📖 How-To Guides

Step-by-step instructions for common tasks.

This guide now has two layers:

Scenario Groups for richer real-life workflows and combinations of features.
Core Task Reference for direct one-feature recipes further below.

Note: Feature Availability by Flavor

Some features are only available in specific flavors. Check the table below:

Feature	Standard	Lite	Photos	Legacy
Network folders (SMB, SFTP, FTP)	✓	✓	✓	✗
Cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox)	✓	✗	✗	✗
Audio playback & lyrics	✓	✗	✗	✓
Document viewer (PDF, Text)	✓	✓	✓	✓
EPUB reader	✓	✓	✓	✓
Translation & OCR	✓	✓	✓	✓
Image editing	✓	✓	✓	✓

If a feature is marked with “✗”, you can download the Standard flavor to access all features.

Scenario Groups

Scenario Groups

These sections are intentionally more varied than the core reference blocks below. Each scenario mixes a fast path with context, trade-offs, and the situations where FastMediaSorter is especially strong.

Home media, TV and living room flows

Turn a NAS into a living-room media shelf

Available in: Standard, Lite, Photos

Quick Path

Add your NAS as an SMB resource.
Run Scan Network if you do not want to type the IP manually.
Open the resource from a TV box, tablet, or phone.
Start browsing videos, photos, or documents directly from the NAS.

Scenario Walkthrough

Keep one SMB resource for the whole family library and separate child folders by use: Movies, Family Photos, Scans, Manuals.
Run Test Connection once during setup so the resource is stable before you rely on it from the sofa.
If the NAS is used from a TV box, pair it with a Bluetooth keyboard or TV remote for fast navigation.
If browsing feels slow, open the resource settings and run the built-in speed check before changing anything else.

When It Helps

You want one central media source instead of copying the same files to several devices.
You want the same library to work for slideshow, document reading, and playback.

Avoid This

Do not start with hostname troubleshooting. Use an IP address first, then optimize later.
Do not expect Legacy flavor to browse SMB shares.

Run a slideshow with background music for a room display

Available in: Standard

Quick Path

Add one image source and one music source.
In Settings → Media → Audio playback, covers and visuals, enable background music for slideshows.
Pick the music resource.
Open a photo folder and press Play.

Scenario Walkthrough

Use a local image folder or a fast NAS share for the smoothest transitions.
Keep a separate music resource for calm background tracks so slideshow audio is predictable.
If the folder contains both images and videos, remember that music pauses automatically when a video starts.

When It Helps

You want a TV box, tablet, or old phone to act as a digital frame for a room.
You want one setup that can rotate family photos, event shots, or travel albums without manual queue building.

Avoid This

Do not use a very slow network share for both images and music if smooth playback matters.

Watch SBS 3D videos in VR mode

Available in: Standard, Legacy

Quick Path

Open an SBS 3D video.
Enter fullscreen.
Open Playback Settings.
Switch 3D Video to Auto-detect or Side-by-Side (SBS).

Scenario Walkthrough

Start with Auto-detect for normal SBS files.
If the picture looks doubled, force Side-by-Side (SBS) manually.
For simple phone VR viewers, confirm the stereo mode first and only then place the phone in the headset.

When It Helps

You have archived SBS vacation videos, concert captures, or hobby footage and want to revisit them without a separate VR media app.

Avoid This

Do not expect Over-Under material to behave like SBS.
Do not assume every wide video is 3D; verify before saving a playback preset.

Travel, reading and document workflows

Prepare a folder for travel without stable internet

Available in: Standard, Lite, Photos, Legacy

Quick Path

Create or choose one local folder for the trip.
Copy the media, PDFs, EPUBs, or notes you need into it before leaving Wi-Fi.
Open that folder once in FastMediaSorter so thumbnails and last positions are ready.
Use the folder offline during the trip.

Scenario Walkthrough

Keep travel media in one local folder even if the originals normally live on NAS or cloud.
Mix formats on purpose: boarding PDFs, reading EPUBs, screenshots, and offline music can live side by side.
Use the filter panel if you want to switch between only images, only documents, or only audio while offline.

When It Helps

Flights, trains, hotels, and rural areas where cloud streaming is unreliable.
Situations where you want one offline pack instead of searching across several apps.

