Bulk Rename Utility, File Renaming Software

If you are looking for the most complex looking software then Bulk Rename Utility will surely be among the prime candidates. The file renaming software displays all available options on one screen, and boy, there are a lot.

The software is available as a portable version, command line version and installer for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system. The benefit of the installer is the option to integrate the program into the Windows Explorer context menu for easier root folder selection.

The main screen is packed to the brim with settings that all define the renaming process. The developers have sorted the renaming options into 13 different steps that are indicated by numbers displayed in the interface.

It begins with the selection of a root folder; The files that are stored in the folder are shown on the right side along with information such as file name, new name after the renaming options have been processed, file type, size and various other information.

The new name column acts as a preview so that it is always clear how the resulting file names will look like.

The various renaming options may look intimidating at first, users who have worked with the program for a while however will have no troubles configuring the options in short time, especially since only the required options need to be configured.The criteria are processed from left to right indicated by numbers.

Lets take a look at the individual renaming options:

• RegEx, Use regular expressions to match part of or all of the file name to replace it. Option to include the extension in the rules available.
• File, Option to keep, remove, reverse or use a fixed filename for all items.
• Replace, Simply replace option to replace text
• Case, Change to lower, upper, title or sentence case.
• Removals, Remove chars from the names, many different options.
• Move / Copy, move or copy part or all of the filename to a different location.
• Additions, add suffixes or prefixes to the file name. Supports several EXIF and ID3 tags
• Auto Date, add a date prefix or suffix to the file name
• Append Folder Name, append the folder name to the file name
• Numbering, sequentially number a group of files.
• Extension, Change the case of the extension, e.g. lower, upper case or title.
• Selections, add file filters, hidden files, include subfolders, or specific minimum and maximum length of files to rename.
• New Location, copy or move the renamed files to a new location.

Additional options have been added to the program, they are available from the Options menu at the top. Noteworthy features include changing file attributes, timestamps and character translations.

Bulk Rename Utility has a few other aces up its sleeve. It can for instance rename files from a text file, remove accented characters, sort files randomly or display images in the built-in picture viewer.

The program is very sophisticated and at the same time straightforward to use once the initial "omg this looks messy" reaction ends. The developers state that the program has no problems handling folders with more than 100,000 files in them, and that it can batch rename 1,000s of files in seconds.

Interested users should start with the introduction of the program on the developer website. The excellent pdf manual explains every setting in the program interface, it is therefor recommended to download the manual to have it at hand during the first few times the file renamer is used on the system.

The download page lists 32-bit and 64-bit downloads, as well as the pdf manual and downloads for the portable and command line version. Bulk Rename Utility is compatible with all versions of Windows from Windows NT to Windows 7.

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