Get Started with Picman

Welcome to the guide for Picman! Picman keeps the photos in your own folders in order: it groups them by the day they were taken, finds duplicates and look-alikes, renames them in batches, and imports photos from your iPhone or Android phone. There is no library to import and nothing to sync. This guide covers Picman 1.1.0 for Windows and Mac: installation, everyday tasks, phone imports, and registering your license. The screenshots show the Windows interface; Mac window controls and menus look different.

1. Download and Install Picman

1.1 Download Picman

Picman 1.1.0 runs on Windows 10/11 (64-bit) and macOS 11 or later. Choose Windows, Intel Mac, or Apple Silicon Mac below. On a Mac, open Apple menu → About This Mac: an Apple M-series chip needs Apple Silicon Mac; an Intel processor needs Intel Mac. The thank-you page starts your download and provides a retry link.

1.2 Install Picman on Windows

1. Open your Downloads folder and double-click picman.exe.
2. Follow the installer. It takes less than a minute and adds Picman to the Start menu.
3. Open Picman from the Start menu or the desktop shortcut.

1.3 Install Picman on Mac

1. Open picman.silicon.dmg for Apple Silicon or picman.dmg for Intel from your Downloads folder.
2. Drag Picman into Applications, then open it from Applications.
3. Allow access to the folders or connected phone you want to use when macOS asks. Keep a connected phone unlocked during discovery and import.

The first 30 days are free, with every feature. See Register Picman for what happens after that.

Mac keyboard shortcuts: use Command (⌘) for the Ctrl shortcuts shown in this guide, including select all, undo, zoom and copying while dragging. Redo is Command + Shift + Z (Command + Y also works). Use the on-screen actions if your keyboard uses F2 for another function; Mac Delete/Backspace also sends selected photos to Picman’s Trash.

2. Browse Your Photos

Picman opens your Pictures folder. Use the sidebar on the left: Pinned holds Pictures and Desktop, while This PC on Windows or This Mac on macOS lists your drives and folders. Click any folder to see its photos, grouped by the day they were taken.

• Sort: click Newest first to sort by oldest first, name or size instead. Names sort the way you read them, so IMG_2 comes before IMG_10.
• Photo size: drag the slider next to it, or press Ctrl + = and Ctrl + −.
• Search: type in the search box at the top to find photos in the folder by name.
• Select: click the round check on a photo, Ctrl-click or Shift-click to add more, or click Select all for a whole day. Ctrl + A selects everything in the folder.

The date comes from the photo itself (the date the camera or phone recorded), including HEIC photos from an iPhone and RAW photos. Photos without one use the file’s date.

3. View Photos and Their Details

Double-click a photo, or select it and press Enter, to open it in the viewer. Click Details (or press I) to see when it was taken, its size in pixels and megapixels, the camera and lens, the aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focal length, and where it was taken, with a link to see the place on a map.

• ← / →: the previous or next photo.
• Ctrl + mouse wheel: zoom in and out. Z switches between fit and 100%, and a zoomed photo can be dragged around.
• R rotates, Del deletes, and Esc goes back to the folder.

4. Rename, Move, Rotate and Delete

Select one or more photos and use the bar that appears at the bottom, or right-click them. Everything can be undone with Ctrl + Z or Undo in the message that appears.

4.1 Batch Rename

Press F2 to rename one photo. With several selected, Rename builds the new names from a pattern, and shows every new name before anything changes. You can use:

• {name}: the photo’s current name
• {n}: a number counting up, 1, 2, 3…
• {date} and {time}: when the photo was taken
• {camera}: the camera or phone that took it

For example, Summer Trip {date} {n}. If two photos would end up with the same name, Picman tells you before renaming, so no photo is ever overwritten.

4.2 Move and Copy

Drag the selected photos onto a folder in the sidebar to move them there. Hold Ctrl while dragging to copy them instead. You can also press M (or click Move to) and pick a folder you used recently. If a photo with the same name is already there, both are kept, and the new one is named “name (2)”.

4.3 Rotate

Click Rotate or press R. JPEG photos are turned without losing any quality.

4.4 Delete

Click Delete or press Del. The photos go to Picman’s Trash, where you can get them back. See Trash and Undo.

5. Find Similar and Duplicate Photos

Click Find similar photos at the top of a folder, or Similar photos in the sidebar. Picman finds exact copies and photos that look alike, such as a burst of shots of the same moment. In each group it keeps the best one (the original, or the sharpest that is well exposed) and marks the rest Remove.

1. Check the groups. Click a photo to change whether it is kept or removed.
2. Drag the Match slider toward Strict for only near-identical photos, or toward Loose to find more look-alikes.
3. Click Move N to Trash. Nothing is deleted before you do.

6. Import Photos from iPhone and Android

Picman 1.1.0 imports photos from connected iPhones and Android phones on both Windows and Mac. Connect with a USB cable that supports data, keep the phone unlocked, and choose it in the sidebar under This PC or This Mac.

6.1 Connect an iPhone

1. Connect the iPhone to your computer and unlock it. Tap Trust and enter the phone’s passcode if asked.
2. On a Mac, allow Picman’s access request. If the phone still asks to be unlocked or trusted, open Finder, select the iPhone under Locations, and complete any Trust prompt on both devices.
3. Select the iPhone in Picman and allow time for the photos to appear. If the connection still shows an old locked state after trusting, unplug the phone and reconnect it while unlocked.

