# Sorting a large collection of MP3's
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [July 10, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251 "2024-07-10T13:32:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2024, 1:32pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/1 "2024-07-10T13:32:20Z")
Hello,
I have a very large collection of MP3's in artist and album folders. Some albums are complete while others are not. I also have "empty" album folders.
I recently used the program to delete tags (as some were incorrect), hoping to start afresh, but I'm not sure how to go about writing a format string(?) to:
Delete all existing artist/album folders (just leave a collection of MP3's)
Sort/tag MP3's correctly into artist-album-year-track title-track number (I have a basic
idea of what to do here... %artist% -%album% etc.?)
Add album covers
I would be very grateful if someone could help please to achieve the above.
Thank you.
---
### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2024, 1:46pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/2 "2024-07-10T13:46:39Z")
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> Sort/tag MP3's correctly into artist-album-year-track title-track number (I have a basic
> idea of what to do here... %artist% -%album% etc.?)
You want to rename your MP3 to a filename like this?
`ABBA-Waterloo-1974-02-Sitting in the Palmtree.mp3`
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> Add album covers
Do you have the matching album cover picture already in your folder for your albums?
or
Do you need to search them manually first?
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> Delete all existing artist/album folders (just leave a collection of MP3's)
I would do this - if at all - as a very last step.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2024, 2:27pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/3 "2024-07-10T14:27:09Z")
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> I also have "empty" album folders.
MP3tag has no function to detect or delete empty folders.
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> Delete all existing artist/album folders (just leave a collection of MP3's)
You can rename all folders in which MP3tag finds files to have the same name.
This would in fact "delete" the current folder and move its contents to the destination folder. If you set the name of the destination folder to be the same for all files, then you have all files in the same folder.
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> I recently used the program to delete tags
If you have deleted tag data, then it will become tricky to find out what the file actually contains. MP3tag has no function to guess what a file represents and therefore cannot add the correct(ed) tag data.
To get more assistance: which tag fields have you filled?
Can further data be found in the path somewhere?
Do you have already pictures somewhere and how could they be assigned to a file?
---
### Author:  [@anon32189785](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/anon32189785)
#### Post date: [July 10, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/4 "2024-07-10T14:35:07Z")
This is a job for a commercial file manager (directory opus). You will get a 60 day trial, and I trust, the job will not take that long π If you need to help, you just have to ask ...
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 6:05am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/5 "2024-07-11T06:05:55Z")
Thanks both for your help. Appreciate it. I do have a commercial program to tag MP3βs but it can only cope with small batches (3000 files). I was hoping mp3tag could do it in one βhitβ as I have about 700GB of music.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 6:17am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/6 "2024-07-11T06:17:57Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> To get more assistance: which tag fields have you filled?
> Can further data be found in the path somewhere?
> Do you have already pictures somewhere and how could they be assigned to a file?
Moving the files to new destinations is one of the last steps.
I also do not think that the decisive difference between a solution or not is the commerciality.
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 6:39am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/7 "2024-07-11T06:39:55Z")
Files have track title, album (folder) and artist (folder) but no track number or album art.
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 7:26am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/8 "2024-07-11T07:26:37Z")
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> but no track number
You can use the Track numbering assistant Ctrl-K to create track numbers.
I am not sure what
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> album (folder) and artist (folder)
means: does this mean the artist's name is not stored in the metadata field ARTIST but can only be seen in the folder name?
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 7:53am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/9 "2024-07-11T07:53:31Z")
I will get back to you later regarding your questions if thatβs ok please as I donβt have access to the files at the moment. Thank you for your help and I will give you a more detailed response.
---
### Author:  [@anon32189785](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/anon32189785)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 10:47am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/10 "2024-07-11T10:47:35Z")
Well, I organized 1.5 TB, around 200.000 files(?) - worked out fine π
@ohrenkino: I didn't mean to say you need a commercial tool to solve that problem. but "Direcory Opus" is a commercial tool capable of doing this. I believe in using the best tool for every step in the "workflow" π
- **EAC** : gets me the audio files on disk
- **Mp3tag** : I do not know any better tool for tagging audio files or for that matter, any tool that could keep up.
- **foobar2000** : to listen at home
- **Directory Opus** : providing the infra structure and an unmatched renaming capability
- and of course, a **code editor** (also freeware) for the heavy lifting
In that combo only Directory Opus is commercial, but once you've bought it it is something like β¬20,- per year now and it's worth every penny!
**Mp3tag is the shining proof that you do not need a commercial product.**
And there are others π
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 10:50am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/11 "2024-07-11T10:50:10Z")
> [@anon32189785](#):
>
> an unmatched renaming capability
see also the MP3tag documentation
> **[Rename Files β Mp3tag Documentation](https://docs.mp3tag.de/converters/rename-files/)**
>
> Documentation on Tag to Filename, a converter to rename files based on tags. Mp3tag is the universal Tag Editor.
