Batch Rename Files on Mac with AI - Any Pattern, Any Scale
You have 200 files named IMG_4521.
The Problem
You have 200 files named IMG_4521.jpg through IMG_4720.jpg and they need to be 2026-03-client-shoot-001.jpg through 2026-03-client-shoot-200.jpg. Or you exported data files with spaces and special characters that break your build script. Or a client delivered assets with inconsistent naming and your project needs lowercase-kebab-case throughout. Finder's rename tool handles simple find-and-replace but falls apart for anything involving sequences, dates, conditional logic, or content-based naming. The alternative is writing a bash one-liner with regex — and hoping you got the pattern right before it runs.
How Chapeta Handles This
Describe the renaming pattern in plain English. Chapeta uses the Bash tool and Glob to find the files, preview the rename plan, and execute it after your approval. Complex patterns that would require regex or a scripting language become a one-line prompt. Because it previews every rename before executing, you catch problems before they happen instead of discovering them after.
How to Batch Rename Files
4 steps to get it done
- 1
Describe what you want
Tell Chapeta the folder, the current naming pattern, and the target pattern. Be as specific or as vague as you want: 'Rename all PNGs in ~/Desktop to lowercase with dashes' works. So does 'add the creation date as a prefix to every file in this folder.'
- 2
Review the plan
Chapeta shows you the full list of renames before executing. You see the before and after for every file. Nothing runs until you approve. If something looks wrong, adjust your instructions and get a new preview.
- 3
Execute
Approve the plan and Chapeta runs the rename commands. It handles edge cases like duplicate names and missing sequence numbers.
- 4
Verify and adjust
After execution, Chapeta confirms the renames and can show the final file listing. If any name needs fixing, ask for a targeted correction. The preview-then-execute model means mistakes are rare, but follow-up adjustments take seconds.
Example
In ~/Projects/client-assets, rename all .png files to lowercase, replace spaces with hyphens, and add a sequential number prefix starting at 001.
Preview of 12 renames: Hero Banner.png → 001-hero-banner.png Product Shot 1.png → 002-product-shot-1.png Product Shot 2.png → 003-product-shot-2.png Team Photo.png → 004-team-photo.png Logo Dark.png → 005-logo-dark.png ... (7 more) Approve to execute all 12 renames?
Without Chapeta
Use Finder's basic rename tool — limited to find-and-replace or sequential numbering, nothing conditional. Write a bash one-liner with regex you will spend 10 minutes debugging, hoping you do not accidentally overwrite files when two names collide. Use a dedicated rename app that costs $10-30 and still requires learning its own pattern syntax. For complex patterns involving dates, conditional logic, or content-based naming, write a shell script from scratch. In every case, you are the one responsible for catching edge cases, and there is no preview step between writing the command and executing it.
Tools Used
Go Deeper
Jump into the related guide, tool, or skill when you need more depth.
Automate Your Mac with AI
See broader file and folder automation patterns that build on the same Bash and Glob workflow.
Bash Tool
The rename plan runs as real shell commands, with a preview and explicit approval before execution.
Glob Tool
Use Glob when the hard part is finding the right files before you transform them.
FAQ
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