Latest Major Release Stow 3.0 Desktop Suite

Stow 3.0 Desktop Suite: Browse & Preview, Debris Sweeper, Differential Sync, Local OCR & Backup Hub

A major evolution from simple organization to a complete, private desktop file management powerhouse.

Dual-Pane Explorer & Live Sizes Dedicated Debris Sweeper Directed Folder Reconcile Paperwork OCR to PDF Backup & Bit-Rot Verifier

Microsoft Store WinUI 3 · Windows 10 & 11 Zero Telemetry · No Ads

Stow: AI Photo & File Organizer, Duplicate Finder

The 100% offline, privacy-first desktop file management suite that organizes, deduplicates, cleans, and protects your files without ever uploading a single byte to the cloud.

Stow puts an end to cluttered Downloads, sprawling photo libraries, and mystery folders. Powered by on-device vision, local document OCR, and CPU language models, Stow calculates intelligent organization plans, hunts down duplicate and blurry files, and sweeps away hidden junk.

Everything runs strictly on your PC with zero cloud servers, zero telemetry, and zero background tracking. Nothing ever moves without an approved preview, nothing is ever permanently deleted, and any operation can be reversed in a single click.

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100% Offline Approved Preview First Never Permanently Deletes 1-Click Undo Safe with Cloud Folders x64 & ARM64

Stow

Store ID: 9NHBR7SW2TZ0

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Native packaged MSIX · Zero background telemetry

Guaranteed by Architecture

The Five Invariants

Five non-negotiable architectural guarantees built into every layer of Stow.

Invariant 1

100% Offline & Private

Zero accounts, zero cloud servers, zero telemetry, zero analytics, zero background tracking. All AI models (vision, OCR, language) run locally on your PC's CPU.

Invariant 2

Nothing Moves Without an Approved Preview

Stow never moves, renames, or cleans a file behind your back. Every single operation produces an itemized preview table you review and approve first.

Invariant 3

Nothing Is Ever Permanently Deleted

The app never executes permanent file deletions. Cleaning and duplicate removal operations move items to the familiar Windows Recycle Bin where they can easily be recovered.

Invariant 4

Instant One-Click Undo

Everything is journaled before disk execution. If you change your mind an hour or a week later, one click reverts your files to their exact previous locations.

Invariant 5

Safe with Cloud Folders

Automatically recognizes cloud placeholders (OneDrive, Dropbox, iCloud) and refuses to silently download gigabytes over metered connections.

Safe Execution Flow

How It Works

Three simple, transparent steps. Absolute control from start to finish.

Scan & Describe

Point Stow at any folder or drive. Select a 1-click preset, describe your desired arrangement in plain English, or let Stow automatically discover your existing filing conventions.

Preview & Verify

Review the complete proposal table before a single byte moves on disk. Every file has an exact row, proposed path, and governing rule. Filter, edit, or untick any item you prefer to leave untouched.

Apply with 1-Click Undo

Execute the plan with total confidence. Stow writes every operation to an atomic transaction journal first. If you ever change your mind—an hour or a month later—one click reverts everything.

Complete Transparency

The preview is the actual product

You never find out what Stow decided by watching it happen. You find out by reading a table, before anything moves, in which every single file has a row, a destination, and the name of the rule that claimed it. If it is wrong you close the screen — and nothing has happened.

—

Files moved

—

Folders created

—

Staying put

—

Left out for safety

Deleted

The last number is pinned at zero, because it is always zero.

File	Proposed destination	Rule that claimed it
IMG_20240315.jpg	Pictures\2024\03 - March\	By year and month
invoice-acme-0412.pdf	Documents\Invoices\2024\	Invoices
Screenshot 2024-06-02.png	Screenshots\2024\	Screenshots aside
holiday.mp4	Videos\2024\	By file type
holiday.srt	Videos\2024\	Companion file
setup_v3.exe	Installers\	By file type

Untick any row you would rather leave alone. Filter the list. Export the whole plan to CSV or HTML and check it in a spreadsheet at your desk. Alongside it sits the rejection list: everything the validator refused, each with a readable reason — because “why was this file left alone” is exactly the question a preview exists to answer.

