Rule Usage Guide

The real challenge of batch renaming isn't "how to rename" but "how to rename in a controlled, batch, and consistent manner."

Renamio's rule system is designed exactly for this: a composable, previewable, and extensible renaming pipeline. Whether you're organizing a few photos or processing thousands of files, you can quickly achieve consistent and controlled results through rules—instead of manually modifying each file one by one.

Rule System Overview

Renamio provides 17 transformation rules covering various scenarios from simple replacements to complex logic. Each rule supports:

• Precise Control - Configurable parameters and options
• Extension Handling - Option to ignore file extensions
• Rule Combination - Multiple rules can be chained together, where the output of one rule becomes the input of the next
• Real-time Preview - Instantly see results when modifying settings, confirm before execution

Rule Categories

Text Processing Rules

View All Text Processing Rules →

For the most common daily cleanup tasks: removing extra brackets, replacing typos, adding uniform prefixes, removing ad suffixes, etc.

• Find and Replace - Find specified text and replace with new text
• Insert Text - Insert text at a specified position in the filename
• Remove Text - Remove text within a specified range from the filename
• Clean Invalid Characters - Clean illegal characters and extra spaces from filenames
• Swap Text - Swap text on the left and right sides of a filename based on a delimiter

Format Conversion Rules

View All Format Conversion Rules →

Solve format inconsistency problems: mixed letter cases, converting Chinese characters to pinyin, incorrect extensions, etc.

• Character Conversion - Perform case conversion, pinyin conversion, and other character transformations
• Regular Expression - Use regular expressions for advanced text matching and replacement
• Fix Extension - Automatically detect and fix file extensions

Structured Data Rules

View All Structured Data Rules →

Make filenames carry meaningful information: sequence numbers, dates, file attributes—convenient for sorting and archiving.

• Sequence Generation - Add sequence numbers or serial numbers to files
• Date and Time Formatting - Insert or replace with formatted date and time
• Random Character Generation - Generate random strings and insert them into filenames
• Number Zero Padding - Add leading zeros to numbers in filenames or remove zero padding
• File Metadata - Extract information from file attributes (such as creation time, modification time, file size, etc.)

Advanced Rules

View All Advanced Rules →

Handle complex or unpredictable naming scenarios: conditional branching, regex capture groups, JavaScript custom logic. These are expert-level tools.

• Conditional Replace - Perform smart replacement based on conditions
• JavaScript Script - Use JavaScript code for custom renaming logic

Advanced Usage and Combination Tips

Rule Chain Combination

Renamio supports combining multiple rules, executed in sequence:

1. Clean + Format: First clean invalid characters, then perform character conversion
2. Insert + Sequence: First insert a uniform prefix, then add sequence numbers
3. Convert + Replace: First perform character conversion, then replace specific text
4. Metadata + Format: First extract file metadata, then perform formatting

Best Practices

1. Preview at Each Step - Preview after adding each rule, confirm the result before adding the next
2. Backup Important Files - Backup is recommended before batch operations, especially for irreversible renaming
3. Break Down Complex Rules - For complex renaming, it's recommended to split into 2-3 independent rules, making it easier to locate errors
4. Use the Favorites Feature - Save commonly used rule combinations as favorites for quick access next time

Important Notes

• Sequence generation and similar rules are sensitive to file order; it's recommended to sort first before execution
• Be aware of file system limitations on filename length and special characters
• For regex and JS scripts, test with a small number of files first

Quick Start

If you're using Renamio for the first time, we recommend learning in the following order:

1. Start with the simple Find and Replace
2. Try Insert Text to add prefixes or suffixes
3. Learn Sequence Generation to number files
4. Explore Regular Expression for advanced operations
5. Master Conditional Replace for complex scenarios

Through this learning path, you can gradually progress from basic text operations to complex logic, mastering all of Renamio's capabilities.