FileWatcher - Enterprise Folder Monitoring and Workflow Automation
Automate Any File-Based Workflow. 24/7. Unattended.
FileWatcher monitors folders for new files and triggers custom processing actions the instant they arrive — FTP uploads, data transformations, email notifications, database loads, and more. Runs as a Windows service for enterprise reliability.
Powering automated workflows at the US Department of Energy, national laboratories, and organisations worldwide.
Microsoft® Windows® 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista®, 2019/2016/2012/2008/2003, x32 and x64
Why Teams Choose FileWatcher
Windows Service Mode
Runs as a service — survives reboots, server crashes, and user logoffs. True unattended automation.
Files/Day at Dept of Energy
Automated sensor data processing at national labs. Read story →
Files Missed
Never loses an event regardless of disk activity level. Processes files only after they've finished writing.
How It Works
Watch
Point FileWatcher at one or more folders (local, network, or FTP). Set file type filters and trigger conditions — new, changed, renamed, or deleted files.
Trigger
When matching files arrive (and finish writing), FileWatcher fires your configured action. Group files by time window or process individually.
Act
Run any program, batch file, or script. Copy, move, email, print, upload via FTP/SFTP, or chain with TextPipe for data transformation.
What You Can Automate
FTP/SFTP Uploads
Automatically upload files to remote servers the moment they appear. Batch uploads every N minutes or process individually.
FTP guide →Data Processing Pipelines
Trigger TextPipe transformations, database loads, or custom scripts when new data files arrive from sensors, instruments, or partner feeds.
Processing guide →Photo & Media Processing
Pre-process photos using Adobe Droplets, convert videos, generate thumbnails — triggered automatically as files arrive from cameras or editors.
Email Attachment Processing
When attachments are saved to disk (e.g. by Outlook rules), automatically process, rename, or route them to the right location.
Business Process Triggers
Trigger batch jobs, database imports, PDF generation, or notification workflows when specific files appear in designated folders.
Trigger guide →Website Deployment
Detect changed web files and automatically upload them via FTP. DataMystic uses this internally for its own site deployment.
Monitoring guide →Enterprise-Grade Capabilities
- Unlimited folders — Monitor any number of folders simultaneously, including subfolders.
- Unlimited actions — Chain multiple actions per trigger event. Copy, move, email, print, run programs.
- Smart file detection — Only processes files after they've finished being written. Handles multi-GB video files safely.
- Network resilience — Automatically reconnects after network outages. Picks up files that arrived while offline.
- Windows Service mode — Runs unattended 24/7, survives reboots and logoffs.
- Event filtering — Filter by file type, size, attributes, creation time, or custom patterns.
- VBScript/JScript integration — Write custom actions in standard scripting languages for complex workflows.
- Grouping & batching — Process files individually or group them by time window for batch operations.
Powering Automated Workflows
US Department of Energy uses FileWatcher for automated sensor data processing at national laboratories — handling 100,000+ files daily with zero manual intervention.
Configure Once, Run Forever
Integrates With Your Stack
Configuration Reference
Folder monitoring, trigger conditions, action chains, FTP upload parameters, and Windows service installation.
Config ReferenceAutomation Examples
Setup examples, FTP upload scripts, TextPipe integration, and scheduled execution patterns.
ExamplesReady to Automate Your File Workflows?
Download the free trial and set up your first automated folder watch in minutes.