Easily name dozens of files at once using Microsoft PowerToys.
Renaming files by the dozen on Windows 10 can be very time consuming, especially if you don’t use a dedicated tool. However, Microsoft offers, through its PowerToys, a simple solution that includes a function to rename your files in batches.
PowerRename, this is the name of this function built into PowerToys, allows you to access a renaming function directly from the right-click context menu in Windows. Once opened, it will allow you to rename all your files according to specific rules that you will have indicated to it. Demonstration.
1. Download and install the PowerToys
If you haven’t already, download and install the PowerToys on your machine first. Once installed on your PC, this application combines several advanced features that are integrated directly into the operating system. The one we are interested in here, PowerRename, allows batch renaming of files from the right-click context menu in Windows File Explorer windows.
Download Microsoft PowerToys for Windows (Free)
To take full advantage of PowerToys, open the application settings window by clicking on the icon in the taskbar drawer, and enable Always Run as administrator so that the application, which runs in the back- plan in Windows, may work properly on your machine.
2. Go to PowerRename
Once the PowerToys are properly installed on your machine, open a file explorer window and navigate to the directory where you want to rename items.
Make a multiple selection of the elements to rename then, using a right click, go to PowerRename.
3. Choose your criteria
PowerRename offers quite a bit of freedom in how you can rename your files. It is for example possible to indicate a word to search (Search for), to replace it by another (Replace).
But many other options are also offered: use the exact expression, respect the case, exclude files, exclude directories, add a number on renamed items, rename the extension only, rename the file name only, etc.
In our case, we just want to rename Android screenshots as Capture_xxxx (1), Capture_xxx (2), etc. We will therefore select the Item Name Only and Enumerate Items options, before indicating the portion of the name to delete in Search for, and the name to use as a replacement in Replace, to rename our files.
Once your options are chosen, check the items you want to apply the renaming to and click Rename to apply the changes.
The result should be immediately visible in the file explorer. You can go back and undo the renaming of your files by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Z or by right clicking and selecting Undo Rename.