Directories options¶
Open File → Options… → Directories for folder scanning and the starting folder of the cover-image picker. Its Startup child page controls what opens on launch.
New to this?
Start with one album folder. Enabling subfolders for a music-library root can add many more files than expected; the Files extension restriction can narrow the scan.
Subfolders¶
Read subfolders defaults to on. Folder operations then include nested folders. Turn it off to work only with audio directly inside the selected folder. It controls discovery, not whether an already loaded file can be edited.
Favorite directory¶
OpenTag keeps an ordered list of favorites through File → Favorite directories… rather than a single favorite-path input on this page. Add the folders used frequently and put the preferred one first. File → Favorite directory or Ctrl+M opens the first favorite. Control is used on every platform, including macOS.
Managing favorites is separate from choosing a startup mode. Adding a favorite does not automatically load it every time the app starts.
Startup directory¶
Choose Directories → Startup → Startup directory:
| Choice | Result |
|---|---|
| Empty file list | Default. Start without reopening a folder. |
| Previous directory | Open the most recent folder from the saved directory history. |
| First favorite directory | Open the first folder in the favorites list. |
If there is no matching recent/favorite entry, there is no folder to restore. Files or directories supplied as launch requests take precedence over the normal startup folder. Startup restoration also depends on folder access being available on the platform; a file-picker-only environment cannot provide the same folder workflow.
Cover art directory¶
Default folder for Add cover defaults to empty. It sets the starting location of the Add cover… picker; it does not automatically import or embed images.
Accepted forms include a full path, a path relative to the selected audio file's folder, and a format string using its fields. For example, Artwork points to an Artwork subfolder of the selected file's folder; %artist% can supply a component of a configured image archive path.
If the configured location is empty or cannot be opened, OpenTag tries the first selected file's folder when that folder contains an image. Otherwise it uses a valid working folder, falling back to the selected file’s folder when no valid working folder is available. Select the intended file before opening the picker, since the initial location derives from the selection.