"All Images" folder in Finder. Possible to cleanup?

[BGTHEMOGUL]

This folder drives me crazy since it pulls images from anywhere and everywhere it possibly can including all emails you have even if you never chose to actually save the image.

Is there anyway of cleaning this folder up and strictly having it show all the images that you've actually saved or put onto the computer instead of every single image it can possibly find???

I have over 10,000 emails from several years in my inbox so it's insane having all these images it pulls from everywhere...especially when I didn't save or download alot of them in the first place.

 

[Tumbleweed666]

This folder drives me crazy since it pulls images from anywhere and everywhere it possibly can including all emails you have even if you never chose to actually save the image.

Is there anyway of cleaning this folder up and strictly having it show all the images that you've actually saved or put onto the computer instead of every single image it can possibly find???

I have over 10,000 emails from several years in my inbox so it's insane having all these images it pulls from everywhere...especially when I didn't save or download alot of them in the first place.

Nooooooooooooo !!!! Do NOT touch that folder.

Its not even a folder, its a smart search and people have trashed their systems by deleting or reorganising files from that as it lists all images, including system files.

That entry must have caused far more problems that its ever solved by its indiscriminate lumping of anything that happens to be an image, and giving the impression to many that its taking up space. Because it isnt, its only a list of all images wherever they are, its not actually a folder taking up space.

Go to Finder, then Preferences > Sidebar and under Search, untick "all images". Problem solved you'll never see it again.

FWIW, have you considered moving the emails in your inbox into folders after you have read them so you dont just have 10k in one unmanageable single list?

And do the same for images if you dont already, the obvious place to organise those would be a photo editor such as iPhoto or Picasa, or just in folders, inside the 'pictures' folder would be the "obvious" choice but it could be anywhere.

 

[BGTHEMOGUL]

I have all the pictures that I want in a "Pictures" folder on my computer. All the pictures showing in the "All Images" folder are stuff I never downloaded or saved in the first place. It's just pulling every image from any email that I have in my inbox. It's ridiculous. Looks like there's no way of cleaning that up or changing settings from my research. At least I know it isn't taking up alot of space because that was one of my concerns. It's only 90kb for the folder.

 

[spinnerlys]

I have all the pictures that I want in a "Pictures" folder on my computer. All the pictures showing in the "All Images" folder are stuff I never downloaded or saved in the first place. It's just pulling every image from any email that I have in my inbox. It's ridiculous. Looks like there's no way of cleaning that up or changing settings from my research. At least I know it isn't taking up alot of space because that was one of my concerns. It's only 90kb for the folder.

But you understand, that this is NOT an actual folder, where actual files are stored, it is a Smart Folder, set to find all images on your HDD, even ones stored temporarily, and to show them to you?

The 90KB it takes are probably just the settings of the Smart Folder.

Customizing the Finder sidebar in OS X
Mac OS X v10.6: Mac 101 - Finder and the desktop
Smart Folders in OS X

Also have a look at the following links to learn more about Mac OS X:

Mac OS X Basics

Helpful Information for Any Mac User by GGJstudios

"How to maximise your MacRumors troubleshooting experience" created by mad jew in 2006

MRoogle is a good tool to search these fora for already existing threads about questions you have. It might be able to answer you quicker than waiting for an answer.

​

 

[Darth.Titan]

I have all the pictures that I want in a "Pictures" folder on my computer. All the pictures showing in the "All Images" folder are stuff I never downloaded or saved in the first place. It's just pulling every image from any email that I have in my inbox. It's ridiculous. Looks like there's no way of cleaning that up or changing settings from my research. At least I know it isn't taking up alot of space because that was one of my concerns. It's only 90kb for the folder.

So drag the OS's default All Images smart folder off the side bar and create your own smart folder that only pulls from your Pictures folder.

 

[BGTHEMOGUL]

So drag the OS's default All Images smart folder off the side bar and create your own smart folder that only pulls from your Pictures folder.

Right I'm aware of this option. I wasn't asking if I can also add my own smart folder and add it to the side bar. I was just trying to see if there was a settings or option to not have the All Images folder do what it does in the first place.

 

[spinnerlys]

Right I'm aware of this option. I wasn't asking if I can also add my own smart folder and add it to the side bar. I was just trying to see if there was a settings or option to not have the All Images folder do what it does in the first place.

Didn't get that. Right click on the "Show Images" item in the Sidebar and select "Show Search Criteria". Maybe you can change some bits, though I haven't found an "exclude folder(s)" option.

 

[BGTHEMOGUL]

Ok thanks

 

[Tumbleweed666]

Right I'm aware of this option. I wasn't asking if I can also add my own smart folder and add it to the side bar. I was just trying to see if there was a settings or option to not have the All Images folder do what it does in the first place.

So you didn't read my first reply? "

Go to Finder, then Preferences > Sidebar and under Search, untick "all images". Problem solved you'll never see it again. "

 

[BGTHEMOGUL]

So you didn't read my first reply? "

Go to Finder, then Preferences > Sidebar and under Search, untick "all images". Problem solved you'll never see it again. "

I did see that reply and that doesn't resolve the problem at all. Just hides the folder so I don't see it in Finder. Not what I was looking for.

 

[Mal]

I did see that reply and that doesn't resolve the problem at all. Just hides the folder so I don't see it in Finder. Not what I was looking for.

The folder doesn't exist. You're not grasping this here. That "folder" isn't a folder, just a set of search results. Those images aren't being collected there, they're simply being displayed because they exist elsewhere on the computer.

jW

 

[Tumbleweed666]

I did see that reply and that doesn't resolve the problem at all. Just hides the folder so I don't see it in Finder. Not what I was looking for.

FFS its NOT a folder. Doh !

Its a SEARCH that only exists if you run it. And if its not in the sidebar you arent running it.