How to Batch Rename Photos & Files

Why batch rename (and how to name well)

A folder full of IMG_4821.jpg, DSC00342.jpg and screenshot copies is a mess to search, sort, or hand to a client. Batch renaming applies one consistent scheme to every file at once: a clear base name, a date, and a sequence number. Done well, the folder sorts itself and every file says what it is at a glance.

A good naming scheme usually has three parts: what (a base name like rossi-wedding), when (the date, ideally the photo's real capture date), and order (a zero-padded number like 001). For example: rossi-wedding-2026-05-29-001.jpg. That name sorts correctly, never collides, and is instantly readable.

3 ways to batch rename, compared

The built-in tools are great for simple jobs. The thing neither Windows nor Mac can do natively is rename by the photo's EXIF capture date, which is the single most useful trick for photographers. For that, use the browser tool.

Method 1: Online, no upload (SammaPix Batch Rename)

The SammaPix Batch Rename tool builds new filenames from a pattern and reads each file's metadata locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, so it is safe for client work, and it offers things the OS tools do not: EXIF date tokens, padded sequence numbers, find-and-replace, and case changes, with a live preview before you commit.

1. Open sammapix.com/tools/batchname in any browser.
2. Add your files. Drag in the photos or files you want to rename.
3. Build the pattern. Combine fixed text, a date token, and a sequence number. Watch the live preview update.
4. Download. Grab the renamed files individually or as a ZIP.

Rename photos by EXIF date (the killer trick)

Every photo your camera or phone takes stores the exact capture date and time in its EXIF metadata. Renaming files to start with that date is the single best thing you can do to organise a photo library, because the files then sort in true chronological order in any file browser, regardless of which camera produced them.

For example, a folder mixing IMG_0042.jpg from a phone and DSC00871.jpg from a camera will not sort by time. Rename both to the EXIF date and they line up perfectly:

IMG_0042.jpg   ->   2026-05-29-091523.jpg
DSC00871.jpg   ->   2026-05-29-094710.jpg

Neither Windows Explorer nor Mac Finder can do this. The SammaPix Batch Rename tool reads the EXIF date locally and inserts it for you. If you would rather describe the content of each photo, the AI Rename tool names files by what is in them.

Numbering, find-and-replace and case

• Sequential numbers: add a counter with padding, like 001, 002. Set the start number to continue an existing series.
• Find and replace: swap a string across every filename, for example turning DSC into a project name, or removing a prefix.
• Case: force lowercase (best for the web, where servers are case-sensitive) or tidy up mixed-case names.
• Fixed text: a base name that says what the batch is, like product or vacation.

The power comes from combining them: fixed text, then date, then number, gives you a name that is descriptive, chronological, and collision-proof in one pass.

Method 2: Windows (Explorer and PowerRename)

For the simplest case, open File Explorer, select all the files, press F2, type a base name and press Enter. Windows turns them into name (1).jpg, name (2).jpg and so on. It is fast but offers no padding, no date, and no find-and-replace.

For anything more, install Microsoft PowerToys and use PowerRename. Right-click your files, choose PowerRename, and you get search-and-replace with regular expressions, a live preview, and numbering. It still cannot rename by EXIF date, but it covers most text-based renaming.

Method 3: Mac (Finder rename)

macOS has a genuinely good built-in batch renamer. Select the files in Finder, right-click, and choose Rename. The panel offers three modes: Replace Text (swap a string), Add Text (prefix or suffix), and Format (a base name plus an index or counter). It handles numbering and find-and-replace well. Its one gap is the same as Windows: it cannot read the EXIF capture date, so for date-based photo naming use the browser tool.

Real scenarios: weddings, events, SEO

Wedding or event photographer: rename the whole shoot to clientname-date-001 so the gallery is sorted, branded, and easy to deliver. Pair it with the culling tool to drop the rejects first.

Travel library: rename by EXIF date so years of photos from different cameras and phones merge into one clean timeline.

Publishing online: descriptive, lowercase, hyphenated filenames help image SEO. blue-summer-dress.jpg tells Google more than IMG_4821.jpg. Rename before you upload, then compress the images so the page loads fast.