---
title: "How do i export the photos from collect to ensure file names are unique?"
url: "https://openforis.support/questions/776/how-do-i-export-the-photos-from-collect-to-ensure-file-names-are-unique"
tags: ["collect"]
status: "answered"
score: 0
answer_count: 6
asked: "2016-10-06T15:50:51"
last_activity: "2016-10-10T12:52:13"
source: "Open Foris Support - Q&A Forum"
license: "Copyright Open Foris, 2026. Some rights reserved under creative commons license."
---

# How do i export the photos from collect to ensure file names are unique?

Asked by liamcostello on 2016-10-06

I understand unique photo names are generated from Collect on after collating data from multiple devices into collect desktop and exporting. 

How do i then access the renamed photos? All i see in the export option is for csv and collect-data files. Can you outline the steps?


## Answer (score 0, by Stefano (OF) on 2016-10-07)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/776/how-do-i-export-the-photos-from-collect-to-ensure-file-names-are-unique/777

Hi Liam,  
Basically when you upload a file into Collect, the original file name is lost and Collect assigns a unique name to it. Of course if you upload data from multiple devices into a single instance of Collect, the name that has been assigned could be no more unique because will be relative to another system, so Collect, during data import, will assign again a new name to the file.  
Nowadays there is no way to access the uploaded pictures without opening the record from the data management. We are planning to add a sort of "uploaded files manager" but it will be available only next year... 
Meanwhile you can access the uploaded files opening the .collect-data file generated by the data export: the files are stored inside a folder "upload", divided into subfolders by survey and attribute (survey internal id and attribute internal ID are used as folder names).  
Thanks,  
Open Foris Team


## Answer (score 0, by liamcostello on 2016-10-08)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/776/how-do-i-export-the-photos-from-collect-to-ensure-file-names-are-unique/779

How do I open the collect-data file outside of collect?


## Answer (score 0, by Stefano (OF) on 2016-10-08)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/776/how-do-i-export-the-photos-from-collect-to-ensure-file-names-are-unique/780

You can open it with an archive manager (it's actually a ZIP file...). You can just rename it and change the extension to .zip and double click on it to open it with the default archive manager or right click on it and select  "open with", then select your preferred archive manager to open it.  
Thanks,   
Open Foris team


## Answer (score 0, by liamcostello on 2016-10-09)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/776/how-do-i-export-the-photos-from-collect-to-ensure-file-names-are-unique/781

Yes i tried that but it doesnt work. It says the compressed zip folder is invalid...


## Answer (score 0, by Stefano (OF) on 2016-10-09)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/776/how-do-i-export-the-photos-from-collect-to-ensure-file-names-are-unique/782

Please send us this file to the Open Foris Initiative email and we will check it.  
Thanks,  
Open Foris team


## Answer (score 0, by liamcostello on 2016-10-10)

Link: https://openforis.support/questions/776/how-do-i-export-the-photos-from-collect-to-ensure-file-names-are-unique/789

I re-exported and i can now access the zip file - not sure why i was getting the error previously... 

Thanks!