Avoid This

Do not wait until the last minute to test whether the files really open without internet.

Read cloud documents and EPUBs on the go

Available in: Standard for cloud access, Standard/Lite/Photos/Legacy for local reading

Quick Path

Add your cloud provider in Cloud Storage.
Open the folder that contains PDFs or EPUBs.
Tap the file directly from the cloud resource.
Continue reading from your last saved position later.

Scenario Walkthrough

Use this when your working documents already live in Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox and you do not want a separate reader workflow.
PDFs are best for fixed-layout files like tickets, manuals, and scanned contracts.
EPUB is better for long-form reading where adjustable font size and chapter navigation matter more than layout fidelity.

When It Helps

You move between work documents and personal reading without leaving the app.
You keep travel or client files in the cloud but still want a reading-first interface.

Avoid This

Do not expect cloud reading in Lite, Photos, or Legacy.
Do not treat slow mobile data as a guaranteed reading experience for very large files.

Translate signs, scans and screenshots with OCR

Available in: Standard, Lite, Photos, Legacy

Quick Path

Open an image, PDF, or text file.
Show the command panel.
Tap Translate.
Confirm the model download on first use if needed.

Scenario Walkthrough

For Latin-script text, the app usually starts with ML Kit for speed.
For Cyrillic-heavy material, the app can switch to Tesseract for better recognition quality.
Screenshots, receipts, menus, and scanned pages work especially well when the source text is reasonably sharp.

When It Helps

You are travelling, reading foreign manuals, or decoding screenshots from chats and apps.
You need translation in place instead of copying text into a separate tool first.

Avoid This

Do not judge OCR quality from a blurred night photo or a badly cropped scan.

Hand network files off to specialist apps

Available in: Standard, Lite, Photos

Quick Path

Open a file from SMB, SFTP, or FTP.
Tap ⓘ Info.
Tap Download and Open.
Pick the specialist app from the Android chooser.

Scenario Walkthrough

Use this when FastMediaSorter is the best browser for remote storage, but another app is the best editor or viewer for one file type.
Typical handoff cases are office documents, advanced PDFs, codec-heavy videos, and niche media formats.
The downloaded copy remains in Downloads, so you can reopen it later even if the remote source goes offline.

When It Helps

You want one remote file hub without giving up best-in-class specialist tools.

Avoid This

Do not expect cloud handoff through this exact flow yet.

Power-user and mixed media workflows

Sort a family photo archive with Quick Sort

Available in: Standard, Lite, Photos, Legacy

Quick Path

Add your destination folders to Quick Sort.
Open the source folder with unsorted family photos.
Use numbered buttons or touch zones while reviewing images.
Send keepers to destination folders immediately.

Scenario Walkthrough

Create destination folders by outcome, not by date alone: Best, Print, Send to family, Archive.
Review in fullscreen so you can decide quickly and move or copy without dropping back to the file list.
If several people curate the same archive, keep one consistent destination naming scheme before a large sorting session.

When It Helps

You have a backlog from birthdays, trips, school events, or old phone imports.
You want a fast triage flow instead of dragging files manually in a file manager.

Avoid This

Do not start sorting before destinations are named clearly.
Do not use Move immediately if you are still unsure which folders should stay as the long-term archive.

Core Task Reference

How to Connect to Network Drive (SMB)

What you need:

NAS or Windows PC with shared folder
Both devices on same Wi-Fi network
Username and password for the share

Available in: Standard, Lite, Photos, Legacy flavors

Steps:

Tap “+” button on main screen
Select “Network folder SMB”
Fill in details:
- Auto-Discovery (New):
  1. Tap “Scan Network” button
  2. Wait for devices to appear in the list
  3. Select your device from the list
  4. The IP address will be filled automatically
- Manual Input:
```
Server/Path: \\192.168.1.100\photos
Username: john
Password: ****
Display Name: Home NAS (optional)
```
Tap “Test Connection” to verify
Tap “Save”

Server address formats:

Windows: \\192.168.1.100\share
Linux/Mac: smb://192.168.1.100/share
With port: smb://192.168.1.100:445/share

Tips:

Use IP address (not hostname) for reliability
Enable SMB v2/v3 on NAS for security
Default SMB port: 445

