When a Windows user starts using a Mac computer – whether a desktop iMac or the portable versions of the MacBook – there are a number of notable changes they will need to adapt to. And the operating systems of the two devices present certain differences, from something as simple as writing an at sign (@) to how the methodology for installing updates differs.
There is also an aspect that used to be complicated on Mac, while on Windows it was very simple: renaming many files at the same time. For example, when classifying travel photos, downloading email attachments, organizing documents, etc. Until relatively recently, Apple computer users had to use third-party applications to facilitate this process, or rename each file one by one.
But for some time now, the Mac operating system itself has in its Finder a system to rename several files at once that makes life considerably easier for its users. Here we tell you how to do it.
The Finder on Mac computers has three different ways to rename a batch of many files at once. The first thing you should do is open the Finder in the folder where those files are located. Select them all, either by pressing the cursor over all the files or by selecting them manually while pressing the ‘command’ or ‘command’ key.
Then, press the left mouse button or click with two fingers on the TrackPad. Then click on the ‘Rename’ option. A window will appear with options to rename the files. First of all, you will see a drop-down menu with three options: ‘Replace text’, ‘Add text’ or ‘Format’.
With the ‘Replace text’ option you can replace the name of any file with another. You will need to type the name of the original file in the ‘Search’ box and the new name you want in ‘Replace with’. Finally, click on ‘Rename’.
The ‘Add Text’ option is to add text before the name or after the name of any file. Finally, in the ‘Format’ option you can use ‘Name and index’, ‘Name and counter’ or ‘Name and date’, and you can also decide if you want the index, counter or date to be placed before or after the name of the archive. Once your preferences have been specified, click on ‘Rename’ and the operating system itself will do the job very quickly and conveniently.
