Rename Multiple Files on Mac: Replace Text, Add Text or Number Them
By ON Lab · Sources checked November 6, 2026
In Finder on Mac, select the intended files, Control-click one of them and choose Rename. Use Replace Text to change a repeated part of existing names, Add Text for a shared prefix or suffix, or Format for a consistent name with an index, counter or date. Read the rule and resulting names before applying the change to an important group.
Define the name change before selecting the batch
A Mac reader asks how to rename many files to remove characters so that they can sync to OneDrive. Apple's current Mac guide documents the Finder naming tools. It does not establish that one name change will fix every OneDrive sync problem. This guide covers the controlled file-name operation, with verification afterward.
Write down what must change and what must stay: the repeated text, the intended prefix, the numbering scheme and the file extension. File names and file contents are different things. Renaming a file is not a format conversion, and a filename cleanup is not proof of completed cloud synchronization.
1. Work with a clearly bounded selection
- Open the folder containing the files in Finder.
- Preserve a suitable copy or backup before changing an important set.
- Select only the items that should receive the same rule.
- Read the selection and check for unrelated files or folders.
- Control-click one selected item and choose Rename.
Do not assume that a command covers hidden subfolders or every file in an entire project. Verify what you actually selected. A small copy of representative files can help you check a rule before applying it to the original set.
Apple advises against renaming the home folder, items supplied with the system such as Library, and file extensions. Keep this operation confined to your intended ordinary files. If a name problem affects system-managed or application-managed content, do not treat it as a routine batch rename.
2. Choose Replace Text for a repeated fragment
Use this when the existing names are mostly correct but contain the same fragment that should change. In the Finder rename controls, choose Replace Text. Read the complete Find and Replace with fields and enter the old fragment and its intended replacement.
For example, an editorial naming rule might replace Draft- with Review- in several document names. That is a specific text change, not a request to replace all names with one identical name. Inspect how the rule applies to representative items before committing.
Watch for a fragment that also occurs elsewhere in a filename. A rule intended for a prefix may match other text depending on the available controls. If the displayed result is not what you intended, stop and revise the rule rather than applying another broad replacement afterward.
3. Choose Add Text when the old name should remain
Choose Add Text in the pop-up menu, enter the shared text and choose whether to put it before or after the current name. This is useful for a common project label while keeping each original name recognizable.
Read spaces, hyphens and other separators as part of the text you are adding. A prefix such as ProjectA- is different from ProjectA with no separator. Check the complete result, including the part of the original name that must remain.
4. Choose Format for a consistent series
Apple documents a Format option with an index, counter or date placed before or after the name. Choose the format, enter the Custom Format text and read the starting number before clicking Rename.
A consistent series can suit a set of exports, but the numbering rule alone does not prove a desired chronological or business order. Inspect the actual mapping between files and names. Do not infer that number 1 belongs to a particular photo or record without checking it.
5. Apply once, then inspect the actual files
- Re-read the chosen mode and every visible text or number field.
- Confirm the intended selected items.
- Click Rename only when the rule is correct.
- Read the resulting names in Finder, including representative first, middle and last items.
- Open a representative renamed file and confirm it is the expected content.
- Check that extensions and unrelated items remain unchanged.
For a large set, keep a before-and-after name list or another record that lets you identify an unintended change. A successful Rename command is not the same as inspecting the result. If the result is wrong, stop further changes and use the preserved copy or an available undo route only after checking the current state.
If the original issue was cloud sync
Return to the sync app and read its actual remaining error after the filename task. Record the affected item and error rather than declaring the problem solved from the Finder operation. Name restrictions, path length, access and service state can require different evidence; this guide does not diagnose those separate conditions.
Completion here means the intended files have the intended names and still open as expected. It is not a guarantee that every cloud copy has updated. No private files were renamed and no OneDrive account was accessed while preparing this guide.