Change the Default Name for New Folders

As you're using Windows 10, you more than likely have come across the need to create a new folder. Whether this is for images, documents, music, or a catch-all for a project you're working on, there are many reasons to create folders. (If you are like me, you create lots of them in the normal course of working on the computer.)

If you create a new folder by pressing Ctrl+Shift+N, right-clicking and choosing New>Folder from the drop-down window, or using the New Folder button in the File Explorer Ribbon, you get the same result—a new folder with the name "New Folder." By default, when you create the new folder the "New Folder" name is selected and you can type a new name immediately. If you prefer, you can change the default name of the file by making a quick change in the Registry.

1. Press Windows+R. Windows opens the Run window.
2. Type "regedit" (without quotes) and press Enter. Windows opens the Registry Editor.
3. In the left-side panel, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.
4. If you don't see a subkey called "NamingTemplates" you will need to create a new subkey and name it (without quotes) "NamingTemplates". You will see what appears to be a folder in the left side titled NamingTemplates. (See Figure 1.)



Figure 1. New subkey named NamingTemplates.

5. Select the new subkey that you created. (You can do this by clicking on it once.)
6. In a blank area of the right-hand window, right-click and choose New>String Value from the pop-up window. This creates a new, unnamed data value.
7. Name the new data value "RenameNameTemplate" (without quotes) and press Enter to commit the new name. You should see two Reg_SZ data values in the right-hand window—one called (Default) and the other is the new RenameNameTemplate data value you just created.
8. Double-click on the RenameNameTemplate data value. This opens the Edit String dialog box.
9. In the Value Data field enter the new text you want to appear when you create a new folder. For me, I entered "I Have No Name". (See Figure 2.)



Figure 2. RenameNameTemplate with new value data entered.

10. Click OK to close the Edit String dialog box.
11. Close the Registry Editor. The changes you created take effect immediately.

Now, whenever I create a new folder, rather than it being called "New Folder" it is called "I Have No Name." That is the only change; the folder name is selected and ready to change to something else when I create the folder. (See Figure 3.)

Figure 3. A New folder using the new naming template.

If you decide that you no longer want the new name, you can go through the steps above and change the text entered in the Value Data field (step 9) to the default "New Folder." Or you can delete the RenameNameTemplate data value altogether.

Changing the default new folder name can be helpful if you find you don't pay attention to the default new folder name. You can also change the name to anything else that you wish that might work better with your workflow.

 This tip (13725) applies to Windows 10.