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.
Sweepwell in 62 seconds
On screen
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.
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.
Stream Deck in Lightroom
A Stream Deck or other macro pad button can run Sweepwell's Lightroom commands. Ready-made buttons come with Sweepwell: click Add Stream Deck buttons in Lightroom's Plug-in Manager, or use the entry in the Windows Start menu.
How it works
In the app (Windows and Mac)
- Open Sweepwell, or on Windows right-click a folder in File Explorer and choose Remove empty folders (Sweepwell).
- Choose the folder: click Browse, drag it onto the window or type its path, and say whether to treat junk files as empty.
- Check the list, including what was left alone and why, then click Remove. A progress bar shows while it works, and Stop asks first.
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.
Step by step for every job: the Sweepwell User Guide.
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 each time it opens. Only the version list is fetched; nothing about your computer or your folders is sent.
- Sweepwell is donationware: if it saves you time, you can buy me lunch.
- If something goes wrong, Send logs at the bottom of the window sends us the error log, but only after you have seen exactly what it holds and clicked Send.
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
My antivirus or Windows blocked the download. Is it safe, and what do I do?
Sweepwell is signed by The Picture Org LLC and is safe. Some antivirus programs (Norton, for example) flag any new download that few people have run yet, even a signed one, and the block goes away as more people install it. Windows SmartScreen (“Windows protected your PC”): click More info, then Run anyway. Norton: open Norton, go to Security > History, choose the entry for the download, and click Restore & exclude this file, then run it again. Microsoft Defender: open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history, choose the entry, and click Actions > Allow on device. Other antivirus programs have a similar Restore or Allow choice in their quarantine or history. If you would rather not change a setting, email info@thepictureorg.com and we will send you a zip you can install by hand. We report every false alarm to the antivirus maker so it is cleared for everyone.
Is Sweepwell really free?
Yes. There is no trial, no license key and no account. It is donationware: if it saves you time, you can buy me lunch.
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. Links and junctions are never followed, Mac packages such as a Photos library are left alone, and if a file appears in a folder between the list and the removal, that folder and the folders around it are kept.
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. On a server where each project is its own ZFS filesystem, it never removes a project folder or anything directly in a folder of projects.
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.
Does it work with Lightroom (the cloud version)?
No. Adobe lets plug-ins run only in Lightroom Classic. If you use the Lightroom app, use the Sweepwell app on your photo folders instead.
More answers in the Sweepwell User Guide, or email info@thepictureorg.com.
What's new
Version 1.1.9 3 November 2026
- Sweepwell now opens in its own window on Windows and the Mac, in The Picture Org’s dark colors, instead of a command window and dialogs: choose a folder (Browse, drag it in, or type its path), see the whole list with what was left alone and why, then click Remove. A progress bar shows while it works, and Stop asks first. The rules for what is empty, the log and the command line are unchanged.
- Send logs, at the bottom of the window: one click saves the error log and shows exactly what would be sent to The Picture Org, with a note and your email if you’d like an answer. Nothing is sent unless you click Send.
- Sweepwell opens straight into its window on Windows, with no command window first.
- While it looks, the count now says it is the number of folders checked so far.
- The User Guide shortcut in the Start menu now has its own page icon, so it’s easy to tell from the app.
- Setup and the uninstaller use the same names and descriptions as The Picture Org’s other apps.