Troubleshooting: → See TROUBLESHOOTING.md#smb-connection

How to Connect to SFTP/FTP Server

What you need:

Server with SSH (SFTP) or FTP enabled
Port 22 (SFTP) or 21 (FTP) open
Username and password (or key for SFTP)

Steps:

Tap “+” button on main screen
Select “SFTP / FTP”
Choose Protocol: SFTP or FTP

Fill in details:

Host: 192.168.1.100
Port: 22 (SFTP) / 21 (FTP)
Username: username
Password: ****
Remote Path: /home/user/photos (optional)

Tap “Connect”

Advanced:

SSH Key authentication: Currently not supported (password only)
Custom port: Change port number if server uses non-default

Troubleshooting: → See TROUBLESHOOTING.md#sftp-timeout

How to Connect to Cloud Storage

Supported Providers:

Google Drive
OneDrive
Dropbox

Steps:

Tap “+” button on main screen
Select “Cloud Storage”
Select provider: Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox
Tap “Sign in..” button
Follow the browser/app authentication flow
Grant required permissions
Select folders to sync
Tap “Done”

Notes:

Files are streamed, not downloaded
Requires internet connection
Edits sync automatically
You can disconnect anytime: Edit folder → Remove

Privacy:

No password stored (uses OAuth tokens)
Tokens can be revoked in your cloud provider’s security settings

Check Network Speed

Supported for: SMB, SFTP, FTP, Cloud (Google Drive)

Automatic Check: When you add a new network resource, the app automatically runs a speed test in the background. Results (Read/Write speed) are saved to the resource settings.

Manual Check:

Go to Manage Resources
Edit a network resource (pencil icon)
Scroll down to the bottom
Tap “Speed” button
Wait ~15 seconds for “Analyzing speed..”
See results:
- Read Speed (Mbps)
- Write Speed (Mbps)
- Recommended Threads (for optimal performance)

How to Set Up Quick Sort Folders

Method 1: From Settings

Settings → Operations tab → Quick Sort destinations
Tap “Add to Quick Sort”
Select an existing folder from list
Folder gets assigned number (0-9) and color
Repeat for up to 30 folders

Method 2: From Folder Settings

Main screen → Long-press on folder
Tap “Edit” (pencil icon)
Enable “Mark for Quick Sort”
Tap “Save”

Using Quick Sort:

While viewing files:

Tap numbered button (0-9) on command panel
OR tap bottom-left corner (COPY zone)
OR tap bottom-center corner (MOVE zone)

File is instantly copied/moved to that folder!

How to Use Touch Zones

What are Touch Zones?

The screen is divided into 9 invisible areas for quick actions:

┌─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐
│  BACK   │  COPY   │ RENAME  │
│   (1)   │   (2)   │   (3)   │
│         │         │         │
├─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│  PREV   │  MOVE   │  NEXT   │
│   (4)   │   (5)   │   (6)   │
│         │         │         │
├─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤
│ COMMAND │ DELETE  │  PLAY   │
│   (7)   │   (8)   │   (9)   │
│         │         │         │
└─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘

Legend:

BACK - Return to file list
COPY - Copy file to destination
RENAME - Rename current file
PREV - Go to previous file
MOVE - Move file to destination
NEXT - Go to next file
COMMAND - Open command menu
DELETE - Delete current file
PLAY - Start/Stop slideshow

Enable Overlay (recommended for beginners):

Settings → Playback
Enable “Always show touch zones overlay”
Now you’ll see a semi-transparent grid

Try it:

Open any photo
Tap top-right corner → Next file
Tap top-left corner → Previous file
Tap middle-right corner → Delete file
Tap middle-left corner → Copy file

Disable if not needed: Settings → Playback → “Always show touch zones overlay” = OFF

Then use command panel buttons instead.

How to Watch 3D Videos (VR)

Flavor: Standard, Legacy

What you need: A 3D video file in SBS (Side-by-Side) format and optionally a phone-based VR viewer (e.g., Google Cardboard).

