Hi, ive just put all my photos on a Hard Drive, the order of all my photos has been changed, they are in separate folders so I spent 4 hrs yesterday putting them back in order, today I went to carry on and it has reverted to the original layout, how do I stop the computer overriding my photo order? TIA Geoff
MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 12.7
Are you referring to the order of the photos within the folders or the order of the folders themselves?
If it's the photos within the folders what view are you using: icon, list, columns or gallery?
Where are the photos coming from, a Photos library. Are you sorting them in Photos before exporting to the folders?
I'm not sure what you're doing, exactly. Do you have your pictures showing in the Photos app? By folders do you mean albums? Generally I don't have problems with keeping albums in a custom order, but since accidents happen, I usually take steps so that the order is one that can be sorted-- by changing dates or titles of pictures. I'm not sure what "original layout" means. External Hard Drives behave the same as the internal one.
Are you, in fact, using macOS 12.7 Monterey?
It's possible I could help if I understood what you're doing, but just repeated the original post, and you didn't answer my questions. Are you using the Photos app? Are you using the Finder App?
If it's Finder, how do you have View>Sort by set?
Again, an external hard drive behaves the same as the internal one.
This is the Community of users for the Photos app, and you haven't mentioned that, so that's why I'm confused, as well.
Is Tim 1 the filename, like "Tim 1.jpg?" Or is it a title in Photos?
As I said earlier, if your pictures are in a Finder folder, you can choose View>Sort, like this:
"Sort by None," meaning you move them to the order you want, is not available in List view.
In Photos, I usually sort by Title:
In a Photos Album (but not in other views) you can move the pictures to a custom order, and then none of the choices above will have a check.
The external drive does not manipulate your pictures; apps do. You haven't said what app you're using. Again, are you using Photos or Finder or some other app?
If you don't know, then you could include a screenshot to help Old Toad and me to figure out what you mean.
"In Photos, I usually sort by Title"
Then export the photos using the Title as the new filename.
Then the Finder can sorts them alphanumerically ascending or descending depending on your preference.
Hi, I am so confused, my Album called Tim on my Mac has photos in it Tim 1 Tim 2 Tim 3 etc all in order 123 I move that Album to my HDD my photos are now Tim 6 Tim 4 Tim 2, I put them back in order I now have Tim 1 Tim 2 Tim 3 all in order in Album Tim, I close my MacHDD down I open it the next day and my HDD has reverted to Tim 6 Tim 4 Tim 2 etc how do I stop my HDD from changing the order I want my photos in? If they are in the correct order on my Mac why can’t they keep that order? If your telling me I have to number every single photo I have thousands to do, again thanks if I haven’t explained it very well then can you give me a step by step procedure to guarantee the order of my photos when I transfer them. TIA
How2024 wrote: …I didn’t use the view box, hopefully problem sorted now thanks again
That's great! If you have more questions, it is very important that you tell people what app you are using. I still don't know if you meant "View" in Finder or in Photos. The name of the app is in the upper right hand corner. Right now I'm using the Safari app, and it says that on the screen:
That's important information for troubleshooting.
Richard.Taylor wrote:
Richard.Taylor wrote: The name of the app is in the upper right[sic] hand corner.
left, LEFT, upper left hand corner!
It depends on if you're looking out from the inside or in from the outside. 😉
Richard.Taylor wrote:
Old Toad wrote: …It depends on if you're looking out from the inside or in from the outside. 😉
Insanely, I thought exactly the same thing while I was sending the correction…
Kinda like the "ghost in the machine".
Hi Richard thanks every day is a learning day, I didn’t use the view box, hopefully problem sorted now thanks again
Hi Old Toad, I think I’ve now cracked it, thanks for your help
That's good to hear. 👍
Richard.Taylor wrote: The name of the app is in the upper right[sic] hand corner.
left, LEFT, upper left hand corner!
Hi Richard yes it was the Safari app
Old Toad wrote: …It depends on if you're looking out from the inside or in from the outside. 😉
Insanely, I thought exactly the same thing while I was sending the correction…
Hard Drive reorders photos after manual sorting
