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ren

Renames files or directories.

Note

This command is the same as the rename command.

Syntax

ren [<drive>:][<path>]<filename1> <filename2>

Parameters

Parameter Description
[<drive>:][<path>]<filename1> Specifies the location and name of the file or set of files you want to rename. Filename1 can include wildcard characters (* and ?).
<filename2> Specifies the new name for the file. You can use wildcard characters to specify new names for multiple files.
/? Displays help at the command prompt.

Remarks

  • You can't specify a new drive or path when renaming files. You also can't use this command to rename files across drives or to move files to a different directory.

  • Characters represented by wildcard characters in filename2 will be identical to the corresponding characters in filename1.

  • Filename2 must be a unique file name. If filename2 matches an existing file name, the following message appears: Duplicate file name or file not found.

Examples

To change all the .txt file name extensions in the current directory to .doc extensions, type:

ren *.txt *.doc

To change the name of a directory from Chap10 to Part10, type:

ren chap10 part10