> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://compresto.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Folder monitoring

> Monitor folders for automatic compression

## Overview

Folder monitoring allows Compresto to automatically compress files when they are added to specified folders. This is useful for automating compression workflows.

## Getting Started

<Steps>
  <Step>
    Open the Settings window and choose the **Folder Monitoring** tab

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/compresto/OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV/images/folder_monitoring_1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV&q=85&s=571e0675b8c168667f6448839aadefec" alt="folder_monitoring_1" width="1732" height="1314" data-path="images/folder_monitoring_1.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Press **Add folder** to add the folder you want to monitor

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/compresto/OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV/images/folder_monitoring_2.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV&q=85&s=3db5b0859d595559ca2c9e10419fd52a" alt="folder_monitoring_2" width="1750" height="1302" data-path="images/folder_monitoring_2.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Once the folder is added, press **Settings** to customise the compression settings for that folder

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/compresto/OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV/images/folder_monitoring_3.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV&q=85&s=1d77f8a1c50d55c173a49f42889daf0a" alt="folder_monitoring_3" width="1760" height="1314" data-path="images/folder_monitoring_3.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Configure your compression settings

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/compresto/OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV/images/folder_monitoring_4.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV&q=85&s=2e0f851cd11a9571c124910e7463d049" alt="folder_monitoring_4" width="2064" height="1530" data-path="images/folder_monitoring_4.png" />
  </Step>

  <Step>
    Whenever a new file is added to the folder, Compresto will automatically compress it

    <img src="https://mintcdn.com/compresto/OeBIOIpDZVd45LNV/images/folder_monitoring_5.gif?s=0d8f37873c7ff962a421625528a12e36" alt="folder_monitoring_5" width="960" height="540" data-path="images/folder_monitoring_5.gif" />
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Configuration Options

### File Type

Choose which file types to monitor and compress:

| Option              | Description                         |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **Image**           | Only compress image files           |
| **Video**           | Only compress video files           |
| **Video and image** | Compress both video and image files |

### Video Settings

* **Video quality**: highest, high, good, medium, acceptable
* **Video resolution**: Keep same or resize
* **Video format**: same, mp4, webm
* **Remove audio**: Strip audio track from videos

### Image Settings

* **Image quality**: highest, high, good, medium, acceptable
* **Image format**: same, webp, jpg, png
* **Image size**: Keep same, percentage, or fixed pixel width

### Subfolder Processing

Control whether to monitor subfolders:

| Option     | Description                           |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **None**   | Only monitor the selected folder      |
| **All**    | Monitor all subfolders recursively    |
| **Custom** | Set a maximum folder depth to monitor |

### Output Settings

#### Remove Input File

Enable to automatically delete the original file after compression.

#### Output Folder

| Option     | Description                                       |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Same**   | Save compressed files in the same folder as input |
| **Nested** | Save to a subfolder (default: "compressed")       |
| **Custom** | Choose a specific output folder                   |

#### Output File Name Format

Customize the output file name using these variables:

| Variable       | Description                                   |
| -------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| `{timestamp}`  | Current unix timestamp                        |
| `{datetime}`   | Date and time in "yyyy-MM-dd'T'HHmmss" format |
| `{date}`       | Date in "yyyy-MM-dd" format                   |
| `{time}`       | Time in "HHmmss" format                       |
| `{quality}`    | Quality of the output file                    |
| `{resolution}` | Resolution of the output file                 |

<Note>
  Each monitored folder can have its own independent compression settings.
</Note>