Bulk Rename Utility Regex: Complete Pattern Guide with Examples

Regular expressions unlock Bulk Rename Utility's full power. Here's how to master them.

Regex Basics for File Renaming

Common Patterns

.     Any single character
*     Zero or more of previous
+     One or more of previous
?     Zero or one of previous
\d    Any digit (0-9)
\w    Any word character
^     Start of string
$     End of string

Essential Regex Examples

Match numbers

Pattern: \d+
Matches: 123, 4567, 89

Match date format

Pattern: \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}
Matches: 2024-01-15

Match camera prefix

Pattern: ^IMG_
Matches: IMG_1234.jpg

Bulk Rename Utility Regex Section

In BRU, find the RegEx section: 1. Check "RegEx" box 2. Enter Match pattern 3. Enter Replace pattern 4. Preview results

Practical Examples

Remove camera prefix

Match: ^IMG_
Replace: (empty)
Before: IMG_1234.jpg
After: 1234.jpg

Extract and reformat date

Match: (\d{4})(\d{2})(\d{2})
Replace: $1-$2-$3
Before: 20240115_photo.jpg
After: 2024-01-15_photo.jpg

Add prefix keeping original

Match: ^(.*)$
Replace: vacation-$1
Before: photo.jpg
After: vacation-photo.jpg

Remove spaces

Match: \s+
Replace: -
Before: my file name.jpg
After: my-file-name.jpg

Lowercase everything Use BRU's Case section, not regex.

Extract numbers only

Match: ^[^0-9]*(\d+)[^0-9]*(.*)$
Replace: $1$2
Before: photo_12345_final.jpg
After: 12345_final.jpg

Capture Groups Explained

Parentheses create groups you can reference:

Pattern: (\d+)_(\w+)
$1 = first group (numbers)
$2 = second group (word)

Example:

Match: (\d+)_(.*)
Replace: photo-$1-$2
Before: 123_vacation.jpg
After: photo-123-vacation.jpg

Common Mistakes

1. Forgetting to escape: Use \. for literal period
2. Greedy matching: .* matches too much, use .*?
3. Case sensitivity: BRU regex is case-sensitive by default

When Regex Isn't Enough

Regex is powerful but can't understand content. For intelligent naming:

File Renamer AI uses AI to generate meaningful names without complex patterns.

Try File Renamer AI - Beyond regex.