6.2 Connect an Android Phone

1. Connect the Android phone to your Windows PC or Mac and unlock it.
2. Open the phone’s USB notification and choose File transfer or File transfer / Android Auto (MTP). Wording varies by phone. Approve access to the phone’s data if prompted.
3. Select the phone in Picman’s sidebar and wait for its photo list to load. Larger collections can take longer to scan.
4. Keep the phone unlocked and connected until the import finishes.

Use File transfer (MTP) for Android gallery photos. Photo transfer (PTP), sometimes called “Transferring images,” may expose only camera photos and omit other albums. In 1.1.0, Picman scans accessible photo folders beyond DCIM and Pictures, including supported photos saved in other folders. Hidden files and folders, thumbnails, deleted-photo files and the top-level Android app-data folder are excluded.

Picman can import the photo files your phone exposes over USB. Photos that exist only in cloud storage, a secure/private album, or an app’s private storage may not appear. Save or export those photos to a normal folder on the phone first.

6.3 Choose and Import Photos

1. Select the photos you want and click Import. Photos Picman has already imported are marked On PC; this label also appears on Mac in version 1.1.0.
2. Check Import to. Click Change… to choose a destination such as Pictures/Android. The initial default is Pictures/iPhone, even for an Android phone; Picman remembers a destination you choose.
3. Under Sort into, choose A folder per month, A folder per day, or One folder.
4. Keep Skip photos already on this PC selected to avoid importing photos Picman has already copied. The import history still recognizes them if you rename or move the copies.
5. Leave Delete them from the phone afterwards unchecked to keep the originals. If you select it, Picman removes each original only after checking its copied file.
6. Click Import N photo(s) and keep the phone connected and unlocked until Picman finishes.

The same import dialog is used for iPhone and Android. Its “PC” wording refers to the computer receiving the photos, including a Mac.

6.4 If the Phone or Photos Do Not Appear

• Android: confirm File transfer (MTP) is still selected after reconnecting. Charge-only mode does not expose photos. Try another data-capable USB cable or a direct USB port.
• Android on Mac: close Photos, Image Capture and other phone-transfer apps that may hold the USB connection. Unplug and reconnect the unlocked phone, then select it again in Picman.
• iPhone on Mac: complete Finder pairing and Picman’s macOS access prompt, then reconnect while the phone is unlocked if Picman still reports it as locked.
• Only some albums appear: use MTP instead of PTP on Android, let the scan finish, and check that the missing photos are stored locally in folders the phone shares over USB.

7. Delete Photos from Your iPhone

Free up space on your iPhone from your Windows PC or Mac: select the photos on the iPhone and click Delete. Picman first copies each photo into its Trash on the computer, then removes it from the iPhone. Restore recovers the copy to the computer’s import folder; it does not put it back on the phone. Do not rely on the phone’s Recently Deleted album after deleting through Picman.

The same Delete workflow is available for Android photos when the phone permits deletion over USB. You can also open phone photos to view them. To rename, rotate or move them, import them into a computer folder first.

8. Trash and Undo

Deleted photos go to Picman’s own Trash in the sidebar, separate from the Windows Recycle Bin or macOS Trash. Select photos there and click Restore to put them back in their folders. If the folder is gone, Picman creates it again.

Photos stay in the Trash for 7, 30 or 60 days, or until you empty it. Delete forever and Empty Trash always ask first. Press Ctrl + Z to undo the last delete, restore, move, copy, rename or rotate, and Ctrl + Y to redo it.

9. Language, Updates and About

On Windows, click the menu button (☰) next to the minimize button at the top right. On Mac, use the Picman menu at the top of the screen for About, updates and registration, and View → Language for language settings:

• Language: Picman speaks English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Español, Français, Deutsch, Português (Brasil) and Русский. It switches straight away, without restarting.
• Check for updates…: see whether there is a newer version. Picman also checks by itself when it starts, and only tells you when there is one.
• About Picman: the version you have and your license.

10. Register Picman

Picman is free for 30 days, with every feature. The card at the bottom of the sidebar shows how many days are left.

After the trial you can still browse your folders, view your photos and their details, and restore photos from the Trash. To rename, move, rotate or delete photos, find similar photos, or import from your iPhone or Android phone again, you need a license.

10.1 Buy a License

Click Buy now in Picman, or go to the Picman pricing page. Choose the plan and device allowance that suit you; the pricing page shows the current options. After you pay, you receive an email with your order details and your license key.

10.2 Enter Your License Key

1. Copy the license key from the order email.
2. In Picman, click Enter key on the card at the bottom of the sidebar, or Register… in the menu (☰ on Windows, or the Picman menu on Mac).
3. Paste the key and click Register. After a few seconds, Picman is registered and the trial card disappears.

Your computer must be connected to the internet to register. If the key isn’t accepted, Picman tells you why: for example, that it isn’t a Picman key, or that it is already used on as many computers as the plan allows. To see your license later, open License… in the menu.

11. Get Help

If you have a question, or something doesn’t work as you expect, contact us at [email protected]. Please tell us your Picman version (from About Picman), your Windows or macOS version, and, for a phone connection issue, the phone model and USB mode. For a license question, include your order number.