Paste a list of file names and swap client, person and project names for consistent tokens. Download a mapping table and a rename script for bash, PowerShell or batch.
This tool runs entirely in your browser. What you enter is never sent anywhere.Your input is never sent anywhere.
DetailsFile names
0 file names detected
Mode
Replacement rules (0/20)
Tip: separate alternate spellings with a | character. They all share one token.
Enter your file names and click “Anonymize file names” to see the results, the mapping table and the rename script here.
This tool cannot guarantee full anonymization. Check the output yourself before you share anything.
Anonymize File Names Before You Share Them
A file called John Smith_Contract_2026-06-01.pdf or Project Falcon_Meeting Notes.docx tells people who or what it is about before anyone opens it. File names show up in folder listings, ZIP archives, shared cloud links and upload screens, so the name is visible even when the contents are protected.
Paste your file names, or drop files to load just their names. Then add the words you want to hide. The tool replaces each one with a token such as PERSON_1 or PROJECT_2. Every match of the same word gets the same token, so you can still tell which files belong together. If the whole name is sensitive, switch to full renaming and every file becomes FILE_001, FILE_002 and so on.
Check the preview, then copy the new names, download a CSV, or generate a rename script for bash, PowerShell or Windows batch. Everything runs in your browser, and the tool reads only the file name, never the contents.
Common Reasons to Strip Names From File Names
Sending files through a cloud link or ZIP
Shared folders and ZIP archives list every file name. Replace client and project names first, so the recipient sees neutral names instead.
Asking an AI chatbot to sort a file list
Want help grouping files or setting a naming convention? Anonymize the list before you paste it into the chat, then restore the tokens in the reply.
Posting a screenshot or a support ticket
A folder listing in a screenshot can expose customer or employee names. Mask the names in the list first.
Archiving old project folders
Swap the names of former employees and closed clients for numbered file names before long-term storage, and keep the mapping CSV in a safe place.
How to Replace Names in File Names, Step by Step
- Paste your file names, one per line, or drop files onto the box to load their names. The tool reads only the names.
- Choose Replace keywords to hide specific words, or Tokenize whole names to rename every file as FILE_001, FILE_002 and so on.
- In keyword mode, add a rule for each client, person, project or department name you want to hide. Separate alternate spellings with a | character.
- Click Anonymize file names. Check the results table, then copy the new names, download the CSV, or open the rename script section.
- Save the script into the folder that contains the files, read it, back up the folder, and run it.
Note: Your file names and the mapping table stay in your browser's memory. Close or refresh the page and they are gone, so download the mapping CSV first if you need to restore the names later.
Before You Run the Rename Script
- The tool does not detect names on its own. It replaces only the words you add as rules, so check the results for any name that slipped through.
- It writes a script but does not rename files itself. Back up the folder first, and try the script on a copy if you can.
- The bash script uses mv -n, which skips a rename instead of overwriting an existing file.
- Dates, cities and ID numbers left in a file name can still point to a person or a deal. Add them as rules too if they matter.
- If two different files end up with the same new name, a warning appears above the results table. Fix your rules before you run the script.
Replace Keywords vs. Tokenize Whole Names
Pick the mode based on how much of each file name needs to stay readable.
| Replace keywords | Tokenize whole names | |
|---|---|---|
| What changes | Only the words you add as rules | The whole file name (the extension can stay) |
| Example | John Smith_Contract.pdf → PERSON_1_Contract.pdf | John Smith_Contract.pdf → FILE_001.pdf |
| Best for | Hiding names while keeping the document type readable | File names that are sensitive as a whole |
| Mapping table | One row per rule that matched | One row per file name |
Why File Names Leak Information
Where file names get exposed, and what each part of the tool does about it.
Where file names get exposed
A password or encryption protects what is inside a document, but the file name usually stays visible. It appears in folder listings, the file list of a ZIP archive, cloud sharing screens, email attachment lists and AI upload dialogs.
A naming pattern like ClientName_ProjectName_Date.pdf can reveal the client and the project all by itself.
