Move a Tropy Project and Its Photos with Relative Paths
By ImgHeal · Updated
Relative photo paths can help a Tropy project travel with its image folder, provided their relationship stays intact. Move a tested copy of the complete arrangement. Relocating only the project file or only the photos can leave apparently intact research records pointing at missing originals.
Explore this topic: Organize a photo archive
Document the existing arrangement
Locate the project file and identify the image folders it actually uses. Record any photos outside the main collection root, including downloads or files on another drive. Count the representative groups you expect to transfer. Keep a recovery copy before changing the project's path policy. A folder named Photos is not enough evidence that every linked original lives there; inspect an older item, a recent import, and a front-and-back pair to expose exceptions.
Choose a stable project-to-photo relationship
Tropy's preferences distinguish absolute paths from paths relative to the project file. Review those documented options for your version and decide on a simple package arrangement that can be copied as a unit. Keep internal folder names stable during the test. Do not combine a relocation with a mass rename, because it makes the cause of a failed link harder to isolate. Record the intended relationship in a README that another researcher can understand without knowing your computer's username or drive letters.
Open the copied project independently
Copy the complete arrangement to the destination and open that copy through the normal application workflow. Verify originals at detailed scale, not just stored thumbnails. Test an item whose source was previously on a different volume and confirm that it now resolves where intended. Keep the source arrangement unchanged until representative records and notes have been checked. If some links fail, diagnose their actual source location before removing or recreating records. Preserve any restoration exports as separate derivatives in the same documented hierarchy rather than replacing linked source photographs during the move.
Check this workflow
- Locate exceptional source paths before moving.
- Keep project and photo folder relationships stable.
- Test originals from the copied project.
Sources and further reading
- Tropy: PreferencesDescribes project path relationships, default templates, duplicate handling, and note export formats.
Questions about this restoration task
Can I reorganize all filenames while moving the project?
Separate those changes. First prove the copied arrangement works, then plan renaming through a documented process with another recovery point.
Continue with a related guide
Try a restoration on a copy of your photo
Keep the original scan. Upload a separate digital copy, review ImgHeal’s generated result, and decide whether it suits your needs.
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