# Isolate selected files
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [October 18, 2016, 9:25am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345 "2016-10-18T09:25:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2016, 9:25am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/1 "2016-10-18T09:25:40Z")
Steps:
1. Select files
2. Isolate
resulting in only selected files shown.
Then un-isolate view to return the other files when finished.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/2 "2016-10-18T16:18:45Z")
Sorry, I simply do not understand what this should mean.
What do you mean by "isolate"? Filter?
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/3 "2016-10-18T16:31:53Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> Sorry, I simply do not understand what this should mean.
> What do you mean by "isolate"? Filter?
Instead of the normal filter by string. Filter or (isolate is a term suited better for this) by file/s selection.
I can't explain it any other way, it's that simple to understand.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2016, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/4 "2016-10-18T16:34:49Z")
> [@stevehero](#):
>
> Instead of the normal filter by string. Filter or (isolate is a term suited better for this) by file/s selection.
>
> I can't explain it any other way, it's that simple to understand.
Like: I click on a file and MP3tag "filters" all the files that are similar?
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2016, 5:14pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/5 "2016-10-18T17:14:23Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> Like: I click on a file and MP3tag "filters" all the files that are similar?
I was thinking of selected files only.
But that's also gave me another idea that is implemented in traktor (something similar to what you described.
There's a magnify icon beside each of the tags in the Traktor UI.
If you click these it isolates/filters that particular artist, album, genre etc.
See screenshot of Traktors UI (see red highlighted portion).
As you can see it doesn't clutter the UI at all.
---
### Author:  [@Zerow](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Zerow)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/6 "2016-10-25T16:04:03Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> Sorry, I simply do not understand what this should mean.
> What do you mean by "isolate"? Filter?
Another layer of filtering, but much simpler?
First, you use filter [or go straight to second stage]
Second, you select tracks that you want, hit a button, and have all non-selected hidden [until unclicking the button]
I sure would like to see such a function added.But I think that does kind of ideas have been discussed in past; or ideas similar to them [like filtering with color]
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [October 25, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/7 "2016-10-25T16:12:35Z")
> [@zerow](#):
>
> Another layer of filtering, but much simpler?
>
> First, you use filter [or go straight to second stage]
>
> Second, you select tracks that you want, hit a button, and have all non-selected hidden [until unclicking the button]
>
> I sure would like to see such a function added.But I think that does kind of ideas have been discussed in past; or ideas similar to them [like filtering with color]
Well, you could use the normal filter and then use this afterwards to create a new set based on that set.
If you've ever used freecommder XE for windows, it has this function (It's shortcut is CTRL+S) along with filtering. This would be super useful to have in mp3Tag.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2017, 3:38am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/8 "2017-06-07T03:38:54Z")
> [@stevehero](#):
>
> Steps:
>
> 1. Select files
> 2. Isolate
>
> resulting in only selected files shown.
>
> Then un-isolate view to return the other files when finished.
Half of the function is already there - well, in a way:
Select all files
Unselect the ones that you want to "isolate"
Press Del key to remove the selected files from the file list
To get all files back, you have to press F5 to reload them ... which might take a while. That is why I think that only half the function is already there.
---
### Author:  [@stevehero](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/stevehero)
#### Post date: [June 7, 2017, 8:25am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/isolate-selected-files/18345/9 "2017-06-07T08:25:27Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> Half of the function is already there - well, in a way:
> Select all files
> Unselect the ones that you want to "isolate"
> Press Del key to remove the selected files from the file list
>
> To get all files back, you have to press F5 to reload them ... which might take a while. That is why I think that only half the function is already there.
The hidden files are still available in memory while the filter is active so this wouldn't be much different to what I'm after in terms of performance. Your method would be unusable due to working with large files unfortunately.
Deleting and filtering files from an array stored in memory might be the difference between slow loading and loading again from scratch.
I suppose Florian could hopefully chime in.