Help Center
File Selection Filters — Quick Guide
NOTE: This help article applies only to ⊞ Windows version of Mass Image Compressor version 4.2 or higher.
Why use filters?
They ensure only the right images get compressed, not everything in the folder. Think real names your camera/apps use: IMG_/DSC/Screenshot, web assets like header/banner, or endings like _final.
Examples of Filters
File Name Starts With IMG_ and File Size Bigger Than 2 MB (i.e. camera photos)
File Name Contains screenshot and File Size Bigger Than 500 KB (i.e. screen grabs)
File name matches glob "*_final.{jpg,png}" (i.e. exported assets).
Stuck on filter syntax? Our Filter Helper (GPT) can craft the exact text you need.
This page shows how to filter files by name and size. It’s designed to help casual users, web developers, and photographers to filter the images from selected filters. Keep it simple: pick one name mode, optionally add a size rule.
Only one name mode is active at a time (Contains or Starts With or Ends With or Glob or Regex).
Matching is case-insensitive.
1) Contains
Find files where the name contains the text you enter.
How to enter:
Just type the text (e.g., holiday, abc, 2023-03).
Examples
| Input (Contains) | File Name | Selected? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
holiday | holiday.jpg | ✅ | Contains holiday |
abc | file_ABC_01.png | ✅ | Case-insensitive substring |
2023-03 | IMG_2023-03-15.jpg | ✅ | 2023-03 is present |
logo | banner.png | ❌ | logo not present |
2) Starts With
Find files where the name begins with your text.
How to enter:
Type the prefix (e.g., IMG_, header, DSC).
Examples
| Input (Starts With) | File Name | Selected? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
IMG_ | IMG_1234.JPG | ✅ | Starts with IMG_ |
header | header_banner.png | ✅ | Starts with header |
DSC | XDSC0001.JPG | ❌ | Doesn’t start with it |
3) Ends With
Find files where the name ends with your text.
How to enter:
Type the suffix (e.g., .jpg, _final, -edited).
Examples
| Input (Ends With) | File Name | Selected? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg | holiday.jpg | ✅ | Ends with .jpg |
_final | design_final | ✅ | Ends with _final |
.png | photo.jpeg | ❌ | Doesn’t end with .png |
4) Glob (wildcards)
Use wildcards and lists to match patterns.
Supports * (any text), ? (single char), and brace lists {a,b}.
You can separate multiple patterns with | or ;.
How to enter:
Examples: *.{jpg,png}, header*design*.{jpg,jpeg}, *.jpeg|*.png
Examples
| Input (Glob) | File Name | Selected? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
*.{jpg,png} | photo.jpg | ✅ | Ends with .jpg or .png |
*.{jpg,png} | icon.svg | ❌ | Not in the listed extensions |
header*design*.{jpg,jpeg} | header_design_banner.jpg | ✅ | Starts header, later has design, ends .jpg/.jpeg |
| `*.jpeg|*.png | image.PNG | ✅ | extension is ending with PNG, matches with *.png |
????.jpg | 0001.jpg | ✅ | Exactly 4 chars + .jpg |
| IMG_????.jpg|DSC_*.jpg | IMG_1234.jpg DSC_234234234.jpg | ✅ ✅ | 1. IMG_ followed by four characters (1234 matches ????), followed by .jpg.2. Starting with DSC_ and ending with .jpg |
What’s supported
*→ any number of characters (photo*.jpg)?→ exactly one character (IMG_????.jpg)- Brace lists
{a,b}with nesting (*.{jpg,jpeg},header*{draft,final}*.png) - Multiple patterns via
|or;(*.jpeg|*.png) - Backslash escaping
\for literals (file\*name.txt) - Case-insensitive matching (Windows-like)
Not supported (by design)
- Character classes/ranges:
[a-z],[^x] - Extglobs:
!(pattern),@(pattern)etc. - Directory recursion semantics (
**) or any path-separator logic (we treat input as a file name, not a path)
5) Regex (advanced)
Use a regular expression as-is. No changes or anchors are added by the app.
How to enter:
Examples: ^a.g$, 2023[-_]?03, ^IMG_\d{4}\.JPG$
Examples
| Input (Regex) | File Name | Selected? | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
^a.g$ | abg | ✅ | 3 chars: a + any + g |
2023[-_]?03 | DSC_2023-03.jpg | ✅ | Matches 2023-03 (dash optional) |
^IMG_\d+ | image_001.jpg | ❌ | Doesn’t start with IMG_ |
Size Filter (optional)
Add a simple size rule: Bigger Than or Smaller Than a value in Bytes / KB / MB.
Examples
| Rule | Selected? | Why |
|---|---|---|
Bigger Than 1 MB | ✅ for 1.2 MB | Exceeds 1 MB |
Bigger Than 1 MB | ❌ for 600 KB | Under 1 MB |
Smaller Than 55 Bytes | ✅ for 40 Bytes | Below threshold |
Quick Tips
- Regular users: Prefer Contains, Starts With, or Ends With.
- Many extensions? Use Glob, e.g.,
*.{jpg,png,jpeg}or*.jpeg|*.png. - Advanced patterns? Use Regex exactly as you’d write it. Ask our CustomGPT to create a regular expression for you.
- Only one name mode can be active at a time; size filter can be added on top.