder if so.

Scanning

The first scan is slow. Roughly 5 to 10 photos per second depending on your PC, so 10,000 photos take 20 to 30 minutes. You can use the app meanwhile; people and photos appear as they're found. Later scans only look at new and changed photos.

New photos don't show up. Click Scan now (F5) on the Library page. Also check the folder is listed there, and that the drive is connected.

A photo shows a gray box instead of a picture. It couldn't be read (corrupt, or an unsupported format). Other photos are not affected.

I moved or renamed photos; did I lose my tags? No. RulZ recognizes moved and renamed files and keeps their faces and names.

People

No people appear. A group needs the same face in at least two photos. People who appear once stay unassigned. Also check Show hidden people.

Two different people are in one group. Open the person, go to Faces, select the wrong ones and use Not {name} or Move to.... If it keeps happening, move the sensitivity slider on the Library page towards Stricter and click Apply and regroup.

One person is split into several groups. Select the groups on the People page and click Merge, or move the slider towards Looser.

A face was missed. Use Tag a face in the Photo Viewer and drag a box around it.

Will "Apply and regroup" delete my names? No. It only rebuilds unnamed groups. Names and manual corrections are kept.

Search

Searching a name finds nothing. Searches use the names you gave on the People page. Name the group first. See Search and Filters.

A pose search misses people. Pose is only decided when the person's legs are visible, so close-ups and waist-up shots have none.

An expression looks wrong. Expressions are estimates. You can see what RulZ decided for each face in the viewer.

Other

Can I use RulZ on Mac or Linux? It is built for Windows. The source is Python and may run elsewhere, but only Windows is tested.

I found a bug or have an idea. Please open an issue. Don't attach private photos.