How to Download Photos and Videos from SmugMug with Folio
Download individual galleries, entire folders, or selected photos from SmugMug. Includes smart resume, progress tracking, and download reports.
Folio always downloads original, full-resolution versions of your photos and videos. Whether you need a single gallery, an entire folder tree, or just a handful of selected images, the workflow is straightforward.
Downloading a Gallery
Select a gallery
In the sidebar, click the gallery you want to download.
Click Download
Click Download in the toolbar.
Choose a destination
In the download options sheet, click the folder card to choose where files will be saved on your Mac.
Set options
Optionally toggle Include metadata files to save each photo's title, caption, and keywords as a .txt sidecar file.
Start the download
Click Download to begin.
Downloading a Folder
Select a folder
In the sidebar, click the folder you want to download.
Click Download All
Click Download All in the toolbar.
Choose options and destination
Pick a destination folder and configure any options in the download sheet.
Start the download
Click Download. All galleries within the folder — including nested subfolders — will be downloaded, preserving the original folder structure.
Downloading Selected Photos
Enter Select Mode
Click Select in the toolbar to enter Select Mode.
Pick your photos
Click individual photos to select them — a checkmark appears on each selected image. Use Select All to select every photo in the current gallery.
Download the selection
Click Download (N) in the toolbar, where N is the number of selected photos.
Choose destination and options
Pick a destination folder, configure options, and click Download.
You can also select and download photos directly from search results.
Download Options
- Destination folder — Click the folder card to choose where files are saved. Folio remembers the last-used folder.
- Include metadata files — Creates a
.txtfile alongside each photo containing its title, caption, and keywords.
Progress and Controls
A progress bar appears at the top of the window showing:
- The current file being downloaded
- A running count (e.g., "47/320")
- Overall percentage
Use the Pause, Resume, and Stop controls to manage the download. These controls are also available from the Folio menu bar icon.
Download Report
When a download finishes, Folio displays a report with:
- Total counts — files downloaded, skipped, and failed
- Per-album breakdown — each album's status at a glance
- Open Folder button — jump straight to the downloaded files
- Failed files — expandable list with error details for any files that could not be downloaded
Smart Resume
If a download is interrupted — whether you stopped it manually, your Mac went to sleep, or the app crashed — simply start the same download to the same destination folder. Folio detects previously downloaded files and skips them automatically, picking up where it left off.
Folder Structure
Downloads preserve your SmugMug folder structure on disk:
Photography/
Landscapes/
Mountains/
photo1.jpg
photo2.jpg
Portraits/
photo3.jpgCross-Album Duplicates
When the same photo appears in multiple galleries, Folio downloads it only once and uses hard links for additional copies. This preserves the expected folder structure while saving disk space.
Next steps: Learn how to set up automatic backups or share your SmugMug photos.
Browsing Galleries and Viewing Photos in Folio
View your SmugMug galleries in grid or masonry layout, navigate the full-screen photo viewer, edit metadata, and search across your library.
How to Upload Photos and Videos to SmugMug with Folio
Upload files from Finder or Apple Photos, import entire folder structures, skip duplicates, and track upload progress with detailed reports.