Index videos across folders and drives in Focus
Your videos can stay in different folders and on different drives. Add those folders as sources in Focus, include their subfolders if needed, and keep the originals where they are.
Start with a folder you can open
Focus scans the sources you choose. It does not automatically scan every drive. Discovering files and analyzing their speech or images are separate steps.
Screenshots from Focus 1.21.2 for Mac, with the interface in English. Select an image to enlarge it.
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Connect the drive or mount the share
Check that the folder and a sample video open in Finder or File Explorer. For a NAS, mount the share first. On macOS, choose its mounted folder; on Windows, use a mapped drive or an accessible UNC folder. A raw smb:// address is not a source folder.
Finder / File Explorer → Video folder
An accessible video folder in Focus’s Mac folder picker. - 2
Add the folder as a source
In Library, open Manage sources beside Sources, then choose Add Source and Choose folder. Give the folder a label you recognize. Repeat for another folder on the same disk or a different drive. You do not need to gather all your videos into one folder.
Sources → Manage sources → Add Source → Choose folder
The source form shows the chosen folder and its library label. - 3
Include nested folders and keep the originals
Open More options in the source form. Enable Scan recursively to include subfolders. Select Keep originals where they are to read the videos from their existing location. Copy locally creates managed copies and uses local disk space; choose it only when you want those copies.
More options → Scan recursively → Keep originals where they are
Include nested folders and keep originals in their existing location. - 4
Choose the analysis your search needs
Under More options, find Analysis defaults. Enable Transcription for speech search or Visual search for images, then choose Add Source. Wait for the analysis jobs to finish, then search for a phrase or a visible subject you know is in a video. Open the result and check the source. A filename match alone does not show that speech or visual analysis is ready.
Analysis defaults → Transcription / Visual search → Add Source
Visual search and Transcription selected before confirming the source.
Check one result before adding the rest
Start with a small folder. Confirm that a video appears in Focus, that its original remains at the same location, and that a result opens the right source passage. Then add the other folders. Keep linked drives connected when you need to analyze or play their originals.
What does “anywhere on a disk” cover?
Must all videos be in the same folder?
No. You can add several source folders on one disk or across different drives. Enable recursive scanning for videos inside their nested folders.
Will every video on the whole disk be found automatically?
No. Focus scans the folders you select. Start with the folders that contain your footage. The scan depends on access permissions and supported media; hidden items are skipped, and recursive scanning does not follow symbolic links.
Does indexing copy or move my videos?
Keep originals where they are keeps source videos in place. Focus still stores its index and derived files, which use disk space. Copy locally and Move locally are separate source-handling choices; check the selected mode before importing.
Can I use a disconnected external drive?
Reconnect it to analyze or play linked originals. A local managed copy can be used without reading the original drive. If a source becomes unavailable, check its mount and permissions before retrying.
What if some files do not appear?
Check whether subfolders are included, the source is connected, and Focus can read the files. Review scan notices and the media format. If files appear but speech or image searches return nothing, check the corresponding analysis jobs.
Will new videos be added later?
Enable Keep this folder indexed for automatic discovery of new or changed files while Focus is open. Discovery does not replace the analysis needed for the searches you use.