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How to rename photos from an Excel list
Last updated . Takes about 5 minutes for a 300-photo shoot.
Cameras name photos IMG_0412.JPG or DSC_0412.NEF. Shops, clients and archives want
tsh-blk-m-1.jpg or smith-wedding-001.jpg. If the mapping already lives in a spreadsheet,
such as a shot list, a product catalogue or a client's picks, you can rename the whole shoot in one pass.
How the matching works with photos
- Case doesn't matter.
img_0412in the sheet matchesIMG_0412.JPGon disk. - The extension on disk is kept, including its case. A
.JPGstays.JPGeven if the sheet says.jpg. Mass Rename changes names, not extensions. - RAW + JPEG pairs move together. If the old-name cell says
IMG_0412with no extension, every file with that name is renamed:IMG_0412.CR3,IMG_0412.JPGand anIMG_0412.xmpsidecar all becometsh-blk-m-1.*. If the cell saysIMG_0412.JPG, only the JPEG is renamed. - Any file type works: JPEG, HEIC, PNG, TIFF, RAW, video. The bytes are copied unchanged, so there is no recompression and the EXIF data inside the file is untouched.
Product photos: rename to SKU
The usual studio workflow is to shoot products in the order of a shot list and photograph the SKU label (or a card with the SKU written on it) before each product. Afterwards, list the files in column A (how to get the file list) and type or paste the SKU of each frame in column B. Most products have several angles, so add a view number:
| A: Old name | B: SKU | C: View | D: New name |
|---|---|---|---|
| IMG_0412 | TSH-BLK-M | 1 | tsh-blk-m-1 |
| IMG_0413 | TSH-BLK-M | 2 | tsh-blk-m-2 |
| IMG_0415 | TSH-WHT-M | 1 | tsh-wht-m-1 |
The formulas, filled down from row 2:
C2: =COUNTIF(B$2:B2,B2)
D2: =LOWER(B2)&"-"&C2
COUNTIF with a growing range counts how many times the SKU has appeared so far, so each angle
gets the next number. Leave out the label shots by deleting their rows. A file with no row is left as it is.
If you want descriptive names, which Google's image guidelines
recommend, join in a short product title:
=LOWER(B2)&"-"&SUBSTITUTE(LOWER(E2)," ","-")&"-"&C2 gives
tsh-blk-m-organic-cotton-tee-1.
Name the column headers Old name and New name, or pick the right columns from the
drop-downs after you load the sheet. Extra columns such as SKU and View are ignored.
Client delivery: rename the selects
For weddings, events and portraits, clients usually choose from a proof gallery by frame number. Paste their picks into column A in delivery order and number them in column B:
B2: ="smith-wedding-"&TEXT(ROW()-1,"000")
That gives smith-wedding-001, smith-wedding-002 and so on, in the client's order
rather than the camera's. Keep the sheet with the job. The renamed ZIP also contains
rename-report.csv listing every original and new name, which helps when a client later asks
for "the original of 027".
Run the rename
- Open the renamer and drop your
.xlsxor.csv. - Add the photos: select them, or drop a ZIP of the shoot.
- Check the preview. Two frames heading for the same name show as Name conflict and both are skipped; a typo in column A shows up as an unmatched row instead of silently doing nothing.
- Download the renamed ZIP, or, in Chrome or Edge, use Rename in a local folder instead.
Large shoots. Building a ZIP of several gigabytes happens in your browser's memory, which can be slow or fail on big batches. For those, rename in a local folder (Chrome or Edge). It works on the files directly inside the folder you choose, not in subfolders, and Undo the last rename reverses the most recent run. Try it on a copy of the folder first.
Two side effects to know about. Because the browser cannot rename a file atomically, the tool writes the file under its new name and then deletes the original. File-system dates (created/modified) therefore show the time of the rename, though the capture date in EXIF is unchanged. And if the photos are already in a Lightroom or Capture One catalogue, renaming outside the app makes them show as missing. Rename before importing, or use the app's own rename for catalogued files.
Frequently asked questions
Can I rename photos from an Excel list without a macro?
Yes. Put the current names in one column and the new names in another, drop the sheet and the photos into Mass Rename, check the preview and download the renamed ZIP. In Chrome or Edge you can rename in a local folder instead.
Does renaming change photo quality or EXIF data?
No. The file's bytes are copied unchanged under the new name, so there is no recompression and EXIF, including the capture date, stays as it was. File-system created/modified dates will show the time of the rename.
Will my RAW and JPEG files be renamed together?
Yes, if the old-name cell has no extension: IMG_0412 matches IMG_0412.CR3, IMG_0412.JPG and IMG_0412.xmp, and each keeps its own extension. If the cell includes an extension, only that file is renamed.
Can it change .JPG to .jpg?
No. Mass Rename keeps each file's extension exactly as it is on disk, so the spreadsheet can never turn one file type into another by mistake.
Can it name photos by date or EXIF data automatically?
No. The new names come from your spreadsheet. If you need dates in the names, put them in a sheet column and build the new name with a formula.
How many photos can I rename for free?
The first 50 files in each batch are free. A one-time $19 licence removes the limit; see the pricing page.
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 from Google Sheets · all guides