How to automatically sort photos into categories with local AI

Sort by what the photos show, not by date

You can organize photos by shooting date or by subject. Smart Image Sorter does the latter. It uses predefined categories such as people, animals, food, scenery and documents, and you choose which categories are relevant.

The AI estimates image content, so similar photos may end up in different categories. Review the assignments before saving. This tool does not automatically create folders based on shooting dates.

Add the images you want to organize

Open Smart Image Sorter and choose “Add images.” It accepts JPEG, PNG, WebP and AVIF files. You can also select a folder of images, although folder selection support depends on the browser.

The limit is 500 images per batch. For a larger library, work through it in smaller groups. Processing many large images also uses device memory, so reduce the batch size if your phone slows down.

Choose categories that fit your images

Eight recommended categories are enabled at first. Keep those relevant to your photos, disable the others, and choose any additional predefined categories from the built-in catalog. At least two categories must be enabled before sorting starts.

For a batch with meals and landscapes, enable categories that reflect what is actually in the images. The app does not accept custom category names; AI chooses among the categories you enabled.

Run the local AI classification

Select “Start sorting.” AI examines the images on your device and chooses among the enabled categories. The app does not upload images for classification. Opening the web version still involves downloading the initial HTML page.

The displayed match value is a relative score among the enabled categories, not a probability that the assignment is correct. Even a high score deserves a quick visual check before export.

Review uncertain and incorrect matches

An image appears under “Needs review” when its top match is relatively low, its top two matches are close, or both. Review these images and reassign any that need correction. An unflagged image can also be wrong, so scan the full results.

You can change a category for one image or select several images for a bulk change, which requires confirmation. Images that fail decoding or inference are listed separately and can be retried or removed. Failed images are excluded from the ZIP.

Download the photos grouped into a ZIP

After checking the categories, choose “Download category ZIP.” The ZIP groups the original files by category without recompressing them. If filenames collide within a category, the app adjusts the names to avoid overwriting them.

A single ZIP export supports up to 750 MB of source images in total. The tool does not move or delete files in your original folders; extract the downloaded ZIP wherever you need the organized copies. Because the originals are preserved, embedded EXIF or location metadata is preserved too.

Resume an interrupted sorting session

Category choices, classification results and manual changes are saved in browser storage, but the image files themselves are not. To resume, select the same images or folder again so the app can match them with the stored session. You can also save and load a work-session JSON file.

Clearing browser site data may remove the autosaved session, and it will not automatically follow you to another browser or device. Keep the original image files so you can reselect them when resuming. The app does not upload the images you choose.

Tips and limitations

• This is content-based categorization. It is not intended for sorting by shooting date or recognizing named individuals.
• A high match score does not guarantee accuracy. Check the results even if nothing appears under “Needs review.”
• The ZIP contains the original image bytes. Existing EXIF and GPS metadata remains, so check it before sharing the archive.
• High-resolution images may exhaust device memory even below the 500-image limit. Work in smaller batches if needed.
• Autosave stores classification work data, not the image files. Reselect the originals when restoring a session.