To randomly select and group files from a large folder, you can use several software tools or programming methods. Here are a few effective options:

1. Python Script

Using Python, you can create a script to randomly select files from a folder and group them. This method is highly customizable and allows you to define the exact number of files per group.

Here’s an example script:

import os
import random
import shutil

# Define your source folder and destination folder
source_folder = 'path/to/your/folder'
destination_base_folder = 'path/to/your/output_folder'
files_per_group = 1000

# Get all files from the folder
all_files = [f for f in os.listdir(source_folder) if os.path.isfile(os.path.join(source_folder, f))]
random.shuffle(all_files)

# Split into groups and copy
for i in range(0, len(all_files), files_per_group):
    group_folder = os.path.join(destination_base_folder, f"group_{i // files_per_group + 1}")
    os.makedirs(group_folder, exist_ok=True)
    for file_name in all_files[i:i + files_per_group]:
        shutil.copy(os.path.join(source_folder, file_name), group_folder)

2. BulkFileChanger

This free utility can manipulate files in bulk, and you can combine it with Excel or a randomizing tool to choose files and then move them into groups manually.

3. Advanced Renamer

While primarily used for renaming, this tool can select random files. After selection, you can move the files to new folders in batches.

4. PowerShell Script (Windows)

For Windows, you can use PowerShell to automate random file selection:

$sourceFolder = "C:\path\to\your\folder"
$destinationFolder = "C:\path\to\output\folder"
$filesPerGroup = 1000

$allFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $sourceFolder | Get-Random -Count ($allFiles.Count)
$groups = [math]::ceiling($allFiles.Count / $filesPerGroup)

for ($i = 0; $i -lt $groups; $i++) {
    $groupFolder = "$destinationFolder\Group_$i"
    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $groupFolder

    $groupFiles = $allFiles[$i * $filesPerGroup..([math]::min(($i + 1) * $filesPerGroup - 1, $allFiles.Count - 1))]
    $groupFiles | ForEach-Object { Copy-Item $_.FullName -Destination $groupFolder }
}

Here's an updated version of the script with progress messages:

$sourceFolder = "C:\path\to\your\folder"
$destinationFolder = "C:\path\to\output\folder"
$filesPerGroup = 1000

# Ensure we get all files from the source folder
$allFiles = Get-ChildItem -Path $sourceFolder -File

# Check if there are enough files to process
if ($allFiles.Count -eq 0) {
    Write-Output "No files found in the specified folder."
} else {
    # Shuffle the files list by selecting random files
    $allFiles = $allFiles | Sort-Object {Get-Random}

    # Calculate the number of groups
    $groups = [math]::ceiling($allFiles.Count / $filesPerGroup)
    Write-Output "Total groups to create: $groups"

    for ($i = 0; $i -lt $groups; $i++) {
        # Create a new folder for each group
        $groupFolder = "$destinationFolder\Group_$($i + 1)"
        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $groupFolder -Force | Out-Null

        # Get the files for this group by using array slicing
        $startIndex = $i * $filesPerGroup
        $endIndex = [math]::Min(($startIndex + $filesPerGroup), $allFiles.Count)
        $groupFiles = $allFiles[$startIndex..($endIndex - 1)]

        Write-Output "Processing Group $($i + 1) with $($groupFiles.Count) files."

        # Copy files to the group folder
        $groupFiles | ForEach-Object { 
            Copy-Item $_.FullName -Destination $groupFolder 
        }

        Write-Output "Group $($i + 1) completed and saved to $groupFolder"
    }
    Write-Output "All groups have been processed successfully."
}

Explanation of Progress Messages:

  1. Total Groups Message: Displays the total number of groups to create.
  2. Processing Group Message: Shows which group is currently being processed and the number of files in it.
  3. Group Completion Message: Confirms when each group is finished and saved.
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