Filename Search & Replace is a powerful function which lets you search selected filenames for specific words or phrases and replace them with other text. It is recommended for advanced users who are comfortable with search & replace tools. After a search & replace is executed, a results window will be shown when it is finished if any filenames were changed.
You may choose up to 6 search terms. Leave search terms blank if not needed. Below is an example:
Search Term #1
If the filename contains Bill replace it with William
This would replace all instances of the word Bill with William. For example, Bill & Joan 001.JPG would become William & Joan 001.JPG.
But you need to use caution with search & replace. With the above example, if you had also selected a file such as Billy at work 004.JPG, it would then become Williamy at work 004.JPG. Not exactly what you had in mind, huh? Keep in mind that the search term need only be in the filename as you typed it….even if it is only a part of a larger word.
If you ever find that you have made such a mistake, you can easily correct it though. Start a new Search & Replace, and replace Williamy with Billy. This will only change Williamy to Billy… it would not affect William.
Bearing all of this in mind, it is best to select only the files you wish to search before you start the Search & Replace. This can prevent a lot of accidental changes.
You can also remove words too. For instance, if you had several files starting with Bill & Joan at zoo XXXX.JPG, where XXXX was a series #, and wanted to remove at zoo, you would do the following:
Search Term #1
If the filename contains at zoo replace it with
Note that we’ve left the ‘Replace it with’ field empty. This will cause any instances of the search term to be replaced with nothing…. in other words, the search term is removed from the filename. Remember though that leaving a search term blank (the ‘If the filename contains’ field) will cause that search term to be skipped.
With a little practice you will find that Search & Replace can be a very handy tool. It can speed up the process of renaming some files that have already been renamed before, and can often be a part of a multi-stage renaming process.
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