Microsoft adds PowerRename tool to PowerToys collection

[harlan4096]

Microsoft released a PowerToys update this week that introduced a new program, called PowerRename, to the collection of utilities for Windows.

The company revived the PowerToys collection of programs in mid 2019 and released a first version to the public in September 2019. The initial version included just two utilities: FanzyZones and Shortcut Guide.

FancyZones applied a grid layout to the desktop to make working with windows easier, and Shortcut Guide a help file that revealed important shortcuts.

PowerToys 0.12.0 is now available. It can be downloaded from the official project website over on GitHub or installed/upgraded using Chocolatey.

The first thing that you may notice is that Microsoft signed the binaries and the installer in the new release. The new utility, called PowerRename, adds advanced rename options to the system's file manager.

Just right-click on a selection of files or folders, and select PowerRename to open the program interface. PowerRename lists the selected files/folders in the interface and the criteria for the rename operation at the top.

The two fields at the top -- search for and replace with -- define the characters that you want to replace and the characters you want to replace them with. Anything that you enter in "search for" is removed from the original file name and anything that you enter in "replace with" is added.

PowerRename displays a preview of the renamed filenames so that you know exactly how they will look like when you hit the rename button. The tool displays the number of items that will be renamed and the total number of items in the interface as well.

It is certainly possible to remove characters from files without adding any. Replace adds the characters in the same location that the "search for" characters were at.
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