Letter and correspondence examples
Rename and organize letters and correspondence on Mac and Windows
Letters arrive as scans, downloads, and photographed pages with names like letter.pdf or scan_0012.pdf. NameQuick reads each one and builds a consistent filename from the document date, sender, recipient, and subject.
Use this workflow for incoming letters, official correspondence, notices, cover letters, application and permit letters, school and authority letters, and saved business correspondence. NameQuick reads each scanned or downloaded letter, pulls the date, sender, recipient, and subject off the page, and builds the filename from those fields before filing, routing, or archive. It does not replace a mail or records system.
For example, letter.pdf can become 2026-05-07_Sample-Authority_to_J-Doe_Permit-Renewal.pdf.
What arrives in a correspondence folder
Flatbed or document-scanner output, often named scan_001.pdf or similar, from physical mail.
Letters and notices saved from portals or email, usually named letter.pdf or Document(1).pdf.
Phone photos of a page saved to Downloads, Desktop, or a synced folder.
Statements of account cover letters, permit letters, and authority notices downloaded from a portal.
Start with the letter filename format
Start with a filename format when every file should follow the same field order. Go to Presets → New Preset → Filename template and build this spec: add a part for each field with Add part → New field…, and set If not found to Leave out for the sender and recipient. Then test the Preset under Test this Preset with a sample file.
Fields - Document date - Sender - Recipient or addressee - Subject Pattern {document_date}_{sender}_to_{recipient}_{subject} Field rules - Use the letter date or send date, formatted as YYYY-MM-DD. - Use the sending organization or person. - Use the recipient or addressee when it is clear. - Keep the subject to 3 to 6 words. - Omit an unclear sender or recipient. Do not guess. Do not include - street or mailing addresses - phone numbers - customer or reference IDs - private account numbers
Filename format variants
Pick the variant that matches how you sort these files. Each keeps the same structured pattern.
For letters and notices you receive, routed by sender and recipient.
- •Put the date first so letters sort by month.
- •Use the sending organization or person as the sender.
- •Keep the subject to 3 to 6 short words.
Fields NameQuick reads from a letter
| Field | Useful for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Document date | Sorting correspondence chronologically | 2026-05-07 |
| Sender | Routing letters by who sent them | Sample-Authority, Northstar-Books |
| Recipient or addressee | Routing letters by who they are addressed to | J-Doe |
| Subject | Finding a letter by what it is about | Permit-Renewal, Policy-Update |
| Document type | Understanding the file without opening it | Letter, Notice, Cover-Letter, Application |
Keep sensitive data out of filenames
These details should never appear in a filename. The template and written instructions on this page exclude them explicitly. Still check the names, because the AI can make mistakes.
- street or mailing addresses
- phone numbers
- customer or reference IDs
- private account numbers
- national ID or social security numbers
A practical workflow
Collect letters in one folder
Put new scanned letters, saved PDFs, photographed pages, and downloaded notices into a single review folder, such as ~/Documents/Correspondence Inbox/.
Apply the letter filename format
Use the letter naming filename format so every file follows the same pattern. The filename format keeps the date, sender, recipient, and subject in a fixed order. Set Apply suggestions from files you add to Review first before you add the files, so nothing is applied without your check.
Preview the suggested names
Check the document date, a clear sender, the right recipient, and a short subject. Confirm no addresses, phone numbers, or IDs appear in the name.
Rename the batch
Apply the renames together so search (Finder and Spotlight on Mac, File Explorer on Windows) and backups all see consistent, sortable correspondence names.
Route by recipient or sender
For recurring mail, make the inbox folder a watched folder (Settings → Folders → Add folder) set to Review first. Rules under After a file is renamed then move the letters into recipient or sender folders and can set tags (Finder tags on Mac; on Windows, tags on PDFs stay only in NameQuick's History).
Hand off or archive
Readable letters are easier to forward, file by person, or store by year. Keep your mail or records system as the system of record.
Optional: use written instructions
If free-form instructions suit this folder better, paste these into Presets → New Preset → Written instructions. A filename format remains the more consistent starting point when every file should follow the same structure.
