Automated File Organization

Let Cowork automatically sort, rename, and organize your messy Downloads folder. Say goodbye to manual organization—let AI categorize hundreds of files in seconds.

Has your Downloads folder become a digital junkyard? PDFs, screenshots, archives, and temp files all mixed together, taking minutes to find a single file? Cowork can intelligently categorize hundreds of files in seconds—a task that might take hours to complete manually.

Unlike simple file-type sorting tools, Cowork can understand file content and context. It can identify document types like invoices, contracts, and meeting notes, and intelligently categorize them based on their content.

speed Efficiency Comparison

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Manual Organization

close 3+ hours to organize 500 files
close Easy to miss or miscategorize
close Repetitive work drains energy
close Hard to maintain consistent naming

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Cowork Organization

check 500 files in just 20 minutes
check Content-based smart classification
check Focus on what matters
check Strictly follows naming rules

Basic Organization Tasks

Here are some common file organization task examples. Copy these prompts and adjust them to your needs.

Sort by Type

"Organize my Downloads folder. Create the following subfolders: Documents, Images, Videos, Audio, Archives, Installers, Other. Move each file to its corresponding folder."

Sort by Date

"Organize all images in my Photos folder by year and month. Create a subfolder structure like 2024/01, 2024/02, and move files based on their capture date (EXIF data) or file modification date."

Sort by Project

"Scan all files in my Work folder. Identify different projects based on filenames and content (like client names, project codes). Create a separate folder for each project and move related files."

Advanced Organization Strategies

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Multi-level Classification Structure

Create hierarchical folder structures, first by major category, then by subcategory.

"Organize my Documents folder with this structure:
- Work/
  - Contracts/
  - Reports/
  - Invoices/
- Personal/
  - IDs/
  - Insurance/
  - Taxes/
Automatically classify documents based on content."

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Content-based Smart Classification

Let Cowork read document content and classify based on actual content rather than filename.

"Read all PDFs and images in my Receipts folder. Classify by merchant type: Dining, Transport, Office Supplies, Software Subscriptions, Other. If type can't be identified, put in 'Unsorted' folder and log it."

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Conditional Rule Processing

Set up complex conditional rules to handle special cases.

"Organize Downloads folder, but follow these rules:
1. Keep files downloaded in the last 7 days in place
2. Move files larger than 100MB to 'Large Files' folder
3. Move .dmg and .pkg files to 'Installers'
4. Don't move files with 'important' or 'urgent' in name
5. Sort other files by type"

File Naming Conventions

Consistent naming conventions make files easier to search and manage. Here are some common naming patterns:

receipt_long Invoices/Receipts

YYYY-MM-DD_Vendor_Amount.pdf

e.g.: 2024-03-15_Starbucks_45.00.pdf

description Contracts

Contract_Client_YYYYMMDD_vVersion.pdf

e.g.: Contract_AcmeCorp_20240315_v2.pdf

image Screenshots

Screenshot_App_YYYYMMDD_HHMM.png

e.g.: Screenshot_Slack_20240315_1423.png

summarize Meeting Notes

Meeting_Topic_YYYY-MM-DD.md

e.g.: Meeting_Q1Planning_2024-03-15.md

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Tip

Tell Cowork your desired naming convention and it will follow it strictly. For example: "Rename all invoices to YYYY-MM-DD_Vendor_Amount format, extracting date, vendor, and amount from PDF content."

Handling Duplicate Files

Duplicate files are a major disk space killer. Cowork can help you identify and handle duplicates.

Find Duplicates

"Scan my Photos folder and find all duplicate images (same content but possibly different filenames). Create a report listing all duplicate groups, showing file paths and sizes for each. Don't auto-delete, wait for my confirmation."

Clean Duplicates

"Find duplicate files in my Downloads folder. For each duplicate group, keep the one with the most recent modification date, move others to a 'To Delete' folder (don't delete directly). Tell me how many duplicate groups were found and how much space can be freed."

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Safety Tip

When handling duplicates, have Cowork generate a report first and confirm before deleting. Avoid instructions like "automatically delete all duplicates" to prevent accidental deletion of important files.

Best Practices

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Start with a Small Test

When first using, test your instructions on a small folder. Once you confirm results match expectations, apply to larger scope.

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Back Up Important Data

Before large-scale organization, ensure you have backups. While Cowork runs in a sandbox, it can modify files in folders you've authorized.

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Use "Move" Instead of "Delete"

Have Cowork move unwanted files to a "To Delete" folder instead of deleting directly. Confirm before emptying manually.

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List Exceptions Clearly

If certain files shouldn't be moved, state this clearly. For example: "Don't move files with 'keep' or 'important' in the name."

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Request an Operation Report

Have Cowork generate a report after completion, listing all moved, renamed, or deleted files for easy tracking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Cowork accidentally delete important files? expand_more

Cowork strictly follows your instructions. For safety, use "move to To Delete folder" instead of direct deletion. For significant operations, Cowork will ask for confirmation.

Can I organize external drives or network drives? expand_more

Yes, as long as the drive is mounted on your Mac and you've granted Cowork access. External drives are usually mounted under the /Volumes/ path.

What affects organization speed? expand_more

Speed depends on file count, whether content needs to be read, and your network connection (Cowork needs to communicate with Claude API). Simple type-based sorting is fast; content-based smart classification takes more time.

Can I undo organization operations? expand_more

Cowork doesn't have a built-in "undo" feature, but you can view the operation log to see what changes were made. We recommend backing up before organizing, or having Cowork generate an operation report for manual recovery.

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Start Your First Organization

Open Claude Desktop, switch to Cowork mode, grant Downloads folder access, then try this prompt: "Help me organize my Downloads folder, sorting by file type into different subfolders." See how fast AI can complete this task!