Staring at a mountain of files on your Mac, each with a uniquely confusing and meaningless name? Wondering if there’s a faster way than renaming files one by one? Find out here how to rename files in bulk with macOS Finder ⤓ to create a consistent, useful naming system that keeps your files organized — quickly and easily.
First, Hot New Name or Consequences
If you’re in a town where pleasantly hot springs spout forth, you might as well call it “Hot Springs,” if only to attract visitors seeking respite.
If, perhaps just to attract visitors, you want to host a popular radio show in your town, you might consider naming the town after that show.
A sleepy little town on the banks of the Rio Grande in New Mexico, happily dotted with hot springs fed by the river’s heated waters, did both. It went from Ojo Caliente de Las Palomas to Hot Springs to Truth or Consequences — commemorating the 10ᵗʰ anniversary of a game show on NBC radio in 1950.
So, sometimes a name can change everything, and sometimes, everything’s name needs a change. Thankfully, when it comes to your documents in macOS Finder, however, you don’t have to rename them laboriously one by one:
How to Rename Multiple Files in Bulk on a Mac with Finder
Time needed: 5 minutes
To rename a batch of files in bulk using macOS Finder on a Mac:
- Highlight the files you would like to rename in bulk in Finder.
Here’s how: Use the mouse cursor to draw an outline encompassing all the files you want to select, hold down Shift while clicking on files to select a range or hold Command while you click to toggle a file’s inclusion in the selection.
Selecting all: Press Command A to select all files in the current folder or search results.
Finding: Use Finder search to gather the files you want to rename in one place for selection. - Click the three dots Perform tasks with the selected items menu button in the toolbar.
- Select Rename… from the menu that has appeared.
Other menus: You can also select File | Rename… from the top menu or click on one of the highlighted files with the right mouse button and choose Rename… in the context menu.
- To name the files by date and time or using consecutive index numbers:
- Select Format for the naming scheme.
- Pick the desired format and, optionally, a name to be used together with the number or (current!) date and time.
- To add text to all selected files:
- Choose Add Text as the naming scheme.
- Enter the text to be added.
- Pick whether the text should prepend (before name) or appended to the current name (after name).
- To search and replace text in existing file names:
- Select Replace Text as the naming scheme.
- Type the text you want to be replaced under Find:.
- Now enter the replacement text under Replace with:.
- Click Rename.
Their word: Apple include information on naming and renaming files in the Mac User Guide.
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How to Rename Multiple Files in Bulk on a Mac with Finder: FAQ
Can I undo renaming files in bulk?
Yes.
Pressing Command Z immediately after renaming files in bulk will undo the entire renaming action.
Do I need to move files to the same folder to rename in bulk?
No.
You can batch-rename files in Finder search results.
Can I use wildcards or regular expressions when replacing text in filenames?
No.
Batch-searching and replacing in filenames using Finder searches for characters and character sequences literally. You can neither use any wildcards nor regular expressions to match text more flexibly in Finder.
Is bulk renaming case sensitive?
No.
Case does not matter in the search term when you replace text using Finder batch-renaming.
Looking for the current date and time? How to Insert the Current Timestamp Fast Anywhere on a Mac
What date and time does the bulk renaming format use?
If you use a format to combine a name with a date, macOS Finder will insert the current time and date into the file name — the same for all files you rename. it will not use the file’s creation date or when it was last updated. An index number will differentiate between the files.
(Tested with macOS Tahoe 26.0–26.5 and Sequoia 15.5; first published July 2025, last updated May 2026)