How to rename multiple Files or Folders at once in Windows 11

You can rename files on Windows 11 by using the Rename function. Right-click on any file or folder you want to rename and select Rename. You can also use the F2 key for the same. What if you have to rename bulk files? Renaming multiple files by using the F2 key or right-click is time-consuming. In this article, I will show you how to rename multiple files or folders at once in Windows 11.

How to rename multiple files or folders at once in Windows 11

Here, I will discuss the following scenarios to rename multiple files or folders at once in Windows 11:

1. Add text to the beginning of the file or folder name
2. Add text at the end of the file or folder name
3. Rename multiple files or folders at once with sequential numbers
4. Rename multiple files or folders at once with different names

Let’s start. Before proceeding, back up all your files or folders you want to rename. All the methods explained below apply to both files and folders.

1] Adding text to the beginning of a file or a folder name

Sometimes we need to rename multiple files with the same name in the beginning. Suppose you downloaded all episodes of your favorite series and saved all of them with the names, such as Episode 1, Episode 2, and so on. Now, you want to add the name of the series, say The Windows Club at the beginning so that the final names will be as such:

• The Windows Club Episode 1,
• The Windows Club Episode 2, etc.

You can do this by using two easy methods. Select all the files and right-click on the first file. In this case, the first file is Episode 1. Select Rename from the right-click context menu. Type the text you want to add to the beginning with space and hit Enter. The same trick will work for folders.

Alternatively, you can use the following PowerShell script:

DIR|rename-item -newname {"The Windows Club " +$_.name}

Open the directory where the files or folders you want to rename are located. Click on the Address Bar of File Explorer, type PowerShell, and hit Enter. This will launch PowerShell targeted to that directory. Now, type the above command. In this command, replace the text The Windows Club with the text you want.

Read: How to create multiple folders at once with different names in Windows 11

2] Adding text at the end of multiple files or folders

If you want to add the same text at the end of multiple files or folders, follow the steps provided below:

1. Select all the files or folders you want to rename by adding the same text at the end.
2. Right-click on any of those files or folders and select the Rename option.
3. Type the required text at the end and press Enter.

All the files or folders will be renamed containing the same text in the end. This will not work if your files or folders have different names. In this case, you can use PowerToys.

You can use the PowerRename feature of Microsoft PowerToys to add the same text at the end of files or folders. The following instructions will guide you on this:

1. Select all the files or folders you want to rename by adding a text at the end.
2. Right-click and select the Rename with PowerRename option. This will launch the PowerRename app of PowerToys.
3. You will see all the selected files or folders on the right side of PowerRename. Type $ in the first field.
4. Select the Use regular expressions checkbox and Filename only in the Apply to drop-down.
5. Type the required name in the second field.
6. Click Apply.

3] Rename bulk folders or files at once with sequential numbers

To rename multiple files or folders with sequential numbers, select all the files or folders, right-click on any one of them, and type a new name, say The Windows Club. All the files or folders will be renamed to The Windows Club containing sequential numbers in the end. Do note that this method will rename all your files with the same name.

4] Rename multiple files or folders at once with different name

If you want to rename files or folders with different names, use the following command:

ren "old name" "new name"

The above command can be used to rename only one file or folder. Therefore, you have to create a batch file to use this command to rename multiple files or folders at once. You can easily do this with the help of Microsoft Excel. Open the directory where the files or folders you want to rename are located and copy its path.

Now, open your web browser and paste the copied path into its address bar. Hit Enter. This will open the directory in the web browser (as shown in the above image).

Copy the names from your web browser and paste them into Excel. The names will contain hyperlinks. Select all the cells, right-click, and select Remove Hyperlinks. Now, enter new names for each file with the same file extension or folder (refer to the above image). Now, make a new column for Quotation Marks and type one quotation mark in all cells of that column. Make a new column for the Rename command. Type ren in all cells of that column. Create one more column for space and type one space in all cells of that column.

To type the above command, you need to enter old and new names under quotation marks and enter one space between ren, old name, and new name. To combine values in different cells, the & function is used in Excel. Hence, the formula will be:

=<cell address of the quotation mark>&<cell address of old or new name>&<cell address of the quotation mark>

In this formula, write the correct cell address (refer to the above image). The above formula will give the output of old names and new names with quotation marks.

The complete command is:

ren "old name" "new name"

Create this command in Excel for each cell by selecting the correct cell number. For example, in my case, the command for the first name is:

=F2&G2&D2&G2&E2

In your case, the cell addresses may be different. Use the Fill Handle to fill the formula in all remaining empty cells.

Now, select all the cells of the complete command column and copy them. Open Notepad and paste the copied data. Save the Notepad file with the .bat extension. For example, rename.bat.

Run the .bat file by double-clicking on it. All the files or folders will be renamed as defined in the .bat file. You can use the same method to create a batch file to rename multiple folders at once.

Rename multiple files or folders by using free software

You can also use free bulk file renamer software to rename bulk files or folders.

Can you rename multiple folders at once?

Renaming multiple folders at once is possible on a Windows PC. You can do this via the right-click context menu or dedicated software. However, these methods will assign the same name with serial numbers. If you want to set different names for all folders at once, you need to create a batch script.

What is the shortcut key for renaming files in Windows 11?

The shortcut key to rename files or folders in Windows 11 is F2. Select the file or folder you want to rename and press the F2 function key. Now, type the required name and press Enter.

Read next: How to batch rename files and file extensions in Windows.