Rename Files* is an easy to use tools. Allows to mass rename several files at once.
When you enter to this option, you'll get a "Select files" dialog to select one or multiple files to rename (if you don't like this behavior, just disable the "Ask Files on Start" option in Settings tab).
You may drag and drop files from (or compatible program) to Rename Files window. All dropped files are added to list, if a subfolder is included and "Recurse Subfolders" option is checked, all subfolders contents are added too.
Rename files shows a checkbox next to each file. Only checked files will be processed. This mechanism is to avoid accidents or errors when you processing files. When you rename files, is a good idea to keep then not longer than 64 characters. All tabs uses the rename rules specified in Common Rules. Please remember two concepts: filename partextension. The filename part is the complete name of a file without the extension. The extension is usually the last 3 characters followed by a period. Example: file.txt --> filename part is "file", extension is ".txt".
By default, Rename Files shows an Automatic Preview of how your files will be renamed using the parameters you specify. The file list shows the original file name, and the Preview of New Name. All files that change the name based on your parameters, will show an arrow 
. You may see a warning symbol 
if some name may be unable to use in Windows.
Context Menu on Files List
The Files List includes a context menu you access quickly with on a file or selected files. Available commands are:
| • | Open File: open selected file with default program defined on your Windows box. |
| • | Open in Windows Explorer: to open selected file in . |
| • | Open Container in Command Prompt: to open selected file's folder (container) in a . |
| • | Check Changed: put a check mark on all files whose name was changed in Preview window. |
| • | Uncheck: uncheck all items in Files List. |
| • | Check Selected: will check all selected files. |
| • | Settings: allows quick change of Rename Files settings. |
| • | Clear All: clear all items from Files List (renamed or not). |
| • | Clear Renamed: will clear from Files List only already renamed items. |
| • | Clear Selected: will clear from Files List only selected items. |
| • | Paste Files: this command will Paste all files copied to clipboard in or similar. |
| • | Rename: this option is enabled once you check at least one item on Files List (only checked items are renamed). Use this option to perform a mass rename based on your parameters (the Preview is a good way to look how files will be renamed before proceed). You may Undo last rename session using the Undo command. |
| • | Undo: this will show a list of renamed files, grouped on "Sessions". A session is the use of Rename command on one or more files. You need to check what items to restore back to original names and click the Perform Undo button. Available options are: |
| • | Check All: check all available items (items not restored yet) on Undo List. |
| • | Uncheck All: uncheck all items on Undo List. |
| • | Check Last Session: check items only from last available session (you may perform several renames when you use Rename Files, each of them is a session. |
Replace
| • | Replace or Remove: Select Replace to replace text from files, or Remove to suppress text from files. |
| • | This: In the This edit box, specify the text you want to replace (may contain spaces). If you enter invalid filename characters, they're automatically ignored if "Settings tab is enabled. You can select a previous used text while you type, or use the arrow to get a list. |
| • | With this: If you marked Replace, the With this edit box is enabled to enter the new text you want to use for files. You can select a previous used text while you type, or use the arrow to get a list. |
| • | Process each character: if you check this box, each character of the text specified in This will be searched on files list and each character found is then replaced with specified With this text if in Replace mode, or suppressed if in Remove mode. This option is regulated with number of occurrences (how many times found) options. |
| • | Include File's Extension: check this box if you want to include each file's extension in the operation. Is not recommended to change a file extension. |
| • | Occurrences to Process: here you indicates what number of occurrences (times the specified search is found/about to be processed) to perform. |
| • | Apply to All Occurrences: check this box if you want to apply changes to all occurrences found. |
| • | Start occurrence: allows you to specify the number of occurrence you want to start the rename. |
| • | Number of occurrences: is the number of occurrences to process (from Start occurrence). |
Click the Defaults button to clear settings to defaults.
Counter
The Counter tab is to rename files using counters.
| • | Increment Mode: mark Ascending counter, or Descending counter. |
| • | Apply to Filename: if you want to apply the counter to the filename part (not extension), mark if you want the counter Before the filename or After the filename. |
| • | Apply to Extension: check Before to add counter before the extension part of a file, After to add counter at the end of the extension, or No to not use it (recommended). |
| • | Insert Counter: check this box to insert the counter. Uncheck if you want to replace the filename and/or extension (depending of previous parameters) with the counter. |
| • | Start with: specify from what number to start the counter. |
| • | Step: is the number used to increment or decrement. Default is 1. |
| • | Digits: is the number of digits you want to use with the counter. If a number is beyond scope, the counter is reset to proper value. For example: you start with number 1, you have 150 files in list and you set digits to 2; when counter reach 99, it can't be 100 because is beyond limit of digits, so is reset to 0. If the counter mode is Descending, the counter is reset to the greatest number supported by specified digits (if digits = 3, counter is reset to 999 if needed). |
| • | Separate with: you may enter a text to separate the counter from the filename (if Insert Counter is enabled). The default is one space. You can select a previous used text while you type, or use the arrow to get a list. |
Click the Defaults button to clear settings to defaults.
Insert / Delete
Use this page to Insert or Delete text from filenames, based on positions.
| • | Insert: check this option to insert specified text to filename. |
| • | Text to Insert: is the text to be inserted. |
| • | At position: enter the position (character number) to insert the text. If you specify a position greater than number of characters on filename, then the text is inserted at the end of filename. |
| • | Delete: check this option to delete a range of characters from filename. For example: you may delete 3 characters starting from 5. |
| • | Start Position: the character number to start deletion. |
| • | Characters to delete: the number of characters to delete. |
Click the Defaults button to clear settings to defaults.
