How to bulk rename files in a folder (Windows 11)

If you have dozens or even hundreds of files with generic file names such as IMG_0001, IMG_0002, and IMG_0003, renaming them one at a time can be a frustrating and time-consuming task. Thankfully Windows 11 includes a simple built-in feature that lets you rename multiple files at once.

This is very useful when you want to organise photos such as special events or work projects. I use this when I receive photos from my web design clients and want to organise them to be used on a website. This technique can be very useful when organising holiday photos, preparing images for a website, managing scanned documents, or sorting files from a work project, clear file names make it much easier to find what you need later. Instead of hunting through hundreds of files called IMG_1234 or DSCF5678, you can quickly identify the right file from its name.

By renaming your files in bulk, this helps to keep your files organised and easy to find if you need to search for a specific file. It is also a huge time saver compared to renaming files individually.

Bulk rename your files

Now let’s look at how we can bulk rename files so they have a common file name and then allow Windows to add automatic numbering to the end. E.g. 2026-School-Camp (1).jpg, 2026-School-Camp (2).jpg etc.

1. Click the Start button and click File Explorer (or press Windows key + E).

2. The File Explorer window will appear:

3. Navigate to the folder containing the photos.
4. Select one of the files and then press Ctrl + A to select all files.
5. Right mouse click and choose Rename or click the Rename button from the menu bar:

6. Type in the start of the new file name e.g. 2026-holiday and press Enter.
7. Windows will then add a number in brackets to the end of each file name:

Rename multiple files Using PowerShell

If you need more control over file names, PowerShell allows you to specify a fully customised naming format. For example, instead of having numbers in brackets, you can rename files as:

• 2026-holiday-1.jpg
• 2026-holiday-2.jpg
• 2026-holiday-3.jpg

This allows a lot more versatility to have files named in your preferred method.

Now many users may not have used PowerShell before and so this process can feel a little daunting. The process is quite simple though as I have provided the short piece of code you need to accomplish this task.

Tip: Before renaming a large number of files, consider making a backup copy of the folder. While the process is generally safe, having a backup ensures you can restore the original file names if needed.

Now let’s use PowerShell to rename the files in bulk:

1. Open the folder containing the files via File Explorer (if not already open).
2. Click in the Address bar where it shows the folder path:

3. Type powershell and press Enter.
4. The Windows PowerShell window will appear with the file path of the folder displayed:

5. READ AHEAD ON STEP 7 AND 8 BEFORE PROCEEDING AS YOU MAY WANT TO CUSTOMISE THE CODE.
6. Copy and paste in the following code into the PowerShell window:

$i=1
Get-ChildItem *.jpg | ForEach-Object {
 Rename-Item $_ -NewName ("2026-holiday-$i.jpg")
 $i++
}

7. NOTE: if your files are a different file format, e.g. NOT a .jpg file, then you will need to edit the file name format in the code. E.g. to .png or .docx etc. There are TWO references to the file extension in the code, 1st is on line 2 and the 2nd is on line 3. It is fiddly trying to edit the code once you have pasted it into Power Shell, so instead, paste into Notepad or similar program to edit first then copy and paste from there.
8. Paste the code into PowerShell. A warning will appear:

9. Click Paste anyway.
10. Now press Enter.
11. Return back to the File Explorer window.
12. The files will all be renamed in the file name format you specified:

Your files are now all renamed. These quick little tricks can help immensly when working with a large number of files that we need to rename. Windows 11 includes these built-in features yet many users aren’t aware of their existence.

For most situations, File Explorer’s rename feature will do the job, automatically adding numbers to each file name. If you need more control over your naming convention, PowerShell provides a flexible way to create customised file names for photos, documents, and other files. Both methods can save a significant amount of time when working with large numbers of files.

I hope this has saved you some time today and don’t forget to leave a comment below if you have found this helpful. Check out more of my Windows tips and tricks or find me on YouTube.