Microsoft’s PowerToys adds a new tool to rename files in batches

Microsoft announced a new version of its open source tool for power users, PowerToys, today. The update pushes the version number to 0.12, and it brings along several tweaks and the addition of a new tool: PowerRename.

PowerRename is a tool that allows you to easily rename files in batches. If you have a load of files that all need to be renamed, PowerRename should make the task much easier.

Once opened, you can use PowerRename to search for files with a specific element in their name and have it replace that term with another you define. There are also several options allowing you to indicate types of files and folders to include or exclude.

The official release notes also detail a number of other improvements, including a dark mode for Settings and ShortcutGuide. Here’s a look at all of what’s new:

• New utility: PowerRename
• General: Microsoft signed binaries and installer
• General: Dark Mode for the Settings and for ShortcutGuide
• General: Fixed a bug that was preventing the PT Settings to be opened on some Windows configurations.
• General: Various improvements for other UI/UX bugs.
• FancyZone: Editor now supports multi-monitor
• FancyZone: Hotkey to open FZ Editor is now configurable (Win+~ was unavailable on several non-US keyboards)
• FancyZone: Fixed a bug that was preventing from activating zones for applications with custom title bars
• FancyZone: FZ Editor can now be used on small screens
• FancyZone: Improved zone activation when dragging a window, smaller zones have precedence over larger zone (community contribution)
• FancyZone: Fixed a crashing bug in FZ on some localized version of Windows (community contribution)
• FancyZone: Fixed bug preventing from resizing zone when zone edge is on the right or bottom screen edge
• FancyZone: Fixed bug that was causing the task bar and other special system windows to be snapped into zones
• FancyZone: Improved application detection for FZ history
• FancyZone: Change a FZ default settings to avoid interfering with full screen applications.

PowerToys is a reimagining of a tool by the same name that was popular in the Windows 95 era. The first version was launched in September with a set of two utilities, a Windows key shortcut guide that adapts to the program you’re using, along with a screen space customization tool called FancyZones.

PowerToys is available at GitHub for those who want to give it a shot.