# Cover Art - Can add to tracks but not whole album **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Tags:** player\ **Created:** [January 13, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547 "2016-01-13T00:03:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:03am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/1 "2016-01-13T00:03:37Z")
Hi First of all thanks for a great tool! I do have one problem which I feel must be very simple to manage but I'm completely stuck!! I have searched through the forum but could not find the answer _(my apologies if I've missed it 😳 )_. I am simply trying to add cover art to my small selection of albums. I can manage this easily for individual tracks in an album folder, but the album folder itself has no cover art showing. Reason: My car stereo's menu lists the albums held on my USB, with the facility to use the cover art as the select option (shows a plain cd image if none present [which is what it shows]). Once the album has been selected each track's details are shown along with the cover art (working fine). **How it currently looks on my stereo:** **Album selection...** 🕶 _Images below show what mp3tag shows me, which will hopefully explain my problem:_ ![](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/3/3698ab15b3cab8d4f9d4bc9c41a141ab264be1cf.jpeg) ![](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/8/86cb082be821c9cfc68498825c27acb602ad8528.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:09am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/2 "2016-01-13T05:09:44Z")
> [@HaloJones](#): > > ... I can manage this easily for individual tracks in an album folder, but the album folder itself has no cover art showing. > ... I am not sure what the car requires to attach a picture to a folder symbol. E.g. Windows Media Player needs a file folder.jpg for that. Now: to add one (set of) picture(s) to several files: Select the files. Now there are at least 2 ways to get it done: With the tag panel: Right-click on the empty picture frame and select "Add cover..." from the context menu and select the picture file. Press "Save" icon afterwards (or Ctrl-S) Or use the Extended Tags dialogue (Alt-T): Click the New button next to the empty picture frame, select the picture file, click OK until all dialogues are closed. ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/3 "2016-01-13T05:54:03Z")
> [@HaloJones](#): > > with the facility to use the cover art as the select option (shows a plain cd image if none present [which is what it shows]). If your car stereo is able to show individual folder-icons there should be a part in the manual where it mentions what is required for that. In am pretty sure that if the already embedded covers don't show there is nothing MP3Tag can help you except exporting an embedded cover to the folder. I supect that your device needs a special named file in the folder. If you won't find anything in the manual, just try to place a JPG in the folder or a folder.jpg. ---
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 9:25am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/4 "2016-01-13T09:25:27Z")
Thanks ohrenkino and poster 🙂 I have added the art as suggested and had no problem adding to multiple files. My guess is that you're both correct in that my player needs a specific art file name in the folder. However, I have tried _folder.jpg_ and _cover.jpg_ but neither works. Unfortunately my player's manual is really poor and has no mention of what format is required, it just shows an image of the album selection page with the art showing instead of the blank disc image I have! The player is an unbranded Chinese unit and I have contacted the supplier I bought it from but they don't have a clue! ---
**Author:** ![poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/poster/32/4881_2.png) [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 10:04am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/5 "2016-01-13T10:04:24Z")
How is your music organized in folders and subfolders? On your picture I see the folder of the artists (or almumartists) but no folder of an album. Are the shown artists-folders physical folders or does the car stereo create virtual folders from your tags? ---
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/6 "2016-01-13T12:41:00Z")
**Thank you poster for taking the time to help - really appreciated!** 🕶 I have a very basic set-up to test with. Quite simply I have three albums loaded onto the USB. Each album folder has just the MP3 tracks for that album. _Like this..._ ![](http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss325/BudBoys/mp3tag/screen%20files2.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 1:05pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/7 "2016-01-13T13:05:04Z")
Perhaps you have a media center application like KODI - see this WIKI entry on folder thumbnails: [http://kodi.wiki/view/Artwork](http://kodi.wiki/view/Artwork) It suggests that you have a %\_directory%.jpg file as thumbnail file. (The %\_directory% refers to the MP3tag variable name. You can use that in an action to export the covers - provided, you leave the (relative) folder structure as it is.) ---
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/8 "2016-01-13T16:39:58Z")
_Oh, it seemed so simple - I thought you'd got it there ohrenkino!_ Unfortunately not... Have just tried that but I still cannot get them to show. Hmmm.... ---
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:47am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/9 "2016-01-14T09:47:58Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#): > > ...It suggests that you have a %\_directory%.jpg file as thumbnail file. > (The %\_directory% refers to the MP3tag variable name. You can use that in an action to export the covers - provided, you leave the (relative) folder structure as it is.) I'm starting to think I've misunderstood this 😳 I have only added a jpg with the file name the same as the folder, in the main directory. I fear I may have also missed something as I have not used any action (don't know how to!). e.g. ![](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/e/ef34900d6dc23664bc215de13ac4cffac5b78aaa.jpeg) Any guidance would still be very much appreciated. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 9:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/10 "2016-01-14T09:53:28Z")
I think you have to move the picture files into the folder where the corresponding album is stored. So afterwards the screendump should show only the folder icon as the 2 files have been moved into the folder. ---
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 10:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/11 "2016-01-14T10:52:38Z")
Sorry, I should have mentioned I have tried that as well - no luck ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/ohrenkino/32/4843_2.png) [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:45pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/12 "2016-01-14T12:45:28Z")
It would be interesting to know if there is a folder with a different icon at all. Or if the pictures in the manual are only an artist's impression. ---
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 8:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/13 "2016-01-15T08:51:28Z")
I have tried 3 different USBs and more than 40 albums but none of them show anything other than the plain cd where the cover art should be. _I believe it should work_ but until I find at least one that shows then I cannot say for sure it's not just 'wishful thinking' by the manufacturer! Interestingly the image in the manual does show both possibilities on the screen _(image below)_, presumably the plain cd option doesn't have the full file structure in place - but the folder must have some music in, otherwise it wouldn't show. Hmmm... Image from manual: ![](http://i588.photobucket.com/albums/ss325/BudBoys/mp3tag/manual1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HaloJones](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/HaloJones)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/14 "2016-01-18T23:21:52Z")
Still completely stuck! Will post back here though if I do manage to find an answer.... ---
**Author:** ![system](https://community.mp3tag.de/uploads/default/original/2X/c/ce7035d426cb755a7916793326d23b465222a407.png) [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/cover-art-can-add-to-tracks-but-not-whole-album/17547/15 "2026-02-09T12:26:03Z")
Closed on February 9, 2026, 12:26pm UTC