Why rename PDFs by their content?
Most PDF file names come from the software that created them, not from the document itself. You end up with folders full of report_final_v2.pdf, document (1).pdf, output_20240301.pdf, or export_001.pdf.
If the document already contains the information you need, such as a project name, case number, report date, or client reference, there is no reason to type it again. Extracting that text and using it as the file name saves time and keeps naming consistent across a folder.
What text can be used for file names?
If you can select it in a PDF viewer, the tool can usually read it. Good candidates include:
- Document titles: useful when the title appears as selectable text and follows a consistent position or label.
- Client or company names: often found in letterheads, headers, or "Prepared for" sections.
- Reference numbers: case numbers, project codes, policy IDs, and contract numbers that follow labels like
Case No., Project ID:, or Ref:.
- Dates: looks for common date formats such as
2024-05-18, 05/18/2024, or 18 May 2024. Dates are normalized to ISO format for sorting.
- Custom patterns: repeated text formats that can be captured with a regular expression.
Two ways to extract text
Built-in field detection
Built-in field detection works for common fields such as dates, invoice or receipt numbers, amounts, and first visible text lines. This is enough for many straightforward documents like invoices, receipts, and statements.
Regular expressions
Regular expressions give you more control. If your documents have a specific pattern, such as a project code after "Project ID:", a policy number matching POL-\d{6}, or a reference after "Case No.", you can write a regex to capture exactly that text.
You can combine both approaches in the same template.
File name template examples
Contracts
{date}_{client}_{document_type}.pdf
2024-03-15_AcmeCorp_NDA.pdf
Financial statements
{account}_{month}_{statement_type}.pdf
4821_2024-03_QuarterlyStatement.pdf
Research papers or reports
{title}_{date}.pdf
MarketAnalysis_Q1_2024-04-01.pdf
Government or legal forms
{form_id}_{date}_{name}.pdf
W-9_2024-01-12_AcmeCorp.pdf
The preview updates as you edit the template. You can also override any individual file name in the preview table before downloading.
How the workflow works
- Drop your PDFs: the tool reads selectable text from each file locally in your browser.
- Choose extraction rules: use built-in rules, add regex patterns, or combine both.
- Preview the result: check the old name, extracted fields, generated new name, and any warnings.
- Download renamed copies: edit rows that need fixing, then export a ZIP with renamed PDFs.
Your original files are not changed. The tool creates new copies with the names you define.
Privacy
Your PDF files and PDF content are not uploaded to our server. Text extraction and renaming happen in your browser. The renamed copies are packaged into a ZIP locally for download.
Limitations
- Scanned PDFs: image-only PDFs without selectable text cannot be read by the browser. You will see a "No text found" warning. See the scanned PDF page for details.
- Complex layouts: multi-column PDFs, rotated text, or heavily formatted documents may extract text in unexpected order. The preview helps you catch these before downloading.
- Regex accuracy: a regex pattern only works if the target text is consistent across your documents. Test on a small batch first if the format varies.
- Password-protected PDFs: locked files need to be unlocked before the tool can read them.
FAQ
What is the difference between this and the invoice renamer?
The invoice page uses preset fields for invoice number, vendor, date, and amount. This page covers the general case: text fields from many document types, including custom regex patterns.
Can I use multiple regex patterns in one template?
Yes. Add multiple custom fields, each with its own pattern, and combine them in the template like {field1}_{field2}.pdf.
What if a field is not found in some PDFs?
The preview table flags missing fields with a warning. You can edit those rows manually before downloading.
Does this work with non-English documents?
PDF text extraction can work with many languages when the text layer is selectable, but automatic field detection is strongest for common Latin-script patterns.
Is this free to use?
The current browser tool is free to use and does not require signup.
Ready to rename PDFs by text?
Drop text-based PDFs, build a naming template, and download renamed copies. Your PDF content is not uploaded.
Open the tool