Rename this letter based on its visible contents. The file is an incoming letter, sent correspondence, official notice, cover letter, or application letter. Create a concise, safe filename. Preferred pattern: {date}_{sender}_to_{recipient}_{subject} Rules: - Use the letter date or send date. Format it as YYYY-MM-DD. - Use the sending organization or person as the sender. - Use the recipient or addressee when it is clear. - Keep the subject to 3 to 6 words. - Omit an unclear sender or recipient. Do not guess. - Do not include street or mailing addresses, phone numbers, customer or reference IDs, or private account numbers. - Remove unsafe filename characters: / \ : * ? " < > | and line breaks. - Preserve the original file extension. Fallback: - If only a date and sender are reliable, use {date}_{sender}_Letter. - If almost nothing is readable, start the name with Needs-Review and do not guess any details. Return only the filename, with no explanation.
Rename first, then route
Once names are stable, Rules can move and tag files. Rules act only on files in watched folders, not on files you add to Quick Rename, and they test only the finished filename and file properties, not the letter content. Keep the first Rules narrow and send unreadable files to review.
Rename with the letter filename format
Build names from the document date, sender, recipient, and a short subject.
Tag the route
Use the Rule action Set tags to add tags such as Incoming, Sent, or a recipient name once the filename is clear. They show up as Finder tags on Mac only.
Route reliable letters
Move clear letters into recipient or sender folders. Leave letters with an unclear sender or recipient in the review folder.
| Rule | Trigger or condition | Action | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route by recipient | name contains J-Doe (one Rule per recipient, limited to the inbox folder with is in) | Move the file → move it into a folder: Correspondence/J-Doe, plus Set tags. Create year folders by letter date yourself, because {year} is the processing year | 2026-03-01_J-Doe_Sample-Insurer_Policy-Update.pdf |
| Route by sender | name contains Sample-Authority (one Rule per sender) | Move the file → move it into a folder: Correspondence/Sample-Authority, plus Set tags: Incoming | 2026-05-07_Sample-Authority_to_J-Doe_Permit-Renewal.pdf |
| Needs review | name contains Needs-Review (your own marker from the written instructions) | Move the file → move it into a folder: Correspondence/Needs-Review, optionally Set tags | Needs-Review_scan_0012.pdf |
Example folder structures (Finder or File Explorer)
Correspondence grouped by recipient
Use this when you sort mail by who each letter is addressed to.
Naming emphasis: Correspondence/<recipient>/<year>
What NameQuick does not do
NameQuick creates readable, consistent filenames for local files on Mac and Windows. For these files it does not:
- read legal or contractual meaning into letters
- replace a mail or records system
- verify the identity of a sender
- guarantee that handwriting or faded scans are read correctly
- decide what correspondence to keep or destroy
Common questions
How does NameQuick decide sender vs recipient?
NameQuick reads the visible content of the letter. The sender is usually the organization or person on the letterhead or in the From block, and the recipient is the addressee in the To or address block. When either is unclear, the template and instructions on this page tell NameQuick to leave the field out rather than guess. If a suggestion is wrong, do not apply it and adjust the Preset; for held files from watched folders, open the file in All Files, change the proposed name and choose Apply edit.
Will a mailing address end up in the filename?
It should not. The filename template and written instructions on this page explicitly exclude street and mailing addresses, phone numbers, customer or reference IDs, and private account numbers. Always preview names before applying them to confirm no sensitive detail appears.
Can NameQuick read scanned or photographed letters?
Yes. The AI model reads scanned letters and photographed pages directly from the page image, and NameQuick proposes a filename from the date, sender, recipient, and subject. The model can misread text, so preview the results, since faded or angled scans are harder to read.
What about handwritten letters?
The model often reads handwriting unreliably, and NameQuick does not flag such files on its own. In a filename template, set If not found on important fields to Skip file (the file is held for review) or to Use text with your own marker such as Needs-Review. That way you name uncertain letters yourself instead of applying a guessed name.
Organize one folder of correspondence
Try NameQuick with 30 renames. Check each letter name before applying, then route by recipient or sender.