--- title: "Bulk Upload with Watch Folder" description: "Use the Watch Folder feature in the 3DIMLI Desktop app to bulk upload products. Organize files in folders and let the app create drafts automatically." canonical_url: "https://support.3dimli.com/Guides/bulk-uploads%20and%20watch%20folder" md_url: "https://support.3dimli.com/Guides/bulk-uploads%20and%20watch%20folder.md" source: "docs/Guides/bulk-uploads and watch folder.md" x_aeo_version: "1.0" estimated_tokens: 3145 --- # Bulk Upload with Watch Folder The Watch Folder feature in the **3DIMLI Desktop app** lets you create multiple product drafts at once by organizing files into folders on your computer. Each folder becomes a product draft — the app monitors your folder and automatically creates drafts as you add files. --- ## Why Use Watch Folder? - **Bulk upload**: Create dozens of product drafts in minutes - **Automatic detection**: Drop files into folders and drafts appear instantly - **Offline editing**: Drafts are stored locally until you're ready to publish - **Organized workflow**: Use your file manager to prepare products before uploading :::note Requirements Watch Folder is available only in the **3DIMLI Desktop app** and requires a **seller account**. Download for your platform: [Windows](https://releases.3dimli.com/desktop/win/3DIMLI-Desktop-Setup-1.0.15.exe) | [macOS (Intel)](https://releases.3dimli.com/desktop/mac/3DIMLI-Desktop-Setup-1.0.15-x64.dmg) | [macOS (Apple Silicon)](https://releases.3dimli.com/desktop/mac/3DIMLI-Desktop-Setup-1.0.15-arm64.dmg) | [Linux](https://releases.3dimli.com/desktop/linux/3DIMLI-Desktop-Setup-1.0.15.AppImage) ::: --- ## Setting Up Watch Folder ### Step 1: Open the Tray Menu Right-click the **3DIMLI icon** in your system tray (bottom-right corner of your taskbar). ![3DIMLI Desktop tray menu](https://media.3dimli.com/3DIMLI-Images/docs/Guides/watchFolderSettingUp1.avif) ### Step 2: Set the Folder Path 1. Click **"Watch Folder"** → **"Set Watch Folder..."** 2. Browse to an existing folder or create a new one (e.g., `C:\Users\YourName\3DIMLI Products`) 3. Click **Select Folder** ### Step 3: Enable Watching In the tray menu, click **"Watch Folder"** → **"Enable Watch Folder"**. The app will now monitor that folder for new product folders. ![Watch Folder submenu](https://media.3dimli.com/3DIMLI-Images/docs/Guides/watchFolderSettingUp2.avif) :::tip Choose an empty folder to start with. The app processes all subfolders automatically once enabled. ::: --- ## Folder Structure When you enable the watch folder, the app automatically creates **product type subfolders** inside it — one for each product category. Place your product folders inside the relevant type folder to keep things organised and to lock in the product type. ``` Watch Folder/ ├── 3D Model/ │ ├── fantasy-sword-model/ │ │ ├── main.png │ │ ├── angle-1.jpg │ │ ├── sword.fbx │ │ ├── description.html │ │ └── tags.txt │ └── crystal-dragon-3d/ │ ├── main.png │ └── dragon.fbx │ ├── Audio/ │ └── ambient-music-loop/ │ ├── main.png │ ├── loop.mp3 │ └── description.txt │ ├── Graphics/ │ └── pixel-art-brush-pack/ │ ├── main.jpg │ ├── preview.png │ └── brushes.zip │ ├── Ebook/ ├── AI Model/ ├── Software/ ├── Video/ ├── Games/ └── Link/ ``` ### Product Type Folders The following type folders are created automatically — you don't need to make them yourself: | Folder | Product Type | |---|---| | `3D Model` | 3D Model | | `Graphics` | Graphics | | `Audio` | Audio | | `Ebook` | Ebook | | `AI Model` | AI Model | | `Software` | Software | | `Video` | Video | | `Games` | Games | | `Link` | Link Product | Common aliases also work — for example, `music` and `sound` are recognised as `Audio`; `e-book` and `ebooks` as `Ebook`; `3dmodel` or `3dasset` as `3D Model`. :::tip You can also place product folders **directly in the watch folder root** (without a type folder). In that case, the product type is detected automatically from the file extensions inside. ::: :::note Files dropped directly into the **watch folder root** (not inside any type folder or product subfolder) are ignored. ::: ### Dropping Files Directly into a Type Folder If you drop a file **directly into a type folder** (e.g., `Audio/song.mp3` instead of `Audio/my-product/song.mp3`), the app automatically organises it for you: 1. A new product subfolder is created, named after the file (e.g., `Audio/song/`) 2. The file is moved into that subfolder (`Audio/song/song.mp3`) 3. A draft is created from the new subfolder as normal 4. You receive a notification — **"3DIMLI - File Organised"** — explaining what happened. Click it to open this documentation. This is useful when you want to quickly drop a single file and let the app handle the folder structure. ### Folder Naming Your folder name automatically becomes the **product title**: | Folder Name | Generated Title | |---|---| | `fantasy-sword-model` | Fantasy Sword Model | | `my_awesome_product` | My Awesome Product | | `dragonWarrior` | Dragon Warrior | | `3D Chair Model` | 3D Chair Model | Hyphens, underscores, and camelCase are all converted to readable titles. --- ## Supported Files ### Images | Format | Supported | |---|---| | .png, .jpg, .jpeg | Yes | | .webp, .avif | Yes | | .gif | Yes | **Size limit:** 2 MB per image. **Maximum:** 1 main image + 15 gallery images (16 total). #### Main Image Priority The app picks your main image in this order: 1. `main.png`, `main.jpg`, `main.jpeg`, `main.webp`, `main.avif` 2. `thumbnail.png`, `thumbnail.jpg`, etc. 3. `cover.png`, `cover.jpg`, etc. 4. First image alphabetically All other images become gallery images. ### Download Files These file types are recognized as downloadable product files: | Category | Formats | |---|---| | **3D Models** | .blend, .fbx, .obj, .glb, .gltf, .stl, .usdz, .max, .3ds, .dae | | **AI Models** | .safetensors, .ckpt, .pt, .pth, .bin | | **Audio** | .mp3, .ogg, .wav, .flac, .aac, .wma, .m4a | | **E-books** | .pdf, .epub, .mobi | | **Graphics** | .psd, .ai, .svg, .eps, .sketch, .fig, .xd, .indd | | **Software** | .exe, .msi, .dmg, .deb, .rpm, .appimage, .apk | | **Video** | .mp4, .webm, .mov | | **Archives** | .zip, .rar, .7z | **Size limit:** 1 GB per file. :::note Non-archive files (like .fbx, .psd) are automatically compressed into a .zip for download. Archive files (.zip, .rar, .7z) are stored as-is. ::: The product type is determined automatically from the download files (3D Model, Audio, Ebook, Graphics, Software, or Video). ### Description File (Optional) Create one of these files in your product folder: - **`description.html`** — HTML formatted (recommended) - **`description.htm`** — HTML formatted - **`description.txt`** — Plain text (auto-converted to HTML) Maximum **1,500 characters**. HTML descriptions should not include ` ` tags (they are stripped for security). **Example `description.html`:** ```html

A detailed fantasy sword 3D model, perfect for game development and rendering.