Steps:

Browse to and open a 3D video file in FastMediaSorter.
Tap the fullscreen button to enter fullscreen mode.
Tap Playback Settings (gear icon) in the player controls.
Scroll to the 3D Video section.
Choose a stereo mode:
- Auto-detect - app analyses the aspect ratio and embedded metadata to detect SBS automatically.
- Side-by-Side (SBS) - manually enable side-by-side stereo rendering regardless of detection.
- Mono (Disabled) - disable stereo (standard viewing).
Tap Apply - the player switches to the selected mode instantly.
For VR viewing, place your phone in a VR viewer and enjoy stereoscopic 3D.

Tips:

Auto-detect works reliably for standard SBS files (aspect ratio ≈ 32:9 or wider).
If the video looks stretched or doubled, switch to Side-by-Side (SBS) manually.
Over-Under (OU) format support is planned for a future release.

How to Edit Photos

Supported operations:

Rotate (90°, 180°, 270°)
Flip (horizontal, vertical)
Filters (Grayscale, Sepia, Negative)
Adjust (Brightness, Contrast, Saturation)

Steps:

Open a photo in full-screen viewer
Tap “Edit” button (or middle-left touch zone)
Choose operation:
- Rotate: Tap rotate icon
- Flip: Tap flip icon
- Filter: Select from list
- Adjust: Use sliders
Tap “Save”

Notes:

Original file is overwritten (no undo!)
Works for local and network files
Supports: JPG, PNG, WEBP

How to Create Slideshow

Steps:

Open any folder with photos
Tap first photo to open viewer
Tap “Play” button (or bottom-right touch zone)
Slideshow starts automatically

Customize speed:

Edit folder settings:
- Main screen → Long-press folder → Edit
Change “Slideshow Interval”:
- Fast: 2 seconds
- Normal: 5 seconds
- Slow: 10 seconds
Tap “Save”

Controls during slideshow:

Tap screen → Pause/Resume
Swipe left/right → Skip files
Tap “Stop” → Exit slideshow

How to Create Slideshow with Background Music

Requirements:

At least one folder/resource with audio files (MP3, FLAC, etc.)
Available in: Standard flavor only

Setup:

Settings → Media tab → Audio playback, covers and visuals
Enable “Enable Background Music for Slideshows”
Tap “Select Music Source” button
Choose a resource that contains your music files
Tap “Save” or close settings

Playing slideshow with music:

Open any folder with photos/images
Tap first photo to open viewer
Tap “Play” button (or bottom-right touch zone)
Slideshow starts with background music playing

How it works:

Music plays randomly from the selected music resource
When a track ends, next random track starts automatically
Music continues playing during image transitions
Music stops when you exit slideshow or pause

Notes:

Music plays only for images and GIFs (not for videos/audio)
When slideshow shows a video, music automatically pauses
Music resumes when returning to images
Works with local and network music sources (SMB, SFTP, FTP)

Customize music selection:

Add multiple music files to your music resource folder
App will randomly shuffle through all audio files
Organize music in subfolders if music resource has “Include Subfolders” enabled

Troubleshooting:

If no music plays: Check that music resource contains at least one audio file
If music stutters on network: Use local folder or faster network connection
For SMB music: Ensure SMB resource uses file:// protocol (see TROUBLESHOOTING.md)

How to Protect Folder with PIN

Steps:

Main screen → Long-press on folder
Tap “Edit” (pencil icon)
Scroll to “PIN Code” field
Enter 4-6 digit PIN (e.g., 1234)
Tap “Save”

Now:

Opening this folder requires PIN
Prevents unauthorized access
Applies to browsing and editing

Remove PIN:

Edit folder → Clear PIN field → Save

Forgot PIN?

No recovery option (by design for security)
You’ll need to remove and re-add the folder

How to Empty Trash

Deleted files go to .trash/ folders and stay there until manually emptied.

Method 1: Clear All Trash

Settings → Operations tab → File deletion and trash
Tap “Clear Trash”
Confirm deletion
All .trash/ folders across all resources are emptied

Method 2: Per-Folder

Use a file manager app
Navigate to folder (e.g., /storage/emulated/0/DCIM/Camera)
Find .trash/ subfolder
Delete manually

Warning: This is permanent deletion! Files cannot be recovered.

