Why this rule
PDFs are usually the files you'll need again, and the ones that are hardest to find later because they're named things like document(4).pdf. Moving them into a year folder in Documents keeps them in one predictable place and leaves Downloads for the throwaway stuff.
Set it up in TidyFile
It takes about a minute:
- 1Add a new rule and choose the folder to watch: Downloads.
- 2Add the condition: type is pdf.
- 3Set the action: move to Documents\PDFs\{year}. Click Browse to pick the folder (your own Documents, Pictures and so on), then type the rest of the path after it. A folder typed without a drive letter is created inside Downloads instead.
- 4Save it. New files are handled as they arrive, and TidyFile previews what it would do to the files already there before moving any of them.
Variations
- Send PDFs whose name contains invoice or receipt somewhere else first, by putting that rule above this one.
- Use {year}\{month} instead of {year} if you download a lot of PDFs.
- Watch the Desktop as well as Downloads with a second copy of the rule.
More ready-made rules are in the rule library, and there's a full guide to sorting files into year and month folders.
The TidyFile rule
Move PDFs out of Downloads automatically
- When a file
- in Downloads · type is pdf
- Then
- move to Documents\PDFs\{year}
Tip: folders like Documents or Pictures mean your own folders. In TidyFile, click Browse to pick the folder, then add the rest, such as \{year}. A folder typed without a drive letter is created inside the watched folder instead.
Set it up once and TidyFile applies it in the background, to new files the moment they arrive. Preview what it'll do to the files already there, and undo anything from the activity log.
Questions
Will this move PDFs that are still downloading?+
No. TidyFile waits until a download has finished and the file has stopped changing before it moves it, and it skips files that are still open in another program.
Where do the PDFs end up?+
In Documents\PDFs, in a folder for the year. You can change the destination to any folder, such as one inside OneDrive.
What happens to PDFs already in Downloads?+
Nothing until you choose to tidy them. TidyFile shows a preview of where each existing PDF would go, and only moves them when you confirm.