I've been filming a lot of videos lately, and the camera creates really long and complex file names. I want to simplify these to something more manageable, like videofile00001, videofile00002, and so on. I tried using Windows' built-in renaming feature, but it always adds brackets, which I don't want. Since I have hundreds of clips, renaming them individually isn't feasible. Is there a straightforward and preferably free way to rename all of these files sequentially without those extra formatting bits? I'd appreciate any suggestions!
5 Answers
It sounds like you're looking for a simple solution! If you're okay using PowerShell, you can run a command like this: `dir *.mp4 | % {$i=1} {rename-item $_ -newname ("videofile{0:D5}.mp4" -f $i++)}`. This will rename your files to videofile00001.mp4, videofile00002.mp4, etc. It’s the fastest way. Alternatively, for a user-friendly GUI option, check out Bulk Rename Utility; it lets you batch rename without brackets as well.
Try Directory Report! It does exactly what you're looking for and includes a preview feature so you can see the changes before applying them.
I’ve had great success with Windows Power Tools. It has a bulk rename feature that’s super easy to use.
I've been using Bulk Rename Utility for years, and it’s amazing! You can do all sorts of things like replace text, add prefixes or suffixes, and more. Totally worth checking out!
You could also just ask ChatGPT for a Python script to do this task! It can help you customize the renaming based on different parameters like date or original name.
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