If you make a mistake, Undo will rename all changed files back to their original name.

If you Cmd-click files to select a group, the files will be renamed in the order you select them.

If you Shift-click files to select a range, the files will be renamed starting with the first file you click, then based on sort order in the Finder.

If the order you created the original files is important to you – as it is to me because I create screen shots in the order I write about them – you need to be careful in how you select files for renaming. As before, click Rename to make the changes. The top of each panel shows the settings, the bottom of each panel displays a sample of what the new file name will look like. Here are illustrations of all six Format options. NOTE: When adding an Index or Counter, be sure to include an underline or space to separate the number from the name. The Index or Counter can be put at the start of the name or at the end before the file extension. This menu provides several options: Replace the text with a new name and index, a new new and counter, or a new name with today’s date and time the time is based upon the order in which clips were selected. Click the popup menu at the top left and select Format. NOTE: Text added at the end of the file name is added before the file extension, in case you were wondering.įor me, the most useful option is the third: Format.

In the Add Text dialog, you can enter the text you want to add at the beginning or end of a file name.

The change is illustrated at the bottom of this window (lower red arrow).Ĭlick the popup menu at the top left and select Add Text. This doesn’t change the entire file name, only the text you enter to Find. Choose Rename # Items.Ĭlick the popup menu at the top left and select Replace Text.Įnter the file name text you want to replace in the Find field, then the new text in the Replace with field. In all cases, to get started, select the files you want to rename in the Finder, then Control-click one of the selected file names. But, what if you need to rename a bunch? What I learned is that the Finder gives you three options: To rename a single file, as you know, you can highlight it and press Return. Except, these file names don’t tell me what the images are actually about. When I write one of my tutorials, I take screen shots to illustrate what I’m writing about.

NOTE: Here’s my review of Apple Screenshot. If all you need is to quickly rename and sequence files, this free utility, shipped with the macOS, will do the job. Let me show you how it works. Recently, thanks to a tip from a reader, I discovered a hidden feature in the Finder that can make renaming files easier. And, when you use the Apple Screenshot utility, you end up with a lot of files with useless file names.

Bulk rename macos