Naming presets

A Preset is a saved naming setup. Use one when files of one kind should always be named the same way, such as invoices named by date, vendor and invoice number. For mixed files, Smart Rename needs no setup.

Start from a ready-made Preset#

A new install comes with three Presets: Invoices, Date + Sender and Type + Date. You can use them as they are, change them or delete them.

To make your own, open Presets and click New Preset. Build it yourself, or pick one of the eight templates under Or start from a template: Bank statements, Invoices, Receipts, Admin forms and reports, Travel bookings, Insurance documents, Contracts and Photos. A template fills in the parts for you, and you can change them like any other Preset.

There are two kinds of Preset:

Changes save automatically; there's no Save button. Editing or deleting a Preset never renames files on disk. Whether a name is applied right away or waits for you is a separate setting; see Rename Modes.

1. 01Build the name from partsEach part is one detail from the file, such as the date.
2. 02Add a part of your ownSay what to look for, and what happens if a file doesn't have it.
3. 03Add a cleanupSay in your own words how a part should be written.
4. 04Test it on one fileSee the name it would give. The file stays as it is.

Replay

Filename templates#

A filename template builds the name from parts, left to right. To make one, open Presets›New Preset and choose Filename template.

Parts#

Add parts with Add part:

• New field…: a detail NameQuick finds in each file. You give it a name, such as Invoice date.
• Fixed text…: text that's the same in every name, such as Invoice.

Drag parts to change their order.

The AI reads a field's name as the instruction for what to find, so make the name specific:

To say more, select the part and click Add instructions for this part. Say what to find and how to write it, for example:

• Invoice number, usually starting with INV-
• The date the contract was signed
• The vendor, shortened: "Deutsche Telekom AG" is just "Telekom"

Separators#

Click the gap between two parts to change its separator:

Use for all gaps applies your choice to every gap. Custom… takes up to 8 characters of punctuation or spaces, but not characters a file name can't contain (/ \ : * ? " < > |).

To change how the words inside one part look, for example Acme Corporation → Acme-Corporation, add a cleanup to that part.

If not found#

Each field has an If not found choice for files where the AI can't find the value. A field you add starts on Skip file.

If a Preset asks for two or more details and finds none of them, the file probably isn't the kind of file the Preset is for. NameQuick marks it Not for this Preset and leaves its name alone.

The AI can also miss that a value is absent, so check the results for important files.

Written instructions#

With written instructions, you describe the name in your own words instead of building it from parts. The AI reads your instructions, exactly as written, every time it names a file.

1. Open New Preset

   Presets›New Preset

2. Choose Written instructions

3. Write the instructions in your own words

   Changes save automatically.

4. Test them on sample files

   See Test before you use it.

Instructions can be short or detailed. One Preset can set different formats for different kinds of documents, formatting rules and what to do in unusual cases. Put example names into the instructions text: the Example filename field below it is for your own reference, and the AI doesn't read it. To avoid guessed values, say what to write when a detail is missing, for example MISSING.

Example for photos. These instructions turn IMG_4823.jpg into a name like paris-skyline-sunset.jpg:

CONTENT
Describe what the photo shows, 3-6 words.
Start with the city or location if recognizable.

FORMATTING
All lowercase. Hyphens as separators.
No dates, camera info, or dimensions.
Screenshots: prefix with "screenshot-".

EXAMPLES
Paris skyline at sunset → paris-skyline-sunset
App UI showing analytics → screenshot-analytics-dashboard

Example for invoices. These instructions set a pattern, rules for each kind of document and unusual cases. They turn scan_2843.pdf into a name like 2026-03-14_Amazon_INV-4711_49.90EUR.pdf:

EXTRACT
Invoice date, vendor, invoice number, and total amount.

NAMING
Pattern: YYYY-MM-DD_Vendor_InvoiceNumber_Total
Date as ISO (2026-03-14). Vendor in PascalCase, drop legal suffixes (GmbH, Inc).
Total with currency and two decimals, e.g. 49.90EUR.

DOCUMENT TYPES
Receipt: prefix "receipt-".
Credit note: prefix "creditnote-", keep the amount negative.
Reminder: prefix "reminder-".

EDGE CASES
No invoice number: use the order or reference number.
Foreign currency: keep the original currency code.
Multi-page: name by the first page.

For values that aren't printed on the document, such as ISO week codes or customer codes, see Teach the AI your naming convention.

Text Cleanup#

A cleanup tells the AI how a value or the finished name should look. You write it in plain words, and the AI reads it every time it names a file.

In a filename template, open Cleanup and write an instruction for one part, such as Format the date as YYYY-MM-DD, or for the Whole name, such as Replace all spaces with hyphens. Ready-made suggestions such as Title Case and Date to YYYY-MM-DD add a sentence for you.

Because the AI interprets cleanups, they aren't fixed find-and-replace rules, and the result isn't guaranteed. Test them on real files.

Test before you use it#

Every Preset has a free test. It names one file without renaming it or adding it to your library.

1. Open the Preset in Presets

2. Add a sample file

   Test this Preset

   Drop a file, or click Choose a sample file…

3. Click Test Preset

4. Compare the result with the file

   What the Preset found lists each value, and How the AI decided explains the choices.

Testing doesn't use credits or trial renames. With your own cloud API key, your provider still bills the request. After you change the Preset, test again, and try several kinds of files, including ones with missing details. If a field picks the wrong value, make its name or instructions more specific, add a cleanup, or change its If not found choice.

Where to use a Preset#

A Preset names files wherever you choose it:

• Files you add: in Settings›Renaming, set Files processing mode to the Preset. On Mac, you can also pick it from the menu at the top of Quick Rename.
• Files you select in All Files: choose the Preset as the processing mode before you click Rename.
• A watched folder: in Settings›Folders, pick the Preset for that folder. To check its names before they're applied, switch the folder to Review first.
• A Rule: a Rule that runs When a file is added can choose the Preset with Use Preset, for example one Preset for invoices and another for receipts. See Rules.

Reference#

Dates, file info and counters#

Filename templates have no placeholders such as {date}, {counter} or {original}, and no computed or conditional parts. Every part is either a field the AI fills from the file or fixed text you type.

For a date in the name, add a field that says which date you mean, such as Invoice date or Contract start date. The AI reads it from what the file shows. It doesn't get a photo's camera data (EXIF), such as the date taken; Rules can use that. Placeholders such as {original} and {year} exist only in Rules, when a Rule moves a file.

FAQ#