Helium works with any folder structure, so the workflow that suits you best depends on how you receive your music. This article describes three common approaches: tagging files before importing them (file-first), importing first and tagging inside the library (library-first), and ripping directly from CD. The tagging and renaming tools are identical across all three workflows, so the skills you learn in one transfer directly to the others.
Workflow 1: File-first (tag before importing)
This is the recommended workflow when you receive music files — downloads, device transfers, or copies from another computer — and want them fully tagged before they enter your library.
The folder setup
Use a dedicated folder for files that have not yet been processed — for example C:\_untagged. Place loose files or album subfolders directly inside it.
Multi-disc albums: Keep all discs either in a single folder or in clearly named subfolders (e.g. Album Name\CD 1, Album Name\CD 2). In either case, set the Album tag to the album name alone — not “Album Name CD 1” — for every track across all discs. Use the CD/Disc Number tag to distinguish which disc each track belongs to.
Finding files to work with
The My Computer view (left navigation bar) lets you browse folders on your computer, including files that are not yet in your library. Navigate to your _untagged folder to see exactly what is there.
The Music Explorer → Library node is the alternative once files are imported — it shows files grouped by their folder path on disk, matching the actual structure.
To restrict any view to only files from your untagged folder, set up a global filter: in the filter bar, add a rule Path starts with C:\_untagged. This filter persists across all views until you remove it.
Tagging tools
Tag Editor (Tools → Tags → Edit tags...)
The Tag Editor’s spreadsheet layout lets you edit all selected files at once. For an album selection, the Album Pane appears on the right — use it to set the Album Name, Album Artist, Release Year, Genre, Label, Catalog Number, and Release Type for all tracks in one step. Then work through per-track fields (Title, Track Number, Remix, Artist) using the Extract, Switch, and Apply toolbar commands to speed up repetitive tasks.
When grouped mode is enabled (Options), you can open files from multiple albums and tag them individually within a single Tag Editor session. This is particularly efficient when combined with a Discogs download (see below).
Filename to Tag (Tools → Tags → Filename to tag)
If your files have descriptive filenames but poor tags — for example Daft Punk - Get Lucky.mp3 — use this tool to parse the filename into tag fields automatically. Click Auto-guess and Helium suggests the best template. You can also define your own template using %artist%, %title%, %album%, and %track% placeholders. The tool processes all selected files at once and shows a live preview of the result.
Auto-tag with Discogs (Tools → Tags → Auto-tag with Discogs...) — Premium
For large collections of physical-release rips, this batch tool automatically searches Discogs for each album using existing tag data, stored barcodes, or catalog numbers. It writes back catalog numbers, styles, label information, and production credits without requiring per-album manual selection. Enable Take only exact matches for safe unattended processing.
Quick Editor (View → Show quick editor for tracklists)
A compact panel docked alongside the track list. Edit a configurable set of fields without opening the full Tag Editor. Ideal for quick corrections such as fixing a misspelled title or adding a missing year to a single track.
In-place edit mode
Right-click the track list and choose Enable edit mode to make individual cells directly editable by clicking them. The fastest method for correcting a single field on a single track.
Renaming and moving to your tagged folder
Once an album is tagged, use the Rename Files tool (Tools → Rename files...) to rename and move the files to their final location. The tool generates new filenames and folder paths from a template you define.
A typical template for a tagged collection:
C:\_tagged\{{releaseyear}}\{{albumartist}} - {{album}}{( {{totalcds}} CD)}\{CD {{currentcd}}\}{{track(2)}}. {{artist}} - {{title}}{[ {{subtitle}}]}{( {{remix}})}
As you type the template, a live preview column shows exactly what each file will be renamed to. When the result looks correct, choose Rename and move and check Move remaining files to also relocate artwork, CUE files, and other non-audio files from the source folder.
Helium updates all library references automatically during the move, so nothing is lost.
For full details, see the Renaming files article.
Workflow 2: Library-first (import then tag)
Use this workflow when you prefer to add files to the Helium library first and tag them from within library views.
Adding files to the library
Use File → Add music → Add files to Library (or the toolbar button) to index your files. Helium reads whatever tags already exist and creates library entries for every file it finds. Most library views will show your files even with incomplete tags.