How to Backup Settings

Export Settings:

Settings → General tab → Backups, restore and settings export
Tap “Export All Settings to File”
Choose location (e.g., Downloads)
File saved as fastmediasorter_backup.xml

Restore Settings:

Settings → General tab → Backups, restore and settings export
Tap “Import Settings from File”
Select backup file
Tap “Restore”
App restarts with restored settings

What’s included: ✅ Quick Sort folders ✅ Display preferences ✅ Slideshow intervals ✅ Network credentials (encrypted) ✅ Favorites ✅ Safe Mode settings

NOT included: ❌ Thumbnail cache ❌ Trash contents

How to View Text and PDF Files

1. Enable Support:

Settings → Media tab → Text, PDF and EPUB viewing
Enable “Support Text Files” and “Support PDF Files”
Rescan your folders to find the new files.

2. Filter by Media Type:

Tap the Filter icon (funnel) on the main screen (top right).
Use checkboxes to select media types:
- Images
- Videos
- Audio
- GIFs
- Text (New)
- PDF (New)
Tap “Apply” to see only selected files.

3. Text Viewer:

Tap any .txt, .md, .log, .json, .xml file.
Scroll to read.
Copy text: Long press to select and copy.

4. PDF Viewer (New Features):

Tap any .pdf file.
Navigation Control Bar (Bottom):
- Previous/Next: Large buttons at the edges.
- Zoom In (+): Magnify page.
- Zoom Out (-): Shrink page.
Gestures:
- Swipe UP: Go to Next page.
- Swipe DOWN: Go to Previous page.
- Pinch: Zoom in/out naturally.
- Double-tap: Reset zoom.
Pan: Drag to move around when zoomed in.

How to Read E-Books (EPUB)

Requirements:

Settings → Media tab → Text, PDF and EPUB viewing → Support EPUB must be enabled (on by default)
Supported format: .epub (DRM-free)

Features:

Chapter Navigation: Swipe left/right or use command panel buttons
Table of Contents: Tap the list icon (📋) to jump to a specific chapter
Font Size: adjustable (14px - 32px)
Search: Find text within the current book
Themes: Automatically adapts to Light/Dark mode

Controls:

Open an EPUB file from the file list
Tap screen to toggle command panel
Use bottom controls:
- Previous / next: navigate chapters
- - A / + A: decrease/increase font size
- Search (🔍): search text
- TOC (📋): open table of contents
Swipe gesture: switch chapters naturally

Note: Works seamlessly with local files and network streams (SMB/SFTP/Cloud). Large books (>50MB) over slow networks might take a few seconds to load initially.

How to Open Network Files in External Apps

Available for: SMB, SFTP, FTP files

Use case: You want to open a document, photo, or video from your network drive in a specialized external app (e.g., MS Office, Adobe Acrobat, VLC Player).

Steps:

Browse to the file on your network resource
Tap the file to open it in the player/viewer
Tap the ⓘ (Info) button in the top toolbar
Tap “Download and Open” button
Wait for download - progress dialog shows percentage
Choose app from the Android app chooser

What happens:

File is downloaded to your Downloads folder
Progress is shown in a dialog (0-100%)
After download completes, Android shows app chooser
You can open the file in any compatible app

Supported protocols:

✅ SMB/CIFS network shares
✅ SFTP servers
✅ FTP servers
❌ Cloud storage (not yet implemented)

Tips:

Downloaded files remain in Downloads folder
You can delete them manually later via file manager
Works with all file types (images, videos, documents, etc.)
For large files, download may take several minutes

Example use cases:

Edit a network document in MS Word
Play network video in VLC Player
View network PDF in Adobe Acrobat
Share network photo via messaging apps

How to View Song Lyrics

Requirements:

Audio file (MP3, FLAC, etc.) with Artist and Title metadata.
Internet connection is required (uses api.lyrics.ovh).

Steps:

Play an audio file in the full-screen player.
Tap the “Lyrics” button in the top command panel (or command menu).
- Note: Button is only visible for audio files.
Wait for the search to complete.
Lyrics will be displayed in a scrolling dialog.

Search Logic:

App searches by Artist + Title tag.
If tags are missing, it tries to parse the Filename.

Auto-Translation

Automatically translate text from images, PDF, and text files using a Hybrid OCR System (Google ML Kit + Tesseract).

