Batch renaming or mass deleting files can be a daunting task, especially if you have a large number of files or folders that need to be renamed or deleted. However, with the right tools and techniques, you can quickly and easily rename or delete multiple files or folders in Windows.

In this article, we’ll show you how to batch rename and mass delete files in Windows without using any third-party software.

Batch Renaming Files in Windows

The method we’ll be using involves using the Windows Explorer and the command prompt. Here’s the step-by-step process to batch rename files in Windows.

Step 1: Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder where the files you want to rename are located.

Step 2: Click on the first file you want to rename, then press the ‘F2’ key on your keyboard to enter rename mode.

Step 3: Rename the file to the new name you want to use, then press ‘Enter’ on your keyboard to save the new name.

Step 4: Windows will automatically select the next file in the folder. Rename it to the new name you want to use, then press ‘Enter’ to save the new name.

Step 5: Repeat step 4 for all the other files you want to rename.

This method works well for small numbers of files that you want to batch rename. However, for larger numbers of files, this method can be tedious and time-consuming. In such cases, you can use the command prompt to batch rename files.

Step 1: Open the command prompt by pressing the ‘Windows’ key + ‘R’ on your keyboard.

Step 2: Type ‘cmd’ in the Run dialog box and click ‘OK’ to open the command prompt.

Step 3: Navigate to the folder where the files you want to rename are located using the cd command. For example, if your files are located in the ‘Documents’ folder, type ‘cd Documents’ in the command prompt and press ‘Enter’.

Step 4: Type the following command to batch rename the files:

ren ‘old file name’ ‘new file name’

For example, to rename all files with the .doc extension in the ‘Documents’ folder to be called ‘MyDocument 1’, ‘MyDocument 2’, ‘MyDocument 3’, and so on, use the following command:

ren *.doc “MyDocument ”

The above command will rename all files with the .doc extension to ‘MyDocument’ followed by a sequential number.

Mass Deleting Files in Windows

Mass deleting files in Windows is quite simple. All you need to do is select the files you want to delete and press the ‘Delete’ key on your keyboard. However, this method is only suitable for deleting a small number of files.

When it comes to deleting a large number of files, the command prompt is the best tool to use. Follow these steps to mass delete files using the command prompt.

Step 1: Open the command prompt as described earlier.

Step 2: Navigate to the folder where the files you want to delete are located using the cd command.

Step 3: Enter the following command to delete all files with a particular file extension:

del *.file-extension

For example, to delete all files with the .txt extension, use the following command:

del *.txt

To delete all files in a folder, use the following command:

del *.*

The above command will delete all files in the current folder.

Conclusion

Batch renaming and mass deleting files in Windows can save you a lot of time and effort, especially when working with large numbers of files. Whether you use the Windows Explorer or the command prompt method, just make sure you double-check the files or folders you have selected for renaming or deleting to avoid accidentally deleting important files.