Pillar 1

Effortless Organization & Automated Filing

Turn sprawling directories into clean, structured archives using presets, natural language AI, or custom rule systems.

Smart Dashboard & Health Hub

Your library's mission control. Get an immediate assessment of library health—total files indexed, managed storage size, unfiled items, and space reclaimed. Actionable Attention Cards proactively surface newly plugged-in camera SD cards ready for import, pending Downloads waiting to be filed, debris warnings, and backup freshness reminders.

Instant overview of library storage, unfiled files, and reclaimed gigabytes
Actionable Attention Cards for SD cards, pending downloads, and junk warnings
1-click quick action shortcuts to organize, sweep debris, or reconcile drives

Five Ways to Organize

Choose how you want to work. Use ready-made 1-click presets (by file type, year/month, screenshots aside, camera model); type what you want in plain English to our on-device local language model; let Stow automatically learn and continue your existing folder conventions; craft precise conditions with the Visual Rule Builder; or execute rule-based batch renaming.

Ready-Made 1-Click Presets: Instant filing by type, date, or camera metadata
Natural Language AI: Type plain English requests; on-device LLM writes safe rules
Continue Existing System: Detects and finishes your established folder conventions
Visual Rule Builder: Fine-grained conditions, destination tokens, and collision logic
Batch Renamer: Sequential counters, date tags, and pattern text replacement

Folders That File Themselves (Smart Watched Folders)

Attach rules to messy drop zones like your Downloads or Desktop. When new files arrive, Stow stages an organized proposal in the background and gently nudges you with a preview notification—ready to apply in one click without running as an intrusive background daemon.

Monitors drop zones efficiently without running heavy background services
Stages clean proposals automatically when new files land in monitored folders
Always requires one-click user approval—never moves files while you are away

Pillar 2

Dual-Pane Library Browser & Universal Preview Pane

A full modern Windows Explorer alternative that solves Windows' biggest omissions with live recursive folder sizes and instant rich previews.

Dual-Pane Library Browser with Live Folder Sizes

Navigate your entire file system with an expandable directory tree and responsive file grid. Stow solves Windows Explorer's biggest limitation by calculating and displaying true recursive folder sizes and item counts directly in the grid, instantly highlighting where storage is concentrated.

Live recursive folder sizes and item counts calculated directly in the grid
Dual-pane navigation with expandable directory tree and breadcrumb trails
Direct file manipulation: create folders, rename, and cut/copy/paste in-place
Seamless bi-directional drag-and-drop with Windows Explorer and desktop apps

Universal Instant Preview Pane

Inspect any file format immediately without launching heavy external applications. Features photo inspection with EXIF metadata, video player with resolution and codec stats, document reader for PDFs and Word docs, audio player with ID3 metadata, and archive inspection.

High-res photo inspection with camera model, aperture, ISO, and EXIF stats
Integrated video player displaying resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and codec
Instant document reader for PDFs, Word documents (.docx), and text files
Audio player with ID3 tag metadata, album artwork, and bitrate inspection
Archive inspector: peek inside ZIP and TAR archives without extracting

Pillar 3

Intelligent Cleanup, Debris Sweeper & Deduplication

Reclaim lost gigabytes and eliminate duplicate clutter while keeping your files 100% safe.

Dedicated Debris & Junk Sweeper

Reclaim lost gigabytes from hidden rubbish with a single click. Scans for incomplete/interrupted downloads (.crdownload, .part, .download), editor and OS droppings (.DS_Store, Thumbs.db, temp files), accumulated software installer leftovers (.exe, .msi), heavyweight developer caches (node_modules, bin/obj, .gradle), abandoned unpacked folders, and zero-byte files.

