Your first batch,
from start to finish.

Install Nameglow

Nameglow requires macOS 13 Ventura or later and supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. The same download includes both architectures.

1. Download the disk image and open it.
2. Drag Nameglow into Applications.
3. Open Nameglow from Applications. macOS may ask you to confirm opening an app downloaded from the internet.

To update, finish any active rename, quit Nameglow, and replace the app in Applications with the new version. Your saved recipes and license stay on your Mac. See release notes and the current download.

Try the built-in tutorial

New to Nameglow? Version 1.2 opens with a short, skippable tutorial. You can replay it anytime with Quick tutorial in the sidebar or Help → Quick Tutorial.

1. Choose Try sample files. Three sample names appear; your own files and undo history stay untouched.
2. Try Naming rules and change the project name to see the preview update. Or choose Spreadsheet to see how old/new pairs match filenames even when the rows are shuffled.
3. Choose Rename sample files, check the confirmation, and select Rename samples.
4. Choose Undo sample rename to restore the sample names. Continue for the steps to use your own files.

A compact workspace

Nameglow opens with a compact window. The slim toolbar leads straight into the preview and settings, with no extra title block above your files. If your Mac remembers the previous size, choose View → Compact Window or press Option–Command–0. You can also resize the window normally.

The right panel keeps its heading and Windows checks in view while its controls scroll. In Naming Rules, Save recipe stays at the bottom. In Spreadsheet mode, expand How it works for the steps; the information button beside Windows checks explains their scope.

Rename your first batch

1. Click Add Files or Add Folder, or drag files into the app. Folder import includes visible regular files directly inside that folder, without scanning subfolders.
2. If macOS asks for folder access, choose the exact containing folder shown in the prompt. Nameglow needs this access to check existing names and apply the rename.
3. Choose Client handoff, Photo sequence, or Web-friendly. Adjust the naming controls on the right.
4. Read the before-and-after preview. Nameglow sorts files naturally by their current names before assigning sequence numbers. It does not order photos by capture date.
5. Click Rename and confirm the batch. File contents and extensions stay intact, and files remain in their current folders.

Build a naming recipe

Combine a base name, find-and-replace, prefix or suffix, letter case, separators, and a number sequence. Save the combination as a recipe to use it again.

The app applies rules in this order: choose the base name or original stem, replace matching text, add the prefix and suffix, change case, normalize separators, then append a sequence. It keeps the original extension after those changes.

Client handoff

With the base name “Studio North,” lowercase, hyphens and a three-digit sequence, the first PDF becomes studio-north-001.pdf.

Photo sequence

Use a collection name such as “Weekend Away” to produce weekend-away-001.jpg. Existing filename order determines the sequence, not EXIF dates.

Web-friendly

Hero Image FINAL.png becomes hero-image-final.png. This recipe normalizes spaces, underscores and hyphens and uses lowercase; it does not remove all punctuation or rewrite links.

Leave the base name empty to keep each original stem. Find-and-replace matches literal text and is case-sensitive. Nameglow does not use regular expressions or AI to invent filenames.

Use a spreadsheet and keep a receipt

Choose Spreadsheet to paste two columns of original and new filenames or import a UTF-8 CSV/TSV. Include each file’s extension. Nameglow matches exact original names independently of row order, and blocks incomplete or ambiguous mappings. Naming rules and spreadsheet mappings are separate modes.

Turn on Check Windows filenames in either mode to flag common Windows name restrictions. This checks the filename, not complete paths or cloud-service policies. Export a preview before renaming or a receipt for your latest completed batch. Receipts remain available after relaunch until undone or replaced; save an HTML copy for a lasting record.

Follow the spreadsheet walkthrough and try the interactive example.

Resolve conflicts and folder access

Nameglow blocks a batch if two files would have the same name, a destination is already occupied, or a proposed name is invalid. It treats case and equivalent Unicode spellings conservatively to avoid overwrites.

• Duplicate names: enable a sequence, change the base name, or adjust the rule that removes distinguishing text.
• An existing file has that name: choose another name. Nameglow does not overwrite it.
• Invalid filename: remove a leading dot, slash, colon or control character. Shorten names longer than 255 UTF-8 bytes; some characters use more than one byte.
• Folder access: choose the exact folder requested, reconnect a disconnected drive, and make sure you can write to that folder. Cancelling an access prompt leaves the batch unchanged.

If another app moves or replaces a selected file, add the intended files again and review a fresh preview before renaming.

Undo the last batch, including after relaunch

Click Undo Last Batch, or press Option–Command–Z, to restore the names from your most recent batch. Command–Z and Shift–Command–Z undo and redo text edits. Batch actions are disabled while an editor sheet is open. Nameglow stores the undo record locally, so it remains available after you quit and reopen the app. A new completed batch replaces the previous undo record.

Undo checks file identity, folder access and destination conflicts. If a file was moved or replaced, or a drive disconnected, resolve that issue before trying again. A folder-access prompt can appear after relaunch.

If a rename was interrupted, Nameglow offers recovery when you open it again. Keep the affected files and folders in place, restore access, and follow the recovery prompt before starting another batch. Undo restores names; it is not a backup of file contents. Renames inside synced folders may sync to other devices.

Unlock Nameglow Pro

Pro costs $19 USD once, before any applicable tax. It increases the batch limit from 10 to 5,000 files. The license covers one person on their own Macs and includes version 1 updates.

1. Complete the Nameglow Pro checkout.
2. Find your Nameglow Pro license key in your Polar order confirmation or customer portal.
3. Click the Free badge or Explore Pro in Nameglow, paste the key, and validate it while connected to the internet.

The free version works offline. Once validated, a valid cached perpetual Pro license also works offline. The app contacts Polar for license validation; it does not send filenames or file contents. If validation fails, check that you copied the Nameglow key and contact support with your order reference. Keep your key private.

Supported files and current limits

Nameglow renames regular files regardless of format, including images, PDFs, documents and design assets. It skips hidden files, symbolic links, hard links, folders, app bundles and files inside packages. Folder import is not recursive.

Version 1 does not offer photo metadata naming, regex, file-content conversion, folder renaming, automatic background watches or a history of multiple undo batches. For one simple text replacement, Finder may already do what you need: compare the two workflows.