Key Features:

Hybrid Engine: Uses Google ML Kit for fast Latin script recognition and Tesseract for high-quality Cyrillic (Russian, Ukrainian) recognition.
Offline: Works entirely on-device (after initial model download).
Smart Overlay: Translated text overlays the original text in readable paragraphs.

Setup:

Settings → Media tab → Translation, OCR and Google Lens
Enable “Enable Translation”
Select Source Language:
- “Auto” (Recommended): Automatically selects the best engine (Tesseract for Cyrillic, ML Kit for others).
- Specific Language: Forces a specific model (e.g., “Russian” forces Tesseract).
Select Target Language (e.g., English).

How to use:

Open an Image, PDF, or Text file.
Tap the screen to show the Command Panel.
Tap the “Translate” button (A→文 icon).
First run:
- If using ML Kit: Confirm downloading the language model (~30MB).
- If using Tesseract (Cyrillic): Confirm downloading OCR data (~15MB).
The translated text will appear in an overlay.

Note: Tesseract initialization (for Cyrillic) might take 1-2 seconds longer than ML Kit.

How to Use FMS on Android TV Box

FastMediaSorter runs on any Android TV box or set-top box (Xiaomi Mi Box, Nvidia Shield, Amazon Fire TV, generic Android boxes). No touchscreen required - the app is fully operable via TV remote or Bluetooth keyboard.

What you need:

Android TV box running Android 8.0+ (Standard/Lite/Photos) or Android 6.0+ (Legacy flavor)
TV remote with D-pad, or a Bluetooth keyboard
Optional: home NAS (SMB), USB drive, or SD card with media

Navigation with a TV remote:

Button	Action
D-pad Up/Down/Left/Right	Move focus between items
OK / Enter	Open item or confirm
Back	Go to previous screen
Backspace	Navigate one folder up in Browse
Red	Delete selected file(s)
Green	Copy selected file(s)
Yellow	Move selected file(s)
Blue	Rename selected file
Channel Up / Channel Down	Previous / next file in player

Steps:

Install the app from Google Play or sideload an APK. Standard flavor is recommended.
On the main screen, press OK on the (+) button to add a resource.
Choose Local Folder for USB/SD storage, or Network folder to connect to a NAS via SMB.
After adding the resource, navigate into it with D-pad + OK to browse files.
Open any video, image, or audio file - the player works fully via remote.
To start a slideshow, open an image folder and navigate to the Slideshow button in the command bar.
To add background music to the slideshow, go to Settings → Media → Audio playback, covers and visuals and select your music resource.

Tips:

Hold D-pad Up/Down to accelerate scrolling through long file lists.
Press F1 on a Bluetooth keyboard to open a surface-specific shortcut reference on any screen.
TV remote color keys can be reassigned in Settings → Playback → Controls & Keybindings.

Need More Help?

📖 Quick Start: QUICK_START.md
❓ FAQ: FAQ.md
🔧 Troubleshooting: TROUBLESHOOTING.md
🐛 Report Issue: GitHub

📖 How-To Guides

Note: Feature Availability by Flavor

Table of Contents

Scenario Groups

Home media, TV and living room flows

Travel, reading and document workflows

Power-user and mixed media workflows

Core Task Reference

Scenario Groups

Home media, TV and living room flows

Turn a NAS into a living-room media shelf

Run a slideshow with background music for a room display

Watch SBS 3D videos in VR mode

Travel, reading and document workflows

Prepare a folder for travel without stable internet

Read cloud documents and EPUBs on the go

Translate signs, scans and screenshots with OCR

Hand network files off to specialist apps

Power-user and mixed media workflows

Sort a family photo archive with Quick Sort

Core Task Reference

How to Connect to Network Drive (SMB)

How to Connect to SFTP/FTP Server

How to Connect to Cloud Storage

Check Network Speed

How to Set Up Quick Sort Folders

How to Use Touch Zones

How to Watch 3D Videos (VR)

How to Edit Photos

How to Create Slideshow

How to Create Slideshow with Background Music

How to Protect Folder with PIN

How to Empty Trash

How to Backup Settings

How to View Text and PDF Files

How to Read E-Books (EPUB)

How to Open Network Files in External Apps

How to View Song Lyrics

Auto-Translation

How to Use FMS on Android TV Box

Need More Help?