How to Mass-Rename Files on the Mac

Welcome to another installment of Pogue’s Basics: quick videos that cover the essentials of using your gadgets.

You’ve got a bunch of files at the desktop of your Mac or PC, and you want to rename all of them at once! In Windows, that’s simple — it’s always been simple. Highlight them all, press F2, type the new base name, and press Enter.

But in OS X Yosemite, you can finally do that on the Mac, too — and more.

Select the files. Right-click or two-finger-click. From the shortcut menu, choose Rename. The dialog box gives you three renaming options:

  • Replace Text searches and replaces text anywhere in the selected files’ names. (Change “Mom’s Recipes—Fish,” “Mom’s Recipes—Desserts” … into “My Recipes—Fish,” “My Recipes—Desserts” … )

  • Add Text lets you tack some text onto the beginning or end of the files’ names. (Change “Mom’s Recipes—Fish,” “Mom’s Recipes—Desserts”… into “My Mom’s Recipes—Fish,” “My Mom’s Recipes—Desserts”…)

  • And Format lets you add a number or the date to every file’s name (either before or after its base name). (Change whatever the files are called now to “Mom’s Recipes 1,” “Mom’s Recipes 2”…)

Quick and easy!

See more of Pogue’s Basics on Yahoo Tech!

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Adapted from Pogue’s Basics, Flatiron Books, coming Dec. 9, 2014. Preorder here.