Why SO many random DCIM Folders? I want ONE!

Thanks so much to T-Minator!

Here is what works

Open your DCIM folder in Windows Explorer (WE). You should now see all of the folders that your iPhone has created. In the search box at the top right corner of the window, type in an asterisk: * (no punctuation before or after it), and hit enter. WE will now show you a list of everything in the DCIM folder. All of the folders your iPhone created will be listed first (yes, the same folders that are causing all of us headaches). Scroll down to the bottom of the folder list, and immediately after that you will see all of your photos. Your most recent photos should be listed first (immediately following all of the DCIM folders). Once you see the image you are looking for, right click on it, and you will have the option to go to the containing folder ("open file location"). Once at that location, you should see all of your most recent images.

I have the same problems. Is there anybody who would know how to fix this? I only have 29 folders, but I have also took 1 photo today, and I had to go through almost all of the folders to find that photo. I hope someone will have an answer for all of us.

tmwantz wrote:

Maybe that is not what they want to do. I have the same issue and I do not want to download all my photos to my computer

You don't have to ... it has been mentioned many times in this thread how you can easily locate photos with Windows Explorer, without wading through folders or transferring all photos to the computer. Read the thread, you'll see ...

Thanks for the workaround.

I just noticed a pattern of each DCIM folders, that MOST folders hold photo for a given month-year. I have some that have two different months with 'Local Disk' As for the 'Local Disk', I do not see any patterns. Most of them are after my iPhone 6, but I do have tow folders that from my 5 (iOS 7.1.2).

I've never turned photo stream on, yet I have these Local Disks in some DCIM folders, and not others. You'd think there are some logic or function behind all these.

Anyway, the workaround of using * then open the last folder location in Windows Explorer is good enough for now, as I have appx 50 folders.

tmwantz wrote:

Maybe that is not what they want to do. I have the same issue and I do not want to download all my photos to my computer

Then leave them on the phone, you can lose all of them at the same time that way.

I have been tearing my hair out over this problem of finding the last photo I've taken - which folder is it in - makes no sense! But thanks to the wonderful people on here, with special thanks to T-Minator, I now know how!!!!

I would just like to add my complaint directed at Apple though, with the question WHY? Get it sorted and stop causing us unnecessary problems!

Unless I am missing something. Unless you JB your iphone, you can NOT delete all those annoying 1xxxApple File folders even when empty. I just tried and I can't. Those folders are like a zombie. You can cut it's head off but it comes back. 😠

Additionally, iFunbox labels those folders as Camera 1, Camera 2, Camera 3 and so on.

As far as I can tell, mine is creating a new DCIM folder for every month. I have some folders with only a few photos in them because that just so happens to be all I took that month. This is very annoying because I like to keep some of my photos on my phone and I'm now up to 41 DCIM folders. This all started with, I believe, 8.1.2. There is no rhyme or reason as to how the folders are organized. As already been said, the names of the folders are completely random and they all show the same creation date...which is ridiculous, especially considering it's creating them by the month. The two work-arounds (searching the DCIM using an asterisk or searching for .jpg files) does work, but work-arounds are not solutions to a problem. In my experience, when I search the DCIM using the asterisk, I cannot copy multiple photos to my computer. I either have to copy them one at a time or right click the photo and choose "Open File Location."

Also, some of you are referring to the "Local Disk" files that appear in some folders that cannot be deleted in Windows Explorer. In my case, these Local Disk files are tied to photos that I have edited using the iPhone's native editor within the Photos app. I just tested this moments ago. I took a test photo, found its location using Windows Explorer on my computer, and there was no Local Disk file in that folder, only the photo itself. I then edited that photo on my iPhone (for example, I used the magic wand tool), unplugged/plugged in my phone, found the DCIM folder again, and there was a Local Disk file with it. I then went back into my iPhone, reverted that photo to its original state and repeated the process. The Local Disk file was gone. So they are in fact tied to photos that have been edited using the built-in editing tools. Reverting the photos to their original state removes the Local Disk file. I assume that file will also disappear if you remove the photo from your phone completely. I don't know, but my guess is that it's set up this way so you can always revert any edited photos back to their original state.

If Apple is going to continue to allow for the creation of new DCIM folders for every month you take photos, then they need to better organize them when viewing in Windows Explorer. At the very least, name them in sequential order and give them a proper creation date.

Csound1 wrote:

Then leave them on the phone, you can lose all of them at the same time that way.

Responses like these do nothing to help the original question/problem and after 4 pages of discussion, to reply this way anyway is just trolling. It started with TJBUSMC who continued to post the same thing again & again after several users told him it wasn't what they were looking for. To Csound, some users do in fact back their photos up to their computer, but also like to keep some on their phone as well. Some people don't do it your way nor do they want to do it your way. That doesn't make them wrong. If you're not willing to contribute to the original issue, why even bother replying?

