Managing Libraries

A library is a folder of videos plus the metadata Vidarium keeps about them. You can keep several libraries and switch between them.

Switching and adding libraries

Open Settings and choose the Libraries pane to see every library you have used. From there you can add a new library, open an existing one, or remove one you no longer need. The Library menu also has a Switch to Library command for moving between them.

Opening a library in its own window

On Mac and iPad, choose File ▸ Open Library to open a library in a separate window, so you can browse two libraries side by side. Choosing a library that is already open simply brings its window to the front.

Keyboard shortcuts

In the Libraries settings pane you can assign a shortcut from ⌘0 to ⌘9 to each library, then open it from anywhere with that key combination. The iCloud library always uses ⌘⇧L.

Removing a library

Removing a library takes it off the list without touching your videos. You can also choose to delete its data, which removes the cached metadata and thumbnails. The iCloud library cannot be removed.

iCloud downloads

In the iCloud library, a video whose file has not been downloaded to this device yet shows an iCloud badge. Tap the badge to download it — a progress indicator appears, and you can cancel from the same spot — or just play the video and Vidarium downloads it for you. Videos waiting to download are never counted as missing.

On-disk sync

Each library can mirror renames and folder changes back to disk. Turn these options on in Library Settings if you want Vidarium to move and rename the underlying files.

The Local library

Vidarium always offers a built-in "Local" library that lives in the app's own storage — pick it during setup, or from the library list at any time. It needs no cloud account and no folder to choose. On the Mac it sits inside the app's own container; on iPhone and iPad it is the folder you see in the Files app and in the Finder's Files tab.

Keep in mind that videos you add to the Local library — or to any library — are copied into its folder; the originals are left untouched. If you would rather manage videos in the folder where they already live, don't add them to the Local library: create a new library from that folder in Settings ▸ Libraries instead, and Vidarium will use the files in place.

Adding videos from a Mac: connect the device by cable, select it in the Finder's sidebar, open the Files tab and expand Vidarium. Drag videos into that list — they are copied straight into the Local library, and you can drag them back out to copy them to the Mac. The same folder also appears in the Files app under On My iPhone or On My iPad, so you can move files around there.

Adding videos from another app: use its Share button and pick Vidarium, or open the video in Vidarium from the Files app. Shared videos are copied into the library right away.

New files are picked up when the Local library is opened or refreshed, and deleting a video in the Files app makes it show up as missing in Vidarium.

Choosing a library at launch

In Settings ▸ General you can pick what happens on launch: reopen the last library, always open a specific one, or always ask. With "always ask", Vidarium shows a list of your libraries at launch — built-in ones first, then your own — with Open and Manage Libraries buttons. A library that is set to open at launch cannot be removed until that option points elsewhere.

Libraries and Vidarium PRO

The Local library is free. The iCloud library and libraries in custom folders are part of Vidarium PRO — see the Vidarium PRO help page. Libraries you have already added always stay openable.