Batch Rename

By Alexis Rios-Negron · Voltkit 0.13.1

Batch Rename renames many files at once. You describe the change (search and replace, a regular expression, numbering, or a new letter case), look at the preview that names every result and every problem, and only then rename. A batch is renamed all or nothing, and the last batch can be undone.

Use it#

1. Open Batch Rename and drop files or folders on the page, or use Add Files… and Add Folders…. Add more at any time; Clear starts again.
2. Set what to change under Search and replace.
3. Read the Preview: each item shows its old name and its new name, a green check when it is ready, a warning when it has a problem, and Unchanged when its name stays the same. The line under Preview counts them: 5 to rename, 1 unchanged, 0 with problems.
4. Click Rename. It is available once something will change and nothing has a problem.
5. Changed your mind? Undo Last Rename puts the old names back.

Items are numbered in the order they appear in the list. Dropping a folder renames the folder itself; to rename the files inside it, drop those files.

Search and replace#

Example: number a folder of videos#

To rename lecture one.mp4, intro.mp4, final cut.mp4… to 1.mp4, 2.mp4, 3.mp4:

1. Drop the .mp4 files on the page.
2. Leave Search for empty.
3. Type {n} in Replace with (or {n:2} for 01.mp4, 02.mp4).
4. Keep Change on The name, not the extension, so .mp4 stays.
5. Check the Preview, then click Rename.

The numbers follow the order of the list. From a terminal, voltkit rename *.mp4 --replace '{n}' --apply numbers them in alphabetical order.

Examples#

Problems are found before anything happens#

An item is marked with a warning, and Rename stays off, when its new name:

• is empty, is . or .., has a slash, or is over 255 bytes long;
• would be the same as another item's new name ("Another item gets the same name");
• is already taken by a file that is not being renamed ("A file with that name already exists").

A name that is free only because its owner is renamed away is fine, so shifting c1 → c2 → c3 works, and so does swapping two names.

An invalid regular expression is explained in the preview instead of the list.

All or nothing, and undo#

Renaming goes through temporary names, so swaps and chains work. If anything fails half-way, everything done so far is put back and you see why. After a successful rename, Voltkit remembers the batch (only the last one) in ~/.local/share/voltkit/rename-undo.json.

Undo Last Rename reverses it. It refuses, changing nothing, if one of the renamed items has moved or deleted, or if an old name has been taken in the meantime. After a rename or an undo, the list follows the items under their new names, so you can rename them again.

From the terminal#

voltkit rename *.jpg --find IMG --replace Holiday          # preview only
voltkit rename *.jpg --find IMG --replace Holiday --apply  # really rename
voltkit rename *.txt --regex --find '(\d{4})-(\d{2})' --replace '$2.$1'
voltkit rename *.png --replace 'shot-{n:3}' --apply        # number them
voltkit rename --undo                                       # undo the last batch

Options: --regex, --ignore-case, --first (only the first match), --scope name|extension|full, --case keep|upper|lower|title, --start N, --step N. Without --apply the command only prints the preview, and it refuses to rename anything while any item has a problem.

Troubleshooting#

• Rename is greyed out. Read the warnings in the preview, or there is nothing to change.
• Undo says the rename can't be undone. A renamed file was moved or deleted, or its old name is now used by something else.
• My regular expression does nothing. Turn on Regular expression; otherwise the search is plain text.