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Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

What is File Organizer?

File Organizer is an AI-powered local file management system. It automatically organizes files. It uses local LLMs (large language models). It supports multiple organization methodologies like PARA and Johnny Decimal. It has zero cloud dependencies.

Is my data safe?

Yes. File Organizer:

  • Runs locally 100% of the time.
  • Never uploads files to the cloud.
  • Uses local AI models.
  • Keeps all data on your device.

What are the system requirements?

  • Python: 3.11 or higher
  • RAM: 8 GB minimum (16 GB recommended)
  • Storage: 10 GB for AI models
  • Ollama: Latest version

Can I use it on Windows, Mac, or Linux?

Yes. File Organizer runs on all three platforms.

Installation Questions

How do I install File Organizer?

You have three options:

  1. Docker (recommended): Run docker-compose up -d.
  2. Python Package: Run pip install local-file-organizer.
  3. From Source: Clone the repository and run pip install -e ..

Read the Installation Guide.

Do I need Ollama?

Yes. Ollama gives the AI models. Install it from https://ollama.ai.

Which AI models should I use?

We recommend:

  • Text: qwen2.5:3b-instruct-q4_K_M (approximately 1.9 GB)
  • Vision: qwen2.5vl:7b-q4_K_M (approximately 6 GB)

Both give a good balance between speed and accuracy.

Usage Questions

How do I organize my files?

  1. Upload your files.
  2. Click Organize.
  3. Choose a methodology (PARA, Johnny Decimal, etc.).
  4. Review the preview.
  5. Click Apply.

Read the Organization Guide.

What file types does it support?

File Organizer supports more than 43 file types:

  • Documents: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Markdown
  • Images: JPEG, PNG, GIF, BMP, TIFF
  • Video: MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, WMV
  • Audio: MP3, WAV, FLAC, M4A, OGG
  • Archives: ZIP, 7Z, TAR, RAR
  • Scientific: HDF5, NetCDF, MATLAB
  • CAD: DXF, DWG, STEP, IGES

How do I undo an organization?

Click Undo immediately after you organize files. Or press Ctrl+Z.

Or, click Organize and then Original Structure to revert all organization.

Can I organize files without uploading them?

Yes. Click Organize and then Browse Local Folder. This organizes files that are already on your system.

How do I find duplicate files?

Click Analysis and then Detect Duplicates. Choose the folders to scan. Wait for the results.

Performance Questions

Organization is slow

How to make it faster:

  • Use smaller batches.
  • Close other applications.
  • Check available disk space.
  • Use a GPU if you have one.

Memory usage is high

How to solve this:

  • Close browser tabs.
  • Decrease the maximum file size.
  • Decrease the batch size.
  • Restart the service.
  • Check your search syntax.
  • Try broader search terms.
  • Make sure the files are not excluded.
  • Refresh your browser.

API Questions

How do I use the API?

  1. Go to Settings and then API Keys to generate an API key.
  2. Include the key in your requests: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY.
  3. Read the API Reference to find endpoints.

Can I use API keys from scripts?

Yes. Store them in environment variables:

export FILE_ORGANIZER_API_KEY="fo_your_id_your_token"

Then, use the variable in your script.

Is the API rate-limited?

Yes. The free tier allows 100 requests per minute.

Read the API Reference to find more data.

Configuration Questions

How do I change the workspace path?

Click Settings, then Workspace, and then Path.

Note: You must restart the service after you change the path.

How do I enable two-factor authentication?

Click Settings, then Security, and then 2FA.

Choose an authenticator app or SMS.

Can I customize organization rules?

Yes. Click Organize and then Custom to make custom rules.

Deployment Questions

Can I run this in production?

Yes. Read the Deployment Guide to find production setup instructions.

How do I set up HTTPS?

Configure a reverse proxy (nginx or Apache). Use an SSL or TLS certificate.

Read the Deployment Guide.

How do I backup my data?

# Backup the database
docker-compose exec db pg_dump -U postgres file_organizer > backup.sql

# Backup the files
rsync -av /path/to/files /path/to/backup

Read the Admin Guide.

Troubleshooting Questions

Ollama connection fails

Start the Ollama service:

ollama serve

Verify it: curl http://localhost:11434/api/version

Port already in use

Use a different port:

file-organizer serve --port 8001

Out of memory

How to solve this:

  • Increase available RAM.
  • Process smaller batches.
  • Decrease the upload file size.
  • Use CPU-only mode.

Read the Troubleshooting Guide to find solutions for more issues.

Contributing Questions

How can I contribute?

  1. Fork the repository.
  2. Create a feature branch.
  3. Make your changes and write tests.
  4. Create a pull request.

Read the GitHub Repository to find contribution guidelines.

How do I report bugs?

  1. Search existing issues.
  2. Create a new issue with:
  3. A clear description.
  4. Steps to reproduce the bug.
  5. System data.
  6. Error logs.

Read GitHub Issues.

Getting Help

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