# Cleanup and file links

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/cleanup-and-file-links/474>\
**Category:** Help\
**Created:** [February 19, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/cleanup-and-file-links/474 "2017-02-19T17:16:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![apaolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@apaolo](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/apaolo)\
**Post date:** [February 19, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/cleanup-and-file-links/474/1 "2017-02-19T17:16:39Z")

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Hello,

I’ve been happily using Jabref since the early 2.x releases, but now I have problem I just can’t solve.  
I’m using release 3.8.2.  
I keep files linked to my entries troughout the whole hard disk, not only just a _main_ directory.  
This approach is consistent to what I do, and it’s been working for a long time. Now, if I do a “cleanup” of an entry  
linking to a file in the hierarchy of my hard disk (e.g.:driveletter:\folder1\folder2\folder3\file.pdf)  
the cleanup procedure moves the linked file to a directory that can be, depending on the settings specified:

1. the bibtext file location (no main file directory specified)
2. the root of any main file directory I specify in preference-external file links-main or db properties-generali file…

While this seems correct (not a bug), what I would like to obtain is a **cleanup action that does not move the**  
**external file from where it is** (I use cleanup only for renamiing the files), or , as an alternative, getting the same result specifiying as main file directory the root of my hard disk.  
I’ve tried all the reasonable combinations of preferences-file-main file directory, database specific file directories,  
and preferences - import- file directory pattern **without getting this apparently simple result.**

Could somebody point me in the right direction?

The filename format patter is the default \bibtexkey\begin{title} - \format[RemoveBrackets]{\title}\end{title}

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**Author:** ![Siedlerchr](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/discourse.jabref.org/siedlerchr/32/216_2.png) [@Siedlerchr](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/Siedlerchr)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/cleanup-and-file-links/474/2 "2017-02-21T15:58:53Z")

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Hi,

you stumbled across a known bug, The cleanup Rename options moves also files.  
A fix is currently underway which separates the actions Cleanup and Move to file Directory.  
In the meantime you could try the development version from the link below. I just publised a new version which should be avaiable in a few minutes.,

[http://builds.jabref.org/moveFileDir/](http://builds.jabref.org/moveFileDir/)

The bug has been reported here:  
[https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/2526](https://github.com/JabRef/jabref/issues/2526)

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**Author:** ![apaolo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@apaolo](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/apaolo)\
**Post date:** [February 22, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/cleanup-and-file-links/474/3 "2017-02-22T15:06:13Z")

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Great. Two days googling and searching and I did’nt catched it was a bug. Thank you for the suggestion, I will look at the code.