Thank you so much T-Minator! Using the search function saved me - as it sorts its results by date, newest first. You can also search for *JPG or *MOV to get just photos or movies.

Note: I don't have photo stream turned on, nor have I ever. But I have thousands of folders of photos now, perhaps since upgrading to IOS 8.1.2. From my iPhone, my photos are now organized automatically by some combination of date and location, which seems to correspond to the thousands of folders seen from my PC. Nifty, but I didn't ask for this! This is why I hate Apple - they think we can't think for ourselves, so they try to read our minds and guess what we'd like, rather than just letting us control things on our own! It's very condescending of them. Apple stinks!!!!

This has caused me all kinds of distress...to the point of considering a Android. Apple doesn't explain this to anyone and it is severely complicated.

This stuff doesnt happen by accident....someone programmed this and not to make it easier for PC users who happen to like their iphones.

After after 15 or so years with itunes problems ( with little or no support ) and being slow and hearing about how easy it is with a Mac...i am starting to believe there are groups within Apple who think about how to intentionally make things harder for PC people in hopes that they will finally sumbit and come over to Apple. I think it is a marketing play.

But it backfires with this guy...it makes me want nothing to do with Apple. In our household we have a New Macbook pro - 2 ipads - 2 i phones - 2 itouches - 4 ipods...but we also have 2 video editing PC's and 4 PC laptops.

Because of this i am so mad i am considering going back to all PC and Android. I dont like these kinds of games...my time is important and this has to be intentional and has cost me much time and i notice how when i use itunes or transfer files from my iphone that i end up needing to restart and clean my computer as it slows to a snails pace. This has happened many times over many computers over many years.

Think about it...why else would Apple do this? I have not read any explanation as to how this makes it easier for anyone. And nothing to even let me know what the heck all those file folder names mean or how to sort them like i used to .....easily.

It makes me angry when i think of Apple.

And i get into a fight with my Apple minded wife as she just repeats how easy it is with a Mac and it doesn't behoove them to make it easier for PC users????

Then i start to wonder why PC's get viruses and Mac's don't.....Why?

Like Microsoft before it and Google who grew too big and got control hungry...Apple will fall to with this kind of behavior.

I have the answer you are looking for.

When you're in DCIM do a search on the top right for "*.*" (star period star) When you do this, the folders will still be on top, however if you scroll down the pictures will all be in order of date. so you can scroll down to your most recent pictures (just like on your phone) and you can drag those onto your PC, then afterwards sort and delete.

All of those DCIM folders drove me nuts too, but this works.

Mshmaster, we've already determined that there are workarounds to help bypass this problem, but workarounds are not solutions. As already been said, you can search using just an asterisk (star) and it will give you the same results that you describe. Just use Windows Explorer to sort them by date. But as many of us have said, there's still no excuse for Apple to handle viewing photos in Windows Explorer this way. I've determined that the sub-folders within the main DCIM folder are created based on the month the photos were taken, but are given completely random names, all with the same creation date. At the very least, Apple needs to somehow name them in sequential order and make their creation dates reflect the month the photos were taken. Even if they did that, it's still uncalled for that new folders are continually created for every month, giving us a DCIM folder full of dozens of sub-folders.

I'm aware of Apple's feedback system and also the fact that this forum is populated by fellow users, not Apple Support itself. But thanks for your concern. Let's hope most everyone in this thread who has a problem with this submits feedback. When you say, "most of us without the Windows baggage," I assume what you mean is that you yourself are not working on a Windows PC, correct? If that's the case, I can't help but wonder why you feel compelled to respond to users who have a problem that only other Windows PC users would understand.

You appeared to have a need to complain, which will of course achieve nothing, we are not in a position to change anything. And as most of us do not have an issue caused by mixing systems (as you do) we also have little experience of your issue. I thought that you might be able to (if not vent) complain to those who can do something to change it.

The simplest way to make it work properly is by using a Mac, an option that is always open to you.

Call it complaining, call it venting, call it what you want. We all have a need to be here and it's usually because we're experiencing some sort of problem or have an issue requiring assistance. That is what these forums are for so I'm not sure what your problem is with users using them for their intended purpose. So while you sit there looking down on PC users, again I wonder why someone who, by their own admission, doesn't have experience with this issue feels the need to continually address it. Then to top it off, your solution is for PC users to buy a Mac instead, which proves your only true intentions here are to troll users who aren't doing it the way you are. But by all means, continue to waste the time of everyone in this thread with your posts that help no one with this issue. And before you accuse me of the same, feel free to go back a page to read where I offered information about this particular issue that had yet to be brought up.