A collection of file renaming tools and utilities — Turn messy files into organized folders with these proven tools.
Whether you're drowning in thousands of business documents, trying to make sense of family photos, or standardizing project files, these tools can transform hours of manual work into minutes of automation.
The most popular tools that work well:
Renamer.ai Free Paid AI-Powered Cross-platform
AI-powered file renaming tool. Analyzes content in 20+ languages, extracts key information automatically, and features Magic Folders for continuous monitoring. Handles documents up to 100MB with high accuracy.
Bulk Rename Utility Free Windows
The best Windows file renaming tool. Handles hundreds of thousands of files without breaking a sweat. Interface looks retro but functionality is excellent.
F2 Free CLI Cross-platform ⭐ 2.2k stars
Go-powered CLI tool with dry-run safety, EXIF/ID3 support, and good conflict resolution. Perfect for developers and power users.
Name Mangler $19 macOS
Beautiful macOS-native app with 150+ metadata fields and ultra-fast processing (2,000+ files/second). The best option for Mac users.
Advanced Renamer Free Cross-platform
Good batch renaming tool with 13 different methods and excellent metadata extraction. Works on both Windows and macOS with scripting support.
- ⭐ Editor's Picks - Top recommended tools
- ⚡ Quick Reference - Comparison tables & guides
- 🚀 Getting Started - Beginner-friendly recommendations
- 🎯 How to Choose - Decision framework by use case
- AI-Powered Renaming - Smart content analysis
- Command Line Tools - Terminal-based solutions
- Desktop Applications — Cross-platform
- Desktop Applications — Windows
- Desktop Applications — macOS
- Desktop Applications — Linux
- Web-Based Tools - Browser-based solutions
- Media & Metadata-aware Tools - Photo/music/video
- File Manager Integrations - Built-in solutions
- Development Tools - Code & Unity projects
- Programming Libraries - For developers
- Browser Extensions - Download organization
- Mobile Apps - Phone-based renaming
- Enterprise Solutions - Business & automation
- Resources - Learning materials & communities
- Contributing - How to improve this list
These tools actually read your files and understand what's inside, then generate meaningful names automatically.
Renamer.ai Free Paid Desktop Cross-platform
AI-powered file renaming tool. Analyzes document content in 20+ languages, extracts dates, names, invoice numbers, and other key information to create descriptive filenames. Magic Folders feature monitors directories and renames files automatically as they arrive. Handles everything from scanned receipts to complex business documents up to 100MB. Free tier available, Pro starts at $9.95/month.
Riffo.ai Free Paid Desktop macOS Web
AI-driven file renaming and management tool for macOS and web. Intelligently analyzes file content to generate meaningful names. Supports batch renaming, automatic organization into folders, customizable presets, and multi-format support (images, documents, spreadsheets). Creates names like "error-404-home-page-20240115.png" from screenshots or "sushi-dish-restaurant-tokyo-star.jpg" from photos.
For developers and power users who prefer the terminal.
F2 Free CLI Cross-platform ⭐ 2.2k stars
Cross-platform Go tool with dry-run mode by default. Supports EXIF data for photos and ID3 tags for music. Variable support, good conflict resolution, CSV support, and backup files. Great safety features prevent accidental overwrites.
massren Free CLI Cross-platform ⭐ 1.4k stars
Clever tool that opens filenames in your text editor. Edit them like a document, save, and it renames everything. Works with vim, nano, VS Code, whatever you prefer. Cross-platform with undo support.
rnr Free CLI Cross-platform ⭐ 900+ stars
Rust-based with solid regex support and text transformations. Built-in collision detection prevents file overwrites. Dry-run by default, backup files, recursive directory support. Available via Homebrew and package managers.
brename Free CLI Cross-platform ⭐ 400+ stars
Go-based regex renaming with undo functionality. Outputs operation records and includes good safety checks. Cross-platform with collision detection.
renamer Free CLI Cross-platform ⭐ 800+ stars
Node.js tool with a plugin system. Flexible input methods including glob patterns.
rename (Perl/util-linux) Free CLI Linux
The classic regex-driven mass renamer (rename 's/old/new/' *). Available in different variants across Linux distributions.
mmv Free CLI Unix
Pattern-based mass move/copy/link/rename using wildcards. Classic Unix utility with good wildcard support.
