Guide

How to rename multiple files at once on a Mac

Select the files in Finder, Control-click, choose Rename, then pick Replace Text, Add Text or Format.

The built-in way

Rename a selection in Finder

Select the files (click the first, Shift-click the last).
Control-click one of them and choose Rename….
Pick Replace Text to swap a word, Add Text to put something before or after the name, or Format to give them a name with a number, counter or date.
Check the example at the bottom of the window, then click Rename.

If you change your mind, press Command-Z straight away to undo it.

With Omaculate

Let Oma do it, and check her work first

Omaculate can rename files as part of a recipe, using the date added, the site a file came from, or its own name, like 2026-10-30-invoice.pdf. Every rename is in History and can be undone for 90 days. With Grand Oma on macOS 26 with Apple Intelligence, it can name documents by what is inside them.

Recipe: Rename unreadable documents A document in Downloads with an unreadable name is renamed by what's in it.

Questions

Can Finder rename files by date?

Format can add a counter or the current date, but not each file’s own date. Apps such as Omaculate can use the date each file was added.

Does renaming change the file extension?

Finder’s batch rename keeps the extension unless you type one into the new text.

More guides

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