How To Batch Rename Files In Windows 10

If you need to rename multiple files, manually renaming them will take too long. One way to save time is to batch rename files on a Windows 10 PC. There are both built-in features and third-party tools to bulk rename files on a Windows PC.

Each method offers a unique way to rename your files. For example, File Explorer helps you quickly rename files, but with limited functionality. The command line provides a few more features, but it’s not easy to use.

Use File Explorer to batch rename files in Windows 10

If you just want to rename the files on your computer, you don’t need to install any applications. The built-in rename function also helps you to bulk rename files and you can use it from the context menu.

1. Put all the files you want to name in one folder.
2. Open the folder containing your files using explorer.
3. Select all the files you want to batch rename. To select multiple files in order, click the first file in the list, hold Shift and click the last file. All files between the first and last file will be selected. To select multiple files in random order, select one file, then hold down the Ctrl key and click the files you want to select.

4. Right-click any file and select Rename from the context menu on the screen.

5. The name of one of the selected files will become available for editing. Enter a new name for all selected files and press Enter.

6. All files you select will now have your new name. Each file name will have a number next to it to distinguish it from each other.

7. If you made a mistake when renaming files, press Ctrl + Z and the file name change will revert back.

Batch Rename Files Using Command Prompt in Windows 10

If you need more options to batch rename files on your PC, you can use the command line. This allows characters like? and * to select and rename files. This gives you many ways to rename files, for example:

• rename files with a specific extension.
• You don’t have to click and select every file in a folder.
• Bulk change extensions for your files
• You can write a script to automatically rename your files.

The ren or rename command enables batch renaming of files in Windows.

1. Search for Command Prompt by searching for Cortana and launch it.

2. Enter the following to change the current working directory to where your files are.

   cd

3. To rename all files and add a suffix to their names, say Mahesh, you can use the following command.

   rename *. * ???? ?????????????????? – Mahesh. *

   Here’s what each option in the command means:

   rename is a command that allows you to rename files from the command line.

   *. * – selects all files in the current folder.

   ????????? ????????????? – Mahesh. * – question marks indicate the original filenames, Mahesh is the new word you want to add, and * at the end preserves the file extension. as before.

4. To change your file extensions, for example from JPG to PNG, you can use the following command.

   rename * .jpg * .png

The possibilities for batch renaming files using this command are endless.

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Rename multiple files at once using PowerShell in Windows 10

If you prefer PowerShell to execute commands, there is a command to rename one or more files at the same time on your Windows 10 computer. This command is a little more complex than the command line, but has more functionality.

Here’s how to replace John with Mike in all filenames.

1. Use Cortana Search to find Windows PowerShell and open it.

2. Run the following command in PowerShell to change to the directory where your files are located.

   cd

3. Type the following command in PowerShell and press Enter. This will replace John with Mike in all files in the selected folder.

   dir | rename-item -NewName {$ _. name -replace “John”, “Mike”}

4. You may receive an error message, but all of your filenames must be changed.
5. There are many naming options you can use with this command to give different types of names for your files.

Use PowerToys to batch rename files in Windows 10

Microsoft has a set of tools called PowerToys, one of which is PowerRename. This tool allows you to rename files in batch with many advanced options on your PC.

It is added to the context menu when you install it, so you can rename your files quickly and easily.

1. Go to the PowerToys GitHub page and download the latest version to your computer.
2. Install PowerToys on your computer.

3. Use File Explorer to open the folder where your files are located.
4. Select the files you want to rename.
5. Right-click any one file and select PowerRename.

6. You will see many options for renaming files.

Batch rename files with a bulk rename tool in Windows 10

Bulk Rename Utility is a free tool to rename multiple files using different options on your computer. It has a single interface for renaming files and includes most of the parameters required for your task.

1. Download and install the bulk rename utility on your computer.
2. Run Bulk Rename Utility on your computer.
3. Use the options on the left side of the section to select the folder where your files are located.

4. Select all the files you want to rename on the right side of the section.

5. Use different options depending on how you want to rename the files in the frontend.

6. Click View in the lower right corner to see how the new name will look in your files.

7. Click Rename to actually rename the files.

Use group rename to bulk rename files in Windows 10

Rename Master is another free tool to batch rename files on PC.

1. Download and install Rename Master on your computer.
2. Open the tool.
3. Select files and folders in the right pane.

4. Click the Rename Script tab and select one or more options to rename the files.

5. Click Rename to start renaming files.

You can also use your own script to bulk rename files on Windows 10 PC.

What’s your favorite way to rename multiple files at once on a Windows 10 computer? Is it a conductor or another method? Let us know in the comments below.

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