Understanding Linked Folders

Adding media to Mylio Photos can be done in two ways:

• Move or Copy media into your Mylio Library Folder, or
• Link a folder from its existing location.

Linked folders preserve your existing file structure and allow Mylio Photos to display the media in that folder without moving it.

!WARNING: Mylio Photos does not support linked folders that are located on cloud drives (e.g. Dropbox, iCloud Drive, etc.). Linking a folder from a cloud drive may result in data loss and catalog corruption. To add cloud drive photos and videos to Mylio Photos, please download the media to a local folder on your computer or external drive, then add the media to Mylio Photos.

Viewing Linked Folders in the Folders View

Mylio Photos groups folders in the Folders View in two ways:

• Folders that are associated with the Mylio Library Folder
• Linked Folders that are associated with a specific device

Any folder that is associated with a specific device, rather than the Mylio Library Folder, can be designated as part of the Mylio Library Folder (scroll down to Managing Linked Folders in the Dashboard for instructions). This changes how the folders are viewed inside the Mylio Photos app but does not alter your file structure.

Most users will likely prefer to see all of their folders grouped together in the Mylio Library Folder. However, there are situations where associating folders with specific devices may be desired or necessary.

Example 1:

A user has 3 computers. Each computer has a system Pictures folder with a unique set of photos that they want to be included in their Mylio Photos Library.

After adding all computers to Mylio Photos, and Linking the Pictures folder from each computer, the Folders View in Mylio Photos (on any of their connected devices) will show each device separately, along with a unique Pictures folder. This lets them see, at a glance which Pictures folder belongs to each computer.

If these folders were designated as part of the Mylio Library Folder, the three Pictures folders would be merged, which may cause duplicates and other issues within Mylio Photos.

Example 2:

A user has a desktop computer with a large capacity external hard drive that is always connected. The external hard drive contains a folder with several years worth of photos.

After installing Mylio Photos on their computer, they add the photos from the external drive using the Linked Folder option to preserve their current file structure.

When the user opens the Folders View in Mylio Photos, they will see Mylio Library Folder and a separate section listing the external drive with its associated folder below.

In this situation, the user may perceive the desktop computer and external drive as one “place” because the external drive is never disconnected from the computer. In this instance, the user may prefer to designate the folder of images on the external drive as a Mylio Library Folder rather than have them associated with the external drive. This changes how the folder is viewed in the Mylio Photos Folders View but does not alter the file structure.

Managing Linked Folders in the Dashboard

Mylio Photos has several options for managing Linked Folders in the Dashboard.

1. Open the Dashboard and select Devices.

2. Click on the Device Card for the device you’re currently using.

3. Select Linked Folders. Mylio Library Folders will be listed at the top, and folders associated with specific devices will be listed under their associated device.

4. Select the Folder you wish to manage.
   1. For folders that are currently designated as a Mylio Library Folder:
      • Move Folder – Selecting Move folder lets you move the folder out of the Mylio Library Folder to a new location. If the new location is on a separate device, such as an external drive, the folder will become associated with that drive.
      • Remove from Mylio – Selecting Remove from Mylio will remove the folder and its contents from your Mylio Photos Library and prevent the images from syncing, but will not delete your photos. The photos will remain in their current location in your computer’s file system.
   2. For folders that are associated with a specific device:
      • Move Folder – Selecting Move folder lets you move the folder to a new location. If the new location is on a separate device, such as an external drive, the folder will become associated with that drive.
      • Remove from Mylio – Selecting Remove from Mylio will remove the folder and its contents from your Mylio Photos Library and prevent the images from syncing, but will not delete your photos. The photos will remain in their current location in your computer’s file system.
      • Mark as Library Folder – Selecting Mark as Library Folder will remove the device-specific association in Mylio Photos and mark the folder as a Mylio Library Folder. This changes how the folder is viewed in the Mylio Photos Folders View but does not alter your file structure.
      • Mark as specific to (selected device) – Selecting this option lets you quickly associate a folder with the currently selected device.

*NOTE: Some users upgrading from Mylio 3.xx to Mylio Photos may have folders that are incorrectly assigned to a device, rather than the Mylio Photos Library. This is due to under-the-hood improvements in the way that Mylio Photos handles linked folders and can be easily corrected. Follow the instructions above and in Step 4, select the folder that is assigned to a device and choose Mark as Library Folder.