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How to rename files from a Google Sheets list

Last updated 1 November 2026. Takes about 3 minutes for a batch of 100 files.

"Rename files from Google Sheets" can mean two different jobs, and they need different tools:

• The files are on your computer (or you can download them), and the sheet holds the old and new names. Download the sheet, then rename locally with a preview. Sections 1–4.
• The files live in Google Drive and must stay there with the same sharing links. That needs Apps Script. Section 5.

1. Lay out the sheet

Put Old name in A1 and New name in B1. Column A holds each filename exactly as it is now; the extension is optional. To get current filenames into the sheet without typing, copy them from your computer (see how to get a list of file names; the same commands work for Sheets) and paste into A2, or use File → Import with a CSV.

2. Build the new names with formulas

Type a formula in B2 and drag it down (or double-click the small square at the cell's corner):

The first formula strips the extension, lowercases the rest and turns every run of other characters into a single hyphen, so Q3 Report (final).PDF becomes q3-report-final-. Note the trailing hyphen. Wrap it in another REGEXREPLACE(…,"-$","") if that bothers you.

Two quick checks before you download: Data → Data cleanup → Trim whitespace removes stray spaces from pasted names, and =COUNTIF(B:B,B2)>1 as a conditional-format rule highlights duplicate new names. Mass Rename also catches both, but fixing them in the sheet is quicker.

3. Download the sheet

Use File → Download and pick one of:

• Microsoft Excel (.xlsx): includes every tab. Mass Rename lists all of them and you choose one.
• Comma-separated values (.csv): only the tab you are looking at.

Either way, formulas are exported as their results, which is what the renamer reads. Mass Rename does not open a Google Sheets link directly; it needs the downloaded file.

4. Rename the files

1. Open the renamer and drop the .xlsx or .csv on the first box.
2. Confirm the old-name and new-name columns. Headers like Old name/New name are detected automatically.
3. Add the files: select them, or drop a ZIP.
4. Check the preview. Conflicts (two files heading for the same name), illegal names and rows with no matching file are each listed with a reason.
5. Download the renamed ZIP. It also contains rename-report.csv, which records every old and new name. In Chrome or Edge you can rename in place in a local folder, with an undo for the last run.

If the files are in Google Drive but don't need to stay there unchanged: select them in Drive and choose Download. Drive packs several files into a ZIP (very large selections are split into more than one). Drop that ZIP into Mass Rename, download the renamed ZIP and upload the results. Uploaded files are new Drive files, so old sharing links will not point to them.

Nothing in this route is uploaded by Mass Rename: the sheet and files are processed inside your browser tab.

5. Renaming files inside Google Drive with Apps Script

If the files must keep their Drive IDs and sharing links, rename them in place with a short script. In your sheet open Extensions → Apps Script and paste:

function listFolder() {
  const folderId = 'PASTE_FOLDER_ID_HERE';
  const files = DriveApp.getFolderById(folderId).getFiles();
  const out = [['File ID', 'Old name', 'New name']];
  while (files.hasNext()) {
    const f = files.next();
    out.push([f.getId(), f.getName(), '']);
  }
  SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet().getRange(1, 1, out.length, 3).setValues(out);
}

function renameFromSheet() {
  const rows = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet().getDataRange().getValues();
  for (let i = 1; i < rows.length; i++) {
    const id = rows[i][0];
    const newName = String(rows[i][2]).trim();
    if (id && newName) DriveApp.getFileById(id).setName(newName);
  }
}

The folder ID is the last part of the folder's URL, after /folders/. Run listFolder on an empty tab, fill column C, then run renameFromSheet and approve the permissions prompt. Unlike Mass Rename, Drive does not keep the extension for you: the new name must include it (q3-report.pdf, not q3-report).

Script caveats. There is no preview, no conflict check and no undo, and Drive happily allows two files with the same name. Try it on a copy of the folder first. Long runs can hit Apps Script's execution time limit; if that happens, run it again on the remaining rows.

Which route to use

Open the renamer →

Prefer it one click away? Mass Rename also runs as a browser extension: Add to Chrome · Add to Edge. The first 50 files in every batch are free; unlimited is $19 once.

Next: renaming from an Excel list · renaming from a CSV · batch rename on Mac and Windows · get a list of file names into Excel · renaming photos from a list · all guides