• How to rename all files in a folder using Total Commander. Batch renaming files in Windows

    Renaming files can be a very time-consuming task. Always faced with the dilemma of downloading tons of files and being faced with the prospect of looking for your documents, your music, photos among heaps of garbage.

    Especially when you have a bunch of data from a similar source, say, images of your phone, all labeled IMG_20170102_xyz.jpg, in a total haphazard sequence.

    Curious to learn how to sort your data, rename it, organize it so you don't have to deal with clutter, and be able to easily find among it.

    Well then you've hit the right spot. Let's look at one of the simplest but most wanted aspects personal computers. How to rename multiple files and organize them the way you want?

    What to do?

    There are many ways to rename files, including

    • Right click -> Rename: too tedious, cannot be applied to the correct sequence. This method only works for separate files or parties you register that do not need to be specially organized.
    • Using Command Line/Power Shell/Terminal: This method allows a lot of control, including searching and replacing specific terms, specific sequencing, and generally good file organization. But this manual method, and those who do not know the commands of the heart may face many headaches when any work is actually done.
    • Using a third party software: Still the best solution, available, there are many free and paid third-party software with which you can batch rename files, sorted by folder, extension, name, just say what you want and it's probably done. Not only are these apps a lot of powerful, but you can control how much you can control your filename as well.

    Today, let's look at some handy free apps who can do this job.

    For this purpose, we will look at one application each, for Linux, Windows and Mac OS

    • Linux: pyRenamer
    • Windows: Bulk Rename Utility
    • Mac OS: Name Changer

    Setting it up

    Installing the app is the proverbial first step, and it's quite simple for all 3 platforms.

    • Linux

    1. Open a terminal window
    2. Sudo APT - get install pyRenamer
    3. Wait for the files to download and install and you are done.

    • Windows

    1. Download Bulk Rename Utility from this link
    2. http://www.bulkrenameutility.co.uk/Download.php
    3. Just double click executable file, install the app and you're done.

    • Mac OS

    1. Download Name Changer from given link
    2. https://mrrsoftware.com/namechanger/
    3. Unzip the file, drag it into your Applications folder, and you're done.

    Renaming files

    Once the application is installed, let's open the application and take it for a spin.

    • Linux

    Opening pyRenamer, we presented with a blank screen as such.

    Sitting in the folder, the files you want to rename, you will see a preview of the files, their original titles and renamed versions according to the parameters.

    pyRenamer includes quite a few features, including

    • Substitutions
    • Spaces / Underscores
    • Substitutions
    • capitalization
    • Patterns
    • Insertion and Deletion
    • space
    • Text
    • Metadata
    • Music Metadata for File Name
    • Image data for FilenamepyRenamer is quite easy to use. You select all the files you choose to rename, select options, and simply click rename. Yes, its that simple.

    • Windows

    For Windows, we use Bulk Rename Utility. Opening it up, we are presented with what we must admit is an incredible user interface.

    Bulk Rename Utility looks very complicated, but trust us, it is actually quite simple when you look at it well. This is one of the best packaged alternatives available.

    • Bulk Rename Utility packages everything from adding symbols to the replacement folder.
    • Regular expression
    • Replace text
    • Removing characters
    • Add a character
    • Date/time
    • numbering
    • Sequence of actions
    • Naming Guide
    • Letter Case
    • Add folder name
    • change Extension
    • Moving parts/copying
    • filter text
    • Move/copy files according to their name

    Using the application is simple. You are browsing to a file directory, select required parameters and click the big blue rename button.

    • Mac OS

    On Mac OS, we use Name Changer. This must be one of the most simple applications for bulk renaming of files. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing as the app still serves its purpose perfectly.

    Discovery, we were treated to an interface that screams simple. We can drag and drop all the files we require into this menu from file explorer(or Finder, as Apple likes to call it).

    Name Changer is very convenient option, but still manages to pack in most of the useful features we saw in pyRenamer and Bulk Rename Utility.

    • Replace first occurrence of C
    • Replace last occurrence of C
    • Replace all occurrences of C
    • Add text
    • Prepend Text
    • Wildcard entry
    • Change case
    • Sequence of actions
    • Date/time based
    • Regular expression based

    Using the app is as simple as dragging and dropping files, selecting options and hitting the rename button.

    Conclusion

    Today's discussion was purely about organization and aesthetics. It's true that you don't need to rename files necessarily. This helps your computer to be de-cluttered as the files are located in the appropriate folder named correctly so that you get rid of the unwanted ones you don't need anymore.

    Overall, keeping your files well organized is just one step to being more productive on a daily basis.

    Hello, dear friends. Today I will tell you about group renaming files and will show 2 ways. Perhaps you have thought about this, and perhaps you have encountered such a task when you need to rename several files, where the name must be assigned the same, but the difference is only in the serial number.

