How to Rename Multiple Files at Once on Windows

You have a folder full of IMG_1234.jpg files and want them named something useful. File Explorer numbers them in one step, and PowerToys handles find-and-replace.

Select the files

Open the folder in File Explorer. Press Ctrl + A to select everything, click the first file and Shift + click the last to select a range, or Ctrl + click to pick individual files. Numbering follows the order shown in the window, so sort by Date first if you want the numbers to run chronologically.

Press F2 and type a name

Press F2, or right-click a selected file and choose Rename. Type the new base name without an extension, such as Vacation, and press Enter. Windows renames the files to Vacation (1).jpg, Vacation (2).jpg, and so on, keeping each file's original extension.

Undo if the result is wrong

Press Ctrl + Z right away. Each press reverses one file, so keep pressing until the names are back. This only works while File Explorer is still open on that folder and nothing else has been done since.

Use PowerRename for search and replace

Install PowerToys from the Microsoft Store. Select the files, right-click, and choose PowerRename (in Windows 10, or if it is missing, click Show more options first). Type IMG_ in Search for and Vacation_ in Replace with. The right side previews the new names before anything changes. Tick Use regular expressions for pattern matching, or Enumerate items to add numbers. Click Apply.

PowerShell alternative. Open the folder, click in the address bar, type powershell, and press Enter to open a prompt in that folder. Then run:

Get-ChildItem *.jpg | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.Name -replace 'IMG_','Vacation_' }

Change *.jpg and the two strings to match your files. There is no undo here, so try it on a copy of the folder first.

To rename files one by one. Select a single file, press F2, type the name, and press Tab instead of Enter. Focus jumps to the next file with its name already selected, so you can type straight through a folder.