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simonefil edited this page Oct 9, 2026 · 3 revisions

Advanced rename

Advanced rename (F11, toolbar Rename) renames the scanned files on disk with a stack of rename methods, previewing every new name before anything is renamed. It works on the file list of the Metadata workspace: set Input:, run Scan input (F5), then press F11. With an empty list, F11 opens the input picker.

Advanced rename

Workflow

  1. Choose a method in Method: and fill in its parameters. The preview already shows the method applied after the ones in the stack.
  2. Press Add to append it to the stack under Methods ({0}):.
  3. Repeat for further methods. Each method works on the name produced by the previous one.
  4. Read the preview: Original name and New name for every file, and the status line.
  5. Press Rename.

When the rename completes, the dialog closes and the workspace scans the input again, so the list shows the new names. Cancel closes the dialog without renaming.

Method stack

Each entry of the stack shows a summary of the method, such as Replace: . -> or Add: "Bleach - " at 0, and the buttons Move up, Move down, Duplicate and Remove. The order matters: each method transforms the result of the one above it.

Rename applies the methods in the stack and is enabled when the stack has at least one method, at least one name changes, and the preview has no conflicts or errors.

Methods

Replace

Replaces text in the full file name, extension included.

Parameter Use
Search: Text or regular expression to find.
Replace: Replacement text. Empty deletes the match. With Use regex, $1, $2 insert the captured groups.
Case sensitive Matches upper and lower case exactly. Off by default.
Use regex Reads Search: as a regular expression. An invalid pattern shows "Invalid regex: {0}" above the parameters.

Add

Inserts text into the name, with the extension kept as it is.

Parameter Use
Text: Text to insert.
Position: Character index, from 0. A position past the end appends.
From end Counts the position from the end of the name.

Remove

Deletes part of the name, with the extension kept as it is. Mode: chooses By position or By pattern.

Parameter Use
Start: By position: first character to delete, from 0.
Count: By position: number of characters to delete.
From end By position: counts Start: from the end of the name.
Pattern: By pattern: text or regular expression to delete everywhere in the name.
Case sensitive By pattern: matches case exactly.
Use regex By pattern: reads Pattern: as a regular expression.

New Case

Changes capitalization.

Parameter Options
Mode: lowercase, UPPERCASE, Title Case
Scope: Name only, Extension only, Full name

Title Case lowercases the text and then capitalizes the first letter of each word. Letters after a digit stay lowercase, so BLEACH.S12E08 becomes Bleach.S12e08.

New Name

Builds the name from a pattern. The default pattern <Name>.<Ext> reproduces the current name.

Tag Value
<Name> Current name without extension.
<Ext> Extension without the dot.
<Folder> Name of the folder containing the file.
<Inc:start:step:pad> Counter: starts at start, adds step per file, pads with zeros to pad digits. Defaults: 1, 1, 1.
<Date:format> Last modified date of the file, in a .NET date format such as yyyy-MM-dd.
<Rand:min:max> Random number between min and max, inclusive. Defaults: 0 and 100.
Pattern Gives
<Inc:1:1:2> 01, 02, 03 ...
<Inc:214:1:3> 214, 215, 216 ...
<Inc:1:2:2> 01, 03, 05 ...

The counter follows the order of the scanned file list, as shown in the preview.

Trim

Removes characters from the ends.

Parameter Use
Chars: Set of characters to remove, a single space by default. -_. removes any mix of spaces, hyphens, underscores and dots.
Location: Start, End or Both.
Scope: Name only, Extension only or Full name.

Preview and status line

Every scanned file appears with its Original name and New name. Changed rows are highlighted, and rows with a conflict or an error are marked; hovering a new name shows its error.

The status line reads {0} files, {1} changed, followed by the number of conflicts and errors when there are any:

Part Meaning
files Files in the list.
changed Files whose name changes.
conflicts Two or more files of the same folder would get the same name.
errors The new name is empty, contains characters the file system does not accept, or matches a file already on disk.

A conflict usually means the stack removed what told the files apart, such as the episode number. Add <Inc:...> or <Name> to the pattern, or narrow the method.

How renaming runs

Renaming runs in two passes: every file is first moved to a temporary name, then to its final name. Files can therefore swap names within the same batch, for example renumbering E01 to E02 while E02 becomes E03. When a file cannot be moved to its temporary name, the files already moved go back to their original names. Only the file names change; the content of the files stays as it is.

Examples

Remove release tags

[SubGroup] Bleach - 366 [1080p][x265].mkv becomes Bleach - 366.mkv.

# Method Settings
1 Remove Mode By pattern, Pattern \[[^\]]*\], Use regex on
2 Trim Chars -_, Location Both, Scope Name only

The first method deletes every bracketed group; the second removes the separators left at the ends.

Dots to spaces

Bleach.S12E08.1080p.BluRay.mkv becomes Bleach S12E08 1080p BluRay.mkv.

# Method Settings
1 Replace Search \.(?=.*\.), Replace (a space), Use regex on

Replace works on the full name, so the pattern matches only dots followed by another dot, and the dot before the extension stays.

Continue a season's numbering

Four files that should become episodes 214 to 217.

# Method Settings
1 New Name Pattern Bleach.S12E<Inc:214:1:3>.<Ext>

Check in the preview that the list order matches the episode order.

Uniform capitalization

BLEACH.S12E08.MKV becomes Bleach.S12e08.mkv.

# Method Settings
1 New Case Mode Title Case, Scope Name only
2 New Case Mode lowercase, Scope Extension only

Series prefix

366.mkv becomes Bleach - 366.mkv.

# Method Settings
1 Add Text Bleach - , Position 0

Trailing text

Bleach - 366 - WEBRip.mkv becomes Bleach - 366.mkv.

# Method Settings
1 Remove Mode By pattern, Pattern - WEBRip

To delete a fixed number of characters at the end, use By position with From end on.

Zero-padding for Remux matching

Remux mode pairs files by the episode numbers in their names, compared as text, so S12E8 and S12E08 are different episodes. Pad the single-digit episodes on one side:

# Method Settings
1 Replace Search E(\d)(?!\d), Replace E0$1, Use regex on

An E followed by a single digit becomes E0 plus that digit. See Remux wizard.

Next

Start here

Remux

Split

Metadata

Reference

Project

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