    For example, to download graphic files This approach is often used on the site. Anyone who downloaded screenshots from websites probably paid attention to the names and numbering of the files. Especially on sites with a huge amount of content.

    Batch renaming files in Windows

    IN operating system Windows, you can rename a selected group of files at once.

    By the way: this scheme also works on Mac OS, but it is a little more thoughtful, and the output is exactly the file names that you intended.

    Just don't think that Windows does everything badly. But, I don't like its automatic numbering in brackets.

    In order to rename several files at once, you must first select these files (Ctrl+A – select all; Ctrl+ left button mouse – selecting individual files).


    Enter the desired name and press the key « Enter".

    As a result, all files from the selected list will be renamed, and each will be assigned serial number for distinction.


    Tip: If you are creating files for the Internet, assign names in Latin letters and not too long.

    Windows has another option for renaming files, via command line, but this is inconvenient and the method is completely outdated.

    Group renaming of files in Total Commander

    I like this method better, and it is the one I use all the time. The principle here is the same, you need to select the files and rename them with the specified parameters.

    So, select the files ( Ctrl+A) and call the tool "Group renaming" (Ctrl+M)


    A new window will open where you can configure the renaming parameters, that is, assign a new name, add a counter, date, time. You can also change the file type and create templates.

    For regular group renaming, it will be enough to assign a new name and add a counter:

    Newname-[C]

    Having selected the parameters, press the button "Run" and look at the result.


    Your files have been renamed.


    This method has many more possibilities, but even the simplest application will go quickly and smoothly. You can also use TC for . I'm sure you will find this feature useful too.

    Video tutorial on the topic

    Friends, these methods will allow you to quickly rename as many files as you like. And do not waste time on each file, but do it in batches.

    I wish you good luck!

    Best regards, Maxim Zaitsev

    Often a situation arises where you need to rename files en masse. Be it a file name or extension. Sometimes you need to remove part of the text from the name (for example, the address of a website or company). If there are only a few files, then it's okay. What to do when there are 50, 100 or a thousand files?

    There are several solutions to quickly rename many files: using the command line or using a bunch of programs. One of the most convenient solutions is rename files in a folder using a template total commander.

    How to rename files in total commander

    To rename many files you need to go to the folder where the files are located. Select the files that we will rename.

    Batch renaming files in totalcommander. Part 1

    Then press CTRL+M for group renaming and this window will pop up.


    Batch renaming of files in totalcommander. Part 2

    In this window we perform all the main operations.

    How to remove part of the text in all file names

    To delete part of the text, enter what you want to delete in the Find in box " Search and replace". In the Replace with field - what you want to replace it with. Then enter the site in the Find field, and leave the Replace with field empty.

    How to replace characters in file names using totalcommander

    To replace symbols with some letters or numbers, repeat the previous block. Just in the Replace with field write what we are replacing it with. For example, we replace the symbols [, ( in the file names with spaces. In the Find field we put these symbols in turn, and in Replace we do not forget to press the spacebar.

    Reference for bulk file renaming via totalcommander

    The totalcommander program has powerful built-in functionality, and part of it is group renaming of files. You can set the so-called mask for mass editing.
    [N] - paste this code into the name field to save the old file name.
    [f][N] - write like this if you want all names to be capitalized.
    — the first character in the file name. Can be used in a mask, for example, when replacing characters.
    — three characters from the old name, from the second to the fourth.
    — all characters of the name, starting with the third letter.
    — the third character from the end of the file name.
    - five characters after the first letter.
    [E] - file extension. (You can also write it in the title, if necessary.)

    Counters. I would like to separately note useful function counters when renaming files.
    For example, we need to put the order of the files at the beginning of the name or at the end (or in the middle, I use a mask).
    is a simple counter that numbers files one by one with a two-digit number. (01, 02…77.78)
    - the same thing, only the number is already three-digit (001,002,003...)
    — an extended version of the counter. The first unit is which digit to start with, the second unit is the counter step, after the colon is a two-digit number. That is, this construction will add 01,02,03... to each file in turn. If you write , then the counter starts working 005 in steps of 2 (007,009,011...)

    Dates and times. You can also add [t] - time, [d] - date, [D] - day, [M] - month, [Y] - year to the file name.

    If you want specific examples of batch file renaming, don’t hesitate to write!

    File manager Total Commander is very popular among users of screen readers because, along with rich functionality for working with files and directories, it has good accessibility for assistive technologies. In this article we will explain and specific examples We'll show you how to use Total Commander to perform various options for bulk file renaming.

    To rename a group of files, select them, or press Spacebar on the necessary files, or by selecting all the files in the folder using Control+A and pressing Control+M. The "Batch file renaming" dialog will open. To rename files in the "Group renaming" dialog, use special characters and teams. All such symbols are contained in square brackets.

