Renaming Multiple Files

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 15, 2019)

1

If you have quite a few files you need to rename, the quickest way to do it is to simply create a selection set that contains all of the files you want to change. One way to create the selection set (and there are other ways described in other WindowsTips) is by clicking on the first file you want to change and then holding down the Ctrl key as you click on others.

When you have all the files selected, right-click on any of the selected files and then choose Rename from the resulting Context menu. Type the new name and then press Enter. Windows then changes the names of all the files that you selected. The first has the name you specified and the others have that same name but with a "copy number" appended to the end, inside of parentheses.

For instance, if you choose to rename your files to "Budget," then the first will be named Budget, the second Budget (2), the third Budget (3), and so on.

If you want greater control over how the selected files are renamed, then you'll need to rely on a third-party file management utility that handles renaming. You can find many good candidates by searching the web for such utilities.

 This tip (13407) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Separating Grammar-Checking from Spell-Checking

Most of the time Word will check both grammar and spelling at the same time. You can, however, instruct the program to ...

Discover More

Iterating Circular References

Does your data require that you perform calculations using circular references? If so, then you'll want to be aware of ...

Discover More

Exporting Black and White Charts

Excel's charts are normally created in color, but you can print them in black and white. You may be looking for a way to ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Repairing Your System Using a System Repair Disk

If your system gets into a state where it cannot be started normally, this tip presents you with options of how you can ...

Discover More

Assigning a Picture to a Folder

Windows allows you to customize many aspects of its user interface. One thing you can modify is how a folder's icon ...

Discover More

Backing Up Your Files

Performing regular backups of your system offers you peace of mind because you don't have to worry about data loss in the ...

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is two minus 1?

2019-07-16 01:16:11

Bob Ama

I've used https://www.advancedrenamer.com/ to rename a slew of files.
It's not the most user-friendly, but it's not too difficult either.
It certainly got the job done & the price was right.


Newest Tips