Is there a way natively in Windows to rename multiple selected files in a folder to have a common prefix? Effectively what I want is a way to manually select multiple files, right-click and rename them, but with the option to add a prefix only. I also don't want to install extra software to accomplish this.
I already know about the batch rename by selecting files and pressing F2, but this replaces the entire name and appends a sequential number. I want to keep the current name and only add a prefix.
I also know you can run cmd in the folder and rename files that have common name characters or file attributes, but in my example the files I want to select will not have any shared names and all files in the folder are the same type.
My only solution I can think of is to temporarily move the files to a new folder and batch rename them, then move them back to the original folder. I feel like there has to be a better way than this.
gci C:\foo\bar -Filter *.xy | % { rename-item $_.FullName -NewName ("Prefix_" + $_.Name) }%becauseRename-Itemreceives a list of file objects, and you don't need $_.FullName either:gci C:\foo\bar -Filter *.xy | ren -NewName ("Prefix_" + $_.Name) }