ReNamer

ReNamer offers a number of ways to quickly change the names of batches of files and folders. Without guidance, the process, which includes creating rules, could seem a bit daunting to less tech-savvy users. But with ReNamer’s helpful approach, it was easy to rename or alter the names of multiple files.

As soon as you launch ReNamer, it asks if you want to view the Quick Guide. It’s a brief but helpful visual overview of the program’s interface, which is small and divided into two main sections, one for creating a rule and one for dragging and the files you want to rename. The onscreen guidance tells you what to do and all main actions can be initiated in at least two ways. For example, you can drag and drop files or folders or choose the toolbar icon to add your items. The first step is to create a rule, and as with everything else about this streamlined tool, the process is easy and intuitive. There are 14 rule categories, including Insert, Delete, and Rearrange. The number of options might seem overwhelming but once you click on one, a new window opens with easy-to-follow check boxes and radio buttons. We started with the basics, inserting text into the existing names of 30 test files. Aside from typing in the desired text, all we had to do was select a radio button to determine where to place it. Options include Prefix, Suffix, and After Text. We were (pleasantly) surprised at how quickly Renamer worked. More sophisticated options let you rearrange file names and strip out characters. If you need help along the way, a detailed User Manual should answer any questions, but the publisher also provides links to online help.

ReNamer does one thing, but it does it very well. From the clean, intuitive design to the abundant user guidance, it appears that a lot of thought went into this capable program. Best of all, for non-commercial use, you can use ReNamer free of charge. For those in commercial settings, it would be well worth the upgrade for any user who frequently needs to modify file or folder names.

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