Add folders to Polimake Desktop

Polimake Desktop works with the folders you give it. When you add one, it reads all of it, creates thumbnails and looks at your photos and videos so you can search them later. Your files stay where they are: Polimake doesn't move them or upload them anywhere.

Add a folder

1. In Libraries, click Add at the top right. You can also right-click the sidebar and choose Add folder….
2. Click Choose a folder… and pick the folder in the Windows window. If you prefer, drag it from Windows File Explorer and drop it on the box (or drop it here).
3. In the second step, type the Name in Polimake. It's only the name you'll see in the app: the folder on your disk isn't renamed.
4. Click Add folder.

The folder appears in Libraries and in the sidebar, under On this computer, and Polimake starts reading it.

Warnings before adding

Before adding it, Polimake checks the folder and warns you if it's a system folder, a whole drive or your user folder, because they usually hold lots of files you don't care about. It also warns you if it contains folders you'd already added: they become part of the new one. You can add it anyway if that's what you want.

While it's indexing

The first read can take a while, depending on how many files there are. You don't need to wait: you can open the folder and use the app in the meantime.

• Progress shows at the bottom of the sidebar, in the activity (for example, 2 in progress). Click it to see the details.
• After reading the files, Polimake looks at your photos and videos to tag them by what's in them. This work happens on your computer, with the vision model downloaded the first time.
• If you search for something in the meantime and nothing comes up, search tells you Still reading "…": what you're looking for may be in the part that's left.

Polimake always leaves out the same things: hidden and system files, development folders, temporary files and lock files.

Changes show up on their own

Polimake watches the folders you've added. If you create, rename, move or delete files from Windows, the app notices on its own and updates the index. You don't have to do anything.

If something still doesn't add up, right-click the folder in Libraries and choose Read again. Polimake goes through the whole folder again.

Manage your folders

Right-clicking a folder in Libraries gives you:

• Open in library: opens the folder.
• Inspect: its details, with the number of Files, the Total size and the Last read.
• Add to the sidebar or Remove from the sidebar: to keep it handy or not, without stopping indexing.
• Read again: goes through the whole folder again.
• Remove from Polimake: stops indexing it. It asks you to confirm first.

Remove from Polimake doesn't delete anything from your disk. It only makes Polimake forget that folder: it will stop showing in the app and in search. If you add it again, it's indexed again.

If a folder isn't where it was

If you move the folder to another path or disconnect the drive it was on, Polimake marks it as No longer where it was in its details. Reconnect the drive or add the folder from its new location.

Frequently asked questions

Does Polimake upload my files to the cloud?

No. Adding a folder only makes Polimake read it on your computer. The dialog says so itself: It won't be moved or uploaded.

Can I add an external drive?

Yes, pick a folder on the drive like any other. While the drive is disconnected, the folder shows as No longer where it was, and it becomes available again when you plug it in.

What happens if I add a folder that contains one I already had?

Polimake warns you before adding it. If you go ahead, the folder you already had becomes part of the new one and isn't indexed twice.

Do I have to read the folder again every time I add photos?

No. Polimake watches your folders and picks up changes on its own. Read again is for when something doesn't add up.