How to batch rename photos by date and camera on Windows
Short answer: in Contenta Converter, add the photos on the Files step, select them, press F2 (or right-click, Batch Rename...), type a pattern such as {date}_{camera}_{seq:3}, check the preview and click rename. The capture date, camera and other values come from each photo's EXIF data, so a mixed folder from two cameras sorts itself into shooting order.
A wedding shot on two bodies gives you IMG_4821 next to DSC_0107, and Explorer sorts them by name, not by the moment they were taken. Date-first names fix that for good: every folder, every photo manager and every backup sorts them in shooting order.
Rename a folder of photos, step by step
- Open Contenta Converter. On the Files step, click Add Folder or drag the photos onto the window. JPEG, HEIC, PNG, TIFF and camera RAW files all work.
- Select the files to rename (Ctrl+A for all of them), then press F2 or right-click the list and choose Batch Rename...
- Type the pattern. Use the Tokens menu to insert
{date},{camera},{seq}and the others, and add any fixed text you like around them. - Set Start sequence if the numbering should not begin at 1, then read the preview column: it shows the new name of every file before anything changes.
- Click Rename. The files are renamed on disk, in place, and the list updates. Convert them next or close the app; the new names stay.
The tokens and where their values come from
Every token is filled from the file itself. Date, time, camera, lens and exposure read the EXIF data the camera wrote; width and height read the image; the rest read the file name and folder.
| Token | What it inserts | Example |
|---|---|---|
{date} | Capture date from EXIF, year-month-day | 2026-08-12 |
{date:yyyyMMdd} | Capture date in the format you give (yyyy, MM, dd, HH, mm, ss) | 20260812 |
{time} | Capture time, hours minutes seconds | 142305 |
{year} {month} | Year and month of the capture date, as separate tokens | 2026 · 08 |
{camera} | Camera model | Canon EOS R5 |
{make} | Camera make | Canon |
{lens} | Lens model | RF24-70mm F2.8 |
{iso} {aperture} {focal} | ISO, aperture and focal length, as separate tokens | ISO400 · f2.8 · 35mm |
{gps} | GPS position, when the photo has one | 59.3293_18.0686 |
{w} {h} | Pixel width and height | 6000 · 4000 |
{seq} {seq:4} | Sequence number in list order; the number after the colon is the padding | 1 · 0001 |
{name} {ext} {folder} | Current file name without extension, the extension, the folder name | IMG_4821 · jpg · Wedding |
A photo without EXIF data (a screenshot, a scan, an image saved by a web app) has no capture date. For those files {date} is empty, so keep {name} or {seq} in the pattern as well to be sure every file still gets a distinct name.
Patterns that work
| You want | Pattern | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Shooting order, short names | {date}_{seq:3} | 2026-08-12_001.jpg |
| Two cameras, to the second | {date}_{time}_{camera} | 2026-08-12_142305_Canon EOS R5.jpg |
| Client folder, monthly archive | {year}-{month}_{folder}_{seq:4} | 2026-08_Wedding_0001.jpg |
| Keep the name, add the pixel size | {name}_{w}x{h} | IMG_4821_6000x4000.jpg |
| Lens test, sorted by focal length | {date}_{lens}_{focal}_{seq} | 2026-08-12_RF24-70mm F2.8_35mm_1.jpg |
Four rules to know before you click
- It renames the files on disk. The originals get the new names; no copies are made. If you want the camera names kept somewhere, copy the folder first, or rename the converted outputs from the command line (below) and leave the sources alone.
- List order is the sequence.
{seq}counts down the list as it is shown. Sort the list the way you want before you press F2. - Two files that would get the same name are told apart with _1, _2 at the end. Nothing is overwritten.
- The extension is kept. A pattern names the file; .jpg, .nef or .heic stays what it was. To change the format, convert the files after renaming.
Rename and convert in one command
The Contenta CLI applies the same tokens to the converted outputs, so the RAW or HEIC sources keep their names and only the JPEGs get the date-first names:
contenta batch "D:\Photos\Wedding" -o "D:\Photos\Wedding-jpg" -f jpg --rename-pattern "{date}_{camera}_{seq:3}"
--rename-pattern takes every token in the table above. An unknown token stops the run with an error before any file is written.
Renaming photos: questions
Does renaming change the photo or its EXIF data?
No. Only the file name changes. The pixels, the capture date and the camera data inside the file are untouched.
Which date is used: taken, modified or created?
{date} and {time} read the date taken that the camera wrote into the EXIF data, not the file's modified or created date in Windows.
Can I undo a batch rename?
There is no undo button. The preview shows every new name before you confirm, so read it. If you need the old names back, include {name} in the pattern; the camera name is then still part of each file name.
Does it work on RAW files from Canon, Nikon and Sony?
Yes. CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG and the other RAW formats carry the same EXIF fields, so the date, camera and lens tokens fill in the same way.
Rename your first folder
Download Contenta Converter, add a folder, press F2. Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit.
Download the free trial