How Do You Rename Many PDF Files at Once?
You bulk rename PDF files by adding them to QuickCatPDF's PDF Rename Tool, choosing how the new names are made, checking the preview, and clicking Rename files. Names can come from a numbered pattern, the PDF's own title, the first line of text in each PDF, or a find-and-replace, and the renamed files download together in a ZIP.
Everything happens in your browser, so the PDFs aren't uploaded.
How to Rename PDF Files With QuickCatPDF
Renaming PDFs takes four steps.
- Click Select PDF files and add the PDFs. Add more at any time.
- Under Rename using, choose A pattern with numbers, The PDF title, The first line of text, or Find and replace.
- Adjust the options and check the old and new names in the table.
- Click Rename files, then download the ZIP (or the single file).
Why Use QuickCatPDF to Rename PDFs?
QuickCatPDF can name files after what's inside them. Downloads and scans often arrive as "document(17).pdf" or "scan_0042.pdf"; using the PDF title or the first line of text, such as an invoice heading, gives every file a meaningful name in one go.
Duplicate names are handled automatically: in our test, two files with the same first line were named "Test document page 1.pdf" and "Test document page 1 (2).pdf". Unwanted characters that some systems don't allow in file names are removed.
By default the files themselves aren't changed, only renamed. Tick Also set the new name as the PDF's title if you want the title inside the PDF to match too.
How Do Rename Patterns Work?
A pattern is the new name with placeholders. {n} becomes a number, {name} the current name, and {date} today's date. "Invoice-{n}" with Digits set to "01, 02, 03" gives Invoice-01.pdf, Invoice-02.pdf and so on, which keeps files in order in any folder.
Set Start at to continue an existing series, and use Letter case for consistent upper- or lower-case names. Find and replace changes part of each current name, for example replacing "scan_" with "Contract ".
A browser can't rename the files on your disk directly, so you download renamed copies; replace the originals with them if you want. To combine the renamed files, use Merge PDF.
Renaming is usually the last step: before it, you can rotate PDF pages that are sideways or remove PDF pages you don't need.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free tool to bulk rename PDF files online?
Yes, QuickCatPDF's PDF rename tool is free, with no sign-up and no daily limit.
How many PDFs can I rename at once?
Up to 500 PDFs in one batch; they download together as a ZIP.
Will renaming change my PDFs?
No, the content stays byte-for-byte the same unless you choose to update the PDF's title.
What if a PDF has no title?
The tool keeps the current name for that file; you'll see this in the preview table. Try The first line of text instead.
Are my files uploaded?
No, the names are read and changed in your browser. More tools are on PDF Tools, and PDF Viewer lets you check a file's contents first.
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