To rename multiple files on a Mac, select the files in Finder, Control-click one of the selected files and choose Rename. Finder's Rename panel can replace text in every name, add text before or after each name, or give the whole batch a new name with an index, counter or date. Click Rename and every selected file changes at once.
Key names used below, for anyone new to a Mac keyboard: Command is ⌘, Option is ⌥, Shift is ⇧ and Control is ⌃.
How to rename multiple files at once on Mac in Finder
- Select the files. Hold ⌘ or ⇧ while clicking to add files to the selection, or press ⌘A to select the whole folder.
- Control-click (or right-click) one of the selected files.
- Choose Rename from the shortcut menu.
- In the pop-up menu below Rename Finder Items, choose Replace Text, Add Text or Format.
- Fill in the fields for that option, as described below.
- Click Rename.
For a single file, select the file, press Return, type the new name and press Return again. Apple's guide to renaming files, folders and disks covers both methods.
Rename files in Finder: the three options
Replace Text
Type the text to remove in the Find field and the new text in the "Replace with" field. Finder swaps one for the other across the selected names. Use it to fix the same typo in 40 filenames or to change a camera prefix.
Add Text
Type the text, then choose whether it goes before or after the current name. Good for a client name, a project code or a date you type yourself.
Format
Choose a name format, then choose whether the index, counter or date goes before or after the name. Type a base name in the Custom Format field and the number to start with. Format builds the new names from your Custom Format text plus a number or date, so pick it when the old names carry nothing worth keeping.
Batch rename examples
Turn IMG_0001.jpg into Trip-0001.jpg
Say a folder of photos runs from IMG_0001.jpg to IMG_0240.jpg. Select all of the photos, choose Replace Text, type IMG_ in Find and Trip- in Replace with. IMG_0001.jpg becomes Trip-0001.jpg, IMG_0002.jpg becomes Trip-0002.jpg, and the original numbers don't change, so the order holds.
Add a client name to every file
Select the PDFs for one client, choose Add Text, type the client name followed by a space (Acme, for example) and choose before the name. Invoice.pdf becomes Acme Invoice.pdf.
Number a batch from 1
Choose Format, type Lisbon in Custom Format, put the index after the name and start at 1. Every file gets Lisbon plus a number, counting up from 1. Apple's guide doesn't spell out the exact spacing or digit count, so try the rule on two duplicates first: select the files and press ⌘D to duplicate the selection.
Batch rename files on Mac with Automator or Shortcuts
If you rename files the same way every week, save the steps as a Quick Action. Apple's Finder help says both the Shortcuts app and Automator can add items to Finder's Quick Actions menu, which opens when you Control-click a file.
Automator
Apple's Automator User Guide still covers macOS 27, and a Quick Action workflow is available from Finder windows, the Services menu and the Quick Actions menu.
- Open Automator, choose File > New, select Quick Action and click Choose.
- At the top of the workflow area, set the input to files or folders and the app to Finder.
- Type "Rename" in the Library search field, then double-click Rename Finder Items to add the action.
- Choose a mode and fill in the settings.
- Choose File > Save and name the Quick Action.
Apple's own Automator tutorial for photographers builds a numbered renamer from this action: Make Sequential, a new name, and every number made 3 digits long.
Shortcuts
The Shortcuts app can take over from Automator. Drag an Automator workflow file into Shortcuts and, according to Apple, most workflows convert into a shortcut automatically. To put any shortcut in Finder's Quick Actions menu:
- In Shortcuts, double-click the shortcut, open Details and select Use as Quick Action.
- Choose Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Extensions > Finder, then turn on the shortcut. On macOS 12, choose System Preferences, click Extensions, select Finder and select the shortcut.
- Control-click files in Finder, choose Quick Actions, then your shortcut.
Apple's Shortcuts guide has the full setup. You may not need to build anything: in a story written for macOS Sonoma, Apple's App Store editors pointed Mac users to a ready-made Gallery shortcut called Rename Files, which adds or replaces text in filenames. Search the Gallery for it before you start from zero.
