How to create folders in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Learn how to organize your albums more efficiently by creating folders in the Photos app on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Most of us have a lot of photos and videos on our devices, and keeping them organized can help us find and share what we want much faster. One way to organize items in Photos is to create albums. But what happens if your albums end up getting out of control too? This is where folders come in.

The difference between albums and folders is that albums contain your photos & videos while folders contain your albums. It’s sort of a hierarchy structure, if you will.

To help you organize your photos and albums further, we’ll show you how to create folders in Photos on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Just like albums, the folders you create also sync to your other devices where you use iCloud Photos.

On iPhone and iPad

1) Open the iOS Photos app, scroll down, and tap Albums.

2) Tap Create at the top and select New Folder.

3) Give a name to your folder and tap Add Albums.

4) Select one or more albums you want to list under this folder and hit Add.

5) Finally, tap the Create button from the top right.

You can access your folders inside the Albums section of the Photos app. You’ll see a folder icon with a number, indicating the number of albums inside it.

To manage your album folders, touch and hold the folder, then choose an action.

On Mac

You have three different ways to create a folder inside the macOS Photos app. And you can manage your photo folders by Control-clicking on their name.

Method 1: Use the menu bar

1. Open the Photos app and select File > New Folder from the top menu bar.
2. Give your folder a name and hit the enter/return key.
3. Now, drag an album from the Photos app sidebar and drop it over the folder to add it.
4. Repeat step 3 to add more albums to the folder.

Method 2: Use the sidebar

1. Launch the Photos app.
2. Take the pointer over “Albums” in the left sidebar, click the plus button (+), and select Folder.
3. Type the name you want to give to your folder and hit the return key.
4. Drag an album and drop it over the newly created folder.

Method 3: Use drag and drop

1. Go inside the Photos app and select an album in the sidebar.
2. Press and hold the Option key as you drag that album onto another album.
3. Release, and a new folder will automatically be created containing those two albums.
4. Click the name of the folder, which by default is Untitled Folder. Give it a new name and hit the return key.

Albums are great for holding related pictures and videos, while folders are ideal for holding related albums. So, if you need to get a handle on your items in the Photos app and organize them better, try creating some folders.

What do you think of the Photos folder feature? Are you planning to use it on iOS or Mac to organize your albums?

Also, check out: 41 tips to make the most of the Photos app on your iPhone