Renaming a large collection of images one by one is painful—especially when you’re dealing with hundreds of files that need to follow a specific naming pattern.
In this guide, I’ll show you how I renamed 308 images instantly using a simple PowerShell automation workflow.

Whether you’re a photographer, digital artist, or content creator, this method will save you hours of manual work.

Why Use PowerShell for Bulk Renaming?

PowerShell reads file names directly from the folder, matches them with your new naming list, and renames everything instantly—without third-party software.
You stay in full control of the file structure, extensions, and ordering.

It works for:

• .jpg / .jpeg / .png / .webp

• Mixed extensions

• Sequential numbering

• Complex names exported from phones or cameras

• Renaming to your own custom list

Step 1 — Create a Text File With Your New File Names

Prepare the list of new names you want to assign to your images.

Example list:

Save it as:

This will be your new filenames list.

Step 2 — Extract the Current Image Names From Your Folder

To rename files accurately, PowerShell needs to know the current filenames exactly as they are.
For that, use the Extract Script.

1. Copy your image folder path (the source images)

Example:

2. Open the extract script and replace $path

3. Run the extract script

Open Windows PowerShell as Administrator
Navigate to the folder where the script is stored:

Run:

You will now see:

containing all your existing file names in the correct order.

Step 3 — Use the Rename Script to Bulk Rename All Files

Now that you have:

• imagenamelist.txt → old file names

• old_image_name_list.txt → new file names

• Both containing the same number of entries

…it’s time to rename everything.

Place these files and the rename script in the same folder:

Then use this script:

Step 4 — Run the Rename Script

In PowerShell:

You will see files being renamed live:

If any file is missing or mismatched, it will show:

This helps you identify issues instantly.

Done! Your Entire Folder Is Renamed Automatically

No manual clicking.
No third-party software.
Complete accuracy.
Works for hundreds or thousands of files.

Download the Scripts (Free)

You can grab both scripts here:

???? [Download Extract Script]
???? [Download Rename Script]

(You will later replace these with your actual blog URLs.)

Conclusion

PowerShell gives you a fast, clean, and professional way to bulk-rename files with perfect accuracy.
If you’re a creator, artist, photographer, or someone who deals with large media folders, this workflow is game-changing.

If you want more automation tutorials, custom PowerShell scripts, or workflow hacks, feel free to explore more guides on my site.