When you download files they often have names that are meaningless.Rename For The Apple Mac Icon

It’s a good idea to rename them so they become sortable, show up in searches, and are identifiable at a glance.

It’s tedious to rename 3 or 4 files, but a when you face a batch of 25 the task seems impossible.

That’s what Rename is for.

Rename is freeware and can be downloaded here – Rename

Rename has a simple interface, but it’s quite powerful software.

As an example, lets say you download 5 files from the internet. They are all images of silver bracelets. Unfortunately, each one is named with a string of numbers. You want to rename the files: “Silver Bracelet – 001,” “Silver Bracelet – 002′” etc,.,

  • Open Rename.
  • Note the 3 columns that show: the original file name, the file type, and a preview of the renamed file.
  • Click on the Add Files… button in the bottom left-hand corner.
  • Locate the files on your Mac that you want to rename and click Choose.
Rename For Mac - Add Files
  • Check the Prefix Box and type “Silver Bracelet – “
Rename For Mac - Add Prefix
  • Check the Remove Box and choose to remove the last 4 characters of the original name.
Rename For Mac - Remove Items
  • Check the Serialize Box and choose to serialize After, start at the number 1, and add in increments of 1.
Rename For Mac - Add Serialized Numbers
  • This changes 14-1 to Silver Bracelet – 001 and so on.
  • Once you are happy with the Preview File Names, click Rename Files.

Remember that as you make changes, the preview window lets you see what the final name will look like. You can mess up as many times as you like.

Don’t let the interface intimidate you. The best way to find out how it works is to press buttons. Nothing is final until you hit the Rename Button.

Thanks to the folks at Pathos Software for putting together such a great application.

Have a terrific weekend.

 

John Carroll - No Problem Mac

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