User manual

Getting started

Z PicSort needs no installation: download Z-PicSort-1.2.0.exe and double-click it. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, with nothing else to install.

Windows shows “Windows protected your PC”?
This is normal for an unsigned independent app. Click “More info”, then “Run anyway”.

First launch

1. Pick your language (Français or English). You can change it later with Options > Change language.
2. The list of keyboard shortcuts is shown once.
3. Choose the folder that holds the photos to sort.

Preparing your folders

Put the photos to sort and your destination folders in the same folder. For example, open “Pictures”: the photos in it are shown one at a time, and its subfolders (“Holidays”, “Family”…) are suggested as destinations.

No folders yet? No problem: Shift + Enter creates them as you sort.

Supported formats

.jpg .jpeg .png .gif .bmp .webp .heic .heif. iPhone HEIC photos are read with nothing to install, and every photo is shown the right way up. Images are ordered by name (img2 before img10).

Change folder: Options > Change folder.

Sorting photos

Type the name of the destination folder, or just a few letters. Matching folders show up right away, those starting with your letters first. Several words work, in any order.

• ↑ ↓: pick a folder in the list.
• Enter: move the photo into the folder. If the folder does not exist, a message says so and nothing moves.
• Shift + Enter: create the folder if needed, then move the photo into it.
• Esc: close the list.
• ← →: previous or next photo.

Tick “Include subfolders” to reach subfolders too, for example Holidays/2024.

The screen

• Right: preview of the next photo.
• Bottom left: your folder shortcuts.
• Bottom right: dimensions and file size of the photo.
• The photo grows with the window: maximise it to see better.

Folder shortcuts 1.2

Often filing into the same folders? Link them to keys 1 to 9 to reach them without typing.

Link a folder to a key

1. Type the folder name in the field, as for normal sorting.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + 1 (or 2… 9).
3. The message “Ctrl + 1 → Holidays” confirms it, and the shortcut appears at the bottom left.

Use the shortcut

Ctrl + 1 moves the displayed photo (or the whole multiple selection) into the linked folder. Ctrl + Z undoes it like any other move.

Remove or edit

• Empty field, then Ctrl + Shift + 1: removes shortcut 1.
• Options > Folder shortcuts: shows all 9 shortcuts and lets you edit them at once.

Any keyboard layout

Use the number keys on the top row. Z PicSort reads the key position, not the character, so it works whatever the layout (QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ…). On an AZERTY keyboard, no need to hold Shift to get the digit: Ctrl + the & 1 key triggers shortcut 1.

• AltGr is ignored, so you can still type @, # or { in a folder name.
• The numeric keypad also works for Ctrl + 1 to 9. To link a folder, prefer the top row: with Shift, Windows turns keypad keys into arrows.

Multiple selection

Ctrl + M turns on multiple selection: the background turns blue and a counter appears.

• Each photo you browse with → joins the selection.
• ← removes photos from the selection.
• Enter, Ctrl + 1…9, Delete or Ctrl + T move the whole batch at once.

Press Ctrl + M again to turn it off.

Delete, sort later

Non-permanent deletion

Delete or Ctrl + S moves the photo to the ZPS-Bin folder, which acts as a recycle bin. Nothing is actually erased: you delete that folder yourself when you are sure. Options > View deleted images opens it.

Sort later

Ctrl + T sets the photo aside in ZPS-SortMe. Options > View images to sort opens it.

Undo

Ctrl + Z, or the yellow button, puts the last moved photo back. A multiple selection is undone in one go. You can undo several times in a row.

Note: the undo history is cleared when the app is closed.

Sibling folders

Options > Sort from a folder to sibling folders. Choose a source folder: the suggested destinations are the folders next to it and the parent folder itself (type its name).

Example: with Photos\To sort as the source, you file into Photos\Holidays, Photos\Family or Photos. The ZPS-Bin and ZPS-SortMe folders are still created in the source folder.

Animated images

Animated GIF and WebP images play automatically. Heavy animations (over 5 MB or over 100 frames) are shown frozen, with a “Simplified display” banner:

• “Animate image” starts the animation (may be slow);
• “Click to animate” shows the next frame on each click.

Other features

• Options > Open current file location: opens Windows Explorer on the displayed photo.
• Options > Export sorting to CSV: list of moves (file, source folder, destination), opens directly in Excel. Undone moves are left out.
• Options > Change language: English or French, applied on restart.
• Help > Check for updates: checks whether a new version exists. The check also runs at startup, silently if there is no connection.
• Help > Online help: opens this page.

The language and folder shortcuts are saved in Documents\Z-PicSort_Parameters. Deleting that folder resets the app.

All shortcuts

Troubleshooting

“Invalid folder”

The typed folder does not exist: pick one from the list or use Shift + Enter to create it. Paths leaving the sorting folder (.., C:\…) are refused.

Ctrl + 1 does nothing

• No folder is linked to that key: a message tells you so. Link one with Ctrl + Shift + 1.
• You are using AltGr instead of Ctrl: AltGr is ignored on purpose.

A photo is not displayed

The file is probably damaged or in an unsupported format. Its name is shown instead of the image; you can still move it.

The photo was renamed

A file with the same name already existed in the destination. Z PicSort never overwrites: it adds “(1)”, “(2)”… to the name.

Windows blocks the launch

See Getting started: click “More info”, then “Run anyway”.

Another question?

Write to me at mathis.backert@gmail.com. The manual is also available as a text file.