Bulk renaming files can be a tedious and time-consuming task if done manually, especially when dealing with a large number of files. Fortunately, macOS provides powerful tools to automate this process using the Terminal. This article will guide you through different methods to bulk rename files on macOS, making your workflow more efficient and saving you valuable time.

Examples:

Using the mv Command with a Loop

One of the simplest ways to bulk rename files is by using a loop in the Terminal. Here’s an example of how to rename all .txt files in a directory by adding a prefix "new_".

#!/bin/bash
for file in *.txt; do
  mv "$file" "new_$file"
done

To run this script:

1. Open Terminal.
2. Navigate to the directory containing your files.
3. Create a new script file: nano bulk_rename.sh
4. Paste the above code into the file and save it.
5. Make the script executable: chmod +x bulk_rename.sh
6. Run the script: ./bulk_rename.sh

Using rename Command

The rename command is not installed by default on macOS, but it can be installed using Homebrew. Here’s how to install and use it:

1. Install Homebrew if you haven't already:

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

2. Install the rename command:

   brew install rename

3. Use the rename command to bulk rename files. For example, to replace spaces with underscores in all .txt files:

   rename 's/ /_/g' *.txt

Using find and xargs

For more complex renaming tasks, you can combine find and xargs. Here’s an example of renaming all .jpg files to .jpeg:

find . -name "*.jpg" -print0 | xargs -0 -I {} mv {} {}.jpeg

Using AppleScript

For users who prefer a GUI-based approach, AppleScript can be used to create a simple application for bulk renaming files.

1. Open Script Editor.
2. Paste the following AppleScript code:

   tell application "Finder"
      set theFiles to selection
      repeat with aFile in theFiles
          set name of aFile to "new_" & (get name of aFile)
      end repeat
   end tell

3. Save the script as an application.
4. Select the files in Finder and run the application.