PBRenamer is a free graphical utility for renaming batches of files, including hundreds at once. It shows proposed names as you work, flags collisions, and keeps the Rename action unavailable until conflicts are resolved. Rules can search and replace patterns, substitute text, add counters or dates, and use parent-folder names. Replacement patterns can draw on image EXIF/IPTC, audio tags, and video metadata. Other features include recursive traversal, extension handling, sidecar groups, drag and drop, saved presets, and undo for the last rename batch. For terminal workflows, headless mode can preview and confirm changes or print equivalent mv commands as a dry run. Standalone builds are listed for Linux x86-64, Windows x86-64, and Apple Silicon macOS. Source installation requires Python 3.12 or later and PySide6 6.6 or later. The GPL version 3 software includes English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian, Vietnamese, and Chinese; more languages can be added through gettext files.
Who it is for
PBRenamer suits people who need to apply consistent rules across large file batches on Linux, macOS, or Windows. Its terminal mode may also suit users who want to preview rename operations or produce dry-run commands.
What is good
- Live preview flags name collisions before renaming
- Rules can use dates, counters, and folder names
- Metadata patterns support image, audio, and video
- Undo is available for the last batch
What to know first
- Source installation requires Python 3.12 or later
- Source installation requires PySide6 6.6 or later
- Standalone macOS build listed for Apple Silicon
Verdict
PBRenamer offers rule-based batch renaming with previews, conflict checks, and undo. Choose a standalone build or follow the stated requirements for source installation.
PBRenamer plans and pricing
All plansCompared on file renaming software
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platform coverage
- multi_platform
- Regex renaming
- Yes
- Metadata-based renaming
- Yes
- Rename preview
- Yes
- Folder renaming
- Yes
- Undo changes
- Yes

