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How to Use the Photo Bin to Manage Open Images in PSE

4 min read

What Is the Photo Bin and Why Does It Matter?

When you are editing family photos in Photoshop Elements, you often need to work on several images at once. Maybe you are fixing a batch of holiday snapshots, comparing two versions of the same portrait, or copying a person from one photo into another. The Photo Bin is the narrow strip at the bottom of your PSE workspace that shows thumbnail previews of every image you have open — and it makes juggling multiple photos simple.

Think of the Photo Bin as a visual filing tray sitting right below your main editing canvas. Instead of hunting through menus to find that other photo you opened ten minutes ago, you just glance down and click. For family photographers who bounce between Quick mode touch-ups and more involved Advanced mode projects, this small feature saves time and frustration every single session.

Finding the Photo Bin in Photoshop Elements

The Photo Bin appears automatically in all three editing modes — Quick, Guided, and Advanced. Look at the very bottom of your screen, just above the Windows taskbar (or macOS Dock). You will see a thin horizontal strip. If you do not see it, go to Window → Photo Bin and make sure there is a tick next to it.

By default, the bin is collapsed to save screen space. Click the small arrow or double-click the bin's title bar to expand it and reveal larger thumbnails.

Opening Multiple Photos at Once

Before the Photo Bin becomes useful, you need more than one image open. Here is the quickest way:

  1. 1Go to File → Open.
  2. 2In the dialog box, hold Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and click each photo you want.
  3. 3Click Open. All selected images load into PSE, and each one appears as a thumbnail in the Photo Bin.

Alternatively, drag photos directly from the Organizer onto the Editor workspace. They will stack up in the Photo Bin ready for you to switch between them.

Switching Between Photos With a Single Click

Once your images are in the Photo Bin, moving from one to another takes one click:

  1. 1Click any thumbnail in the Photo Bin.
  2. 2That image instantly appears in the main editing canvas.

This is far faster than using Window → Images to see a list of filenames. When you are comparing two similar portraits — perhaps choosing the shot where everyone has their eyes open — the Photo Bin lets you flip back and forth effortlessly.

Rearranging and Closing Thumbnails

You can drag thumbnails left or right within the Photo Bin to reorder them. This is handy when you want related photos grouped together, such as keeping the before and after versions of a birthday party picture side by side.

To close an image you no longer need:

  1. 1Right-click (Windows) or Control-click (Mac) its thumbnail.
  2. 2Choose Close.
  3. 3If you have unsaved changes, PSE will prompt you to save.

Closing unneeded photos frees up memory and keeps your workspace tidy — especially helpful when working on a laptop with limited resources.

Viewing Multiple Photos Side by Side

Sometimes a single click switch is not enough. You want to see two or more photos at the same time, perhaps to compare skin tones after colour correction. Photoshop Elements offers layout options right from the Photo Bin:

  1. 1Select two or more thumbnails by holding Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) and clicking each one.
  2. 2Right-click any selected thumbnail.
  3. 3Choose Match Zoom to set both images to the same zoom level, or Match Location to scroll both to the same spot.

You can also use Window → Images → Tile to arrange all open photos in a grid. Combined with the Photo Bin, this gives you a full comparison view without losing track of any image.

Tips for a Clutter-Free Photo Bin

  • Close as you go. Once you have finished editing and saved a photo, close it immediately so the bin does not overflow.
  • Use descriptive filenames. Thumbnails can look alike. Renaming files before opening helps you identify them in the bin.
  • Double-click to maximise. If you have tiled windows and want to focus on one image, double-click its Photo Bin thumbnail to fill the canvas.

When the Photo Bin Shines

Imagine you are restoring three generations of scanned family portraits. You open all five scans in Photoshop Elements, then use the Photo Bin to jump between them, applying similar colour corrections to each. When you spot a repair technique that works, you can drag a layer from one image to another — and the Photo Bin ensures you never lose sight of where your files are.

For any project involving comparison, copying, or batch-style edits, mastering the Photo Bin turns a cluttered workflow into a calm, organised one.

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