PowerShell Rename-Item Free CLI Windows
Windows-native renaming with pipeline/regex support. Built into Windows PowerShell and PowerShell Core.
Advanced Renamer Free Desktop Windows macOS
Batch renaming tool with 13 different methods and scripting support. Particularly good at extracting metadata from photos and using it in filenames. Works on both Windows and macOS.
Szyszka Free Desktop Cross-platform ⭐ 900+ stars
Written in Rust with GTK4 interface. Fast and lightweight with multiple renaming modes, multithreading, regex support, and built-in icons. Available via Snap, Flatpak, and Cargo.
Flut Renamer Free Desktop Cross-platform
Built with Flutter for true cross-platform compatibility. Runs on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. Supports metadata/EXIF insertion, multiple renaming modes, and batch operations.
Metamorphose Free Desktop Cross-platform
Python-based GUI that's been around forever. Reliable cross-platform option with regex support and extensive renaming capabilities.
Bulk Rename Utility Free Desktop Windows
The best Windows file renaming tool. Can handle hundreds of thousands of files without breaking a sweat. Interface looks like it's from 1995 but the functionality is excellent. Includes BRC command-line companion.
PowerRename (PowerToys) Free Desktop Windows
Microsoft's modern bulk renaming tool, part of PowerToys suite. Clean interface with regex support, preview, undo, and AI assistance via Copilot to help build regular expressions. Integrates with Windows context menu.
ReNamer Paid Desktop Windows
Rule-based approach with flexible presets and multi-step operations. Works well once you learn its rule system. Good for complex renaming scenarios with multiple transformations.
Ant Renamer Free Desktop Windows
Lightweight, Unicode-aware batch renamer with clean interface and essential renaming features.
Name Mangler $19 Desktop macOS
Beautiful macOS-native app with drag-and-drop simplicity. Over 150 metadata fields, droplets, multi-step actions, and ultra-fast processing (2,000+ files/second). Works on Intel and Apple Silicon.
A Better Finder Rename $25-48 Desktop macOS
Professional tool with 50+ different renaming actions and good metadata support. Multi-threaded 64-bit engine, good EXIF/camera support, and deep Finder integration. Active since 1996.
Renamer (Incredible Bee) Paid Desktop macOS
Polished multi-step batch renamer with workflows, presets, and clean interface optimized for macOS.
NameChanger (MRR Software) Free Desktop macOS
Simple, fast batch renaming with regex support and sequences. Mac-native interface with drag-and-drop functionality.
KRename (KDE) Free Desktop Linux
Good KDE renaming tool with plugins for EXIF/ID3 metadata. Drag-and-drop interface, undo function, and good scripting support. Works on non-KDE desktops too.
GPRename Free Desktop Linux
GTK batch renamer for files & directories with replace, insert, and enumerate functions. Simple and effective for basic renaming tasks.
Thunar Bulk Renamer (Xfce) Free Desktop Linux
Integrated bulk rename in Thunar file manager (thunar -B). Template-based renaming with live preview.
Quick solutions that run in your browser.
Renamer.ai (Web) Free Paid Web AI-Powered
AI-powered file renaming in your browser. Analyzes content and generates intelligent names without uploading files.
WebRename Free Web
Pattern-based renaming with real-time preview. Good for simple find-and-replace operations.
Specialized tools for organizing media files using their embedded metadata.
FileBot $6/year Desktop Cross-platform
The best TV and movie renaming tool. Matches files to online databases (TheMovieDB, TVDB, AniDB), fetches artwork, subtitles, and creates nfo files. Cross-platform with many format options and scripting.
MusicBrainz Picard Free Desktop Cross-platform
Music tagger that can rename files from tags using naming scripts. Matches music to MusicBrainz database for accurate tagging and renaming.
