How to batch rename files in Windows 11

Rename files using Windows 11 File Explorer

Although it may not be obvious, File Explorer in Windows 11 does have the ability to rename a batch of files at once. This doesn't give you a lot of options, but if you just want to rename a bunch of files to a standardized format, this might be what you need. Here's how you do it:

• Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder containing the file you want to rename.
• Select all files to be renamed. If you don't want to select each file, you can hold down the Shift key and select the files individually.
• Click the Rename button on the toolbar or right-click on one of the selected files and select the Rename option in the context menu.
  
• #Only one of the files will display an editable text box, but the name will be applied to every file you select. Write the file name you want and press the Enter key on your keyboard.
  
• Your files will now all have the name of your choice, followed by a number.
  

It's a fairly simple process and as we've already mentioned you don't have a lot of options, but it's probably going to work well for a lot of people.

Rename files using PowerToys

If you want more options on how to rename your files, a good option is to use Microsoft's own PowerToys software. Modern versions of PowerToys (the original PowerToys was designed for Windows 95 and XP) come with a tool called PowerRename that you can use to batch rename files on Windows 11 using a series of conditions to get the exact format you want. It's a bit complicated, but it's probably worth it to get the results you want. First, you need to install PowerToys and make sure PowerRename is running:

• Download the latest PowerToys installer from GitHub (you will need to scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the installation file) and install the program. Once the installation is complete, the Welcome to PowerToys window should open automatically.
• Select PowerRename from the side menu and click Open Settings. If you don't see the welcome window, open PowerToys from the Start menu and select PowerRename from the left sidebar.
• Make sure the PowerRename feature is set to On (it should be the default setting).
  

With PowerRename enabled, you can now go to your files and start renaming them. PowerRename is much more powerful than the simple renaming tool in Windows 11. You can match any word or character in the original filename and replace it with something else, so you can change just part of the name to make the file easier to identify. You can also use regular expressions (RegEx) to create certain conditions to Match filenames and change them to something else. How to do it:

• Use File Explorer to navigate to the folder where the file is located.
• Select all the files you want to rename, then right-click on them and select See more options in the context menu. Then, select PowerRename in the second context menu.

  

  

#You will now see the PowerRename interface. For example, the images below are samples from smartphone cameras, they are all named "IMG" followed by the date and time. Let's say we want to keep the timestamp and just replace the "IMG" part with something more recognizable. Just write "IMG" in the box at the top for the text you want to match.
• 
  
  Note: Here, you can use various conditions to rename the files you want. You can match any text in the original name, use regular expressions to match entire words and numbers, and more. You can click the information icon next to the text box to see the supported expression types.
In the bottom box you can choose what the matching text will be replaced with. These were photos taken for our Lenovo Yoga 6 review, so let's name the files after the laptop. We'll also add an extra space at the end to separate the timestamp from the word itself.
• 
  As we mentioned, there are a lot of options here, including adding the date and time to the filename if you haven't already. You can also enumerate items if you name them the same thing. You can see what the final filename will look like before applying the changes, so make sure everything is how you want it.
  
Click
• Apply and the file name will be changed according to your conditions. You can see the new name in File Explorer.
  

If you want to rename a batch of files on your Windows 11 PC, this should do the trick. There are other ways to go about it, but these two should meet most people's needs. We think the Windows built-in method is probably good enough for almost everyone, but PowerToys definitely offers some more powerful customization to get the exact filename you want.

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