How to rename multiple files at once, and what to check first

Bulk renaming is a solved problem on every platform. The risk is not the tool, it is applying a confident pattern to files you have not verified.

What the built in tools give you

• macOS Finder: select, right click, Rename, with replace text, add text and format modes.
• Windows Explorer: select and press F2 for numbered renaming, or use PowerShell for patterns.
• Any file manager or dedicated batch renamer for find and replace with regular expressions.

Patterns that work for audio

Replace rather than rebuild when you can. Swapping a project prefix or fixing a typo across a folder is safe. Regenerating names from scratch throws away information the recorder wrote, so keep the original string as a suffix when you do it.

Three checks before you press go

• Sort the folder by name and read the top and bottom of the list. Outliers reveal the file that will break the pattern.
• Confirm nothing in the folder is currently referenced by an open session.
• Run the rename on a copy of ten files first and look at the result.

Renaming does not fix content

A file called dialogue_boom_scene12.wav is still a six channel poly if that is what it was. Names describe, they do not convert. Inspect the files so the names you apply are true, then split, merge or map channels as needed.

You can check channel count, sample rate, bit depth and embedded track names in the inspector here, and split or remap in the same pass, all locally in the browser.

Keep a record

Export a list of the old and new names before renaming. A plain text list costs nothing and is the only realistic way to reverse a bad batch after the fact.