Is there any way of batch renaming files in sub directories?
- How Do I Rename A Folder On My Iphone
- How Do I Rename A Folder In Word
- How Do I Rename A Folder In Outlook On Android
For example:
Rename
jww*.html
to *.htm
in a folder which has directories and sub directories.56.1k4242 gold badges248248 silver badges540540 bronze badges
ShobanShoban21.1k88 gold badges5757 silver badges104104 bronze badges
15 Answers
Windows command prompt: (If inside a batch file, change %x to %%x)
This also works for renaming the middle of the files
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AnonymousAnonymous2,42011 gold badge1313 silver badges44 bronze badges
For windows, this is the best tool I've found:
It can do anything AND has the kitchen sink with it.
For Linux, you have a plethora of scripting languages and shells to help you, like the previous answers.
moogsmoogs5,64688 gold badges3838 silver badges5656 bronze badges
Aditya MukherjiAditya Mukherji7,54944 gold badges3434 silver badges4545 bronze badges
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paxdiablo656k182182 gold badges13041304 silver badges17081708 bronze badges
Adam RosenfieldAdam Rosenfield315k8484 gold badges454454 silver badges549549 bronze badges
I'm sure there's a more elegant way, but here's the first thing that popped in my head:
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albertbHow Do I Rename A Folder On My Iphone
albertb
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If you have forfiles (it comes with Windows XP and 2003 and newer stuff I think) you can run:
forfiles /S /M *.HTM /C 'cmd /c ren @file *.HTML'
BBXBBX
On Linux, you may use the 'rename' command to rename files in batch.
ayazayaz9,02544 gold badges2727 silver badges4848 bronze badges
Total Commander which is a file manager app, lets you list & select all files within its dir & sub-dirs, then you can run any of the total commander operations on them. one of them being: multi-rename the selected files.
nightrydenightryde
AWK on Linux. For the first directory this is your answer.. Extrapolate by recursively calling awk on dir_path perhaps by writing another awk which writes this exact awk below.. and so on.
AlexAlex5,60855 gold badges2424 silver badges3030 bronze badges
For Windows, I've made a convenient litte VBScript solution with regex-based renaming and Drag&Drop support. Give it a try if you like - put it in a vbs file and drop your folder on it in Explorer.
TomalakTomalak266k5252 gold badges439439 silver badges554554 bronze badges
On Windows, The Rename does a pretty good job at that. Freeware, but not open source.
lImbuslImbus1,31233 gold badges1212 silver badges2525 bronze badges
On Windows, you can find out opensource simple C# bulk file renamer application in https://filerenamer.codeplex.com works with a simple excel file. Give an excel file with two columns source and destination to this application and it's done.
AmirMehdi KhademAstanehAmirMehdi KhademAstaneh
On Unix, you can use rnm:
Or
Explanation:
-ns
: name string (new name)./n/
is a name string rule that expands to the filename without the extension.-ss
: search string (regex). Searches for files with match.-rs
: replace string of the form/search_regex/replace_part/modifier
-fo
: file only mode-dp
: depth of directory (-1 means unlimited).
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Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged windowsfile-iobatch-rename or ask your own question.
If you'd like to change the name of a file, without creating a new copy, follow these steps.
WindowsMacOffice OnlineAndroidiOS
If you're an Office 365 subscriber then the easiest way to rename an Office file is to open the file in your Office 365 desktop application, such as Word, then click the file name on the title bar. In the menu that appears you can rename the file, select a new location to move it to, or see the version history for the file.
If the file isn't a Microsoft Office file, or if you're not an Office 365 subscriber, then the easiest way to rename a file is to use File Explorer in Windows.
Open File Explorer by going to My Computer, or by pressing Windows Key + E on your keyboard. Find the file you want to rename, select it and click Rename on the ribbon (or press F2 on your keyboard). Type the new name you want the file to have and press enter.
If you're an Office 365 subscriber then the easiest way to rename an Office file is to open the file in your Office 365 desktop application, such as Word, then click the file name on the title bar. In the menu that appears you can rename the file, select a new location to move it to, or see the version history for the file.
If the file isn't a Microsoft Office file, or if you're not an Office 365 subscriber, then the easiest way to rename a file on your Mac is to use Finder. Find and select the file, then click File > Rename. Type the new name and press enter.
When you start a new, blank, document in Office Online, your document gets a name like 'Document4' or 'Presentation2'. To rename, or relocate, the document while you’re editing it, click on the file name near the top of the browser window, and type the name you want.
If nothing happens when you type, check to make sure you’re in Editing view (on the View tab, click Editing View).
Except in PowerPoint for the web, you won’t be able to rename a file if other people are working on it at the same time you are. Wait until you’re the only one in the document, then rename it.
To rename a file in Office on Android simply open the file in the appropriate Office app (Word, Excel, etc.) then tap the file name at the top of the app. Type the new name you want and then tap Done on the keyboard.
