Rename Files

Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group File and Print → Menu File Tools

Command ID: btnRenameFiles

What it does

The command batch-renames files in a folder using a two-column mapping table you build on the sheet: left column is the old name, right column is the new name. Excel becomes the place where you compose and verify the new names with formulas before they touch the disk.

It is exactly what you need when tidying a submission: turning hundreds of camera file names (IMG_2841.JPG) into meaningful work-item codes, or renaming drawings to the client's numbering convention before handover.

How to use

1. On the sheet, build a two-column table: the left column holds the full old file name including extension, the right column the full new file name including extension. (Use File List to grab the old-name column quickly.)
2. Go to tab DVD Addin → group File and Print → File Tools → Rename Files.
3. A range picker appears explaining "LEFT column = old name, RIGHT column = new name" — drag over the table body (skip the header row) and press OK.
4. The Pick folder containing files dialog opens — choose the folder holding the files and press OK.
5. The command walks every file in the folder, finds the row whose old name matches, and renames it. A toast reports how many files were renamed.

Example

The folder D:\Records\Inspection_Photos holds camera images that need inspection-record codes. You build this table in B3:C6:

Old name (column B)	New name (column C)
IMG_2841.JPG	INS-501_beam_gridA.jpg
IMG_2842.JPG	INS-501_beam_gridB.jpg
IMG_2843.JPG	INS-502_slab_S1.jpg
IMG_2844.JPG	INS-502_slab_S2.jpg

Select B3:C6, point at the photo folder, and the four files on disk are renamed to match. Run Comment by Name afterwards and the register instantly has hover-preview photos.

Notes

• Both columns must include the file extension; without it nothing matches, or the renamed file loses its extension and Windows can no longer open it.
• The command renames real files on disk — Ctrl+Z will not undo it and there is no revert button. Back up the folder before running it on important records.
• If the new name already exists in the folder, that file is skipped rather than overwritten — check your table for duplicate targets before running.
• Rows where the new name equals the old name, or the new-name cell is blank, are skipped.
• The last column of the selected range is used as the new name; if you drag over three columns the middle one is ignored, so select exactly two.
• Matching is case-insensitive, and only files sitting directly in the folder are processed — subfolders are not touched.

Related

• File List — export the existing file names into the sheet to build the "old name" column.
• Strip Accents in Folder — remove Vietnamese diacritics from file and folder names.
• Create Folders — build the document folder tree from a list on the sheet.
• File Tree — re-check the whole folder after the rename.