Batch File Renamer

This is a simple Python script to batch rename image files in a folder based on various options like custom prefixes, zero-padded numbering, and random base62 identifiers.

What it does

• Renames all files in a folder that match given extensions (like .jpg, .png).
• Adds a custom prefix to all renamed files.
• You can choose zero-padded numbering like 001, 002 or random base62 identifiers if you want.
• Supports a dry run mode to preview changes before renaming.

Requirements

• Python 3.x
• Standard libraries only (argparse, os, secrets, string)

How to use

1. Open your terminal or command prompt.

2. Navigate to the folder where main.py is located.

3. Run the script with:

   python main.py /path/to/folder .jpg .png myprefix --zero-fill 3 --dry-run

   Replace /path/to/folder with the path to your images, .jpg and .png with your file extensions, myprefix with your desired prefix, and --zero-fill with the number of digits you want for padding. --dry-run lets you preview the renaming process without making any changes.

Example:

python main.py ./images .jpg myphoto --zero-fill 2

This will rename files like:

IMG_1234.jpg → myphoto01.jpg

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
folder	✅	Path to your images folder.
extension	✅	One or more file extensions to match (like .jpg).
prefix	✅	Prefix you want for the new file names.
--zero-fill	Optional	Number of digits for zero padding. Default is 0 (no padding).
--base62	Optional	Use random base62 strings for file renaming instead of numbers.
--recursive	Optional	Include subdirectories when renaming files.
--reset-index	Optional	Restart indexing from 1 for each subdirectory (only with --recursive).
--dry-run	Optional	Preview the new names without actually renaming files.

Notes

• The script skips files that already start with your specified prefix.
• It will print an error if the folder does not exist, contains no matching files, or if any naming conflicts occur.
• Supports renaming files in subdirectories when --recursive is used.
• If --base62 is set, it generates a random base62 string instead of using numbering or zero-padding.

Example Output

If you run in dry run mode:

[DRY RUN] Would rename DSC001.jpg → holiday001.jpg
[DRY RUN] Would rename DSC002.jpg → holiday002.jpg

If you run it without --dry-run:

Renaming DSC001.jpg → holiday001.jpg
Renaming DSC002.jpg → holiday002.jpg

Author

Written by a junior Python developer learning how to use argparse and work with files. 🙂

Feel free to fork it and make it better!