Reclaims gigabytes from interrupted downloads, temp files, and OS thumbnails
Cleans old software installer executables accumulating in Downloads
Purges developer dependency caches (node_modules, gradle, bin/obj)
Sweeps empty folders and abandoned extracted archive leftovers
Every cleanup is reviewed in a preview table and safely sent to the Recycle Bin

Exact Duplicate Finder (Files & Folders)

Identifies identical files and entire identical folder trees byte-for-byte, regardless of file names or locations. Four deterministic policies recommend which copy to keep (best quality, oldest, newest, or preferred folder). Spare copies are moved safely to the Recycle Bin.

Groups identical files and entire mirrored folder trees by content hash
Catches duplicate folders even with different names ('Photos 2021' vs 'Backup Photos')
Recycle Bin safety ensures redundant copies can always be restored

Video Near-Duplicate Finder & Photo Sharpness Culler

Goes beyond exact duplicates. Spots re-encoded videos, lower-resolution versions (e.g., 1080p vs 720p), trimmed clips, and compressed WhatsApp or messaging video copies. For photos, detects rapid camera burst sequences and analyzes edge sharpness to recommend the crispest shot to keep while flagging blurry shots.

Video near-duplicate detection catches re-encoded, resized, and trimmed videos
Photo burst sequence grouping identifies continuous camera action shots
Edge and sharpness analysis flags blurry, out-of-focus, or camera-shake photos

Pillar 4

Paperless Documents, Audio Curation & Photography

Transform chaotic paper piles and untagged media collections into beautifully structured libraries.

Scanned Paperwork to Multi-Page PDF

Transforms camera photos of receipts, statements, tax letters, and utility bills into a clean digital filing cabinet. On-device local OCR extracts text without sending documents to cloud APIs. Smart classification detects document kind (Receipt, Invoice, Tax Form, Utility Bill, Bank Statement, Contract) and issuing organization, bundles multi-shot photographed pages, and standardizes file names.

100% on-device OCR extracts text locally without cloud privacy risks
Smart classification categorizes document types and issuing entities
Multi-shot bundling merges sequential pages into a standardized, searchable PDF
Consistent auto-naming (e.g., '2024-03-15_BankOfAmerica_Statement.pdf')

Music & Audio Library Curation

Reads and indexes ID3 and audio tags across MP3, FLAC, M4A, WAV, and OGG formats. Distinguishes Track Artist from Album Artist so multi-artist compilation albums stay in a single unified folder rather than fragmenting. Includes a built-in audio tag editor to repair missing or mismatched metadata.

Comprehensive ID3 & tag indexing across MP3, FLAC, M4A, WAV, and OGG
Album Artist grouping prevents compilation and soundtrack album fragmentation
Built-in batch tag editor repairs missing tracks, artists, years, and album art

Offline Vector World Map & SD Card Import

Explore where your photos were taken on an interactive vector world map rendered completely offline—without loading external web map tiles or sharing GPS coordinates. Automatically detects plugged-in memory cards or cameras for 1-click import with RAW + JPEG companion grouping.

Interactive vector world map plots geotagged photos on a 100% offline canvas
Smart camera & SD card detection with 1-click import workflows
Strict companion file preservation keeps RAW+JPEG and video+subtitles linked

Pillar 5

Storage Reclaim, Differential Sync & Windows Integration

Enterprise-grade safety, differential drive reconciliation, and tight Windows OS synergy.

Directed Folder Reconcile & Differential Sync

Solves the common question: 'What is on my external backup drive that isn't already in my primary library?' Compares two folder trees or drives and categorizes files into Missing on Destination, Identical, or Conflicted/Modified. Prepares a clean, safe copy plan to bridge the gap without deleting unverified files.

Compares two folder trees or drives to identify gaps and discrepancies
Categorizes files into Missing on Destination, Identical, or Conflicted
Safe copy plan bridges the gap without executing destructive mirror-deletions

Non-Destructive Backup & Bit-Rot Integrity Verifier

Set up one-click or scheduled backups of important libraries to external drives or secondary disks. Copies new and updated files without mirroring destructive deletions from the source. Built-in bit-rot verifier re-checks SHA-256 checksums between source and backup to detect disk corruption or failing storage sectors.

