As of recent inspections, I have over 500,000 files in my document and photo folders. Since it is impossible to change so many file names one by one, I decided to adopt the method of batch renaming Windows files to speed up the process and stay sane.

Table of contents

• 1. Batch rename using PowerToys
• 2. Simple rename using File Explorer
• 3. Rename the extension using the command prompt
• 4. Using Windows PowerShell
• 5. Advanced batch renaming with Bulk Rename Utility

1. Batch rename using PowerToys

PowerToys is a dedicated software that Microsoft provides for Windows power users, which I call my Windows toolbox. Among its many features is PowerRename, a more advanced and in-depth way to batch rename Windows files. I downloaded it from the Microsoft Store, but it is also available on GitHub.

What I like is that PowerRename is automatically integrated into the right-click context menu without additional action. Now I can select all the files I want to rename in batches, right-click on one of them, and select PowerRename . Of course, Windows 11 hides this option under Show More Options .

Quick tip: If you want to select all files in the folder, press Ctrl A to select all. If you select only some files, press and hold Ctrl and select files one by one.

Select any parameter, such as a specific word or number, and then select the text you want to replace. This is a very targeted way to rename files in batches.

For example, I'm changing the word Another in the file to First . PowerRename selects only these files and displays a preview of the final result before making changes. If you are satisfied, click Apply .

My favorite feature is changing the text format. It can easily switch between all lowercase, all uppercase, title case and first letter of each word.

2. Simple rename using File Explorer

If you don't need any fancy features, you can use File Explorer to rename files in Windows. It's both fast and easy.

Open the folder containing your files, select all files you want to change, and right-click the first file you want to rename (or press F2 ). Enter a new file name, press Enter , and all files will get the same name, with consecutive numbers attached.

I found this approach best suited to grouping files, such as a series of files. I changed the random name to all called important notes . This is also great for photos, such as changing the default name of your phone to something similar to a beach vacation .

While you can't change the file extension or the way Windows adds numbers, such as starting with different numbers, there are some more advanced methods.

If you have problems with File Explorer, learn how to fix the FAQ and restart it.

3. Rename the extension using the command prompt

Do I need to batch rename extensions and files? Press Win R , enter cmd, and then press OK to open the command prompt.

Change the directory to the folder where your files reside by entering the full path or opening a folder in File Explorer. Right-click on the path position above the file list and select Copy Address . You can even search for files using the command prompt.

Enter cd in the command prompt and copy the address from File Explorer. If you have copy and paste issues, you may need to change the settings to enable copy and paste functionality in the command prompt.

Enter the following command to use the file extension you want:

 <code>ren *.fileext1 *.fileext2</code>

Here I am changing the .jpg extension to .png. Note that this does not actually change the file type, only changes the extension.

If you want to rename the file name in batches, the process is similar. However, if the file name has many common characters, you may encounter errors about duplicate files. To make sure this doesn't happen, use wildcards, i.e. question marks, keeping the unique part of the original name.

After changing the command prompt directory to a folder containing your files, enter the following:

 <code>ren *.fileext ???name.fileext</code>

Enter the number of question marks you need. If you want a space in the file name, put the file name in quotes, such as "???File Name.jpg". If you want the new file name to start, use a wildcard after the file name, such as "FileName????". Here I am using:

 <code>ren *.jpg ?????????January.jpg</code>

Honestly, this approach can get tricky. If all files have different original file names, only some files will change.

4. Using Windows PowerShell

Windows PowerShell is a bit like an enhanced command prompt, although the two are somewhat similar. To batch rename files with PowerShell in Windows, just a few simple commands are required.

Right-click on the folder containing your files and select Open in Terminal . Terminal is a Windows combinatorial tool for PowerShell, Command Prompt, and Azure Cloud Shell. By default, it should open to PowerShell.

Once PowerShell is opened, use the following command. When using the command, don't forget to change "TestName" to the file name you want and use the correct file extension.

 <code>dir | %{$x=0} {Rename-Item $_ -NewName "TestName$x.jpg"; $x }</code>

The above command passes all files in the directory to the Rename-Item command, which renames all files to TestName* . * represents numbers, which are allocated by recursively using $x . This allows each file to have a unique name.

If you want to change the file extensions of all files in the directory, use the command below.

 <code>Get-ChildItem *.jpg | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.Name -replace '.jpg','.png' }</code>

Press the button and any file with .jpg will change to .png.

I recommend checking Microsoft's documentation for more parameters that can be used with this command.

5. Advanced batch renaming with Bulk Rename Utility

Yes, the built-in tools work surprisingly well when batch renaming files in Windows. But if you want more powerful features, you can try Bulk Rename Utility. This free third-party tool far exceeded expectations. It's not for the faint of heart, but I know you'll love it after trying it.

Add/remove characters, append text, add dates, change extensions, use Windows properties, use EXIF ??metadata, and more. I can even use a CSV list for batch renaming. Just enter the parameters (you don't need to use each field), preview and rename. For changes I make often, I save the parameters for later use.

I've also tried FileRenamer and Advanced Renamer, but this tool is often the most complex.

Now you are a renaming expert and master file management. Check out these file explorers alternatives to get more control. If you are a Mac user, learn how to batch rename files.

Image source: Unsplash. All screenshots were taken by Crystal Crowder.

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