In yet another episode of “I can't believe this isn't a built-in feature in Windows”, whenever we need to rename hundreds or thousands of files in a single action, we're forced to use an external tool. Fortunately, FileRenamer by Stefan Trost Media does an excellent job, offering dozens of automatic patterns to rename files and folders, remove and insert specific details, and modify their attributes.
Want to rename a file? Perfect: right-click, “Rename”, and that's it. Now suppose you want to repeat the same process 280 times. From a technical standpoint, Windows Explorer does have a feature for batch renaming: you have to select them all manually, press F2, rename one file, and the explorer will inject a number into the rest to tell them apart.
After trying it once or twice, the first thing that comes to mind is “There has to be a better way to do this”, and luckily there is. It's called FileRenamer, it's a free and portable app, it has a very good Spanish translation, and most importantly: you'll pick up its main commands in seconds.
How to rename files in batches with FileRenamer
FileRenamer allows individual file selection, but the most effective approach is to mark a folder and process its entire contents in one go. On the right side of the interface is the list of changes you can apply, the most important being “Mask”. A click on “Show Placeholders” reveals dozens of patterns to inject into names, most of them based on numbering rules and the current date.
Another useful feature of FileRenamer is “Common replacements”, for example, replacing spaces with underscores (essential in environments that require greater compatibility), or spaces with hyphens. Removing text from old names is very simple, but FileRenamer goes to the extreme of allowing you to define the exact position from which a name should be removed or preserved.
Finally, FileRenamer can modify the file extension and its attributes at different levels. The latest update of FileRenamer was published recently, and besides Windows, it's also compatible with macOS and the main flavors of Linux.
Official website and download: Click here
