What makes a good file name? Tidy naming rules
Well-named files save time when you search, sort and share. Picking one set of rules and applying it consistently helps even more than a new folder structure.
1. Avoid spaces and special characters
Use a hyphen (-) or an underscore (_) instead of spaces. Special characters cause trouble on some systems. On Windows these characters cannot be used in a file name:
\ / : * ? " < > |Do not end a name with a dot or a space, Windows does not allow it.
2. Simplify accented letters when needed
Letters like é, ü and ş are fine on most modern systems. But if you will put the file on an old program, a server or a web address, using plain ASCII letters lowers the risk of incompatibility. The bulk renamer has an option for this.
3. Write dates as year-month-day
The 2026-09-30 format (ISO 8601) makes alphabetical order and chronological order the same. With formats like 30-09-2026 or 9.30.2026 files do not line up by date.
2026-09-30_report.pdf
2026-10-15_report.pdf
(alphabetical order = date order)4. Pad sequence numbers with zeros
Complete numbers with zeros. When "photo-2" and "photo-10" are sorted alphabetically, 10 comes before 2. "photo-002" and "photo-010" stay in the right order. Choose the number of digits by the largest number: two digits up to 99 files, three up to 999.
5. The "final", "final_final", "really_final" trap
Instead of writing "final" for a version, use a number or a date: "offer_v1", "offer_v2" or "offer_2026-09-30". It is always clear which file is the newest.
6. Be consistent
Keep letter case, separators and order the same in every file. For example always lowercase with hyphens: "customer-name_2026-09-30_invoice.pdf". Pick one pattern and stick to it.
Bulk renaming
Instead of naming hundreds of files by hand, use the Bulk File Renamer to apply prefix, suffix, find and replace, letter case and numbering in one go. To only number files open number files, and to only change the extension open change extension. The result downloads as a ZIP and your files are never uploaded.