Change file name in Windows 11

Changing a file name in Windows 11 works slightly differently than in previous Windows versions.

We all have to change a file name sometimes because the old one no longer fits or is not clear enough. Most of us know how to change a file name, but there is a large group of people for whom every new operating system takes some getting used to.

There are several ways to change a file name. I explain the most commonly used methods in this article.

Change file name in Windows 11

Change file name via context menu

Windows 11 offers a new context menu. This is the menu that opens when you right-click on a file or folder. Instead of a menu that explains in text what exactly an action does, icons are now displayed.

To rename a file using the context menu, start by right-clicking on the file you want to rename. At the top of the menu you will see a rename icon. Click on it to change a file name.

Change file name via function key

There are several “F” function keys available in Windows. If you like working with function keys because they are faster and therefore more effective, you can also change a file name this way.

Click on the file or folder whose file name you want to change. Then press the “F2” key on the keyboard. You can now immediately enter a new file name.

Change file name via Show more options

The old menu as we know it from previous Windows versions is also still present. However, it is hidden under a “show more options” menu in the context menu. From this menu you can also change the file name.

Right-click on the file or folder you want to rename. Then click on “show more options”. If you want to go directly to this more options menu, click on the file or folder and press the key combination “SHIFT” + “F10”.

In the more options menu, click “rename” to change the file name.

Change file name via Command Prompt

Also through it command prompt there are commands available to change a file name or folder. These are the “run” and “rename” commands. Ren is an abbreviation of rename.

In the command prompt, type (for example):

ren oudebestandsnaam.txt nieuwebestandsnaam.txt

If the file name contains a space, enclose both the old and new file names between double quotes as shown in the example below.

I hope this worked. Thank you for reading!