Choosing between the two modes
Replace keywords keeps the parts you did not list, such as Contract or Invoice, so documents stay recognizable. Tokenize whole names renames each file with a prefix, a number and, if you choose, the original extension.
In a single run, the same word or the same file name gets the same token every time.
Renaming the real files with a script
This tool does not rename files on your computer. It writes the commands for you: a bash script for Mac and Linux, a PowerShell script, or a batch file for Windows.
Save the script in the folder with the files, read it through, and run it. Each line renames one file from its old name to its new one. Back up the folder first.
Restoring names from the mapping table
Every run builds a mapping table of tokens and original values. If you share anonymized names with an AI assistant or a coworker and get text back that contains tokens, paste it into the restore box to swap them back.
Download the mapping CSV if you will need it later, because running the tool again rebuilds the table.
Mistakes That Leave Names Exposed
Redacting the document but not the file name
You black out the text inside a PDF or Word file, then share it as Smith_Acme_Contract.pdf. The names are still on show.
💡 See the solution▼
Missing a spelling variant
Names turn up in several forms: John Smith, Smith, John, J. Smith or JSmith. A rule for one spelling leaves the others untouched.
💡 See the solution▼
A short name matches inside longer words
A rule such as Ann also changes Annual_Report.pdf, because by default the tool matches text anywhere in the name.
💡 See the solution▼
Running the script without reading it
You run the generated script as is and it renames files you did not mean to touch, for example because it was saved in the wrong folder.
💡 See the solution▼
Losing the mapping table
You tokenize a folder, close the tab, and later cannot tell which file FILE_014 was.
💡 See the solution▼
Questions About Renaming Files With Tokens
Q.Does this tool read the contents of my files?
A. No. When you drop or choose files, the tool takes only each file's name. It does not open the file or read what is inside, and nothing is uploaded. You can also skip files entirely and paste a list of names.
Q.Should I replace keywords or tokenize whole names?
A. Use Replace keywords when only part of the name is sensitive, such as a client or person, and you want words like Contract or Invoice to stay readable. Use Tokenize whole names when the entire file name is sensitive. Every file then becomes FILE_001, FILE_002 and so on, in the order you listed them.
Q.Can this tool rename the files on my computer?
A. No. It runs in the browser and does not change files on your computer. Instead it writes a rename script for bash (Mac and Linux), PowerShell or a Windows batch file. Download the script, read it, back up your folder, and run it yourself in the folder that contains the files.
Q.How do I get the original names back?
A. Each run builds a mapping table of tokens and original values. Paste any text that contains the tokens, such as an AI reply or your notes, into the restore box and the tokens are swapped back. Running the tool again rebuilds the table, so download the mapping CSV first if you need it later.
Q.Does it find names automatically?
A. No. The tool replaces only the words you add as rules. It does not detect names, companies or project titles on its own, so look over the preview for anything that slipped through.
Q.Can one rule cover several spellings of a name?
A. Yes. Separate the spellings with a | character, for example John Smith | Smith, John | JSmith. Every spelling in that rule is replaced with the same token. You can also turn on case-insensitive matching, and whole-word matching if a short name keeps hitting longer words.
Q.Is anything saved after I close the page?
A. No. Your file names, rules, results and mapping table exist only in the browser's memory while the page is open. Closing or refreshing the page clears them.
Q.Are file extensions like .pdf kept?
A. In Tokenize whole names mode, keep Keep the file extension checked and a name like Report.pdf becomes FILE_001.pdf. A trailing dot followed by letters, such as .pdf or .tar.gz, counts as an extension. A version number like v1.2 does not. In Replace keywords mode, only the words matched by your rules change.
Q.What happens if two files end up with the same new name?
A. A warning appears above the results table. This can happen when one rule covers several spellings, for example John Smith_Notes.pdf and Smith, John_Notes.pdf both becoming PERSON_1_Notes.pdf. Change the rules or the names before you run a rename script.
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