This guide explains how to reorganize your digital assets and pages to maintain a clean, logical structure as your project grows. In Umbraco 17+, moving items is a seamless experience thanks to the polished "Bellissima" backoffice architecture, which ensures that your content tree remains responsive even when handling large volumes of data.
Moving as Reorganizing
In Umbraco, "moving" applies to both Content nodes (pages) and Media assets (files/images). When you move a page, you are changing its position in the hierarchy, which may also update its URL path. Because Umbraco 17 is built on .NET 10 LTS, these structural changes are processed efficiently, and the system’s consistent UTC date handling ensures that any scheduled publishing remains accurate regardless of where the item is moved.
When to Move Files or Pages
Reorganizing your tree is a common task during different phases of your site's lifecycle:
- Site Restructuring: Moving standalone pages into Folders or "Containers" to keep the main navigation tidy.
- Media Cleanup: Relocating uploaded images or PDFs into specific category folders (e.g., /Images/Staff-Profiles/) for better asset management.
- Navigation Updates: Shifting a page from one parent node to another to change where it appears in the site's menu structure.
- Workflow Optimization: Moving content into restricted "Members Only" areas or specific workflow tracks for review.
Watch: Organizing the Tree in Umbraco 17+
This video walkthrough demonstrates the "Move" and "Sort" functions in the backoffice, showing how to drag-and-drop items and how to ensure your internal links remain intact after a move.
Other Related Tutorials
- [Tutorial] How to sort and reorder page nodes in the tree menu
- [Tutorial] How to create content with the Visual Editor
- [Tutorial] How to edit the Navigation
- [Tutorial] How to create an alternative URL for a Page or Blog Post
Action Steps to Move Files or Pages
- Locate the Item: In the Umbraco 17+ backoffice, find the page or file you wish to move in the Content or Media section.
- Select 'Move': Right-click the item (or click the three dots '...') and select the Move option.
- Choose Destination: A window will appear showing your tree structure. Select the new parent node or folder where you want the item to live.
- Confirm the Move: Click the Move button. The system will update the item's location and its path in the database.
- Check Links: If you moved a content page, ensure that any manual links are still functional. (Note: Umbraco generally handles internal link updates automatically, but it is best practice to verify).
Pro-Tip: With Umbraco 17's new load-balancing capabilities, your editorial team can perform bulk moves or large-scale media reorganizations across multiple servers simultaneously without experiencing the performance "bottlenecks" found in older versions
Where Next?
Now that your content is in the right place, make sure it’s easy for visitors to find. Your next step is to explore "How to edit the Navigation"