What happened to the convenient "rename" function in W11?

Sammy888 · Mar 8, 2022

I used to be able to highlight and select a group of files and then rename them automatically. The end result was that Windows added a (1) (2) (3) etc. after the filename. For instance. I select a group of files and highlighted them. I then selected one file and rename it Sample. I press enter. Then all the files would be called Sample (1), Sample (2), Sample (3) and so on.

Caldicot Boy · Mar 8, 2022

It is still there

TheMystic · Mar 8, 2022

I wish that feature was removed because it can cause irreversible (sort of) damage.

Berton · Mar 8, 2022

A change with File Explorer in Win11 is that the right-click context menu is shorter but the More options choice on it has a lot more such as Rename. My take on Win11 is things that most users don't usually need or not need often are moved out of the way but still available.

Sammy888 · Mar 9, 2022

Caldicot Boy said:
It is still there

What is? The rename function as explained above doesn't do what I want. It's now complex.

Winuser · Mar 9, 2022

Sammy888 said:
What is? The rename function as explained above doesn't do what I want. It's now complex.

In what way is it complex? I checked on both of my desktops and it works exactly as you said in your first post.

ish4d0w · Mar 9, 2022

Winuser said:
In what way is it complex? I checked on both of my desktops and it works exactly as you said in your first post.

I think this is referring to the extra click that is needed to go from the new context menu to the old one

Winuser · Mar 9, 2022

ish4d0w said:
I think this is referring to the extra click that is needed to go from the new context menu to the old one

For a rename there is no need for an extra click. There is a rename icon on top.

Sammy888 · Mar 9, 2022

Here is what I'm referring to.

.

Sammy888 · Mar 9, 2022

Just an update. I didn't realize this, but this rename GUI is actually from VoidTools [Search Everything] utility. I was selecting the files within {Everything] and it dd not give me any indication that it basically hijacks the renaming ability within the context menu when selecting more than one file.

Smithee · Mar 11, 2022

Winuser said:
For a rename there is no need for an extra click. There is a rename icon on top.

View attachment 23818

Thanks for pointing this out! I never noticed that icon, or at least never identified it as connected to the "rename" function in the context menu. Maybe there are some people in the world who can look at that icon and intuitively grasp "oh, that's rename" but for me it is completely not apparent at a glance.

It'd be so much easier if the graphic icons in the top row were labeled with good old English text, plainly stating CUT, COPY, PASTE, RENAME, SHARE, etc. That way I could read and understand what each one represents in a tiny fraction of a second, instead of puzzling over it and guessing what it represents like I'm playing a child's game. The trend towards symbols-only in so many products and interfaces is a monstrous step backward in usability and efficiency.

jimbo45 · Mar 11, 2022

Smithee said:
Thanks for pointing this out! I never noticed that icon, or at least never identified it as connected to the "rename" function in the context menu. Maybe there are some people in the world who can look at that icon and intuitively grasp "oh, that's rename" but for me it is completely not apparent at a glance.

It'd be so much easier if the graphic icons in the top row were labeled with good old English text, plainly stating CUT, COPY, PASTE, RENAME, SHARE, etc. That way I could read and understand what each one represents in a tiny fraction of a second, instead of puzzling over it and guessing what it represents like I'm playing a child's game. The trend towards symbols-only in so many products and interfaces is a monstrous step backward in usability and efficiency.

I'd never have associated that icon either with rename -- it looks like some sort of bin tipped over on its side -- possibly meaning -- explore / retrieve ("undelete") contents from the re-cycle bin. What on earth is in that icon that even remotely looks like "rename".

Maybe I'm old fashioned but I prefer text instructions to "Icons". Some modern also cars are so bad with non-understandable symbols etc that driving them safely becomes next to impossible.

I took 2 hours yesterday on simply finding out how to dump 11 KG of washing into a brand new washing machine and find the correct washing and drying program on it. What's wrong with old fashioned text instructions -- I don't even care on what language they use (Google translate is pretty good for basic stuff these days although don't expect University standard prose from it).