For full details, see the Adding music article.
Finding files that need tagging
Several approaches help identify incomplete items:
- Smart playlists: Create a smart playlist with rules such as Album is empty or Artist is empty to surface tracks with missing data. Open the Playlists view, switch to Smart Playlists, and create a new smart playlist.
- Global filter: Use a rule such as Path starts with
C:\_untaggedto restrict any view to a specific source folder, exactly as in Workflow 1. - Music Explorer → Library node: Browse by folder path to find albums that need attention.
Downloading metadata
The Tag Downloader and Auto-tag with Discogs work identically whether your files are in the library or not:
- Tag Downloader (Tools → Tags → Tag downloader → Discogs): Select an album’s tracks, open the wizard, and search for the matching Discogs release by artist, album name, barcode, or catalog number. Confirm the result and all tags are applied immediately.
- Auto-tag with Discogs (Tools → Tags → Auto-tag with Discogs...): Select multiple albums and let Helium process them automatically. Best when barcodes or catalog numbers are already present in the tags.
After downloading, open the Tag Editor to review and fine-tune the results before renaming.
Renaming from within the library
The Rename Files tool works on library files exactly as described in Workflow 1. Because the files are already in the library, Helium updates all internal references automatically when files are moved.
Workflow 3: Ripping CDs
Use this workflow to add music from physical CDs directly to your Helium library.
Ripping a CD
Open the CD Ripper via File → Add music → Rip CD...
When a disc is inserted, Helium automatically fetches artist, album, and track names from GnuDB (the community successor to FreeDB). For more accurate metadata — especially for a specific pressing — click Download in the CD Ripper to open the Tag Downloader. Search Discogs by barcode (printed on the back of the sleeve) or catalog number (on the spine) to find an exact match. The embedded Tag Editor inside the CD Ripper lets you review and adjust all fields before ripping begins.
Choose your output format and destination folder, then click OK. Once ripping is complete, all tracks are automatically added to your Helium library.
Re-ripping a CD
If you previously ripped a CD as MP3 and want to replace those files with a higher-quality lossless copy, use File → Add music → Re-Rip CD... Helium matches the disc to the existing album in your library and overwrites the files in place. Only FLAC and Wave output formats are available.
Keeping your library clean
Finding and removing duplicates
The Duplicate Finder (Tools → Find duplicates...) scans your library for tracks with matching Artist and Title values, or for duplicate albums. Adjust the similarity threshold to control how strictly matches are identified.
To confirm that two tracks are the same recording rather than different versions, use Compare by AcoustID within the Duplicate Finder. This computes an audio fingerprint for each file and checks it against the AcoustID database — a match confirms they are the same audio, regardless of filename or tags. Requires a Premium licence.
AcoustID fingerprints are calculated automatically when files are added to the library, so you can run the Duplicate Finder on an established collection at any time.
Keeping your library in sync
If you add, move, or delete files outside of Helium, run Update Library (File → Update Library) to bring the database back in sync. It adds new files, updates changed tags, and removes entries for deleted files.
For full details, see the Keeping your library up to date article.
Other useful tools
- Copy Tags (Tools → Tags → Copy tags...): Copies tag metadata from one set of files to another. Useful after converting a lossless rip to a lossy format — copy the tags from the FLAC files to the MP3s in one step without re-tagging.
- Action Manager (Tools → Automation → Edit actions...): Define reusable sequences of tag-manipulation operations and run them on any selection of files. Useful for repetitive cleanup tasks such as stripping unwanted fields, applying consistent formatting, or batch-calculating BPM.
- Analyse Files (Tools → Analyse files...): Checks MP3 and FLAC files for encoding errors, bitrate anomalies, and corruption. Run this before archiving a collection to confirm every file is intact.
- Split File (Tools → Split file...): Splits a single audio file (such as a vinyl rip or DJ mix) into individual track files at positions you define. Combine with the Discogs download inside the Splitter to automatically pre-fill the track list and split points from official track durations.
- File Synchronization (Tools → File synchronization...): Synchronises your library or a playlist to a target folder or device, maintaining the folder structure you define.