Non-destructive backup jobs copy new files without mirroring deletions
Bit-rot integrity verifier re-checks SHA-256 hashes to detect disk corruption
Safe restore planner previews and restores files to original or recovery folders

Whole-Volume Space Map & Junction Relocation

Visualizes disk space across entire drives (C:, D:) to find massive space hogs outside your scan roots (like TreeSize or WizTree). Move massive folders (e.g., a 400 GB Pictures library) to a secondary drive; Stow automatically creates an NTFS Directory Junction at the original location so shortcuts and applications keep working without breakage. Reclaim system temp and update cache space.

Drive-wide visual space map identifies huge folders across full drives
NTFS Directory Junctions allow moving giant folders without breaking app links
System Space Reclaim identifies reclaimable Windows temp folders and caches

Deep Windows Integration & Portable Profiles

Engineered specifically for Windows. Right-click any folder in Windows Explorer to 'Organize with Stow' or 'Find duplicates'. Press Win+Shift+F anywhere to summon the Global Quick Launcher. Batch-unblocks downloaded documents with Mark of the Web (Zone.Identifier), automatically repairs Desktop/Start Menu shortcuts when files move, and exports portable JSON profiles to set up new PCs in seconds.

Windows Explorer right-click context menu integration
Global Quick Launcher hotkey (Win+Shift+F) for instant system search
Mark of the Web (Zone.Identifier) batch unblocker for downloaded files
Move-aware shortcut repair keeps Desktop and Start Menu links working
Export portable JSON profiles to migrate rules and recipes to new PCs

Uncompromising Privacy & Control

How Stow Compares

Why desktop users choose Stow over scriptable tools and cloud services.

Feature & Safety Guarantee	Stow (Dhinovatech)	Traditional Tools / Scripts	Cloud Services
Privacy & Data Confidentiality	100% Offline • Zero telemetry, accounts, or cloud servers	Offline, but lacks intelligent automation & AI	Files and metadata uploaded to remote corporate servers
Cloud Upload Required	Zero bytes uploaded (All processing is strictly on your PC)	None (local only)	Mandatory sync (requires gigabytes of bandwidth)
On-Device Local AI	Local CPU vision, OCR & Phi-4 language models via ONNX	None (static regex or basic shell scripts)	Server-side proprietary black-box models
Mandatory Preview Table	Guaranteed preview table before any file is touched	Blind execution or risky batch script runs	Opaque background sync with no pre-review
1-Click Transactional Undo	Instant rollback via pre-execution atomic journal	Manual recovery; scripts are non-reversible	Complex version history or permanent loss
Cloud Placeholder Safety	Detects OneDrive/iCloud/Dropbox; never forces downloads	Unaware; often triggers massive accidental downloads	Vendor-locked cloud silos
Deduplication & Near-Dupes	Byte-for-byte folders, video near-dupes & photo sharpness	Basic exact filename or single-file hash duplicates only	Basic photo duplicates only; no video or folder deduplication
Bit-Rot & Integrity Verifier	Built-in SHA-256 backup verification to catch disk failure	Requires complex manual command-line utilities	Opaque proprietary cloud storage
Pricing & Licensing	One-time Microsoft Store purchase • Lifetime ownership	Free utilities or fragmented paid tools	Expensive recurring monthly/annual subscription fees

Four models, none of them shipped inside the installer

Each is downloaded on first use of the feature that needs it, only after you have been shown the size and agreed, and each is verified against a SHA-256 hash pinned in the source. Every download URL is pinned to an immutable upstream commit, so the bytes fetched are always the bytes the hashes were taken from.

Declining leaves a fully working product: the presets, the manual builder, the convention learner, search, the space report, labels and duplicate detection need no models at all. Inference runs on the CPU via ONNX Runtime — no NPU or GPU provider is registered, and the application does not use the AI models built into Windows.

