Folder Management

Learn how to add, manage, and optimize photo sources in Rando for the best random selection experience.

Adding Your First Folder

Step-by-Step

1. Click "Select Folder" button in the main interface
2. Navigate to your photos in the file picker dialog
3. Select the folder containing your images
4. Click "Select" or "Choose"

Rando immediately begins scanning the folder and all its subfolders for images.

What Happens During Scanning

• Real-time progress: Live count of discovered images
• Background processing: Scan runs without blocking the interface
• Thumbnail generation: Creates optimized 300px previews
• Can cancel anytime: Stop the scan and work with partial results

Working with Multiple Folders (Pro)

Rando Pro lets you combine photos from multiple sources into one unified random pool.

Adding Additional Folders

1. Click "Select Folder" again
2. Choose another folder
3. Select "Add to current selection" in the modal
4. Photos from both folders now appear in your random pool

Use Cases for Multi-Folder

Photo Collector: Combine photos from:

• Internal SSD (recent photos)
• External HDD (archive)
• NAS drive (shared family photos)

Digital Parent: Mix folders like:

• iPhone Photos folder
• DSLR camera imports
• Scanned old photos
• Downloaded photos from relatives

Content Creator: Combine:

• Raw photo shoots (multiple folders)
• Finished work portfolio
• Reference images
• Client deliverables

Managing Multiple Folders

View all selected folders:

• Main interface shows folder count
• Click dropdown to see full list
• Remove individual folders as needed
• Clear all and start fresh

External Drives and Network Storage

Rando works seamlessly with photos stored anywhere.

External USB Drives

Supported devices:

• External SSDs (USB-C, Thunderbolt)
• External HDDs (USB 3.0, USB 2.0)
• USB flash drives
• SD cards via USB reader

Just plug in and select - Rando treats external drives like any other folder.

Network-Attached Storage (NAS)

Works with:

• Synology, QNAP, Western Digital NAS
• Windows file shares (SMB/CIFS)
• macOS file sharing
• Any network drive mounted in Finder/Explorer

Setup:

1. Mount your NAS in Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (Windows)
2. Select the mounted network folder in Rando
3. Rando scans just like local folders

Handling Disconnections

If an external drive or NAS disconnects:

• Rando shows "folder unavailable" message
• Previously loaded thumbnails remain visible
• Reconnect the drive and click "Rescan"
• Rando picks up where it left off

Folder Permissions (macOS)

macOS sandbox security requires explicit folder access.

Granting Access

First time selecting a folder:

1. Select folder in file picker
2. macOS prompts "Allow access to this folder?"
3. Click "Grant Access"
4. Permission is saved for future sessions

Permission Persistence

• Automatic saving: Rando remembers folders you've granted access to
• Security-scoped bookmarks: Access persists across app launches
• No repeated prompts: Grant once, access forever

Resetting Permissions

If you need to reset folder permissions:

1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
2. Find Rando in the apps list
3. Manage or reset folder access
4. Re-grant access when needed

Recent Folders

Rando remembers recently accessed folders for quick re-selection.

Using Recent Folders

1. Click "Select Folder" dropdown
2. Recent Folders list appears at the top
3. Click any folder to instantly reload it
4. Up to 20 recent folders saved

Managing Recent Folders

• Configurable limit: Set 5-20 recent folders in Preferences
• Clear history: Remove all recent folders
• Automatic cleanup: Old folders removed when limit reached

Folder Scanning Performance

Optimize scanning for your system and storage type.

Adjusting Scan Performance

Preferences → General → Scan Performance:

• Responsive (50): Frequent UI updates, slower overall
• Balanced (150): Good balance (default)
• Fast (500): Faster scan, less frequent updates

Recommendations by Storage Type

Supported File Formats

Rando automatically filters for image files during scanning:

Detected formats:

• .jpg, .jpeg - Standard photos
• .png - Screenshots and graphics
• .gif - Animated images
• .heic, .heif - iPhone photos
• .bmp - Bitmap images
• .tiff, .tif - High-quality images

Not detected:

• Videos (.mp4, .mov, .avi)
• Documents (.pdf, .doc)
• RAW formats (.cr2, .nef, .arw)

Folder Management Tips

Organizing for Best Results

1. Use Top-Level Folders

Instead of selecting many small folders, select one top-level folder:

✅ Good: Select "Photos" folder
Photos/
├── 2020/
├── 2021/
├── 2022/
└── Events/

❌ Less Ideal: Select each year folder separately

2. Keep Folders Accessible

• Avoid folders that frequently move or rename
• Use consistent mount points for network drives
• Keep external drives organized with labels

3. Separate Photo Types

Create separate top-level folders for different photo types:

Pictures/
├── Personal/        ← Select this for random selection
├── Work/            ← Don't select
├── Screenshots/     ← Don't select
└── Wallpapers/      ← Don't select

Common Folder Structures

By Date:

Photos/
├── 2018/
├── 2019/
├── 2020/
└── 2021/

By Event:

Photos/
├── Family/
├── Vacations/
├── Hobbies/
└── Friends/

By Source:

Photos/
├── iPhone/
├── Camera/
└── Scanned/

All structures work equally well - choose what makes sense for you!

Troubleshooting Folder Issues

No Images Found

Possible causes:

• Folder contains no supported image formats
• Subfolder structure is very deep (rare)
• Permission denied on some subfolders

Solutions:

• Verify folder contains .jpg, .png, or other supported formats
• Try selecting a subfolder directly
• Check folder permissions in system settings

Slow Scanning

Possible causes:

• Very large photo library (50K+ photos)
• Slow storage (old USB 2.0 drive, slow NAS)
• Many small files vs few large files

Solutions:

• Adjust scan performance to "Responsive"
• Use local storage instead of network
• Close other apps using disk heavily
• See Performance Tips for details

Folder Disappeared

Possible causes:

• External drive was ejected
• Network drive disconnected
• Folder was moved or renamed
• macOS permission was revoked

Solutions:

• Reconnect the drive
• Remount the network share
• Re-select the folder if it was moved
• Re-grant permission if prompted

Next Steps

• Try Random Selection with your new folders
• Start a Slideshow to view photos immersively
• Learn Performance Optimization for large libraries
• Use Tags to organize across folders (Pro)