# Smart Rename — Rename files automatically by their content on Mac

Give scans, screenshots and photos real names from what's inside them. Part of OneMacTools, 151 private tools in one native Mac app (macOS 26 or later); category: On-device AI. Runs on your Mac; nothing is uploaded.

Scan_0042.pdf becomes "2026-10-04 Electricity Bill Tata Power.pdf". OneMacTools reads each file on your Mac, writes a short descriptive title with Apple Intelligence (or from the text itself when it's off), and adds the document's date. A rename log is always saved.

Page: https://www.onemactools.com/tools/smart-rename · Download: https://www.onemactools.com/download · Pricing: https://www.onemactools.com/pricing

## How to use it
1. **Drop the files.** Add scans, screenshots, photos, PDFs, Word or text files. Or select them in Finder, right-click and choose Quick Actions › OMT: Smart Rename, which uses your last settings.
2. **Choose the options.** In the right-hand panel, decide whether names start with the date and whether to rename the originals or make renamed copies.
3. **Click Rename.** Each file is read on your Mac: scans and images with on-device text recognition, and photos by what they show too. Apple Intelligence then writes a short title of a few words.
4. **Check the new names.** By default you get renamed copies in a new dated folder in Downloads › OneMacTools, with a Rename log.csv listing every old and new name. Open them with Show in Finder.

## Options
- **Start names with the date:** On by default. Puts a date in YYYY-MM-DD format at the start of each name, so files sort in date order. It uses the date written in the document when one is found, then a photo's date taken, and otherwise the date the file was created. Turn it off for names without a date.
- **Rename the original files:** Off by default, so your originals stay as they are and renamed copies are made. Turn it on to rename the files where they are. If a name is already taken, a number is added so nothing is overwritten.

## Tips
- Try it with copies first (the default) to see the names you get, then turn on Rename the original files once you're happy with them.
- Keep the Rename log.csv. It lists every original and new name, so you can find a file by its old name or rename it back.
- Names are short titles in Title Case, such as “2026-10-04 Electricity Bill Tata Power.pdf”. Check a few, especially for faint or crooked scans.
- The Finder Quick Action uses your last settings. If you last chose to rename originals, the Quick Action renames originals too.
- For names that follow a pattern rather than the content, such as Trip 01, Trip 02, use Batch Rename.

## Questions
**How do I rename files automatically by their content on a Mac?**
Drop them onto Smart Rename and click Rename. Each file is read on your Mac and named from what's inside it, such as “2026-10-04 Electricity Bill Tata Power.pdf”.

**Where does the date in the name come from?**
From a date written in the document, such as an invoice or letter date, when one is found. Otherwise it uses a photo's date taken, then the date the file was created.

**Can it rename screenshots and photos?**
Yes. Text in a screenshot is read, and for photos the things in the picture are recognised too, so a photo with no text can still be named by what it shows.

**What happens if two files end up with the same name?**
A number is added to the second one, so nothing is overwritten.

**Can I undo a Smart Rename?**
There's no undo button, but every run saves a Rename log.csv with each original and new name, so you can rename files back. With the default copies, the originals were never changed.

**How is this different from Batch Rename?**
Batch Rename applies a rule you choose, such as numbering or find and replace. Smart Rename reads each file and writes a name from its content.