# Create action to move files based off genre
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [February 11, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469 "2025-02-11T02:10:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mbrazil05](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mbrazil05)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 2:10am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/1 "2025-02-11T02:10:01Z")
After I have bunch of mp3's in one folder that are properly tagged with genre. Can a ACTION be created that move files into select folders based off genre's?
for instance, I want anything that has the genre hip hop moved into my HIP Hop Folder. Anything with R&B for the genre to be moved into a designated RNB folder.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 5:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/2 "2025-02-11T05:51:32Z")
See the FAQs:
> [@Converters to rename files or to import tags](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/converters-to-rename-files-or-to-import-tags/8016/2):
>
> How to rename files based on tags? Renaming files, creating folders and complete directory structures from tags can be done by using the [:mt\_ttf:] Converter \> Tag - Filename with a format string. A format string is used to describe the structure of the desired filename. Besides using normal placeholders (such as %artist%, %title%, ...) and arbitrary text (e.g., Music) it also allows for separating folders with the backslash \ character. Here is an example that renames the file based on the t…
The equivalent of the named converter is an action of the type "Format value" for \_FILENAME
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### Author:  [@mbrazil05](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mbrazil05)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 6:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/3 "2025-02-11T06:51:27Z")
sorry I don't see it. I read through that thread and more and don't see which one would apply. can you screen shot it?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 6:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/4 "2025-02-11T06:53:37Z")
Try as
Format string: `%genre%\%_filename%`
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### Author:  [@mbrazil05](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mbrazil05)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 7:02am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/5 "2025-02-11T07:02:35Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> %genre%%\_filename%
ok, great we are making progress. what if I have multiple tracks that have multiple genres such as "east coast hip hop" and another track that has "mumble rap". If i want both of these tracks to fall under "hip hop" subfolder, how do I do it?
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 7:07am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/6 "2025-02-11T07:07:57Z")
> [@mbrazil05](#):
>
> If i want both of these tracks to fall under "hip hop" subfolder, how do I do it?
Move them manually?
Edit the genre so that it can be used for the unified name?
Add $replace() to the format string so that such genres get replaced by a different name for the generation of the path?
So many options ... but none without manual interference.
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 7:17am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/7 "2025-02-11T07:17:42Z")
> [@mbrazil05](#):
>
> track that has "mumble rap". If i want both of these tracks to fall under "hip hop" subfolder
How should a software recognize that you define "mumble rap" as microgenre of "hip hop"?
You have to tell Mp3tag this relation in one of the already mentioned ways.
There is no automagically way.
**Update** with additional way:
You could also create (many) Actions from type "Format value" with this Format string:
`$ifgreater($strstr(%GENRE%,mumble rap),0,.\hip hop\%_filename%,%_filename%)`
This would move every track that contains "mumble rap" in the field GENRE into a subfolder in the same directory called `\hip hop`.
If you want to move such tracks to another folder, just adjust the `.\hip hop\` part.
For example to a fixed folder with `C:\temp\hip hop\`
This way you can create every thinkable relation between existing GENRE content and your new target subfolder.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 8:04am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/8 "2025-02-11T08:04:40Z")
> [@LyricsLover](#):
>
> You could also create (many) Actions from type "Format value" with this Format string:
> `$ifgreater($strstr(%GENRE%,mumble rap),0,.\hip hop\%_filename%,%_filename%)`
As an alternative I would suggest to use
Format string: `$replace(%genre%,Mumble Rap,Hip Hop,east coast hip hop,Hip Hop)\%_filename%`
with an increasing list of pairs to replace.
The identification would have to be done by the user.
So I wonder what would be faster: let the original action run and then scan through the list of folders and move the files manually or scan through the list of genres and adapt the filename generation action each time a new subgenre is found.
In general: I do not think that arranging files by genre in the file system is a good idea as this is a classical task for the player. Modern players also support multiple genres, something that the filesystem most likely will not.
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### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 8:13am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/9 "2025-02-11T08:13:40Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> So I wonder what would be faster
Personally, I would filter my list of tracks for a GENRE content like "mumble rap", then select all the filtered list items with CTRL+ A and then drag & drop all the selected files to the new genre subfolder.
_(I don't start thinking about "mumble-rap", "mumpel rap", "mumble rab" and so on...)_
But it also depends on how many microgenres should be treated this way. And how many times this should be repeated for my collection.
The most important point remains
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> The identification would have to be done by the user.
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [February 11, 2025, 8:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/10 "2025-02-11T08:20:19Z")
> [@LyricsLover](#):
>
> Personally, I would filter my list of tracks for a GENRE content
This would assume that I _know_ that there are special genre names that need to be grouped.
I wonder where the new folder structure would be visible except for the file browser (explorer). As soon as I play such a track, I bet that the player will show the genre from the tag data and not from the file structure. So I would have to translate that genre in my mind again. Or modify the tag data so that the subgenre disappears.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2025, 8:20am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/create-action-to-move-files-based-off-genre/67469/11 "2025-03-13T08:20:30Z")
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