# How to Batch Rename Files on a Mac

ComfortFiles is a Windows Explorer-style file manager for macOS.

Yes — the Mac can rename many files at once, and you don't need any extra software for the basics. Finder has had a built-in batch rename since OS X Yosemite (2014). Select the files, right-click, and choose **Rename…** — Finder shows a small panel with three modes.

## The built-in way: Finder's Rename panel

1. Select two or more files in Finder.
2. Right-click the selection and choose **Rename N Items…**.
3. Pick a mode from the dropdown at the top left:
   - **Replace Text** — find some text in the names and replace it.
   - **Add Text** — add text before or after the existing name.
   - **Format** — build a new name from a base plus a **Name and Index**, **Name and Counter**, or **Name and Date**, with a starting number.
4. Fill in the fields — an example line at the bottom shows one sample result — then click **Rename**.

<kbd>⌘Z</kbd> undoes the whole batch if you don't like it.

## Where Finder's version comes up short

The built-in panel covers common cases, but a few things are awkward or missing:

- **No per-file preview.** You get one example line, not a list showing every old name next to its new one — so surprises only show up after you click Rename.
- **No changing extensions.** Finder's batch rename works on names, not file extensions; switching a batch of `.txt` files to `.md` isn't something it does.
- **Numbering is a little indirect.** The Format mode's Index/Counter naming takes a moment to reason about compared with just setting a name, a start number, and a digit count.

For a one-off rename these are minor. If you renamed batches all day on Windows Explorer, they add up.

## If you want a Windows-Explorer-style rename

[ComfortFiles](/) keeps the same idea but shows every result as you type. Select the files, right-click → **Rename…**, and you get a dialog with four patterns — **Find & Replace**, **Add Text**, sequential **Number**, and **Extension** — each with a live list of every original name next to its new name, and duplicate or invalid names flagged before you commit. One <kbd>⌘Z</kbd> reverts the entire batch. See [how batch rename works in ComfortFiles](/how-to/batch-rename).

Either way, the Mac renames files in bulk just fine — Finder handles the essentials, and a dedicated file manager smooths the edges.