Mp3tag Free Paid Desktop Windows
Tag editor for audio files that can rename/move files by tag templates. Supports many audio formats and online databases.
XnView MP / XnConvert Free Desktop Cross-platform
Image manager and converter with batch rename capabilities using date/EXIF tokens, plus batch conversion.
ExifRenamer (macOS) Free Desktop macOS
or node-exif-renamer Free CLI Cross-platform
Renames photos using EXIF data like date taken, camera model, GPS coordinates. Perfect for organizing thousands of vacation photos.
PhotoRenamer (TGMDev) Free Desktop Windows
Photo organization tool with more features. Can detect duplicates and organize into folders based on metadata.
TV Rename Free Desktop Windows
Windows media manager focused on clean TV episode naming with support for multiple databases.
tinyMediaManager Free Desktop Cross-platform
Cross-platform movie/TV organizer with good renaming features and metadata fetching.
Built-in and plugin renaming tools for popular file managers.
Total Commander — Multi-Rename Tool Paid Desktop Windows
Windows file manager with built-in renaming tool. Supports presets, regex, EXIF/ID3 tokens, and counter variables.
Directory Opus — Advanced Rename Paid Desktop Windows
Windows file manager with wildcards/regex, metadata tokens, scripts, and recursive operations.
Double Commander — Multi-Rename Free Desktop Cross-platform
Open-source dual-pane file manager with rich batch renaming capabilities. Cross-platform.
macOS Finder — Batch Rename Free Desktop macOS
Built-in "Rename X Items…" with Replace/Add/Format templates. Available via right-click context menu.
GNOME Files (Nautilus) — Batch Rename Free Desktop Linux
Template-based batch rename built into GNOME Files file manager.
Specialized renaming tools for developers and specific use cases.
Turbo Rename Free Plugin VS Code
VS Code extension for smart symbol renaming across entire codebases. Understands language syntax and preserves references.
File Namer Free CLI Node.js
Node.js tool that renames files based on their content structure. Useful for organizing generated files and assets.
Unity Bulk Rename Free Plugin Unity ⭐ 150+ stars
Asset renaming specifically for Unity projects. Preserves asset relationships and validates changes to prevent broken references.
gorename Free CLI Go
Official Go tool for type-safe identifier renaming in Go codebases. Part of golang.org/x/tools.
For building renaming functionality into your own applications.
rename-cli Free Library Node.js
Node.js library with both CLI and programmatic API. Flexible and extensible for custom applications.
RegExp Download Organizer Free Extension Chrome
Chrome extension that automatically organizes downloads into folders and can rename files based on customizable rules.
Flut Renamer Free Mobile Android
or Bulk Renamer Free Mobile Android
Basic batch renaming on your phone. Simple interface for common renaming tasks. Free with ads.
Renamer – Batch file renamer Paid Mobile iOS
Works with iCloud and other cloud storage providers. Supports pattern-based renaming on mobile devices.
Renamer.ai API Paid API Enterprise
RESTful API for integrating AI-powered renaming into business workflows. Includes custom implementation services for large-scale document organization projects.
PowerShell Rename-Item Free CLI Windows Enterprise
Built into Windows. PowerShell scripting for automated, enterprise-scale renaming operations with pipeline support.
Hazel (macOS) Paid Desktop macOS Enterprise
Automated file organization tool that watches folders and can auto-rename/move files by rules. Supports OCR-assisted workflows for intelligent document processing.
