Import Media

Sort incoming photos and videos into separate folders

Use this Rule for a folder that receives mixed media exports or downloads. Both branches use the path from the folder event, so each move applies to the arriving item rather than a fixed example file.

When: An item is added to ~/Downloads. If: Its name matches PNG, JPG, JPEG, HEIC, or WebP, Do: Move it to ~/Pictures/Media. A separate branch matches MOV, MP4, or M4V and moves it to ~/Movies/Imports. Both regular expressions ignore case and match the end of the filename.

Configure and try it

1. Import through Open this Rule in Rulr and choose the folder that receives your media files.
2. Select existing, writable destination folders in both Move Actions. Keep destinations separate from the watched source.
3. Review the extension patterns and numbered-name conflict policy. The Actions move files out of the source.
4. Enable the Rule and add disposable image and video copies. Check each destination, then add an unsupported file type to confirm it stays in the source. Try a duplicate filename as well.

Requirements and limits

Folder Contents Changed and Move File or Folder require Rulr Pro. Rulr needs access to the source and destinations.

The Rule routes files by name; it does not inspect media contents, sort by capture date, convert formats, or import into the Photos library. Existing files are not a backfill job, and no explicit wait for unfinished downloads is configured. For routing PDFs and archives alongside images, see Sort Downloads.

Does this organize the Apple Photos library?

It moves ordinary files between folders in Finder. It does not create Photos albums, read EXIF capture dates, or scan the existing photo library. Choose this workflow for separating incoming image files from video files before reviewing or importing them elsewhere.