    Attention! All service characters must be entered case-sensitive. For example, the [N] and [n] commands perform different actions.

    description of dialogue and commands

    There are many elements in the "Group Renaming" dialog, but we will only need those that are directly involved in the renaming.

    1. The "Name" field indicates a template for the new file name without extension.
    2. Field "Extension", here the extension of the new name is indicated.
    3. The "Find" field, here you can enter text in the file name that you want to replace with another.
    4. The "Replace" field, here you can enter the text with which you want to replace the text from the "Find" field.

    The "Run" button starts the renaming process. In front of this button there is a list in which, even before renaming begins, the results of renaming are displayed in the format old file name -> new file name. To check whether you entered the rename conditions correctly, review this list before clicking the "Run" button. If you entered everything correctly, then after the -> symbol the exact file names that you want to receive should be displayed.

    In the "Name" field you can enter special characters and commands to form a new file name. Let's look at the main ones of these commands.

    [N] - indicates the name of the old file. If you enter only [N] in the "Name" field, the new file name will be the same as the old one. That is, the [N] command replaces the entire file name without extension.

    The first character of the old file name. Similarly, the commands or represent the second or fifth character in the old file name.

    Four characters from the old file name from the second to the fifth.

    All characters of the file name, starting from the second.

    Five characters of the file name, starting with the second.

    The fifth character from the end in the file name.

    Characters of the file name, starting from the second to the fifth character from the end.

    [E] - file extension. fits only in the "Extension" field, or in the "Name" field if you need to insert the extension of the source file into the name.

    A counter that starts with the number 01, changes by one when moving to the next file, and always has a number consisting of two digits. Similarly, the command assigns a counter of three digits and in increments of two to the new file name. That is, 001, 003, 005 and so on. The counter is written into the new file name where you put this command in the "Name" field. For example, if you write a track or just a track, then all the files selected in the folder will be renamed to track 01, track 02, and so on.

    [F] - all words after the position of this command in the new name will begin with a capital letter. For example, we want all track names in a folder after the number to have words with the first in capital letters. then in the “Name” field we write [f][N] and in the “Extension” field we enter [E]. then the new files will be named the same as the old ones, but each word in their names will begin with a capital letter.

    [d] - adds the current date to the new name.

    [t] - adds the current time to the new name.

    Instead of the full date, you can add only the year (command [Y]), day (command [D]) or month (command [M]). The [y] command inserts the year not as four digits, but only as the last two digits of the year.

    On this with main teams You can finish and move on to specific examples.

    Example 1

    Suppose we have files in a folder with the extension .html and we want to change the extension of all these files to .txt in order to edit them in text editor. Then, select all the files, press Control+M, enter [N] in the “Name” field, and enter txt in the “Extension” field. check the result in the list next to the “Run” button and click this button.

    Example 2

    Let's say we downloaded an audiobook in the form of a folder with mp3 files, but the name of each file is signed "", and we want to remove this fragment from all files. then, in the group renaming dialog, enter [N] in the “Name” field, enter [E] in the “Extension” field, write in the “Find” field, and leave the “Replace” field empty. Note that the left and right bracket characters must be enclosed in square brackets so that they are not interpreted as the start and end of a service command. We check the result in the list in front of the “Run” button and click this button. The "Substitution" checkbox must be unchecked, otherwise the entire file name will be replaced with an empty name, and not just the piece we need.

    Example 3

    Let us have a folder with music tracks whose names look like 01 - Song1.mp3, 02 - song2.mp3 and so on. We want to remove the - followed by a space from all file names, so that only 01 Song1.mp3, 02 Song2.mp3, and so on remain. Then in the “Name” field we write [N], in the “Extension” field we write [E], in the “Find” field we enter “-” without quotes, and leave the “Replace” field empty. You can leave the “Find” and “Replace” fields empty, and in the “Name” field enter the counter and part of the old file name without the first five characters, which includes the track number with a dash and a space after it. That is, we write like this: . the sixth character, that is, the track name itself.

    Example 4

    Let's say we have a folder with music tracks whose names consist of words separated by the _ symbol without spaces, and we want to remove the _ symbol from all the names and replace it with a space. Then fill in the “Name” and “Extension” fields as in the first two examples, write _ in the “Find” field, and enter one space in the “Replace” field. In this case, the numbers at the beginning of the tracks will remain unchanged. That is, files like 01_song_about_love.mp3 will be renamed to 01 song about love.mp3.

    Example 5

    Let's say that in a folder with music tracks from an album, after the number of each composition, before the name of the song, we also want to add the name of the album to each file. Let's say our album is called "Best of". Then in the “Name” field we enter: Best of. Here we remove the first 2 characters from the old name of each file, which contain the track number, and assign the numbering ourselves. if there are more than 100 tracks in a folder, then instead we write , and instead we write already .

