Sweepwell™
Empty Folder CleanerSweep out the empty folders.
Years of imports, exports and reshuffling leave a photo drive littered with empty folders that clutter every search and backup. Sweepwell finds every empty folder inside the one you choose and removes them only after you say yes.
What Sweepwell does
You give Sweepwell a top-level folder. It finds every empty folder anywhere inside it, including folders that hold nothing but other empty folders, shows you the full list, and removes them only when you say so. The folder you chose is never removed.
It works on local drives, USB drives and network shares, and keeps a log of everything it removed. Sweepwell is free to use.
It comes three ways, all with the same rules: an app for Windows (with a right-click entry in File Explorer if you like), an app for the Mac, and a Lightroom Classic plug-in for both.
Features
Finds nested empty folders
A folder that holds only other empty folders counts as empty too, all the way down.
Nothing goes without a yes
You see the whole list first, and a preview-only mode never removes anything at all.
Junk files, your call
Thumbs.db, desktop.ini, .DS_Store and the other files Windows and macOS leave behind can be treated as empty, and are removed with their folder.
Safe by design
Links and junctions are never followed. Recycle bins, snapshots, .git and Syncthing folders, and Mac packages such as a Photos library are left alone, and system folders and whole drives are refused.
A folder that changes is kept
If a file appears in a folder between the list and the removal, that folder and the folders around it are kept.
In Lightroom too
The plug-in finds catalog folders with no photos, checks each one on disk, and removes the empty ones from disk. Folders that still hold files are left alone.
How it works
On Windows
- Start Sweepwell, or right-click a folder in File Explorer and choose Remove empty folders (Sweepwell).
- Drag a folder onto the window or paste its path, and say whether to treat junk files as empty.
- Check the list, then type Y to remove the folders or anything else to cancel.
On a Mac
- Open Applications > ThePictureOrg > Sweepwell and choose a folder.
- Check the list (Show List opens it in TextEdit).
- Click Remove. A progress window shows while it works, with a Stop button.
In Lightroom Classic
- Choose Library > Plug-in Extras > Find empty folders.
- Check the list and click Remove to remove the empty folders from disk.
- Lightroom doesn't let plug-ins remove folders from a catalog, so Sweepwell selects each one in the Folders panel for you to right-click and Remove.
Requirements
- Windows
- Uses PowerShell 7 if it is installed, otherwise the Windows PowerShell that comes with Windows. Setup installs for your account only, with no administrator permission.
- Mac
- The Install Sweepwell app adds the app, the plug-in or both. No password is needed.
- Lightroom Classic
- For the plug-in only.
Download
- Free to use. Setup installs the app, the Lightroom Classic plug-in or both.
- Sweepwell checks for a newer version at most once a day. Only the version list is fetched; nothing about your computer or your folders is sent.
- If something goes wrong, Create an error log saves a text file on your Desktop to email to us. Nothing is sent by itself.
Windows may show “Windows protected your PC” the first time: click More info, then Run anyway. The Mac download is signed and checked by Apple: open it and double-click the Install app.
Questions: info@thepictureorg.com
Questions
Is Sweepwell really free?
Yes. There is no trial, no license key and no account.
What counts as empty?
A folder with no files at all, hidden and system files included. If you choose, a folder holding only the junk files Windows and macOS create (Thumbs.db, desktop.ini, .DS_Store and the like) counts as empty too. A desktop.ini that gives its folder a custom icon or name is not treated as junk.
Could it remove something I need?
Only empty folders are removed, and only after you have seen the list and said yes. Links, recycle bins, snapshots, .git and Syncthing folders and Mac packages are never touched, and system folders, your home folder and whole drives are refused.
Does it work on a NAS or network drive?
Yes, on network shares such as \\SERVER\Projects on Windows or /Volumes/Projects on a Mac, as well as local and USB drives.
Why do I remove the folders in Lightroom myself?
Lightroom doesn't let plug-ins remove folders from a catalog. Sweepwell removes the empty folders from disk and then selects each one in the Folders panel, so it takes one right-click each.
What's new
Version 1.1.4 23 October 2026
- Faster on a Mac: looking for empty folders checks each file once instead of twice, which helps most on network drives. The same folders are found as before.
- Windows: a little less work per folder while looking. The same folders are found as before.