You won't be able to rename the file if other people are working on it at the same time you are. Wait until you're the only one in the document, then rename it.
To rename your file in Office on iOS open your Office app, find your file on the File menu and tap the More button (looks like 3 dots). Select Rename from context menu, type your new name and then tap Rename at the top right corner of the dialog box.
You won't be able to rename the file if other people are working on it at the same time you are. Wait until you're the only one in the document, then rename it.
Below are steps on how you can rename a file or directory. Click on one of the following links to automatically navigate to the correct operating system.
NoteYou must have write or modify permissions to a file, folder, or directory to rename it. In some cases, you may also need administrator privileges in the operating system to rename.
How to rename in Microsoft Windows
Windows users can rename their files and directories by using one of the following methods. We've listed the following recommendations in what we believe to be the easiest methods of renaming a file.
Method one
- Highlight the file or folder.
- Right-click the file and click Rename from the menu that appears.
Method two
- Highlight the file or folder.
- Press the F2 key on the keyboard.
Method three
- Highlight the file or folder.
- Click File at the top of the Window and select Rename from the list of available options.
Method four
- Highlight the file or folder you want to rename by single-clicking the file.
- Once highlighted, wait a few seconds and click the file again. A box should appear surrounding the file or folder name, and you should be able to rename the file.
If you don't wait long enough and click the file or folder too fast, it can open the file or folder rather than allowing you to rename it.
Renaming multiple files or folders at once
- Open Explorer.
- In Explorer, select all the files you want to rename.
- Once the files have been selected, press F2 to edit the file name, and type the new name for the files. For example, typing 'test' will rename the files to test, test(1), test(2), test(3) etc. If you have file extensions shown, make sure to also type the name of the file extension you're renaming.
Microsoft Windows users can also rename any file using the Windows command line.
How to rename in MS-DOS and the Windows command line
MS-DOS and Windows command line users can change the name of a file or directory by using the ren or rename command. Below are some examples of how this command can be used. Additional information about each of these commands can be found by clicking the above command links.
Renaming a file
In the following example, this would rename the file test.txt to hope.txt.
rename test.txt hope.txt
If the test.txt file is not located in your current directory, you must specify the path to the file as a prefix to the file name. For example, if the file was in the 'computer' directory, you would type a command similar to the following example.
rename c:computertest.txt hope.txt
Renaming a file with a space
Whenever dealing with a file or directory with a space, it must be surrounded with quotes. Otherwise, you'll get the 'The syntax of the command is incorrect.' error. To rename the file 'computer hope.txt' to 'example file.txt', your command would resemble the following example.
rename 'computer hope.txt' 'example file.txt'
How Do I Rename A Folder In Word
Renaming multiple files with one command
To rename multiple files at once, you must utilize some form of wild character. Below are some examples of how this could be done.
The following example would rename all the files in the current directory that end with .rtf to .txt files.
rename *.rtf *.txt
In this next example, the command would rename a file with an unknown character in the file name to something that can be read. The '?' used in the following example is the wild character for an unknown character.
rename h?pe.txt hope.txt
How Do I Rename A Folder In Outlook On Android
Renaming a directory
Renaming a directory in MS-DOS is much like renaming a file. Use the ren or rename command to rename the directory. Because you cannot have a file and directory that have the same name, you will not need to worry about mistakenly renaming a file instead of a directory, unless you're using wild characters.
In the following example, this would rename the computer directory to hope.
rename computer hope
Rename the directory 'computer hope' to 'example directory'. Whenever dealing with a file or directory with a space, it must be surrounded with quotes. Otherwise, you'll get the 'The syntax of the command is incorrect.' error.
rename 'computer hope' 'example directory'
Rename in a batch file
To rename files in a batch file, you can use any of the rename commands or examples shown in the MS-DOS and Windows command line section.
How to rename in macOS
Apple macOS users can rename their files and directories by using one of the following methods. We've listed the following recommendations in what we believe to be the easiest methods of renaming a file.
First recommendation
In the macOS X Finder, select the file by clicking the file once and then press the 'return' key on the keyboard. After pressing return, you can type in the new name of the file.
Second recommendation
Select the file or icon you want to rename. Click and then hover over the file name until it is highlighted. Once highlighted, this indicates the file can be renamed.
Third recommendation
Using the Terminal, you can also rename any file. See our Linux and Unix users section for steps on renaming a file using the mv command.
How to rename in the Linux and Unix command line
For detailed information about renaming files in Linux, see the Linux mv command.
How to rename in Google Chrome OS
With the Google Chrome OS on a Chromebook, you can rename your files and directories by using one of the following methods. We've listed the following recommendations in what we believe to be the easiest methods of renaming a file.
First recommendation
Highlight the file by clicking on the file once. Press Ctrl+Enter on the keyboard and then type the new name of the file.
Second recommendation
Right-click the file by pressing two fingers on the touchpad at the same time. In the right-click menu, click Rename and then type the new file name.
Additional information
- See the file, folder and directory definitions for further information and related links.