How to add a prefix to all files and folders in a folder? (windows)

Question

The following command only changes the name of the files but not the folders.

for %a in (*) do ren "%a" "00_%a"

Do you absolutely have to use a batch file? Can you not use a program like Rename Master to do this? — Dour High Arch, Jan 18 '16 at 17:34

score 19 · Accepted Answer · edited Jun 12 '20 at 13:48

The following command only changes the name of the files but not the folders.

for %a in (*) do ren "%a" "00_%a"

Notes:

Using for as above is not advised.
There is a possibility that files can be renamed multiple times.
See below for the reason why.

Use the following in a cmd shell:

for /f "tokens=*" %a in ('dir /b') do ren "%a" "00_%a"

In a batch file (replace % with %%):

for /f "tokens=*" %%a in ('dir /b') do ren "%%a" "00_%%a"

Note:

It is critical that you use FOR /F and not the simple FOR.

The FOR /F gathers the entire result of the DIR command before it begins iterating, whereas the simple FOR begins iterating after the internal buffer is full, which adds a risk of renaming the same file multiple times.

as advised by dbenham in his answer to add "text" to end of multiple filenames:

`ren` does work on folders. The limitation is that "you cannot specify a different drive or path for the Target. – DavidPostill Jan 18 '16 at 17:40
@DavidPostill Yeah it was an old habit creeping in, I changed it back to `Ren`. – Ƭᴇcʜιᴇ007 Jan 18 '16 at 17:40
You can do both files and folders in one command (see my answer). And I suspect `for /d` may also have the problem of trying to process values multiple times (also see my answer). – DavidPostill Jan 18 '16 at 17:42

How to add a prefix to all files and folders in a folder? (windows)

2 Answers2

The following command only changes the name of the files but not the folders.

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