# Collections

A collection is a folder for your saved items: bookmarks, notes, highlights, files, and tasks. Collections can be nested inside other collections, so you can build structures like Projects › Mobile Apps › iOS Client.

This guide covers the web and desktop app first. See On iOS and Android for the mobile apps.

# Collections vs. Tags

Use collections for where an item lives and tags for what it is about.

See Tags for everything about tags.

# Creating and Nesting Collections

• Create a collection with Create Collection (or Add Collection).
• Nest a collection by choosing a parent collection for it. Use Nested Collection to add a sub-collection inside an existing one.
• Collections can be nested to any depth.

# The Right-Click Menu

Right-click a collection in the sidebar to see its options: Nested Collection, Open All, Change Icon, Rename, color, Select, Favorite, Pin to Sidebar, Move, Share, Make Private, and Delete.

# Renaming a Collection

1. Right-click the collection in the sidebar.

2. Choose Rename. The name becomes editable in place.

3. Type the new name and press Enter (or click away) to save.

# Adding Items to a Collection

Every item has exactly one home collection.

• Move to Collection changes an item's home collection. You can also select several items and use Move to Collection from the bulk action bar.
• Pin to Collection makes an item also appear in other collections without moving it. The item keeps its home collection, and the collections it is pinned to are listed under Pinned To Collections.

# Where New Items Go

When you save an item without choosing a collection, CherryPic uses your Default Collection setting (Settings → Collections):

• Un-Categorized (default): new items go to Un-Categorized so you can sort them later.
• Last Used Collection: new items go to the collection you used most recently.

# Suggested Collections

With Suggested Collections turned on (it is on by default), the collection field in the save and edit form shows suggestions in three groups:

• Recent: collections you used recently.
• Existing: collections already in your library.
• New: suggested names for a collection you don't have yet. Picking one creates it.

You can turn suggestions off, or change which groups appear and in what order, in Settings → Collections.

# Customizing How Collections Look

These options are in Settings → Collections:

• Card Style: Folder (default), Card, or Compact.
• Collection Colors: off by default. When on, each collection shows its color. The palette is orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, and gray.

Each collection can also have its own color, icon or emoji, and banner, and remembers its own view and sort order for the items inside it.

The Collection Action Bar on collection cards can show Edit, Favorite, Color, Delete, and Pin to Sidebar. Choose which actions appear in Settings → Card Action Bars.

# Favorites and the Sidebar

• Mark a collection as a Favorite from its action bar.
• Use Pin to Sidebar to keep a collection at the top of the sidebar.
• The menu on the sidebar's Collections section header has options to Collapse Collections, change the sort order, and Remove Empty Collections.

# Smart Collections

A Smart Collection is a saved set of filters. Instead of holding items you put in by hand, it always shows every item that matches its filters, and updates as your library changes.

To create one:

1. Open your library and apply the filters you want (for example a tag, a type, a rating, or a status).

2. Click Save Filter (the + button in the filter bar).

3. Name the Smart Collection and save it.

Editing the filters of a Smart Collection updates which items it shows.

# Merging Collections

To combine collections:

1. On the Collections page, select between two and five collections.

2. Click Merge Collections in the bulk action bar (it only appears when 2–5 collections are selected).

3. Choose one of them as the merge target, then confirm.

Items whose home is one of the other collections move to the target, pins into those collections move to the target, and their sub-collections move under the target. The other collections are then removed.

A merge is blocked when:

• the target is inside one of the collections being merged,
• you mix private and non-private collections, or
• private collections are involved and Private Mode is locked.

# Deleting Collections

• Delete moves a collection to Trash, where it can be restored.
• Collections can be trashed and restored, but not archived.
• Remove Empty Collections (in the sidebar's Collections menu) cleans up collections that have no items.

# Sharing a Collection

You can share a collection as a view-only public link:

1. Right-click the collection in the sidebar and choose Share.

2. In Share Collection, click Share to make the collection public.

3. Click Copy to copy the link. It looks like https://cherrypic.in//.

Anyone with the link can view the collection. Its sub-collections are shared along with it. To stop sharing, open Share Collection again and click Unshare.

# Private Collections and Private Mode

Private collections are protected by Private Mode, which uses one password for all your private collections and tags. There is no separate password per collection.

• Make a collection private: right-click it in the sidebar and choose Make Private. Its sub-collections become private too.
• Set up Private Mode: the first time, CherryPic asks you to Set Password.
• Unlock: choose Enter Private Mode and type your password to see and change private collections.
• Lock: choose Exit Private Mode.

While Private Mode is locked, private collections are hidden, and CherryPic blocks actions that would affect them or the items in them (such as merging or deleting). Unlock Private Mode first.

# On iOS and Android

The iOS and Android apps work the same way.

# Finding Your Collections

Your collections are on the Home tab, in the Collections section, shown as a tree with item counts. Tap a collection to open it, and tap the arrow to expand its sub-collections. On iPad they also appear in the sidebar.

# Creating and Managing Collections

• Create a collection: tap + on the Collections section header.
• Long-press a collection for Nested Collection, Change Icon, Edit, color, Favorite, Pin to Sidebar, Move, Delete, and Make Private.
• Swipe a collection for quick Nested Collection, Edit, and Delete actions.
• Rename a collection: long-press it, choose Edit, and change the name.

The collection form has an icon, name, description, color, parent collection, Favorite, and Make Private.

Inside a collection you can choose a view (Masonry, List, Card, or Compact), group items (by domain, type, tags, or collection), and show groups as a Kanban or Swimlane view.

# Saving to a Collection from the Share Sheet

When you share a link to CherryPic from another app, the share screen depends on Share sheet in Settings → Theme:

• Form share (default): a full form. Tap Collection to pick one from your collection tree, search for one, choose None, or type a new name and tap Create "…". Add tags in the same form.
• Quick share: the link saves automatically after a short countdown (3 seconds on iOS, 15 seconds on Android). To file it first, tap Add Tags/Notes, then type @ to pick a collection or # to pick tags. You can also create a new collection or tag from there, and mark the link Favorite or Read later.

If you don't pick a collection, the item is saved without one. Find these items under Un-Sorted on the Home tab (the web app calls the same place Un-Categorized).

# Searching for Collections

Type @ followed by part of a collection name in the search bar (for example @trav) to list matching collections.