How-to

How to Batch Rename Files in ComfortFiles

Updated October 14, 2026

Select several files, right-click, and choose Rename… — ComfortFiles opens a batch rename dialog with a live preview. Pick a pattern, watch the new names update as you type, and apply them all at once. One ⌘Z undoes the whole batch.

Opening the dialog

  1. Select two or more files or folders.
  2. Right-click and choose Rename… (or press F2).
  3. The batch rename dialog opens, listing every selected item with its Original and New name side by side.

Rename a single item and you get the plain inline rename instead — the batch dialog is only for multi-selection.

The four patterns

Pick a pattern from the tabs at the top. The preview updates live, so you always see the result before applying.

  • Find & Replace — replace text in every name. Type what to find and what to replace it with; tick Match case if case matters.
  • Add Text — add a prefix, a suffix, or both. The suffix goes before the extension, so report.pdf with suffix -final becomes report-final.pdf.
  • Number — number the files sequentially. Set a base Name, a Start value, and how many Digits to zero-pad to. With a name it produces Photo (001), Photo (002), …; leave the name empty and you get just 001, 002, ….
  • Extension — change the extension on all of them at once, e.g. txt → md.

Files in subfolders, all at once

To rename files spread over a folder and every folder inside it, search first: click the magnifying glass, choose Subfolders, and describe the files — for example, name contains copy. Then select all the results (⌘A) and choose Rename…. Each file is renamed in the folder it is in, so files in different folders may end up with the same name.

Preview and conflicts

The preview flags problems before you commit: if a pattern would give two files in the same folder the same name, or a name another file in that folder already has, or an invalid one, those rows are marked and the Rename button stays disabled until you fix the pattern. Nothing is written until every name is valid and unique where it lives.

Undo

Renamed the wrong set, or picked the wrong pattern? Press ⌘Z — the entire batch reverts in one step (“Undo Rename N Items”). Redo with ⇧⌘Z.

  • Just one file? Press F2 to rename it inline — or, as in Explorer and Finder, click the name of the file that is already selected, pause, and it turns into a text field. Undo reverts that too.
  • New to renaming files on the Mac and how it differs from Windows? Batch renaming files on a Mac.