| Tool | Windows | macOS | Linux | Web | CLI | API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Renamer.ai | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Bulk Rename Utility | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| F2 | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Advanced Renamer | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Name Mangler | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| FileBot | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Free Tools | Paid Tools | Freemium/Trial |
|---|---|---|
| F2, massren, rnr | Name Mangler ($19) | Renamer.ai (Free tier) |
| Bulk Rename Utility | A Better Finder Rename ($25-48) | FileBot ($6/year) |
| Advanced Renamer | ReNamer | |
| PowerRename | Hazel |
| Feature | Renamer.ai | Bulk Rename Utility | F2 | Name Mangler | Advanced Renamer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI Content Analysis | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Metadata Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Regex Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Batch Processing | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Dry Run/Preview | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Undo Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Auto Monitoring | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Cross Platform | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
- Start Simple: Try your OS built-in tools first (Finder on Mac, PowerRename on Windows)
- Go Cross-Platform: Advanced Renamer offers the best balance of power and usability
- Try AI: Renamer.ai free tier for intelligent document renaming
- Command Line: F2 for cross-platform CLI power with safety features
- Windows Power: Bulk Rename Utility handles massive operations
- macOS Native: Name Mangler for Mac-optimized workflows
- Photos: Advanced Renamer or XnView MP for EXIF-based renaming
- Music: MusicBrainz Picard for accurate music organization
- Movies/TV: FileBot is the best choice
📄 Business Documents & Invoices
- Primary: Renamer.ai (AI content analysis)
- Alternative: Advanced Renamer (metadata extraction)
📸 Photo Organization
- Primary: Advanced Renamer (EXIF support)
- Alternative: Name Mangler (macOS), XnView MP (cross-platform)
🎵 Music Libraries
- Primary: MusicBrainz Picard
- Alternative: Mp3tag
🎬 Movies & TV Shows
- Primary: FileBot
- Alternative: tinyMediaManager, TV Rename
⚡ Quick Bulk Operations
- Primary: Bulk Rename Utility (Windows)
- Alternative: F2 (cross-platform CLI)
🔧 Development/Technical
- Primary: F2 (CLI with safety features)
- Alternative: massren (text editor workflow)
| Beginner | Intermediate | Advanced |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in OS tools | Advanced Renamer | F2 (CLI) |
| PowerRename | Name Mangler | massren |
| Renamer.ai | Bulk Rename Utility | Custom scripts |
- Regular Expressions for File Renaming — Interactive regex tester and learning resource with explanations and examples.
- File Naming Best Practices — Stanford's guide to file naming conventions.
- Batch Rename Tutorials — Step-by-step tutorials for various renaming tools and techniques.
- PowerShell Rename Cmdlets — Official Microsoft PowerShell documentation for file operations.
- Perl
rename(prename) — Debian manpage: https://manpages.debian.org/rename.1p - util-linux
rename.ul— Ubuntu manpage: https://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/noble/man1/rename.ul.1.html - Perl rename vs util-linux rename differences — Understanding the differences between rename implementations across distributions.
- r/DataHoarder — Reddit community focused on data organization, storage, and file management good practices.
- Accounting Firms: Organize invoices, receipts, and tax documents with automatic date and vendor extraction
- Legal Offices: Standardize case files with client names, case numbers, and document types
- Marketing Agencies: Rename creative assets with project codes, client names, and version numbers
- HR Departments: Organize employee documents with standardized naming conventions
- Photo Organization: Rename thousands of photos with dates, locations, and event names
- Music Libraries: Standardize music files with artist, album, and track information
- Document Archives: Transform years of chaotic downloads into organized, searchable files
- Academic Research: Organize papers, references, and data files with consistent naming
Contributions are welcome! Please read the contribution guidelines first.
- Check existing suggestions and issues first
- Fork the repository
- Add your tool with proper formatting:
- Use the legend icons (Desktop · CLI · AI/Smart · Free · Paid · Plugin · Mobile)
- Include GitHub star counts for open source projects
- Add pricing information where applicable
- Note platform compatibility clearly
- Write a concise but informative description (≤30 words)
- Use format:
**[Tool Name](link)** — [icons] Description.
- Tools should be actively maintained or stable/complete
- Must have a clear file renaming/organization purpose
- Should be reasonably well documented
- Both free and paid tools welcome if they provide genuine value
- No affiliate links or AI-generated spam submissions
- Prefer official homepages/documentation links
- Keep descriptions concise and factual
- Alphabetize within sections when possible
- One tool per PR (unless closely related)
- Test tools before submitting when possible
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