And also please don't get me started on the symbols used on modern electric ceramic hobs and ovens !!. I'm thinking of going back to "Nature" to cook again on an old fashioned wood fire -- at least I know how THAT works without needing a PhD in symbology.!

Cheers
jimbo

Sammy888 · Mar 11, 2022

Wasn't there a time when you could have a preference to icons (symbols) and text or just symbols? Personally I blame Linux users and millennials who love complexity and would go bongers if something could be done simply and efficiently

Winuser · Mar 11, 2022

Smithee said:
Thanks for pointing this out! I never noticed that icon, or at least never identified it as connected to the "rename" function in the context menu. Maybe there are some people in the world who can look at that icon and intuitively grasp "oh, that's rename" but for me it is completely not apparent at a glance.

It'd be so much easier if the graphic icons in the top row were labeled with good old English text, plainly stating CUT, COPY, PASTE, RENAME, SHARE, etc. That way I could read and understand what each one represents in a tiny fraction of a second, instead of puzzling over it and guessing what it represents like I'm playing a child's game. The trend towards symbols-only in so many products and interfaces is a monstrous step backward in usability and efficiency.

To me the icon looks more like an icon to compress the file.

Dch48 · Mar 11, 2022

Winuser said:
For a rename there is no need for an extra click. There is a rename icon on top.

View attachment 23818

I would have never associated that icon with the rename function but if you look at it, it does sort of fit. The cursor mark is like at the end of a file name and before the file type. The dots to the left of the cursor represent the file name which could always be changed by just backspacing it out and typing in a new one.

Winuser · Mar 11, 2022

Dch48 said:
I would have never associated that icon with the rename function but if you look at it, it does sort of fit. The cursor mark is like at the end of a file name and before the file type. The dots to the left of the cursor represent the file name which could always be changed by just backspacing it out and typing in a new one.

To me it looks more like a C-Clamp.

Fabler2 · Mar 11, 2022

Once you highlight something and the icon is available the text label shows up when you hover the mouse pointer on it. (tooltip)

starchase · Mar 11, 2022

Dch48 said:
I would have never associated that icon with the rename function but if you look at it, it does sort of fit. The cursor mark is like at the end of a file name and before the file type. The dots to the left of the cursor represent the file name which could always be changed by just backspacing it out and typing in a new one.

Smithee said:
Thanks for pointing this out! I never noticed that icon, or at least never identified it as connected to the "rename" function in the context menu. Maybe there are some people in the world who can look at that icon and intuitively grasp "oh, that's rename" but for me it is completely not apparent at a glance.

It'd be so much easier if the graphic icons in the top row were labeled with good old English text, plainly stating CUT, COPY, PASTE, RENAME, SHARE, etc. That way I could read and understand what each one represents in a tiny fraction of a second, instead of puzzling over it and guessing what it represents like I'm playing a child's game. The trend towards symbols-only in so many products and interfaces is a monstrous step backward in usability and efficiency.

If you hover your curser over these icons at the top doesn't their name appear?

AddRAM · Mar 11, 2022

Just install the W10 right click menu.
It`s in the Tutorials.

Sammy888 · Mar 11, 2022

AddRAM said:
Just install the W10 right click menu.
It`s in the Tutorials.

Link? There are lots of tutorials.

NB: I've performed many registry tweaks and followed the tutorials here with my W7/W10/W11 build. Every single time I do, shortly thereafter, I run into system anomalies.

The more you mess around with things like registry settings, the likelihood you are going to experience a negative outcome and resolving them will prove to be next to, if not impossible, unless you perform a brand new [clean] Windows reinstallation as repair (in my experience) has never worked.

And of course, you're always going to have a few individuals who will gaslight the situation and say they never had a problem. Perform registry tweaks at your own risk and peril.

What happened to the convenient "rename" function in W11?

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