You can learn more about PowerShell in general from our Geek School guide, and learn more about the rename-item commandlet from Microsoft’s TechNet Library. And, of course, you can also build more complicated commandlet structures that even include IF/THEN logic. For example, the rename-item commandlet also offers features like a -recurse switch that can apply the commandlet to files in a folder and all folders nested inside that folder, a -force switch that can force renaming for files that are locked or otherwise unavailable, and even a -whatif switch that describes what would happen if the commandlet was executed (without actually executing it).
#Mass renamer how to#
RELATED: Geek School: Learn How to Automate Windows with PowerShellĪs you might expect, PowerShell offers tremendous power when it comes to naming your files and we’re only scratching the surface here. The rest of the commandlet just signifies that any space ( " " ) should be replaced by an underscore ( "_" ). The -replace switch indicates that a replacement is going to happen.
The $_.name part stands in for each of the files getting piped. The dir part of that commandlet lists all the files in the folder and pipes them (that’s the | symbol) to the rename-item commandlet. From the “File” menu, point to “Open Windows PowerShell,” and then select “Open Windows Powershell.”ĭir | rename-item -NewName The quickest way to open a PowerShell window at your desired location is to first open the folder in File Explorer. Pipe the output of Dir to Rename-Item and you’re in business. Using PowerShell, you can pipe the output of one command-known as a “commandlet” in PowerShell terms-to another command, just like you can on Linux and other UNIX-like systems. The two important commands you’ll need are Dir, which lists the files in the current directory, and Rename-Item, which renames an item (a file, in this case). PowerShell offers even more flexibility for renaming files in a command-line environment. If you’re interested, the folks over at the Lagmonster forums have an excellent writeup on the subject. RELATED: How to Write a Batch Script on WindowsĪnd this only begins to address the kinds of command line wizardy you can get into if you want to build more complicated commands-or even batch scripts-by weaving other commands and conditionals into things. html extension to use the same file name and same first three letters only of the file extension, which ends up cutting the “l” off of all the extensions in the folder. Unfortunately, its poor interface means that new users will likely lack the fortitude to learn the ins and outs of this program.This tells Windows to rename all files with the. Its capability to handle file attributes, metadata, and sophisticated regular expressions make it appropriate for power users as well as those with simpler needs. The target file name is updated as you fill in the application's poorly labeled text fields, drop-down menus, and check boxes, but no changes are made until you click the Rename button.īulk Rename Utility provides a great and lightning-fast way to manipulate file and folder names in bulk. But we found that experimentation was the best way to learn the program: The interface displays both the original file name along with what the end product would be if you were to make the changes you have proposed. The application also pops Confirmation dialogs by default. Bulk Rename Utility tries to help by offering a comprehensive Help file (although it hardly sets the mind at ease when the Getting Started section starts with DO NOT PANIC!!!! in large red letters).
Additional menu bar drop-downs let you set global options, such as time stamp formats, color-coding, and activity logging. The application window offers 13 primary functions, including inserting and appending text, auto-numbering, cropping characters, and moving/copying files.
#Mass renamer free#
This free application can handle everything from simple search-and-replace to Perl 5 regular expressions, but it suffers from a cluttered user interface that fails to offer tool tips and, somewhat incredibly, abbreviates labels and button names.
Bulk Rename Utility takes the pain out of renaming and managing files and folders, assuming you can get past the frightening user interface.
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