Stencil is a batch file (and directory) renamer for GNOME. Build a rename queue from stackable operations and preview every result before you commit.
Operations include:
- Number - add a sequential counter
- Set Extension - change, normalize or remove the extension
- Insert Text - add text before, after or at a position
- Find & Replace - literal or regular-expression replacement
- Change Case - lower, upper, title or sentence case
- Trim & Remove - drop characters and clean up whitespace
- Date & Time - prefix or suffix a formatted timestamp
- Music Tags - build names from embedded audio tags (artist, title, album, track number, …) using a token pattern like {track} - {title}
- Image Tags - build names from Exif metadata (capture date, camera, lens, dimensions, exposure settings, …) using a token pattern like {year}-{month}-{day} {camera}
- Video Tags - build names from video container metadata (recording date, resolution, duration, codec) using a token pattern like {year}-{month}-{day} {width}x{height}
- Folder Name - insert the name of a containing folder, from the immediate parent up to any number of levels
Save your operation queues as presets, import and export them, and undo any rename.
Screenshots
Observed history
| App | Change | Version | When ↓ |
|---|---|---|---|
| updated | 1.6.0 | 16 Sept 2026 |
Upstream releases
Release notes supplied by the developer. These dates are not Flathub package publication times.
1.6.016 Sept 2026
New features:
- Added an option to ignore hidden files (on by default).
Fixes and improvements:
- The token menu now includes examples to show what each token represents
1.5.09 Sept 2026
New features:
- Added a Video Tags operation that lets you rename video files based on their container metadata (recording date, resolution, duration, codec). Works with MP4/MOV, MKV/WebM, and AVI files.
- The Music Tags operation now recognizes more audio formats, including Opus, AIFF, APE, WavPack, and Musepack.
Fixes and improvements:
- Operation settings that don't apply to the selected mode are now hidden
- The Image Tags operation now ignores invalid placeholder dates written by some cameras
- Improved the German translation
1.4.012 Aug 2026
New features:
- Stencil now features a beautiful new app icon by Hylke Bons
- Added an Image Tags operation that lets you rename image files based on their (EXIF) tags.
1.3.04 Aug 2026
New features:
- You can now bulk rename folders as well. There is a new option that lets you choose if the folder name itself should be included in the rename list, and/or its files and subfolders.
- Added a Music Tags operation that lets you rename audio files based on their tags.
- Added a Folder Name operation that lets you insert the current folder's name, or any of its parent folders.