``` ### Tags File (Optional) Create one of these files: - **`tags.txt`** — One tag per line or comma-separated - **`tag.txt`** — Same format Maximum **6 tags**, each up to 50 characters. **Example `tags.txt`:** ``` 3D Model Fantasy Game Asset Sword PBR Low Poly ``` Or comma-separated: `3D Model, Fantasy, Game Asset, Sword, PBR, Low Poly` --- ## How It Works 1. **You add a product folder** inside a type folder (e.g., `3D Model/my-product/`) or directly in the watch folder root. You can also **drop a single file** into a type folder and the app will auto-create a subfolder for it 2. **The app detects it** automatically (waits ~2 seconds for files to settle) 3. **A draft is created** with title, images, downloads, description, and tags 4. **You get a notification** — "Draft created: Fantasy Sword Model (3D Model)" 5. **The draft appears** in Dashboard → My Product → Draft Products ### Live Updates The app watches your folder continuously: - **Add more images** → They appear in the draft gallery - **Add download files** → They're added to the draft - **Rename the folder** → The draft title updates - **Delete a folder** → The draft is removed - **Edit description.html** → The draft description updates ### Duplicate Protection - If a draft with the same title already exists, the folder is skipped - You'll see a notification asking you to rename the folder --- ## Reviewing and Publishing Drafts ### Step 1: Open Your Drafts Go to **Dashboard → My Product → Draft Products** to see all drafts created from your watch folder. ### Step 2: Review Each Draft Click a draft to open the full product editor. Here you can: - Edit the title and description - Add or remove images - Configure **pricing and licenses** - Set a category - Add SEO details :::important You must set **pricing and licensing** before publishing. The watch folder creates drafts with no pricing — you need to configure this manually. ::: ### Step 3: Publish #### Publishing a Single Draft Each draft has a **three-dot action menu** (⋯) in the Actions column. Click it and select **"Publish Draft"** to publish that individual draft. You'll see upload progress for each step. :::note The "Publish Draft" option is disabled if required fields (like pricing) are not set. Make sure to configure pricing before publishing. ::: #### Bulk Publishing Multiple Drafts You can publish several drafts at once: 1. Use the **checkbox** next to each draft to select the ones you want to publish, or click the **Select All** checkbox in the table header to select all drafts at once 2. A **floating action bar** appears at the bottom of the screen showing how many items are selected 3. Click **"Publish selected"** — drafts are published one by one with a progress indicator (e.g., "Publishing 2/5...") 4. After completion, you'll see a summary of how many were successfully published :::tip You can also **bulk delete** selected drafts using the **"Delete selected"** button in the same action bar. ::: After publishing, the watch folder mapping for that product is removed automatically. --- ## Quick Start Example Want to upload 3 products? Here's how: **1. Create your folder structure:** ``` C:\Users\YourName\3DIMLI Products\ ├── 3D Model/ │ └── crystal-dragon-3d/ │ ├── main.png │ ├── side-view.jpg │ ├── dragon.fbx │ ├── description.html │ └── tags.txt │ ├── Audio/ │ └── lofi-music-pack/ │ ├── main.jpg │ ├── tracks.zip │ └── description.html │ └── Graphics/ └── ui-icon-set/ ├── main.png ├── preview-1.png ├── icons.zip └── tags.txt ``` :::tip The type folders (`3D Model`, `Audio`, `Graphics`, etc.) are created automatically when you enable the watch folder — just drop your product folders inside them. ::: **2. Set and enable watch folder** from the tray menu **3. Wait a few seconds** — three notifications appear confirming draft creation **4. Go to Draft Products** — review each draft, set pricing **5. Publish** — use the **Select All** checkbox to select all drafts, then click **"Publish selected"** to publish them in one go, or publish individually via the three-dot action menu (⋯) --- ## Limits | Feature | Limit | |---|---| | Image size | 2 MB each | | Gallery images | 15 per product (+ 1 main) | | Download file size | 1 GB each | | Description length | 1,500 characters | | Tags per product | 6 | | Tag length | 50 characters each | | Title length | 60 characters | | Folder name length | 200 characters | --- ## Troubleshooting | Issue | Solution | |---|---| | Draft not created | Ensure files are inside a **product subfolder** (e.g., `Watch Folder/3D Model/my-product/`), not directly in the root or type folder | | Draft not created for folder inside type folder | The product folder must be one level inside a type folder — deeper nesting (e.g., `3D Model/sub/my-product/`) is not supported | | "Draft with title already exists" | Rename the subfolder to a unique name | | Images not appearing | Check format (.png, .jpg, .jpeg, .webp, .gif, .avif) and size (< 2 MB) | | Download file not detected | Verify it's a [supported format](#download-files) and under 1 GB | | Description not showing | File must be named exactly `description.html`, `description.htm`, or `description.txt` | | Tags not showing | File must be named exactly `tags.txt` or `tag.txt` | | Watch folder not working | Check the tray menu — ensure the path is set and watching is enabled | | "Malware detected" notification | Review the folder contents and remove suspicious files | | File dropped into type folder — no draft created | Ensure the file is a [supported download format](#download-files). The app creates a subfolder automatically; unsupported file types are skipped | --- :::tip Start with 1-2 test products to get familiar with the folder structure before bulk uploading. Once you're comfortable, you can prepare dozens of product folders and let the watch folder process them all at once. :::