How To Organize SVG and PNG Files (And More!) (2024)

Learn how to organize SVG and PNG files and overcome your digital clutter overwhelm!

Having trouble finding your downloaded files? If you’ve been downloading files and just leaving them where they are, sifting through them all to find what you need can be overwhelming. I’ll show you how to organize SVG and PNG files, along with other types of digital items on your computer. Having a lot of files can really clutter things up on your computer and slow you down. I’ve got some great tips to save you a lot of time, frustration, and help you tackle your digital disorganization once and for all!

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I work with literally thousands of files on a regular basis. Whether I’m working with detailed artwork PNGs, intricate designs and complex vectors in the SVG format, more simple graphics like JPGs, and more … organizing my files is a MUST!I love to be organized, but I don’t love the constant upkeep, especially when working with dozens of image file types and subjects. That’s why I’ve come up a great way to get organized with systems that actually work for the long haul — instead of just leaving your download folder as a dumping ground.I’ve got two tried-and-true file organization systems to share with you. They have been lifesavers for me and my crafting, personal life, and my business — after learning about them, you can pick the one that’s the best choice for you, whether you’re a casual crafter, really into graphic design, or running your own creative business.Before I dive into explaining my two systems, let’s do a quick overview of digital terms.FolderA container that holds one or more files, and a file is a single document, such as a SVG, JPG, or PNG format files.File NameThis is what we call a file – it’s the name that appears on the file itself.File ExtensionThe 3- or 4- letter abbreviation that appears at the end of a filename that indicates the different image formats, such as .SVG or .PNG.SVG stands for “scalable vector graphics,” and they’re detailed vector images with a lack of quality degradation even in a large file size. The cut images in my tutorials are SVGs.PNG stands for “portable network graphic.” PNGs have a high image quality and a large file size ideal for designing complex images. This file type also supports transparency (meaning the images can have a transparent background).UnzipAlso known as “decompressing,” this means to extract the contents of a file that ends in .ZIP – you can unzip something on Windows by right clicking and choosing “Extract All,” and on a Mac by either double-clicking the file, or by right-clicking and choosing “Open with Archive Utility.”

File Organization System 1: The Gallery of Art

Centralized folder with thumbnails and effective filenames.My Gallery organization method is a popular choice for casual file collectors who have smaller, simpler collections of files. Your digital library is a good candidate for this method when you’re dealing with one primary type of craft file, like all SVG files, or all PNG images, and so on. Using my Gallery system is actually really simple!First, you’ll want to create one centralized folder on your computer or device for your files. You may already be doing this by downloading all of your files directly to your Downloads folder, but there’s more to this method than that: You need to remove hierarchy.This means that if you downloaded ZIP files that have the content inside folders, you’ll move it out of the ZIP folders and into another big centralized folder.The advantage to this is that ALL of your files of a certain type are in it, so you won’t have to look for them in multiple locations. You’ll be able to browse thumbnails to find what you need, like your own file gallery that can be easily browsed and searched.

Gallery Method on a PC

First, I’ll explain how to do the Gallery method on a PC running Windows 11.In the File Explorer in Windows 11, click on “Documents.” Create a folder by clicking on “New” and choosing “Folder,” and give it a name like “Designs.” Pin the folder to the sidebar for easy access.Now just gather your files you want to organize into this new folder. I recommend right-clicking on the new folder and choosing “Open in New Window,” then positioning your Designs folder right next to your first window. Search for all your design files in the first window, and then move them over to your new folder. In the video tutorial, I’ll show you how easy it is to search for file types.If you’d rather browse through your files like they’re in a gallery, there’s one extra step. If you mostly have PNG and JPG files (and other common image formats), go to the “View” menu and change the view to icons. The only issue? If you mostly use SVG images or PDF files (the most common file type), this method won’t work — but you can use a free program called PowerToys that will.

Gallery Method on a Mac

Now, I’ll explain how to do the Gallery method on a Mac.Go to your Finder, which looks like two blue faces in your Dock. Choose the “Go” menu at the top of the screen, and select “Documents.” With the Documents folder open, go to the “File” menu at the top and choose “New Folder.” Name your folder (I called mine “Designs” again). Pin the folder to the sidebar on the left by clicking and dragging it over.Does your sidebar appear to be missing? You may have to click “View” and “Show Sidebar” to get it to show up.Now just gather your files you want to organize into this new folder. Go to the “File” menu at the top and choose “New Finder Window.” Position your “Designs” folder next to the new Finder window. Then simply search for your files and move them over to the new folder.In the “View” menu, choose “Icons” or “Gallery” to customize your view. Icons will give you little thumbnails, while Gallery will give you big previews.

Gallery View Tips & Tricks

Whether you’re using a Mac or on Windows, you’ll need to have thoughtful filenames for good searching. Don’t be afraid to rename your files something specific to help yourself out! To do this, right-click and choose “Rename” (you may need to click “More Options” on Windows to see the Rename option).What makes a good filename for your PNG, JPG, or SVG document? Good filenames are:

• Clear – the file name makes it easy to quickly identify and understand the file at a glance.
• Consistent – the file name is in the same style to make it easier to sort and search for files. Don’t start one file with a color and another file with a theme.
• Complete – the file name spells out the words and does not use acronyms or abbreviations, which would be hard to search on later
• Concise – the file name isn’t so long that you can’t read it or it causes issues. While you can have a filename of up to 256 characters (that’ll be really hard to read!), you can go up to around 100 characters for clarity and easy searching.

