How to batch rename multiple files

When you have to rename a lot of files in a folder, it can be tedious changing the names one at a time, but Windows 10 offers various ways to make this process easier.

On Windows 10, renaming a single file is a straightforward process, but it can quickly become a laborious task when you need to change the name or extension of a long list of files inside of a folder.

Although you can use many third-party tools to get this job done, Windows 10 provides some ways to quickly rename multiple files using File Explorer, and even with more flexibility using a single command with PowerShell and Command Prompt.

How to rename multiple files using File Explorer
Using File Explorer, you can select a file and hit the "F2" key to rename it, but this experience also allows you to quickly rename multiple files in bulk in at least two different ways.

Renaming multiple files using the Tab key
If you want to rename multiple files quickly with different names, you can use these steps:

1. Open-File Explorer.
   
2. Browse to the folder that includes all the files you want to rename.
   
3. Select the first file in the list.
   
4. Press the F2 key to rename it.
   
   
   Code:

   Quick Tip: Alternatively, you can click the Rename button in the "Home" tab. You can right-click the file and select Rename. Or you can click the file and then click it again to rename it.
5. Type a new name and press the Tab key to jump to the next file automatically.
   
6. Type a new name for the file and press the Tab key again to continue renaming files.
   

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Renaming multiple files in bulk
If you need to rename multiple files at once using the same name structure, you can use these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
   
2. Browse to the folder that includes all the files you want to rename.
   
3. Select all the files.
   
   Code:

   Quick Tip: You can use the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut to select all the files. You can press and hold the Ctrl key and then click the files you want to rename. Or you can select one file and press and hold the Shift key, and then click the last file to select a range of files.
4. Press the F2 key to rename it.
   
5. Type a new name for the file and press Enter.
   
   

As you enter the new name and press the Enter key, all the selected files will be renamed using the same structure. However, you'll notice that they will use a different number between parentheses. For example, nyc_trip (1).jpg and nyc_trip (2).jpg.

How to rename multiple files using Command Prompt
It's also possible to the use the ren (or rename) command to change the name of a single file as well as multiple files and extension in bulk.

Use these steps to open Command Prompt in the desired folder location with the files you want to rename:

1. Open File Explorer.
   
2. Browse to the folder that includes all the files you want to rename.
   
3. In the address bar, type cmd and press Enter.
   

   Quick Tip: You can follow these steps to return the "Open command windows here" option to the Windows 10's context menu.

While in the folder location, you can use the ren or rename command to bulk rename your files in a number of ways:

Renaming a single file
To rename only one file, use the following command syntax and press Enter:

Code:

ren "old-filename.txt" "new-filename.txt"

Command syntax example:

Code:

ren "nyc_trip_notes.txt" "nycTripNotes.txt"

It's worth noting that you can run the command without the quotation marks, but they're required if you're trying to change the name of the file that includes one or multiple spaces.

Renaming multiple files
To rename multiple files, use this command syntax and press Enter:

Code:

ren *.ext1 ???-new_filename_part.*

Command syntax example:

Code:

ren *.jpg ???-hikingTrip.*

In the command syntax example, the asterisk (*) is a wildcard that tells the ren command to match everything with a .jpg extension. The question mark (?) is also a wildcard, but it represents a character of the original file name. So, in the syntax, we're using three question marks, which means that the output file name will include the first three characters of the original file (which works as a unique identifier to avoid duplication) plus whatever name you're using after the question mark.

For instance, if you're renaming mountain-day2.jpg and lake-day3.jpg, using this command syntax, the output will look like this: mou-hikingTrip.jpg and lak-hikingTrip.jpg.

Making filenames shorter
In the case that you have a long list of files using long names, and you simply want to make them shorter, you can use this command syntax:

Code:

ren *.* ?????.*

In the command syntax example, the asterisk (*) matches all the file names and extensions in the folder, and the question marks (?) indicates how many characters to use for the file name. In this case, if the file name is less than five characters, then the name will not change. (If you want to make the file name longer add extra question marks.)

Changing part of the file name
To rename part of the file name on similar files, use the following command syntax structure and press Enter:

Code:

ren old_filename_part*.* new_filename_part*.*

Command syntax example:

Code:

ren nyc_*.* newYork_*.*

The command syntax example changes the first four characters of all files beginning with "nyc_" to "newYork_." For example, running the above command, the nyc_trip (1).jpg and nyc_trip (2).jpg files will be renamed to newYork_trip (1).jpg and newYork_trip (2).jpg.

Changing files extension
If you have a lot of files with a particular file extension, and you want to change it to another compatible extension, you can use the following command:

Code:

ren *.ext1 *.ext2

Command syntax example:

Code:

ren *.txt *.doc

The command syntax example changes the .txt file extension to .doc format of all the files in the folder.
In the case that you're only changing the extension of a single file, you don't need to use the wildcard (*). Here's a command syntax example: ren old_filename.txt new_filename.doc

Renaming files with a specific file extension
The Command Prompt command syntax examples shown above will rename all the files within the location. However, if you simply want to rename a particular file format, such as documents, images, or videos, you need to specify the extension in the command.

For instance, using the

Code:

ren nyc_*.* newYork_*.*

command will rename all files in the folder. If you want to rename only images files with a .jpg extension, you can use the following command syntax and press Enter: ren nyc_*.jpg newYork_*.jpg.