Album Art Downloader Command Line Parameters (Full Reference)
Every search you run in the Album Art Downloader GUI can also be launched from the command line — handy for scripts, batch jobs, and integrations with tag editors and music players. This is the full parameter reference for XUI v1.05.
Two Programs, One Parameter Set
- AlbumArt.exe — the graphical program. It accepts command line parameters too: pass a search and the GUI opens with the results ready.
- aad.exe — the dedicated command line version, for fully scripted, windowless use.
Parameters that only make sense for aad.exe are silently ignored by AlbumArt.exe, so a shared command line won’t error out in the GUI. Note the single-instance behavior: if the program is already running, your parameters are handed to the running instance instead of opening a second copy (use /new or /separateInstance to change that).
Parameter Reference
| Parameter | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
/ar "name" |
Artist to search for. | /ar "Miles Davis" |
/al "title" |
Album to search for. | /al "Kind of Blue" |
/p "path" |
Folder to save downloaded images into. | /p "D:\Music\Miles Davis" |
/autoclose on|off |
Whether the search window closes automatically after saving. off keeps it open so you can review. |
/autoclose off |
/sources "a,b" |
Search only these script sources (comma-separated), or all for everything. |
/sources "Amazon,Discogs" |
/include "name" |
Enable a source without disabling the others (unlike /sources, which limits the search to the named ones). |
/include "MusicBrainz" |
/minSize N / /maxSize N |
Only keep results at least / at most N pixels (width). | /minSize 1000 |
/coverType type |
Only keep results of a given cover type: front, back, inside, cd, or unknown. | /coverType front |
/minAspect N |
Only keep results with at least this aspect ratio. | /minAspect 0.9 |
/minimized |
Open the window initially minimized. | /minimized |
/new |
Always open a new search window instead of reusing an existing one. | /new |
/config |
Open the user settings configuration file. | /config |
/separateInstance |
Run as a fully separate instance (bypasses single-instance behavior; not generally recommended). | /separateInstance |
/localImagesPath "path" |
Folder the Local Files source searches for existing images. | /localImagesPath "D:\Music" |
/fetchAll |
aad.exe only: fetch all results instead of stopping at the per-source limit. | /fetchAll |
/orientation o |
aad.exe only: only keep landscape or portrait images. | /orientation landscape |
Examples
Basic search
AlbumArt.exe /ar “Miles Davis” /al “Kind of Blue”
Search and save, keeping the window open for review
AlbumArt.exe /ar “Miles Davis” /al “Kind of Blue” /p “D:\Music\Miles Davis\Kind of Blue” /autoclose off
Large front covers only, from specific sources
AlbumArt.exe /ar “Miles Davis” /al “Kind of Blue” /sources “Amazon,Discogs” /minSize 1000 /coverType front
Using It With Other Software
These parameters are exactly what integrations use under the hood. Rather than duplicating those walkthroughs here:
- Mp3tag: our Mp3tag integration guide shows how to add Album Art Downloader as a Mp3tag Tool, passing the selected files’ artist, album, and folder automatically.
- foobar2000: our foobar2000 integration guide covers the run-service setup that feeds the playing track’s metadata to the search.