Building a Mass Rename Tool Using Batch Programming

Here in the post, We’ll develop a Mass Rename Tool using Windows Batch Programming, a powerful but often overlooked scripting method built into Windows which will rename multiple files.

Building a Mass Rename Tool Using Batch Programming

Getting Started

Whether you’re a photographer or a developer, you might need to organize thousands of files to stay productive. You may want to rename your files quickly and efficiently. Renaming multiple files manually can be a tedious and time-consuming task.

Building a Mass Rename Tool can save you hours of tedious manual work. Below are the details on how to create a bulk rename tool(Mass Rename Tool) using batch programming

The bulk rename utility(Mass Rename Tool) will allows users to rename multiple files in a folder by applying patterns like:

Adding Preffixes or Suffixes
Replacing specific parts of filenames
Sequential numbering

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have:

A Windows machine
Basic knowledge of the Command Prompt
A text editor (like Notepad, VS Code, or Notepad++)

Open Notepad and save the file with a mass_rename_tool.bat extension, then copy the blow batch scrips into the .bat file and save it again.

Batch Script

 @echo off   
  setlocal enabledelayedexpansion   
  color a   
  :: Prompt for folder   
  set /p folder="Enter the folder path: "   
  cd /d "%folder%"   
  :: Prompt for rename mode   
  echo.  
 :option   
  echo Choose rename mode:   
  echo 1. Add prefix   
  echo 2. Add suffix   
  echo 3. Replace text   
  echo 4. Sequential numbering   
  set /p mode="Enter mode number: "   
  :: Handle modes   
  if "%mode%"=="1" goto :addPrefix   
  if "%mode%"=="2" goto :addSuffix   
  if "%mode%"=="3" goto :replaceText   
  if "%mode%"=="4" goto :sequential   
  :addPrefix   
  set /p prefix="Enter prefix: "   
  for %%f in (*.*) do (   
   ren "%%f" "%prefix%%%~nxf"   
  )   
  echo Done.  
  goto :option   
  :addSuffix   
  set /p suffix="Enter suffix (before extension): "   
  for %%f in (*.*) do (   
   set "name=%%~nf"   
   set "ext=%%~xf"   
   ren "%%f" "!name!%suffix%!ext!"   
  )   
  echo Done.  
  goto :option   
  :replaceText   
  set /p search="Enter text to replace: "   
  set /p replace="Enter replacement text: "   
  for %%f in (*.*) do (   
   set "old=%%~nxf"   
   set "new=!old:%search%=%replace%!"   
   if not "!old!"=="!new!" (   
    ren "%%f" "!new!"   
   )   
  )   
  echo Done.  
  goto :option   
  :sequential   
  set /p base="Enter base name: "   
  set /a counter=1   
  for %%f in (*.*) do (   
   set "ext=%%~xf"   
   set "newname=%base%!counter!%%~xf"   
   ren "%%f" "!newname!"   
   set /a counter+=1   
  )   
  echo Done.   
  goto :option

How Above Batch Programming Scripts Work

Based on the pattern, the batch scripts are divided into four sections, with each section handling a specific renaming task.

Batch Script: Add Prefix Mode

  :addPrefix  
 set /p prefix="Enter prefix: "  
 for %%f in (*.*) do (  
   ren "%%f" "%prefix%%%~nxf"  
 )  
 echo Done.  
 goto :eof

Add Suffix Mode

 :addSuffix  
 set /p suffix="Enter suffix (before extension): "  
 for %%f in (*.*) do (  
   set "name=%%~nf"  
   set "ext=%%~xf"  
   ren "%%f" "!name!%suffix%!ext!"  
 )  
 echo Done.  
 goto :eof

Replace Text Mode

:replaceText  
 set /p search="Enter text to replace: "  
 set /p replace="Enter replacement text: "  
 for %%f in (*.*) do (  
   set "old=%%~nxf"  
   set "new=!old:%search%=%replace%!"  
   if not "!old!"=="!new!" (  
     ren "%%f" "!new!"  
   )  
 )  
 echo Done.  
 goto :eof

Sequential Numbering Mode


 set /a counter=1  
 for %%f in (*.*) do (  
   set "ext=%%~xf"  
   set "newname=%base%!counter!%%~xf"  
   ren "%%f" "!newname!"  
   set /a counter+=1  
 )  
 echo Done.  
 goto :eof

Summary

Batch scripting is still a valid choice for quick file system operations, especially when GUI tools aren’t available and it is essential for managing large sets of digital files. With just a few lines of code, you can create a Mass Rename Tool that saves both time and effort.

Thanks

Building a Mass Rename Tool Using Batch Programming