TidyBatchHow to add the date to file names in bulk
Turn invoice.pdf into 2024-08-12_invoice.pdf for hundreds of files at once, so they sort by date anywhere. Use YYYY-MM-DD: it's the only format that sorts correctly as plain text.
First, pick the right date
| Date | What it is | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Modified | When the file was last changed. Copying between drives or downloading can reset it. | Documents, invoices, exports |
| Date taken (EXIF) | Stored inside photos by the camera or phone. Survives copying. | Photos and many videos |
| Today | When you run the rename. | "Received on" batches |
Windows: PowerShell (modified date)
# Preview with -WhatIf; remove it to apply
Get-ChildItem -File | Rename-Item -NewName { $_.LastWriteTime.ToString('yyyy-MM-dd') + '_' + $_.Name } -WhatIfLinux: bash (modified date)
With GNU date (standard on Linux), date -r FILE prints the file's modification time. mv -n never overwrites:
# Preview (echo), then remove "echo" to run
for f in *; do [ -f "$f" ] && echo mv -n -- "$f" "$(date -r "$f" +%F)_$f"; donePhotos: exiftool (date taken)
For photos, the free ExifTool is the standard. It reads the real "date taken" and its %-c adds a counter when two photos share the same second:
# Preview: show the new names without renaming
exiftool -d '%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S%%-c.%%e' '-TestName<DateTimeOriginal' .
# Apply
exiftool -d '%Y-%m-%d_%H%M%S%%-c.%%e' '-FileName<DateTimeOriginal' .Any OS: TidyBatch (modified date, with undo)
TidyBatch uses Python-style date formats in its template. It previews by default and can undo afterwards:
tidybatch rename ./invoices -t "{date:%Y-%m-%d}_{stem}{ext}" # preview
tidybatch rename ./invoices -t "{date:%Y-%m-%d}_{stem}{ext}" --apply # apply
tidybatch undo ./invoices # revertOther fields work too, e.g. a counter in date order: tidybatch rename ./scans --sort date -t "scan_{n:03}{ext}". For photos, use {taken} instead of {date} to get the EXIF date taken: see rename photos by date taken.