Bulk Rename Utility Tutorial: Complete Beginner to Expert Guide

Bulk Rename Utility (BRU) is the most powerful free file renamer for Windows. This guide takes you from beginner to expert.

Getting Started

Download and Install 1. Visit bulkrenameutility.co.uk 2. Download the installer 3. Install (portable version also available) 4. Launch BRU

Understanding the Interface

The interface has many sections: - Browser: Navigate folders (top-left) - File list: Shows files (center) - Rename sections: Configure renaming (bottom) - Preview: See changes before applying

Basic Operations

Replace Text 1. In "Replace" section 2. Enter text to find in "Replace" 3. Enter new text in "With" 4. Check results in preview

Example: - Replace: IMG_ - With: photo- - IMG_001.jpg → photo-001.jpg

Add Prefix/Suffix 1. In "Add" section 2. Enter prefix in "Prefix" 3. Enter suffix in "Suffix"

Example: - Prefix: 2024-01- - Before: photo.jpg - After: 2024-01-photo.jpg

Numbering 1. In "Numbering" section 2. Set Mode: Suffix/Prefix/Both 3. Set Start number 4. Set Increment 5. Set Padding (001 vs 1)

Intermediate Operations

Remove Characters In "Remove" section: - First n: Remove first X characters - Last n: Remove last X characters - From/To: Remove specific positions

Change Case In "Case" section: - Same: Keep original - Lower: all lowercase - Upper: ALL UPPERCASE - Title: Title Case

Extension Changes In "Extension" section: - Fixed: Set specific extension - Lower/Upper: Change case - Remove: Delete extension

Advanced Operations

RegEx (Regular Expressions) 1. Check "RegEx" box 2. Enter match pattern 3. Enter replace pattern

Example - Extract date: - Match: (\d{4})(\d{2})(\d{2})_(.*) - Replace: $1-$2-$3-$4

Date/Time Stamps 1. In "Date" section 2. Choose date type 3. Select format

Filtering Files 1. In file browser 2. Use filter box 3. Type pattern like *.jpg

Best Practices

1. Always preview - Check the New Name column
2. Undo ready - Note you can't easily undo
3. Work on copies - Test on duplicate files first
4. Save presets - Save complex operations for reuse

When BRU Isn't Enough

BRU is powerful for patterns but can't understand file content.

File Renamer AI analyzes your files and creates meaningful, descriptive names automatically.

Try File Renamer AI - Intelligent renaming.