{"id":3296,"date":"2026-09-30T23:11:54","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T23:11:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/rename-the-files-in-a-folder-on-your-mac"},"modified":"2026-09-30T23:50:06","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T23:50:06","slug":"rename-the-files-in-a-folder-on-your-mac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/rename-the-files-in-a-folder-on-your-mac","title":{"rendered":"Rename the Files in a Folder on Your Mac"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A shared prefix or a leftover number can make the files in a folder harder to tell apart. Add that folder in Easy File Renamer and stack the changes to the file names: trim a prefix, remove a character, insert a word, or add a number so the files stay in an order you can follow. Those new names are shown before the files are changed, so a rule that looks wrong can be corrected before the rename. The folder keeps the name it already has.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the stacked rules change the name<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trim Text removes a fixed number of characters from the start of the name, or from the end. In the list below, that cut is at the start, and the new names are shorter. Further rules apply to whatever that cut leaves behind. Add Ascending Numbers puts a number on each file so the set stays in order. Insert Text places a word at a position you choose. Remove Text takes out a word or a character you specify.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The order of the stack is the order the name is built. A number added after the trim stays in the finished name. A number added before the trim can disappear with the characters that were cut.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the same stack will be used on another folder, save it as a macro and load that macro next time instead of rebuilding the rules.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trim-text.webp\" alt=\"Easy File Renamer on Mac with Trim Text applied and shorter names in the New Name column\" class=\"wp-image-3294\" width=\"1200\" height=\"561\" loading=\"eager\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trim-text.webp 1200w, https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trim-text-300x140.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trim-text-1024x479.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/trim-text-768x359.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Trim Text is applied at the start of the name, and the new names are shorter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<aside class=\"pe-cta\"><div class=\"pe-cta__body\"><div class=\"pe-cta__lead\"><div class=\"pe-cta__words\"><p class=\"pe-cta__name\">Easy File Renamer<\/p><p class=\"pe-cta__text\">Batch-rename files on Windows and Mac. Preview the new names before you apply them.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><a class=\"pe-cta__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.easyfilerenamer.com\/\">Try Easy File Renamer<\/a><\/aside>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The files on the next page are included<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A large folder is shown a page at a time. The rename covers every file that was loaded, including the files on later pages.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Including subfolders is optional when the folder is added, so the nested files can join that same set.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Renaming the folder names is a different job from renaming the files inside them. The two lists do not stay together: switching from one to the other clears the list that was already loaded, so finish the file rename before starting on the folders.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When two files would get the same name<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Removing those extra characters can give two files the same name. The later file receives a number so it does not replace the first. The default for that case is Increment By a Number. If you would rather keep that file\u2019s current name, set the name-collision rule to Skip File.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A new name is also rejected when it contains a character a file name cannot use, such as a colon, a slash, a quote, or an angle bracket. An inserted word that includes one of those characters is not written.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/rename-completed.webp\" alt=\"Rename completed dialog listing success, skipped, and failed\" class=\"wp-image-3295\" style=\"max-width:539px;height:auto;\" width=\"539\" height=\"277\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/rename-completed.webp 539w, https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/rename-completed-300x154.webp 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Success, skipped, and failed are counted separately, so you can see whether a file was left out.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finder can rename the files you have selected when you only need one change, such as replacing a word or adding text. The stacked rules are for a folder that needs more than one change, with a look at the names first.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Common questions<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does the trial rename the files?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The trial lets you add the folder and check the names that would be applied. Writing those names onto the files requires a license.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can the old names be restored?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">History records the batch. It does not put the previous names back, so a rename you want undone has to be done as another rename.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if the photos should be named from the date?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Date and camera names are built on Media Renamer, from the information stored in the file, rather than with Trim Text or the other text rules. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/rename-photos-using-date-and-camera-data\">Rename photos using date and camera data<\/a> covers that job.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<aside class=\"pe-cta\"><div class=\"pe-cta__body\"><div class=\"pe-cta__lead\"><div class=\"pe-cta__words\"><p class=\"pe-cta__name\">Easy File Renamer<\/p><p class=\"pe-cta__text\">Batch-rename files on Windows and Mac. Preview the new names before you apply them.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><a class=\"pe-cta__btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.easyfilerenamer.com\/\">Try Easy File Renamer<\/a><\/aside>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Add a folder in Easy File Renamer, stack the changes to the file names, and check the new names before you rename the files. The folder keeps the name it already has.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1405],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-file-renaming"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3296"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3296\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3301,"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3296\/revisions\/3301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sorcim.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}