For more tips for Mac users, like how to add tags to your filenames for even more organization, watch the tutorial video!

File Organization System 2: The Library of Alexandria

Hierarchical structure based on theme or projects.But what happens when you start to get duplicates, different versions of decorative graphics, or special files for special projects? Or you have SO many files in one folder that your computer starts to slow down? Let’s take a closer look into the Library method, which may be a better fit to store your larger, more complex collection of high-quality images.This system is much like the way a library is organized into sections, sub-sections, and collections. For example, you may know that your desired image is an SVG file type of a giraffe, but maybe you can’t remember what you named it. Keeping similar files together can make it easier to hone it on which piece of PNG, JPG, or SVG artwork you want, even when you can’t remember the exact filename you’re looking for, or when you have so many files you can’t look at each individual one.To start, decide on a structure. I organize my own library by project, but you can also organize by theme, craft type, or any other category you want. The list of projects is in one big list (not unlike my Gallery method), and I can browse it quickly.You can either create new folders within that first folder you already made or create new folders in your main Documents folder. For example, if you want to organize your design files into categories, you can create a folder for Animals, Botanical, Celebrations, and so on. Then you just drop your files into them!To further organize your files, you can make folders for subcategories. For example, in an “Animals” folder, you can have a folder for dogs, cats, fish, and more. Just be careful not to go TOO deep and nest too many folders inside others! Five levels deep should be your maximum, or you may have trouble finding files that are buried within multiple folders.TIP: Keep documents and files like instructions, licenses, and other support files with your files so you always have them available.

Bonus Tips to Organize SVG and PNG Files

Getting organized with a system like these can save your digital life! So, are you ready for even more organizing tips?

Shortcuts

You may be wondering what to do about a detailed image file that seems to fit more than one category. If you have a file like my floral cat designs, it could go in both the “Cats” folder and in the “Flowers” folder. In this case, you can pick one category and make a shortcut from that folder to the other one.To make a shortcut on Windows, right-click on a folder or file, choose “Show More Options,” then choose “Create Shortcut.” Drag this new shortcut into another folder. Another way to do it is to go to the place you want the shortcut to appear, right click in that folder, then choose New > Shortcut. Browse the File Explorer to find the file, select it, click “Next,” then click “Finish.” And that’s it! You don’t have to stop at two shortcuts, either.To make a shortcut on a Mac (which is called an “alias”), simply hold down the Option key as you click, hold, and drag it into another folder. Voila, instant shortcut!

Plan Where

You may want to save your files to the cloud rather than your computer’s hard drive. This is helpful when you want to access your files across devices.What is “the cloud”? In this case, it basically means the Internet — more specifically, it means to save something on Internet servers rather than your computer’s hard drive. Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, and other file storage sites and services are examples of the cloud. If you like, you can choose to allow others to have access to your files in the cloud, too!

Search

You may be underutilizing your computer’s search feature. Make sure you’re using your computer’s search function to its fullest potential by following these tips!On Windows, type the word you want to search on in the Search field at the bottom of the window, click “Documents,” and the matches will appear. Click on the term at the bottom of see all matches in a list.On Mac, click on the magnifying glass in the upper right corner, type in your word, and your matches will appear. Click on one to go to it, or scroll down and click on “Documents” to see everything in that folder.TIP: Search with the search bar on a Finder window, then choose “Contains” to make sure your results include everything with that word in the filename.

Ready to Organize SVG and PNG Files on Your Computer?

Organizing your files can take some time, but in the long run it is SO worth it — especially if you have a large or complex collection of files. Imagine the next time you go to look for a certain file, you find it in a flash!Whether you’re a newbie crafter working with simple images as a hobby or a seasoned designer using complex images for your creative business, staying organized can save you lots of time and headaches. Coming up with all the categories might be a challenge, so I’ve pre-made a library folder structure that you can download and use! I’ve organized it by theme, so it works for a wide variety of crafts, including cut files, sublimation files, and printables. It works with both Windows and Mac — just download and unzip it, drag it into your “Documents” folder, and start filling it up with your files! To get my Library zip file, find it in my free resource library in Design #579!.

Want to build your file collection with thousands of free files? Visit my personal library — I add new files almost every day!.

Want to Organize All the Things?

Need to organize more than just files? If Craft Organization is your big struggle, be sure to check out my 30-Day Craft Room Organization Workbook, which has everything you need to do to clean, declutter, and organize in 30 days! Over 15,000 crafters have this workbook and use it to successfully organize their stuff!

Get my free files to organize your SVGs and PNGs!

I hope you found this file organization overview helpful and you feel motivated to conquer your digital clutter! If you do, share your photos with me — I love to see what you do! Share a photo in our Facebook group or tag me on social media with #jennifermaker.

Love,

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