Batch rename

What it is. A sheet that renames a whole selection by rule, with a live preview of every result before you commit. When to use it. Tidying a folder of camera exports, normalizing inconsistent names, or numbering a sequence — any time renaming one file at a time would be tedious.

Opening the sheet

Select two or more items and choose Rename from the context menu. A single item gets the inline rename instead; a multi-item selection routes to the batch sheet automatically.

The four modes

Each mode is a single rule applied to every selected file. For Add Text, Numbering, and Case, the file extension is preserved — your changes land on the name, not the .txt — while Find & Replace operates on the whole name so you can fix extensions too.

Live preview

As you adjust the rule, the sheet shows the current name and the proposed new name for every file, side by side. It also flags any collisions — two files that would end up with the same name — so you can fix the rule before applying it. Files whose name wouldn’t change are left untouched.

One undo step

Click Rename to apply. The entire batch is grouped as a single undo step, so one ⌘Z restores every original name at once — you never have to undo file by file.

Where to go next

• Selecting & opening — build the selection to rename.
• Copy, move & trash — more file operations, all undoable.
• Keyboard shortcuts — assign and rebind shortcuts.