    Example 6

    Let's say that we are writing a coursework and we want the year to be added to the name of each file in the folder with the coursework at the end of the name, so that after many years we know in what year we wrote it. then in the “Name” field we write [N] [Y] Then, for example, the goal and methods.doc file will be renamed to Goals and Methods 2012.doc, and the Conclusion.doc file to Conclusion 2012.doc.

    Example 7

    And here, good example to the counters. Suppose we have two folders, the “even” folder contains only all the scanned even pages of the book, and the “odd” folder contains only the scanned odd pages. Moreover, in both folders the files are numbered the same Page001.jpg and so on. we want to combine scanned pages from two folders into one so that all pages are strictly one after another, even after odd. Then, in the “Odd” folder, select all the files and enter . Here we cut off the last three characters with the file number at the end of the name of each file, but add our own counter, which assigns only odd numbers. we get the files Page001.jpg, Page003.jpg and so on.

    In the “Even” folder we also select all the files, but since the first even page is page number 2, we enter already in the “Name” field. After renaming, we will get the files Page002.jpg, Page004.jpg, and so on in this folder. Now, copy all the files from both folders into one shared folder, and we get correctly sorted scanned pages.

    Example 8

    Finally, one last example. Let them be in our folder sound files named 01-song1.mp3, 02-song2.mp3 and so on. we want each file name to have a space before and after the dash. if there are no more than 100 tracks in the folder, then enter - or in the “Name” field and get the required result. Since the dash is always in the third place in the name of each file, the command will always give the dash in the new name.

    Probably many people have encountered such a problem when you have a bunch of files, for example photos, which usually have next name: DSCF9163 or IMG_0065 or some other crap =). Do you want these photos to be called New Year!

    What to do?

    Rename each photo one at a time?

    It’s good if there are 10-20 of them, and if there are 100-1000 or more. You know what I’ll tell you: you’ll get tired of renaming them =)))

    Rename a group of files you can do it very quickly, literally in a couple of seconds, well, for students, it will take a matter of minutes!

    Since we use pens to rename large group We don’t want files, so some program will help us. And this one Total program Commander. I think everyone knows what kind of animal this is, and those who don’t know, follow the link, download and get acquainted.

    But here I will still say that Total Commander is file manager with huge possibilities!

    So, let's get started, those who have this program launch it, those who don't - download, install and launch.

    To begin with - select the group of files that we need to rename, if you need to select all the files in a folder, press CTRL + A

    A window will appear:

    So, we wanted to give all the files the name "New Year". So let's do it. In the “Mask for: file name” field, write the name that we want to see in in this case“New Year” and also add a counter, so that we don’t have the same names, to do this, click on the “[C] Counter” button.

    Click “Run”, and after execution, close this window.

    Hooray! Everything worked out! This method can be used for absolutely any files, but most often it is used to rename images.

    Well, now let's look at some basic settings group renaming of files. First, completely clear the “Mask for: file name” field (for clarity). Please note that when you clear the field, the new file name will also become clear, meaning we can clearly see what will happen to the name.

    And so the “[N] name” button means inserting the old name into the new name.

    You can use this button if you want to use the old one in the new name. Let's go further, “Date” inserts its creation date into the file name.

    The “Time” button works similarly to “Date”, only it inserts not the date, but the time the file was created.

    "Diapt." does not insert the entire old name, like “N”, but only the selected part of it (range). For example, let’s make sure that only the first three letters of the old name remain; to do this, click on “Diapt.”, select the first three characters in the window that appears and click “ok”

    We see that in the “Mask for: file name” field it says , which means that the new name uses the first three characters of the old one (that is, from the first to the third character). If you need to use a different range, then simply select it in the “Select characters to insert” window.

    Well, now let’s move on to the “[C] Counter” button, in my opinion, it is the most important here. Since the previous buttons individually cannot be used practically, because the names of new files can be the same (except for the time the file was created), we need to use something else to make the names different, in this case numbers will be used.

    This counter has some settings (see section “Counter parameters [C]”). In the “Start from” field you specify the number from which the countdown will begin, for example 111

    In the “Step” field you can specify how many digits the next number will take, for example 3

    In the “Digits” field we indicate the number of digits that we want to see in the number; in this case, for clarity, let’s take more, for example 5

    Well, with the last button “[=?] Plugin” you can add additional information to the file name (size, path, attributes, weight). There is a huge amount of information that can be added using this button.

    That’s it, it looks like we’ve sorted out all the basic settings. As you can see rename a group of files at once It’s quite simple, and I’m sure it won’t be too difficult for you.

    But, if you still have questions, you are welcome to comment! =) Good luck!

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