Why this rule
Once you've extracted an archive, the zip is a backup at best, but it takes as much space as the contents. Gathering them in one place makes it easy to keep the ones you need and clear the rest in one go.
Set it up in TidyFile
It takes about a minute:
- 1Add a new rule and choose the folder to watch: Downloads.
- 2Add the conditions: type is zip, rar, 7z and modified more than 3 days ago.
- 3Set the action: move to Downloads\Archives\{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
- Drop the age condition to move archives immediately, if you extract them somewhere else.
- Send archives older than 60 days to the Recycle Bin instead of keeping them.
More ready-made rules are in the rule library.
The TidyFile rule
Move zip files to an Archives folder
- When a file
- in Downloads · type is zip, rar, 7z · modified more than 3 days ago
- Then
- move to Downloads\Archives\{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
Why wait 3 days?+
So a zip you've just downloaded is still right there when you go to open it. After a few days you've extracted it or forgotten it.
Does TidyFile extract zip files?+
No. It moves, renames, tags and recycles files; extracting is left to Windows or your archive app.