How to rename files and folders on a Mac, one or hundreds

Select the file or folder in Finder and press Return. Type the new name and press Return again. To rename many files at once, select them all, Control-click, and choose Rename: Finder can replace a word in every name, add text, or number them.

Rename one file or folder

• Keyboard: select it, press Return, type, Return.
• Mouse: click the name once, wait a second, click again.
• Menu: Control-click > Rename.

To change the extension (.jpeg to .jpg), edit it too; Finder asks to confirm. Changing an extension doesn’t convert the file.

Rename many at once

Select the files, Control-click one, choose Rename. Three modes:

1. Replace Text: find IMG_ and replace with Trip-Lisbon-.
2. Add Text: add 2026-09- before or after every name.
3. Format: everything becomes a name plus an index, a counter or the date: Invoice 1, Invoice 2…

The preview at the bottom shows the first new name before you click Rename. ⌘Z undoes the whole batch.

A naming pattern that sorts itself

Start the names of files you keep with the date, year first: 2026-09-22 Lease signed.pdf. Sorting by name then sorts by date, in every app and on every drive. Leave the rest of the name in plain words you would search for.

Avoid final, final2, new: the date already says which is latest.

Rename in Terminal

mv old-name.txt new-name.txt renames one file. For bulk renames with patterns, Finder’s Rename tool is safer: it previews, and ⌘Z works.

Names are half the job

A good name tells you what a file is. A folder tells you where to find it. After renaming, a Downloads folder with 400 well-named files is still 400 files in one list.

Put renamed files in folders

DeclutrDeclutr sorts Downloads, the Desktop or any folder into category folders by file type: Documents, Images, Videos, Audio, Archives, Apps, Code & Scripts, 3D Models and more. It never renames a file. With Pro (a one-time $8.99 purchase in the US), a Smart Rule such as “name contains Invoice” sends matching files to a folder you name, on a watched folder or a daily schedule. One Undo button puts every file back. It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later.

Related: how to create a folder on a Mac and how to organize files on a Mac.

Questions people ask

How do I rename a folder on a Mac?

Select the folder in Finder and press Return. The name becomes editable: type the new name and press Return again. You can also Control-click it and choose Rename.

How do I rename multiple files at once on a Mac?

Select the files in Finder, Control-click one of them and choose Rename. Pick Replace Text to swap a word in every name, Add Text for a prefix or suffix, or Format to rename them all to a name plus a counter or the date.

Why can't I rename a file on my Mac?

The file is open in an app, it is locked (uncheck Locked in Get Info, Command-I), you don't have write permission, or it is a system folder that macOS protects. Some characters are refused too: a colon can't be used in a name.