To organize photos on a Mac, make folders in Finder and drag your photos into them. That works well for a few dozen photos. For thousands, it gets slow, so this guide also shows a faster way: sorting from your phone with Photos Cleanup.
Before you start
Decide where your photos live now. This guide is about photos saved in regular folders on your Mac, such as Pictures, Downloads, or a folder you made.
If your photos matter to you, check that you have a backup before you move things around. Then pick a plan for your folders. A simple plan beats a clever one.
Folder ideas that work
Keep your folders easy to guess. If you cannot remember where a photo went, the plan is too complicated.
| Plan | Example | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| By year | 2024, 2025 | Almost everyone |
| By year, then event | 2025 > Beach Trip | Trips and parties |
| By person or place | Grandma, Lake House | Family photos |
A few extra tips:
- Keep it to two levels. A year folder with event folders inside is plenty.
- Make a folder called “To sort” for photos you are not sure about.
- Give screenshots their own folder, so they stay out of your memories.
- Start names with the year, such as “2025 Beach Trip”. They then line up in order.
Method 1: With Finder
Finder is the built-in way, and it is free. Here is how to use it.
- Open Finder and go to the folder that holds your photos.
- Choose File, then New Folder. You can also press Shift-Command-N.
- Type a name for the folder and press Return.
- Repeat for each folder in your plan.
- Click the Gallery view button in the Finder toolbar. You get a large preview of the selected photo with a strip of small ones below.
- Select a photo and press the Space bar to open Quick Look. Use the arrow keys to move through photos. Press Space again to close it.
- Select several photos at once. Shift-click picks a range. Command-click adds single photos.
- Drag the selected photos onto the folder you want.
- To delete photos, select them and press Command-Delete. They move to the Trash.
- Open the Trash before you empty it. Select a photo and choose File, then Put Back, if you change your mind.
Two Finder helpers
Group By. Click the Group button in the Finder toolbar and pick an option, such as Date Created or Kind. Your photos split into sections, which makes it easier to select a whole batch.
Tags. Control-click a photo and choose a color tag. The photo stays where it is, but you can click that tag in the Finder sidebar to see everything marked with it.
Where Finder gets slow
Finder works. The trouble is the size of the job. With thousands of photos, you open, look, select, drag, scroll, and repeat. You do all of it at your desk, and it is easy to lose the afternoon.
Method 2: The faster way with Photos Cleanup
Photos Cleanup turns the same job into swiping. You use a free app on your Mac and a phone app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone.
- Get the free Mac app from the download page, open it, and choose a photo folder. A QR code appears on screen.
- Install the Photos Cleanup phone app and scan the QR code. Your phone connects over your home Wi-Fi, and the connection is encrypted.
- Start swiping. Your photos stay on your Mac and never pass through our servers.
Your phone shows one photo at a time:
- Swipe right to keep it.
- Swipe left to trash it.
- Swipe up to move it to a folder.
- Press and hold to open a ring of up to 7 folders. Slide to one and let go.
- Double-tap to zoom. Videos play. Undo brings the last photo back.
You choose what each swipe does. You can also create a new subfolder from your phone when you pick a folder, so you do not need to stop and go back to the Mac.
Need a shortcut? Jump to your Screenshots, to your Big videos with the biggest first, or to any single month.
Nothing changes on your Mac until you review and confirm your choices. Then your photos move into their folders. Trashed photos go to the Mac Trash, so you can still put them back from there.
Two things to remember: your phone and Mac must be on the same Wi-Fi, and your Mac must stay awake with the app open.
Want the full story on sorting from your phone? Read how to sort photos on your computer from your phone.
Finder or Photos Cleanup: which one?
Use Finder when you have a small batch and want full control with a mouse. Use Photos Cleanup when the pile is big, or when you keep putting the job off because it feels like work.
The computer app is free. The phone app is free for 1,000 photos per month, with ads. Pro, bought in the phone app, gives you unlimited photos and no ads.
Tips for a tidy photo library
- Start with the easy piles. Screenshots and big videos are quick wins.
- Work in short rounds. Ten minutes a day beats one long weekend.
- Go one month at a time. A small slice feels finished sooner.
- Decide fast. If you hesitate for more than a few seconds, keep it and move on.
- Look at the Trash once a week. Empty it only when you feel sure.
- Keep the plan. New photos go into “To sort”, and you sort them each month.