A folder of project documents may need a consistent prefix after a job is renamed. Renaming each file manually is slow, but a broad replacement can also touch dates, extensions or unrelated subfolders. PowerRename provides a preview that makes the proposed change inspectable before it is applied.

Define the change narrowly

Work on a backed-up folder and start with a few representative files. Include a filename that should change and one that should remain untouched. In File Explorer, select the intended files and choose Rename with PowerRename from the context menu when the PowerToys utility is enabled.

Enter the old project prefix and its replacement. For an ordinary literal replacement, leave regular expressions off. Choose the filename-only scope if the extension must remain unchanged. Review whether subfolder items are included; selecting a parent folder can make the operation wider than it first appears.

Read the preview as a proposed change list

Compare the original and proposed names row by row. Check the unchanged example, the longest name and any name containing the old prefix twice. Decide whether the first match or every occurrence should change. If two proposals would become indistinguishable, revise the rule before applying it.

A useful working note contains the selected folder, old prefix, new prefix and expected file count. This makes a later discrepancy easier to investigate than a vague recollection that everything was renamed. Keep file contents and filename changes as separate checks.

Apply the small selection and inspect it in Explorer. Microsoft documents Undo Rename in Explorer for reversing a rename, but keep the backup until the result has been checked. Renaming files referenced by spreadsheets, shortcuts or other applications may require those references to be updated. Test one known dependency before applying the same rule to the remaining project documents.

Source: Microsoft PowerToys documentation.