A Python script that renames hundreds of files at once by your rules: dates, numbers, words or a list

Example result

python merge_sales.py --month 2026-10

2026-11-02 09:14:03 INFO  Folder: sales/2026-10, 9 files found
2026-11-02 09:14:03 INFO  shop-01.csv: 1,284 rows
2026-11-02 09:14:04 INFO  shop-02.xlsx: 967 rows
2026-11-02 09:14:04 WARN  shop-07.csv: 3 rows without a price skipped (lines 88, 412, 913)
2026-11-02 09:14:05 INFO  Done: 10,412 rows -> report-2026-10.xlsx (sheets "Sales" and "Totals")

[columns]
date = Date, Sale date, Day
product = Product, Item, Name
quantity = Qty, Quantity, Pcs
price = Price, Unit price

def read_shop_file(path: Path, columns: dict[str, list[str]]) -> pd.DataFrame:
    """Reads one shop's file and gives it the report's column names."""
    table = pd.read_excel(path) if path.suffix == ".xlsx" else pd.read_csv(path, encoding="utf-8-sig")
    renamed = {}
    for name, variants in columns.items():
        found = next((c for c in table.columns if c.strip() in variants), None)
        if found is None:
            raise ReportError(f"{path.name}: no column for '{name}' (looked for {', '.join(variants)})")
        renamed[found] = name
    table = table.rename(columns=renamed)[list(columns)]
    table["shop"] = path.stem
    return table

About this service

Renaming files one by one takes an afternoon when there are hundreds of them: photos from a shoot, scanned documents, product pictures, invoices in a folder. This Python script renames them by the rules you set: it adds a date taken from the file, a prefix or a running number, replaces or removes words, changes the case, or takes new names from a CSV list of old and new names. Before it renames anything it shows what each file will be called, and it never overwrites a file that already has that name. Send us the rules and a few current names with the names you want. You run the script yourself on your computer, so try it on a copy of the folder first. It changes names only: it does not edit what is inside the files.

What is included

• What you getA ZIP archive with the Python script, a README with step-by-step instructions and, from Standard, a settings file with your rules; the code is also shown on the order page.
• Preview firstA list of old and new names before any file is renamed
• Your naming rulesDates, numbers, prefixes, replaced words or a CSV list
• No overwritingIf a name is taken, the file gets a number instead of replacing another
• Any kind of filePhotos, PDFs, documents and other files on Windows, macOS or Linux
• Readable codeWith comments, so a rule is easy to change later

How it works

1. 1
   RulesYou describe the rules and send a few current and wanted names
2. 2
   CodeWe write the script and the guide to running it
3. 3
   Try itYou run it on a copy of the folder and look through the preview
4. 4
   ChangesYou ask for changes within your package and send any error message

What we need from you

Which folder you want to rename and what is in it (photos, PDFs, documents), roughly how many files, and the rules: what goes into the new name and in what order. A list of 5-10 current names next to the names you want shows it best. If the names come from a list, a few rows of that CSV or Excel file. Whether there are subfolders, and your system: Windows, macOS or Linux.

We will ask you:

• Which files do you want to rename?
• What should the new names look like?
• Where will it run?
• Anything it must never do

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Questions and answers

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