GNOME Documentation Projectgnome-doc-list@gnome.orgShaun McCanceshaunm@gnome.orgJim Campbelljwcampbell@gmail.comMichael Hillmdhillca@gmail.comDavid Kingamigadave@amigadave.comChange file or folder name.Rename a file or folder
As with other file managers, you can use Files to change the
name of a file or folder.
To rename a file or folder:
Right-click on the item and select Rename, or select
the file and press F2.
Type the new name and press Enter or click
Rename.
You can also rename a file from the
properties window.
When you rename a file, only the first part of the name of the file is
selected, not the file extension (the part after the last .).
The extension normally denotes what type of file it is (for example,
file.pdf is a PDF document), and you usually do not want to
change that. If you need to change the extension as well, select the entire
file name and change it.
If you renamed the wrong file, or named your file improperly, you can
undo the rename. To revert the action, immediately click the menu button in
the toolbar and select Undo Rename, or press
CtrlZ, to restore the former
name.
Valid characters for file names
You can use any character except the / (slash) character in
file names. Some devices, however, use a file system that has more
restrictions on file names. Therefore, it is a best practice to avoid the
following characters in your file names: |, \,
?, *, <, ",
:, >, /.
If you name a file with a . as the first character, the
file will be hidden when you attempt to
view it in the file manager.
Common problemsThe file name is already in use
You cannot have two files or folders with the same name in the same
folder. If you try to rename a file to a name that already exists in
the folder you are working in, the file manager will not allow it.
File and folder names are case sensitive, so the file name
File.txt is not the same as FILE.txt.
Using different file names like this is allowed, though it is not
recommended.
The file name is too long
On some file systems, file names can have no more than 255
characters in their names. This 255 character limit includes both the
file name and the path to the file (for example,
/home/wanda/Documents/work/business-proposals/…), so you
should avoid long file and folder names where possible.
The option to rename is grayed out
If Rename is grayed out, you do not have permission to
rename the file. You should use caution with renaming such files, as
renaming some protected files may cause your system to become unstable.
See for more
information.