Local files. Clear changes.
Help & Support
Preview every change. Rename only when the proposed names look right.
Your first batch
Choose Add Files or try the disposable sample files. Add a folder to work with its immediate files; subfolders are not traversed. Describe a change, choose a recipe, or edit one proposed filename to teach a pattern. Choose Preview, inspect the names and issues, then Rename. Extensions stay unchanged.
Rules and Apple on-device mode
Built-in rules work on macOS 14 or later without Apple Intelligence. Broader on-device language planning needs macOS 26 or later, an eligible Mac, Apple Intelligence enabled, and its downloaded model. Use the mode menu to refresh availability or choose built-in rules. The model can misunderstand requests: inspect the operations and preview before applying them.
Useful instructions
Try Make lowercase; Replace spaces with hyphens; Add 'holiday-' at the beginning; or Put the creation date first as YYYY-MM-DD. Date sources must be explicit: capture/date taken uses EXIF metadata, while created and modified use filesystem dates in UTC. Supported formats are YYYY-MM-DD, YYYYMMDD, and YYYY-MM-DD_HH-mm-ss. Missing capture metadata is blocked rather than replaced with another date.
Permissions and conflicts
Renaming individual files may require selecting their containing folder so RenaML can check sibling names and perform the moves. If access is lost, select that folder again. Resolve duplicate destinations with the conflict controls or change the recipe. Excluded files still occupy their names. Files changed since preview require a new preview.
Undo and interrupted work
Use Undo Last Rename or open History to inspect an earlier batch. If a batch was interrupted, inspect its recovery preview in History before recovering it. RenaML refuses to overwrite occupied destinations or undo over changed content. If later batches renamed the same files, undo those later batches first. Process interruption recovery does not guarantee recovery from power loss or unreliable storage.
When a request fails
For a temporary model error, try later or choose built-in rules. For an ambiguous date, name the source and format. Semantic naming from document contents or photos, extension changes, arbitrary date formats, and moving files into folders are not supported. Nothing is renamed just by entering an instruction or preparing a preview.
Report a problem
Include the RenaML version shown below, your macOS version, the action you tried, and the exact error. A small invented set of filenames is usually enough to reproduce a problem. Do not attach sensitive files or rename journals unless you have reviewed their contents and intend to share them. Support links do not send anything automatically.
Contact
Questions about RenaML or this policy? Email support@bubstack.dev.