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When to label in bulk

If a batch of files all belong together, you don’t have to tag them one at a time. Select them, click Add or Change Labels above the file list, and apply changes to every selected file at once. This is the fast way to organize an import or sort a backlog.
Chief: Bulk labeling — multiple files selected with the Add or Change Labels action

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Select the files

  1. In your Library, select the files you want to label by ticking their checkboxes.
  2. As soon as at least one file is selected, a row of bulk actions appears above the file list. Click Add or Change Labels in that row. The picker’s header names how many files it will change.
Select all selects every file in the project, not only the files the list is showing. If you narrowed the Library with the search box or a Label filter from Add Filter, Add or Change Labels still applies to the whole project. The one filter it keeps is a Source filter: with one set, Select all covers every file from that source. To label only the matching files, tick them one by one instead, and check the file count in the picker’s header before you apply.

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Apply Labels across the selection

Chief: Bulk labeling — the Add or Change Labels picker with Apply changes
  1. In the picker, search for a Label in the search box, then click it to add it to every selected file. Click a selected Label again to remove it from the selection.
  2. A Label shown as partially selected means it’s on some but not all of the selected files. Click it to add it to all of them, or click again to remove it from all of them.
  3. Use the My Labels / All Labels scope toggle to switch between Labels you created and every Label available.
  4. Click Apply changes to write your additions and removals to all selected files.
ℹ️ Good to Know: A three-state Label (partially selected) reflects a mixed selection. Your first click resolves it the same way for the whole group, so check the state before clicking if you only meant to top up the files that were missing it.

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Create a Label and apply it to everything selected

If you need a brand-new Label, create it from inside the bulk picker. Chief creates the Label and attaches it to every file in your current selection in one action.
🚀 Pro-Tip: Bulk labeling pairs perfectly with Collections. Tag a batch of files with one Label now, then build a Collection that fences off everything carrying that Label later.

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Frequently asked questions

It means the Label is already on some of your selected files but not all of them. Clicking it adds it to the rest; clicking again removes it from all of them.
Yes. Chief applies changes in batches behind the scenes (up to 100 files per request) and processes the rest automatically, so large selections are handled for you.
If your search box has text but no Labels match it, there’s nothing to apply, so the button stays disabled. Clear the search or pick a Label that exists.
No. It only adds or removes the specific Labels you change in the picker. Any other Labels already on those files stay as they are.