# Sort by Order Written **URL:** \ **Category:** Support\ **Created:** [May 15, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227 "2021-05-15T19:17:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mrralan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/1 "2021-05-15T19:17:35Z")
Several MP3 players play tracks in the order the mp3s are written to the SD card. How do I get MP3tag to sort by order the mp3 files are written to the disc? I think I saw it once (but I may be wrong)... I changed the directory to my SD card and the list shown was the order written. I didn't see any column headers checked for sorting but I clicked on one of the headers and it sorted by that header. Since then, I cannot get it to sort by order written whenever I change directory to the card. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2021, 5:00am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/2 "2021-05-16T05:00:30Z")
I don't know a way to sort by "order added to a disk", I only know how to sort by date/time added to a disk. This is different because date/time differs in seconds and not milliseconds. So if the files are written fast some of them may have the same date/time. Did you copy or did you move the files to the card? If you have copied them the create time has changed, if you moved them not. So customize your columns (View-\>Customize columns or right mouse click or the column header) and define a new column: Name: Whatever you want Value: %\_file\_create\_datetime% Sort by: %\_file\_create\_datetime\_raw% Numeric: checked Now you can sort by clicking on the header of the newly created column. ---
**Author:** ![mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mrralan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2021, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/3 "2021-05-16T12:29:52Z")
I have a program that copies them. However, the create time is the still the actual time the file was created... which could be years ago. It is showing the same create time that you would see in Windows... so this method does not work. Thanks for the reply. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2021, 12:36pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/4 "2021-05-16T12:36:03Z")
> [@mrralan](#): > > Since then, I cannot get it to sort by order written whenever I change directory to the card. Yes, this is so. The filename or file management on a storage are usually not important for tagging. I am still not quite sure what you want to achieve. What would happen after you have loaded the files in the order that they were saved on the SD card? Couldn't you assign a number to each file so that MP3tag can sort by that? ---
**Author:** ![mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mrralan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/5 "2021-05-16T19:02:42Z")
If I add songs in a certain order, and they showed up that way in mp3tag, I could tag them in that order and the mp3player would still play them in that order. Yes, adding a number to the front of the filename would allow them to be sorted by that number but I was hoping I didn't have to change the name. I wonder how the mp3 players know what order they were written to the card. They are looking at some field. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2021, 7:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/6 "2021-05-16T19:06:40Z")
> [@mrralan](#): > > They are looking at some field. It could well be that the player looks at the FAT and the order in which it finds the filenames there. THis would be no field inside the file. But if the player allows sorting the tracks ... why not use that feature. ---
**Author:** ![mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mrralan)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/7 "2021-05-16T19:43:17Z")
You're probably right. The players must be looking at the FAT. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2021, 4:41am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/8 "2021-05-18T04:41:37Z")
If you want to make sure that the files are saved in a certain order on the stick, you either have to prepare some kind of batch file that copies the files in sequence, one by one, or you have the files in the correct order in the file explorer and then drag&drop the files onto the SD card but watch out that you grab the selected files by the file that is to be the first one on the card. Windows usually copies that file first that is under the mouse cursor. The other files are then copied from top to bottom in sequence. There is no way in MP3tag to get the files displayed in the order as they are stored in the FAT. ---
**Author:** ![mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mrralan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2021, 3:02pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/9 "2021-05-18T15:02:58Z")
I already have a program that writes them to the card in a certain order. I was just trying to display them in that order in Mp3tag. Thanks anyways. ---
**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:** [May 19, 2021, 7:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/10 "2021-05-19T07:43:44Z")
> [@mrralan](#): > > I already have a program that writes them to the card in a certain order. I was just trying to display them in that order in Mp3tag. I think this would be possible for future use if you load your files in Mp3Tag, sort them in the way you want to copy them to the card and then create a playlist. ---
**Author:** ![mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mrralan)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2021, 4:38pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/11 "2021-05-19T16:38:38Z")
My program already does this. If I did it in Mp3tag, I wouldn't be able to copy them to the SD card in that order. My program creates the order and then copies them. It can't read a standard playlist file as created by MP3tag. Also, the mp3 players I have do not support playlists. ---
**Author:** ![Crissov](https://community.mp3tag.de/user_avatar/community.mp3tag.de/crissov/32/6619_2.png) [@Crissov](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Crissov)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/12 "2021-05-19T17:01:01Z")
If `%_file_create_datetime_raw%` doesn’t work, how about `%_file_mod_datetime_raw%`? ---
**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:** [May 20, 2021, 4:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/13 "2021-05-20T04:45:48Z")
> [@mrralan](#): > > If I did it in Mp3tag, I wouldn't be able to copy them to the SD card in that order. My program creates the order and then copies them. Have you tested this or are you just accepting it? So far I have assumed that the copying process will take place via MP3Tag in the order shown. Therefore, I am of the opinion that a previously created playlist reflects the order of this copying process. I didn't mean using a playlist on the player itself by my suggestion. I also have an MP3 player that plays MP3s in the order in which they are copied and does not have a random function. It is an older Kindle that has "experimental" MP3 playback capabilities. I mainly use it when traveling, in order to be able to listen to music while reading without a cumbersome additional Mp3 player. At regular intervals I delete the music on the player, reload the music selection in Mp3Tag, let Mp3Tag sort them by random function and transfer them again via MP3Tag. This replaces the missing random function on my Kindle. So far the order was always new and in my opinion corresponded to the order in Mp3Tag. (I have not examined it in detail, however.) So my thought: You load your music selection into MP3Tag. You sort the files in a desired order. You create a playlist in this order for storage. You copy the files to your MP3 player via MP3Tag. Later you always load this playlist into MP3Tag. ---
**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:** [May 20, 2021, 4:50am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/14 "2021-05-20T04:50:03Z")
> [@Crissov](#): > > If `%_file_create_datetime_raw%` doesn’t work, how about `%_file_mod_datetime_raw%`? As far as I have been able to determine so far, the modification date does not change when copying, but the creation date does. ---
**Author:** ![mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/ec9cab/32.png) [@mrralan](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/mrralan)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2021, 12:13pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/15 "2021-05-20T12:13:43Z")
I would use mp3tag to copy the files but I have other requirements. That's why I wrote my own program for my needs. I have another mp3 player in the car. This one plays back songs alphabetically AND has a 99 folder limit per card. My program will list all my mp3s in my folder structure and give me the option to divide the list into many smaller lists with a maximum of 99 folders (Artists) each. That way I can load the card from one list and when that list plays through re-load it from the next list.. and so on. It can also append a number to the front (or back) of each track as it copies for devices that only play alphabetically. It can look into a second folder structure and append the songs from that onto any of the lists it already created. It can also append the Artist to the front of the track for devices that don't read tags. ---
**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, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sort-by-order-written/53227/16 "2026-02-09T12:29:14Z")