Understanding Linked Folders

Adding media via a Linked Folder preserves your existing file structure and allows Mylio Photos to display the media from that folder without moving it.

When adding a Linked Folder from an external drive or NAS, it is essential to note the differences between storage devices that have been added to your Mylio Account (Mylio Photos+ only) and storage devices that have not been added to your Mylio Account.

Things to know when adding a Linked Folder from an external drive:

• Available to both Mylio Photos and Mylio Photos+ users.
• Adding a Linked Folder from an external drive or NAS does not automatically add the external drive/NAS to your Mylio Account as a Mylio Photos+ device. (See note below)
• Linked Folders will be associated with the device you used to link the folder in the Mylio Photos Folders view.
• The application will not automatically back up and protect other content from your library (e.g., the catalog or media backups from other sources) to external drives unless that drive has been added as a Mylio Photos+ device.
• When an external drive is disconnected, any linked folders from that drive will show in the Mylio Photos application as missing until the external drive is reconnected unless that drive has been added as a Mylio Photos+ device.
• External drives cannot be moved between different host computers unless that drive has been added as a Mylio Photos+ device. For example, if you get a new computer, you must remove the missing folder from your Mylio Photos Library and re-link the folder.

*NOTE: If you added a Linked Folder from an external drive or NAS before June 16, 2023, your device was automatically added to your Mylio Account as a Mylio Photos+ Device. All Mylio Photos+ devices can be viewed in the Devices section of the Dashboard and on your Account page on the Mylio website. Adding a new Linked Folder located on an external drive after June 16, 2023, will not be added as a Mylio Photos+ device. This change does not affect any linked folders from external drives added before June 16, 2023.

Things to know when adding a Linked Folder on a Mylio Photos+ External Drive:

• Adding an external drive or NAS as a Mylio Photos+ device is an exclusive feature for Mylio Photos+ users.
• Any external drive or NAS added as a Mylio Photos+ device will be shown in the Devices section of the Dashboard.
• If a user’s Mylio Photos+ subscription lapses (or the free trial ends without subscribing), any Mylio Photos+ devices will become inaccessible via the Mylio Photos application. Your media will always be fully accessible in Windows Explorer or macOS Finder.
• Linked Folders will be associated with the Mylio Photos+ device in the Mylio Photos Folders view.
• At a minimum, the app will store a backup copy of your catalog on all Mylio Photos+ devices. This means your metadata and organization are automatically protected. Users can store additional media on Mylio Photos+ devices or assign a Vault sync policy to that device.
• USB external drives added as a Mylio Photos+ device can be moved to different host computers. (see note below) For example, if you get a new computer, you can install and log in to the Mylio Photos application on the new computer, then plug in your Mylio Photos+ USB drive to access the media in your Linked Folder(s).

*NOTE: Moving Mylio Photos+ USB external drives to another operating system (e.g., between macOS and Windows) or computers using different language settings is not recommended. It can cause your Mylio Photos Library to become corrupt.

!WARNING: Mylio Photos does not support linked folders 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 Photos Library
• Linked Folders that are associated with a specific device

Any folder associated with a specific device, rather than the Mylio Photos Library, can be designated as a Library Folder (scroll down to the section 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 or how your files are presented in other Mylio Photos views.

Most users prefer to see their folders grouped in the Mylio Photos Library section of the Folders view. However, there are situations where associating folders with specific devices may be desired or necessary.

Example 1

A Mylio Photos+ user has three computers. Each computer has a system Pictures folder with a unique set of photos they want to view in Mylio Photos+.

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 which Pictures folder belongs to each computer at a glance.

If these folders were designated as Library Folders, 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 the Mylio Photos Library at the top of the Folders view and a separate section listing the host computer and any linked folders (Mylio Photos) or the external drive (Mylio Photos+) 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 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. Click the Dashboard icon  in the left sidebar, then select Devices.
2. Click on the Device Card for your current device.
3. Select Linked Folders. Mylio Library Folders will be listed at the top, and folders associated with specific devices (Mylio Photos+ only) will be listed under their associated device.
4. Select the Folder you wish to manage.
   • Name – View or edit the name of the linked folder.
   • Files – View the number of files associated with the selected linked folder.
   • Size – View the storage space currently used by the selected folder.
   • Location – View the linked folder’s location in your file system. Click the link to view the folder in macOS Finder or Windows Explorer.
   • Sync Policy – View or adjust the sync policy for the selected folder. (Mylio Photos+ only)
   • Keep files imported on this device – Toggling this switch to the ON position will leave media in their current location when they would otherwise be candidates for having their originals removed once synced somewhere else, such as an external drive designated as a Vault. (Mylio Photos+ only)
   • Move Folder – Selecting Move folder lets you move the folder from 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. (Mylio Photos+ only)
   • 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 (sync is exclusive to Mylio Photos+), 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 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) – This option lets you quickly associate a folder with the selected device. (Mylio Photos+ only)

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