Common Rules
Common Rules are always used no matter the final rename method you choose. This means, if you specify parameters in Common Rules, those parameters are applied if you use the Replace method.
| • | Prefix: text to add to the beginning of filename part. |
| • | Suffix: text to add at the end of filename part. |
| • | Capitalization: use to modify / fix the capitalization of filenames. |
| • | Keep as is: no capitalization is applied. |
| • | Normal Format: uses normal capitalization. Filename starts in uppercase, the rest of letters in lowercase except if a new word begins. |
| • | All Lowercase: converts all filenames to lowercase. |
| • | All Uppercase: converts all filenames to uppercase. |
| • | Stepped: alternates uppercase with lowercase for each letter of filename. |
| • | Extension: use to modify the extension part. |
| • | Keep as is: no capitalization is applied. |
| • | uses normal capitalization. Extension starts in uppercase, the rest of letters in lowercase except if a new word begins. |
| • | All Lowercase: converts all extensions to lowercase. |
| • | All Uppercase: converts all extensions to uppercase. |
| • | Stepped: alternates uppercase with lowercase for each letter of extension. |
| • | Remove: removes the extension part. Please remember you may need the extension of a file to know how to work with it. |
Defaults button to clear settings to defaults.
Modify
Modify permits already designed modifications to filename part and/or extension part.
| • | Filename: contains predefined modifications available for filename part. |
| • | Insert Domain name: inserts your current domain name / Workgroup. |
| • | Insert User name: inserts your network user name. |
| • | Remove dots: removes all dots from filename part, useful to fix wrong filenames. |
| • | Remove multiple spacing: you may want to allow one single space in filenames. This option ensures there is only one space used. For example: if filename is "This is the greatest.doc", the rename will result in "This is the greatest.doc". |
| • | Remove repeated characters: this will remove any repeated character in filename. For example: if filename is "This is the greaaaatestt.doc", the rename will result in "This is the greatest.doc". Use with caution, some words -depending on language- may repeat a letter. |
| • | Replace dot with dash: will replace all dots (.) in filename part with dash (-). |
| • | Replace dot with space: will replace all dots in filename part with spaces. |
| • | Rename with "random" name: renames all files with a "random" name (is not a random name, is the calculated for the filename part). |
| • | Replace with Date + Time: will replace filename part with each file's modified date and time. The format is YYYY-MM-DD HH.MM.SS (Year-Month-Day Hour.Minutes.Seconds). |
| • | Separate words: this will separate words in filename part. For example: if you have the file "HelloWorldIsAGreatDay.doc", the rename will result in "Hello World Is A Great Day.doc". |
| • | Extension: allows predefined changes to extension part. |
| • | Remove internal spaces: if extension have one or more internal spaces, use this option to remove all. |
| • | Remove multiple spacing: you may want to allow one single space in extensions. This option ensures there is only one space used. For example: if extension is ".d o c", the rename will result in ".d o c". |
| • | Remove repeated characters: this will remove any repeated character in extension. For example: if extension is ".txtt", the rename will result in ".txt". Use with caution, some extensions may repeat a letter (for example, a C++ source file's extension is .cpp). |
| • | Use only first 3 characters: if you have wrong extensions on files, you may opt to use only the first 3 characters as extension. For example: extension ".cppbak" will result in ".cpp". |
| • | Use only last 3 characters: if you have wrong extensions on files, you may opt to use only the last 3 characters as extension. For example: extension ".cppbak" will result in ".bak". |
| • | Use Parenthesis when insert: |
| • | Insert Spaces: check this option to separate insertions with one space. |
Click the Defaults button to clear settings to defaults.
Settings
You may define specific settings for Rename Files tool.
| • | Auto Fix Invalid Characters: check this option to automatically fix any invalid character you may enter by accident. Invalid characters are those not permitted by Windows to be part of a filename, for example: ?*/ |
| • | Automatic Preview: enable this to automatically see a preview on file's list to show you how files will be renamed using the parameters you specify. The preview is automatic. |
| • | Case Sensitive: check this option to perform searches of text case sensitive. |
| • | Confirmation before Rename: check this box to get a confirmation dialog before starts a rename process. If you did something wrong, you may use the Undo button after the rename process to restore one or all changed files. |
| • | Ask Files on Start: use this option to automatically display a "Select files" dialog when start this tool. Disable to not show the dialog automatically. You may use the Add Files button, click the arrow next to button to get a list of recent used folders, or use from Recurse Subfolders is enabled). |
| • | Allow Folders: check this option to allow include folders (when from ) to rename (not only files). Use with caution, if you rename a container folder first, then the rename of files in subfolder will fail because old source folder name not longer exists. |
| • | Validate Names: check this option to force a validation of all resulting filenames in Preview mode (before Rename process). If any invalid file detected, a warning symbol is displayed. |
| • | Confirm before Exit: just to ensure you really want to exit Rename Files (to avoid exit accidentally by using Esc key or the close button on window). |
Click the Defaults button to clear settings to defaults.
Return to: Top, Replace, Counter, Insert/Delete, Common Rules, Modify, Settings.
* Also can rename folders.