Rename multiple files on Mac with Terminal
For a bulk rename on a Mac with a rule Finder can't express, a short loop in Terminal does the job. New user accounts have used zsh as the default shell since macOS 10.15, and this example is written for zsh.
Start with a dry run. The first line opens the folder; the second prints each rename instead of doing it:
cd ~/Pictures/Trip
for f in IMG_*.jpg; do echo mv -n "$f" "Trip-${f#IMG_}"; done
Read the output. Each line shows the old name, then the new one, such as mv -n IMG_0001.jpg Trip-0001.jpg. If the whole list looks right, run the same loop without echo:
for f in IMG_*.jpg; do mv -n "$f" "Trip-${f#IMG_}"; done
How the loop works: ${f#IMG_} strips IMG_ from the start of each name, and -n tells mv never to overwrite a file that already exists. Keep the quotes exactly as shown. mv has no undo, which is why the dry run comes first. To reverse this example, swap the two prefixes:
for f in Trip-*.jpg; do mv -n "$f" "IMG_${f#Trip-}"; done
How to undo a rename on Mac
In Finder, press ⌘Z straight after the rename, before you do anything else. Apple's keyboard shortcut list gives ⌘Z as Undo for the previous command and ⇧⌘Z as Redo.
Too late for that? Run the rename in reverse. After replacing IMG_ with Trip-, select the same files and replace Trip- with IMG_. Apple's own advice for a rename that causes trouble is the same: change the name back.
Apple documents no undo for Automator or Shortcuts renames, and mv in Terminal has none either. Test Automator, Shortcuts and Terminal renames on duplicates first.
Where Finder's rename tool falls short
- One operation per pass. The pop-up menu offers Replace Text, Add Text or Format, so adding a prefix and fixing a word in the same names takes two runs.
- Apple documents the three options and nothing else. Changing letter case or matching a pattern needs Terminal or a multi-rename tool.
- Apple's guide describes no list of before-and-after names, so try a new rule on copies.
- A name can't contain a colon (:) or start with a period, and some apps reject a slash (/).
- Leave extensions alone. Apple warns that changing an extension such as .jpg may stop the file opening in the app that created it. Apple also advises against renaming app folders, system items such as the Library folder, and your home folder.
Multi-Rename in Leo Commander Pro
On Windows, Total Commander users press Ctrl+M for the Multi-Rename Tool (see our list of Total Commander shortcuts on Mac). Leo Commander, a Total Commander alternative for Mac, has the counterpart: Multi-Rename with a live preview, part of Leo Commander Pro. You see the new names before any file changes.
Marking files works the Total Commander way: Insert or ⇧↓ marks a file and moves to the next one. The rest of the window will look familiar too, with two panels, the
Leo Commander Pro costs
Other Mac file managers rename in bulk too. In our 25-point comparison from November 7, 2026, CRAX Commander, ForkLift, Path Finder and Bloom include a multi-rename tool, QSpace Pro sells its advanced batch rename as a paid extension, and Commander One's feature list has none. For the switch from Windows as a whole, read the Total Commander alternative for Mac guide.
Which batch rename method to use
| Method | Best for | Undo | Preview |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finder Rename | Replacing or adding text, simple numbering | ⌘Z right after | None documented by Apple; test on copies |
| Automator Quick Action | The same rename, repeated from Finder | None documented | None documented; test on copies |
| Shortcuts Quick Action | Reusable renames and imported Automator workflows | None documented | None documented; test on copies |
| Terminal loop (zsh) | Rules Finder can't express, large folders | None; run a reverse loop | Full list with an echo dry run |
| Leo Commander Pro Multi-Rename | Total Commander habits, checking every name first | Check the live preview before renaming | Live preview |
Sources
- Rename files, folders, and disks on Mac (Mac User Guide)
- Create a workflow in Automator on Mac (Automator User Guide)
- Run a shortcut while working on your Mac (Shortcuts User Guide)
- Use zsh as the default shell on Mac (Apple Support)
- Mac keyboard shortcuts (Apple Support)
Checked November 8, 2026. Leo Commander is an independent app, not affiliated with Ghisler Software GmbH or Apple Inc.
