How to Bulk Rename Folders in Windows 10 & 11: Complete Guide

How to Bulk Rename Folders in Windows 10 & 11: Complete Guide

Renaming folders in bulk works differently than files. Here's how to do it efficiently.

Method 1: File Explorer

Sequential Rename

1. Select folders in File Explorer
2. Press F2
3. Type base name
4. Press Enter
5. Folders become: name (1), name (2), etc.

Limitation: Only creates sequential names.

Method 2: PowerShell

Basic folder rename

Get-ChildItem -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  $newName = "project-" + $_.Name
  Rename-Item $_.FullName $newName
}

Add date prefix

Get-ChildItem -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  $date = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd"
  Rename-Item $_.FullName "$date-$($_.Name)"
}

Replace text in folder names

Get-ChildItem -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  $newName = $_.Name -replace "old","new"
  Rename-Item $_.FullName $newName
}

Rename with counter

$counter = 1
Get-ChildItem -Directory | ForEach-Object {
  Rename-Item $_.FullName ("project-{0:D3}" -f $counter)
  $counter++
}

Method 3: Command Prompt

Using REN command

Limited for folders. Better to use PowerShell.

Using FOR loop

for /d %a in (*) do ren "%a" "prefix-%a"

Method 4: Bulk Rename Utility

Free tool that handles folders:

1. Download Bulk Rename Utility
2. Navigate to parent directory
3. Select folders (not files)
4. Apply rename operations
5. Preview and execute

Folder Naming Best Practices

Project Folders

2024-01-client-name-project/
2024-02-another-client-project/

Dated Archives

2024-01-january-archive/
2024-02-february-archive/

Numbered Sequences

01-planning/
02-design/
03-development/
04-delivery/

Common Use Cases

Organizing project folders

Add client names, dates, or status to folder names.

Archiving by date

Prefix folders with year-month for chronological sorting.

Standardizing naming

Replace spaces with hyphens, lowercase everything.

Try File Renamer AI - Organize files inside your folders too.