Model	What it does	Licence	Size
SigLIP-2 base patch16-224	Searching photos by what is in them	Apache-2.0	365 MB
YuNet	Detecting that a region of a photo is a face	MIT	227 KB
SFace	Producing a vector so two faces can be grouped	Apache-2.0	37 MB
Phi-4-mini-instruct (INT4 CPU)	Turning a typed instruction into rules	MIT	4.59 GB

What Stow is not

Not a cloud photo service. It will not back anything up, sync anything between machines, or put a copy of your library anywhere but your own disk.
Not a duplicate remover that empties itself. Nothing is destroyed; the most it will ever do is put spare copies in the Recycle Bin at your request.
Not an automation daemon. It will notice files arriving in a watched folder, but it will not file them while you are not looking.
Not a black box. Every proposal comes with the rule that produced it, every rejection with an explanation, and the entire plan can be read in a spreadsheet before a single file moves.

Who it is for

The person with a Downloads folder that has become a landfill and a Pictures folder holding a decade of three different phones. The person who set up a filing system in 2019, kept it beautifully for four months, and would like the last five years put away the same way. The photographer who needs RAW and JPEG to stay together and needs to find the near-duplicates without uploading forty thousand images to anybody. And, running through all of them, the person who is not willing to send their personal files to a company’s servers in order to tidy them up.

Clear Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Clear answers about Stow's privacy architecture, offline AI, file safety, and compatibility.

Stow has zero account systems, zero external servers, zero telemetry SDKs, and zero background analytics. All machine learning models (SigLIP-2 for semantic photo search, YuNet & SFace for face clustering, local OCR for scanned paperwork, and Phi-4-mini for natural language rule synthesis) execute strictly on your PC's CPU via ONNX Runtime. Your photos, documents, file names, directory trees, and search queries never leave your machine.

No. Stow is built natively for Windows 10 and 11 (x64 and ARM64) and its local inference runtime is specifically optimized for everyday consumer CPUs without requiring dedicated GPUs or NPUs. Furthermore, core features like presets, visual rules, live recursive folder sizes, file deduplication, debris cleaning, differential sync, and universal previews require no AI models at all and run instantly upon installation.

Stow is engineered with cloud-placeholder awareness. When scanning folders managed by OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud, Stow detects cloud-only virtual placeholders. It refuses to trigger silent, massive file downloads over metered or battery-constrained connections, ensuring your cloud files stay intact without saturating bandwidth or unexpectedly consuming local disk space.

Nothing is ever permanently deleted by Stow. Debris cleaning operations (like clearing incomplete downloads or old installers) and duplicate removal actions safely move items to the standard Windows Recycle Bin. If you ever realize you discarded a file by mistake, you can instantly restore it directly from the Recycle Bin or trigger Stow's 1-click Undo.

Before any file is moved, renamed, or cleaned on disk, Stow records an atomic, reversible transaction journal entry documenting the exact source and destination paths of every single item. An Undo notification bar appears immediately after any operation, and Stow's History hub preserves past operations so you can reliably roll back organization sessions even hours, days, or weeks later.

When you type a prompt like 'Move all invoices into Invoices and sort camera photos by year and month', Stow's local language model (Phi-4-mini) translates your request into safe, previewable organization rules. The model receives only a high-level library schema (extension counts, date ranges, and top-level folder names)—never your individual file names or contents. Auditable code then evaluates those rules against an interactive preview table you review and approve.

Yes. Stow features intelligent companion file preservation. Camera RAW formats (such as CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG) are automatically bound to their matching JPEG/HEIC previews and .xmp sidecar metadata files. Similarly, video files stay tethered to their .srt or .vtt subtitles. When Stow organizes or moves a primary file, all companion files move alongside it in tandem.

Stow supports Windows 10 (version 2004 / build 19041 and later) and Windows 11 on both 64-bit Intel/AMD (x64) and Qualcomm Snapdragon (ARM64) architectures. It is distributed directly through the Microsoft Store as a sandboxed, modern packaged MSIX application, guaranteeing clean installation, automatic updates, and zero background clutter.