Filee output folders: find files, keep dates and retry safely

Find the output before converting again

An ordinary Filee conversion saves beside the source by default, but a global save location or a preset-specific folder can change that. A CLI watch folder has a different default: its converted subfolder. Check the operation and preset before assuming that a completed conversion has disappeared.

In the Reddit discussion, redchrism asked why output appeared in Documents. The developer described the global default and per-preset override in 1.4.0. This guide turns that reported confusion into a repeatable location check.

Choose a global folder or a preset folder

Open Settings, General and inspect the default save location. The documented choices include next to the source, a subfolder or one fixed folder. A shared conversion folder can be convenient, but check that you have write permission and that different sources will not become confusingly similar output names.

Then open Presets, Output, Save to for the preset you actually used. A preset can override the global location. Changing the global setting alone may therefore not explain where an existing custom preset puts its output.

For a first batch, choose a separate, easy-to-find destination and convert one file. Open it, then use the same preset on the larger set. Use Filee's recent-results interface as a path to the output, but keep a direct understanding of its folder structure for future scripts and backups.

Understand name collisions

The official CLI guide documents numbering as the default when a destination filename already exists. --skip leaves an existing output alone; --overwrite replaces it. These are different batch policies, not interchangeable ways to make an error disappear.

filee convert *.png --to webp -o converted --skip

This is a documented command pattern adapted to an illustrative PNG batch. It avoids rewriting existing outputs, but it also means those outputs are not refreshed merely because the source changed. Review whether skipping fits your task. Do not use overwrite on an unreviewed folder simply to make its file count look tidy.

For duplicate base names from different source folders, inspect the resulting tree before consolidating everything into one output folder. A unique output name prevents one collision; it does not tell you which source a recipient intended.

A folder drop and a folder conversion differ

The developer explained in the original Reddit thread that dropping a folder itself in the GUI treats it as something to archive. To convert the files inside through the GUI, open it, select the files and drag that selection.

For explicit folder traversal, use the current CLI:

filee convert "D:\Photo inbox" --recursive --to jpg -o "D:\Photo exports"

Folder conversion includes known files; --recursive includes subfolders. Put paths with spaces in quotes. Filee expands wildcards itself, so it does not depend on a shell expanding *.heic for you. Early Reddit replies saying that no CLI exists describe the launch state and should not guide a 1.12.0 workflow.

Watch folders intentionally move originals

With filee watch, files are processed after settling and no longer being open. Adding --move-originals moves successfully converted source files into the watched folder's originals directory and processes files already waiting at startup. That is useful for an inbox and surprising if you expected all files to remain in place.

Try a disposable directory containing two harmless files before enabling the same workflow on a working folder. Confirm the output, the location of each source and the behavior when you stop with Ctrl+C. Read the full automation guide for temporary-file exclusions, stability intervals and exit codes.

Finish with a safe retry decision

Inspect what succeeded and what failed individually. A batch can partly succeed. Retry a failing file with the same route in a test folder; do not repeatedly overwrite good outputs while investigating a different source.

For date-sensitive collections, use the separate photo dates and metadata guide. Retain the originals until you have opened the result in its destination application.