RegName, Fast Regular Expression Based File Name Changer

Martin Brinkmann
Aug 13, 2011
Updated • Jan 16, 2013
Software, Windows software
|
4

Have you ever tried to rename a number of files, say a few dozen, in Windows Explorer? The renaming operation takes a long time. In addition, renaming those files is a repetitive boring process, especially if the multi-file renaming option of Windows Explorer is of no use to you.

Enter RegName, a free Open Source program for Windows to rename multiple files in a directory easily. It can for instance be used to change the name of a series of photos you want to rename, log files, videos that you have created or any other kinds of files.

You can either start the program directly and switch to the folder that stores the files that you want to rename, or you can use the Windows Explorer integration to do the same. Just right-click in Windows Explorer on the folder that stores the files you want to rename and select Rename files using RegName to launch the program with that folder preselected.

regname file renamer

Regname is supporting regular expressions to match and rename file names. The basic match pattern is set to . which would catch all file names in the folder that have a period in their file name.

You can then use those values again in the replace pattern if you like. Jerusalem-. would for instance add Jerusalem in front of the existing file name and extension (as the example looks at a folder of photos taken in Jerusalem).

But regular expressions are way more powerful than those basic examples. You can completely rewrite the file name or use information from the existing file name.

The preview button is handy as it allows you to verify that the new file names will look exactly as you want them to look. A click on Rename finally runs the rename operation on all files that match the pattern.

RegName comes with a command line version that you can use as well. The most interesting option besides the ability to use the command line version in batch file operations is the ability to rename files in sub-folders as well, something that is not possible with the gui version of the program.

Windows users can download RegName directly from Codeplex. Be advised that the program requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0. The program is compatible with all recent 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.

Advertisement

Tutorials & Tips


Previous Post: «
Next Post: «

Comments

  1. wahid haq said on January 4, 2015 at 5:44 pm
    Reply

    I suggest to try KrojamSoft BatchRenameFiles program. It’s really work for me.

  2. Jojo said on August 14, 2011 at 9:34 am
    Reply

    When I need to do any kind of file renaming, I use this program:

    Flexible Renamer
    http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA014830/english/FlexRena/

  3. Ross Presser said on August 14, 2011 at 9:03 am
    Reply

    If you don’t need the preview and the GUI interface, there is a commandline program called BKREN that does the same regex-based substitution. As I said there’s no preview; you write the commandline and hit enter, and there’s no turning back. Still it’s great for what it does, and there’s no .NET dependency.

    http://www.bk-renamer.com-about.com/

Leave a Reply

Check the box to consent to your data being stored in line with the guidelines set out in our privacy policy

We love comments and welcome thoughtful and civilized discussion. Rudeness and personal attacks will not be tolerated. Please stay on-topic.
Please note that your comment may not appear immediately after you post it.