---
### Author:  [@anon32189785](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/anon32189785)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 10:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/12 "2024-07-11T10:51:54Z")
No contest. Directory Opus is better π
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 10:58am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/13 "2024-07-11T10:58:10Z")
ok - as this is the MP3tag forum I think we should focus on the questions tha are related to tagging and the MP3tag functions.
As by now I have not really seen the concrete use cases that appear to be difficult, it is hard to say if the can be handled with MP3tag functions or further programs have to be used. So let us wait until the OP describes with more details what has to be solved.
---
### Author:  [@anon32189785](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/anon32189785)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 12:39pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/14 "2024-07-11T12:39:09Z")
Ah, I don't say, Mp3tag can't handle it, I say it is in certain cases much easier to use a combination of a code editor, DOpus and Mp3tag. Only think of that one single line where you input your expression ...
But I agree, this is Mp3tag and anyone who is interested in that file manager can find enough info elsewhere ...π
ps who is "the OP"?
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 12:41pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/15 "2024-07-11T12:41:26Z")
> [@anon32189785](#):
>
> ps who is "the OP"?
A quick search with "what is an OP?" gets this result:
It refers to **the initial person who made a post or started a thread** , such as on Reddit. Now, "OP" is broadly used to identify whoever made the original post that someone replying to, such as on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or any other social media platform. "OP" can also be short for "original post."
---
### Author:  [@Casual\_Tea](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Casual_Tea)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/16 "2024-07-11T13:31:20Z")
I'm not trying to be rude but your comments look like you're mainly interested in advertising Directory Opus.
> [@anon32189785](#):
>
> Well, I organized 1.5 TB, around 200.000 files(?) - worked out fine π
I've organized over 4x that amount of music files and personally never saw the need for anything like Directory Opus. Could you enlighten me what it specifically does that free software like mp3tag, advanced renamer or even a simple batch or python script cannot accomplish?
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> Moving the files to new destinations is one of the last steps.
Agreed. Doing that can create all manners of headaches (files with identical names overwriting each other just to name one example). Deleting the tags is also unwise in my opinion as it can needlessly make it harder to identify what the files are supposed to be.
If you want to do it right, go through the files directory by directory and try to get the tags straight. Once you have accomplished that you can use mp3tag to create a new directory structure based on these tags. I've found that any "magical" automatic tagging usually leads to more suffering in the long run as automatic detection is pretty much hit and miss.
When dealing with lots of files, the last thing you want to introduce is uncertainty.
---
### Author:  [@LyricsLover](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/LyricsLover)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/17 "2024-07-11T14:05:50Z")
> [@Casual\_Tea](#):
>
> If you want to do it right, go through the files directory by directory and try to get the tags straight.
This includes a clear view of what your collection includes (Pop albums only? Classical music? Complete albums or just singles from various artists? Mostly compilations? One album per artist, never the same album as LP and CD and Digital Media, Remastered...?) and how these tracks should look at the end in which main music players/devices.
Otherwise there is a high risk to repeat this work again (and again).
---
### Author:  [@Stephen](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Stephen)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 4:08pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/18 "2024-07-11T16:08:10Z")
Hello again...sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
I've looked at the file structure and this is what I see.
Perhaps the solution is simpler than I imagine. Interestingly, even though I stripped tag data using MP3tag, iTunes is still able to grab files from different folders to make up an album.
So, I'd like MP3tag to place all relevant files in the right album folder, with artwork and track number. Sometimes I have this...
They're all from the same album but tracks have been put in 4 folders...
Thank you for any advice.
---
### Author:  [@anon32189785](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/anon32189785)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/19 "2024-07-11T16:11:08Z")
Ah I see, you are an experienced music organizer who will surely solve his problems - should such occur "guided by intelligence and experience" (Rex Stout, Nero Wolfe) Everything else will be answered gladly by Auntie Google π
---
### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [July 11, 2024, 4:23pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/sorting-a-large-collection-of-mp3s/65251/20 "2024-07-11T16:23:50Z")
> [@Stephen](#):
>
> Thank you for any advice.
As we use MP3tag - could you show us the extended tags dialogue Alt-T of a single file of these 5 files?
And then a screenshot of the files from the 5 folders loaded into MP3tag in which the column for Album is visible?
If you want to get any further data from other sources like e.g. the internet, it is mandatory to have data in as many tag fields as possible.
This would also mean that if you have really deleted the data from the tags, but some of the information is still available in the filenames or foldernames, it is most advisable to harvest these sources first.
There are functions available in MP3tag to do so:
> **[Import Tags from File and Folder Names β Mp3tag Documentation](https://docs.mp3tag.de/converters/import-tags-from-filenames/)**
>
> Documentation on Filename to Tag, a converter to import tags from file and folder names. Mp3tag is the universal Tag Editor.
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