Sorting your files, to clean up your mess.

TidyFlow is a free, open-source file organizer for Windows. It moves files out of your Downloads folder (or any folder you choose) into tidy destination folders based on their type. Preview what will happen, organize with one click, on a schedule, or the moment a download finishes, and undo any run if you change your mind.

Download

1. Grab the latest zip from Releases:
   • TidyFlow-<version>-x64-portable.zip for most PCs
   • TidyFlow-<version>-arm64-portable.zip for Windows on ARM
2. Unzip it somewhere permanent, for example %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\TidyFlow.
3. Run TidyFlow.exe. That's it: it's a single self-contained file with nothing else to install.

Or install it with WinGet, which also handles updates:

winget install ElementalGenius.TidyFlow

WinGet listing pending: TidyFlow has been submitted to the WinGet repository. Until Microsoft approves it, winget install reports that no package was found; use the download instead.

"Windows protected your PC"? TidyFlow isn't code-signed, so SmartScreen may warn you the first time. Select More info → Run anyway. Only download TidyFlow from this repository's Releases page.

Requirements: Windows 10 version 2004 (build 19041) or later, or Windows 11, on x64 or ARM64.

Features

Categories	Sorts by file extension into Images, Documents, Spreadsheets, Videos, Audio and more. Add your own, rename them, or switch them off.
Preview	See every file and exactly what will happen to it, including why a file stays put, before anything moves.
Undo	Every run (manual, scheduled or watched folder) is kept in History with an Undo button. Restored files never overwrite anything.
Schedule	Daily, weekly (your choice of day) or monthly (any day, or the last day), and/or a minute after you sign in. Runs silently in the background, and catches up if your PC was off.
Watch for new files	Organizes new files about 15 seconds after they finish downloading.
Sensible rules	Leaves alone files changed in the last N hours, files under N KB, patterns like *.tmp or *.crdownload, and hidden/system files. Only the folder itself is organized; subfolders are never touched.
Duplicates	If a name is already taken, add a number (report_1.pdf) or leave the file where it is.
Fits into Windows	Light and dark themes (Windows 11 Fluent style), notification-area icon, toast notifications, start at sign-in.
Private	Everything stays on your PC. No account, no telemetry, no network access at all.

Preview changes before anything moves	Categories and rules (light theme)

Quick start

1. Open TidyFlow. On the Rules tab, check the folder to organize (Downloads by default) and the categories, then select Save (Ctrl+S).
2. Select Preview changes to see what would happen. When it looks right, select Move N files, or use Organize now (F5).
3. Changed your mind? Open History and select Undo on that run.
4. Optional: on the Schedule tab, turn on On a schedule or Watch for new files. Under Settings, turn on Start TidyFlow when I sign in so watching keeps working after a restart.

More in QUICKSTART.md.

What's new in 2.0

TidyFlow 2.0 (previously Tidy Pack Rat) is a ground-up rewrite on .NET 10:

• One engine for everything. Organize now, scheduled runs and the file watcher follow exactly the same rules. The old PowerShell worker is gone, and with it the console windows and crashes.
• Preview and History with Undo, for every run including scheduled ones.
• Better scheduling: pick the day, run at sign-in, see the next run time. Silent background runs that survive moving or updating the app.
• A modern Fluent interface that follows your light/dark setting.
• Single-file portable downloads for x64 and ARM64.
• Many 1.x bugs fixed, from the file-size filter using the wrong units to undo only restoring one file. Your 1.x settings upgrade automatically.

The full list is in the changelog.

Command line

Command	What it does
TidyFlow.exe --run	Organizes once with no window, using your saved settings (this is what the scheduled task runs). Exit codes: 0 success, 1 some files failed, 2 settings invalid, unreadable or never saved, 3 run failed.
TidyFlow.exe --minimized	Starts in the notification area.
TidyFlow.exe --uninstall	Removes TidyFlow's scheduled task, start-at-sign-in entry and notification registration.
TidyFlow.exe settings.tfconfig	Offers to import exported settings (you can also drag the file onto TidyFlow.exe).

Where your data lives

Settings, history, statistics and logs are kept in %LOCALAPPDATA%\TidyFlow. Settings → Open data folder and Open log folder take you there. The Configuration Guide documents every setting and the config.json format.

Updating and uninstalling

• Update: exit TidyFlow (right-click the notification-area icon → Exit), replace TidyFlow.exe with the new one, and start it again. With WinGet: exit TidyFlow, then winget upgrade ElementalGenius.TidyFlow. Your settings carry over.
• Uninstall: exit TidyFlow, run TidyFlow.exe --uninstall, then delete its folder (with WinGet: tidyflow --uninstall, then winget uninstall ElementalGenius.TidyFlow). Delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\TidyFlow too if you don't want to keep your settings and history. Files TidyFlow already organized stay where they are.

Documentation

Guide	For
Quick Start	Getting set up in a few minutes
Installation Guide	Installing, upgrading from 1.x, uninstalling
Configuration Guide	Every setting, rule and file TidyFlow uses
Troubleshooting	Files not moving, schedules, the watcher, SmartScreen
Changelog	What changed in each version
Optional MSIX package	Building an installable package yourself

Building from source

You need the .NET 10 SDK.

git clone https://github.com/ProfessorMoose74/TidyPackRat.git
cd TidyPackRat

.\build.ps1                       # build and run all tests
dotnet run --project src/TidyFlow # run the app
.\build.ps1 -Portable             # single-file TidyFlow.exe + release zip in dist\

Tip: set TIDYFLOW_DATA_DIR to a scratch folder while developing, so testing never touches your real settings.

Path	Contents
src/TidyFlow.Core	The organizing engine, settings and history storage, logging. No UI; fully unit-tested.
src/TidyFlow	The WPF app (MVVM): views, view models, scheduler, watcher, notifications, tray icon.
src/TidyFlow.Package	Optional MSIX packaging project.
tests/	xUnit tests for the engine and the app services.
tools/	Scripts that rebuild the icon and package images from assets/logo.png.

Pushing a vX.Y.Z tag builds, tests and publishes a GitHub release with both downloads. See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Contributing

Bug reports, ideas and pull requests are all welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md and our Code of Conduct. Found a security problem? Please report it privately as described in SECURITY.md.

Ideas on the roadmap: a first-run setup wizard, multiple source folders, and rules beyond file extensions. Suggestions are welcome in issues.

License

MIT © 2024-2026 Elemental Genius LLC. See PRIVACY.md for how TidyFlow handles your data (in short: it never leaves your PC).