Output folder and Replace source
Where 1FileTool saves results: the default output folder, per-run folder picks, and what the Replace source toggle really does to originals.
Every 1FileTool run writes its result either next to — or directly over — your original file. Two places control which: the Replace source switch on each tool screen, and Settings › General › Output Folder.
Protect your originals first
Replace source is ON by default: the output overwrites the original file and no backup is kept. Before following along, open Settings › General and turn Replace source off, or pick a separate output folder.
The default: Replace source is ON
Out of the box, every tool screen starts with Replace source turned on — that's the app's factory setting, Settings › General › Default Replace Source. When it's on, the finished file is copied over the original and the temporary output is deleted: the original is overwritten and no backup is kept. On a batch run, each output replaces its own source file.
That behaviour is deliberate — it makes bulk cleanup jobs truly in-place — but it's unforgiving while you're learning. If you're not sure, turn Replace source off first.
One exception: PDF converters that produce a different format can't literally "replace" the source, so on those screens the switch is relabelled Put converted file at same location — on means the result lands next to the original (PDF to Word, JPG to PDF, Images to PDF and friends). The original is kept either way.
Sending results to a folder instead
Turn Replace source off on a tool screen and the output lands in your Output Folder — ~/Documents/1FileTool by default. To use a different folder just for that run, click Change next to the toggle and pick one; the pick is cleared again after the run, so the next tool falls back to the default folder.
Output files keep the original name plus a suffix that says what happened — for example report_compressed.pdf, photo_resized.jpg, report_converted.docx, scan_ocr.txt — so results never silently collide with sources.
Renaming tools are the other exception by design: they rename the file where it sits, so there's no separate output file at all.
Setting the defaults
Settings › General holds both defaults:
- Output Folder — where processed files are saved when Replace source is off.
- Default Replace Source — whether new tool screens start with the switch on.
Finding results afterwards
Every finished file gets a result card showing its size before and after and the percentage saved. Missed it? The History page lists every run, and Home shows your last three jobs, each with a reveal-in-folder action.
Want to see a run before installing anything? The image compressor runs in the browser too:
Try it in your browser
This tool also runs in the browser. Try it here first, then do a whole folder at once in the app.
Try Compress Online
Real Browser ProcessingNo files selected
Original
Result
Processing happens locally in your browser. The desktop app adds more formats, better performance on very large files, and advanced automation.