Renaming Files

Question

Renaming Files

Someone else asked this question. The conversation is now closed. I'm encountering the same problem. Here's the question as asked: "In the new Big Sur, when you try to rename files in the Finder the existing name disappears and you can not simply add letters to the name nor copy that name. You have to write in an empty field. Is this a bug or intentional? Any solution I have missed?"

I'm on version 11.2.1. Maybe the problem will go away, as it seems to have done for others. But for now, it's a major complication for a document I want to send. Naming is crucial. Anyone else having this problem?

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.2

Posted on Feb 12, 2021 9:01 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,126 points

Feb 12, 2021 9:05 AM in response to Antony the Translator

In Finder, click once on the filename that you want to rename. Press return and all but the extension is now highlighted. If you enter any key, the filename is erased, leaving the character that you typed. Instead, click once in the highlighted selection, and using arrow keys, move around in the filename, adding, or removing characters. When you are done, press return again to set the changes.

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Answer 2

Phil0124

Level 10

216,554 points

Feb 12, 2021 9:26 AM in response to Antony the Translator

I guess the real question is how exactly you are trying to rename the files then.

It works for me just fine as explained by VikingOSX.

Click the file in Finder once, hit the enter or return key, and then moved around with the arrow keys.

Perhaps if you explain what exactly you are doing someone can figure out what is happening.

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Answer 3

Feb 12, 2021 9:15 AM in response to Lanny

I'm not the only person to have encountered this problem. Thanks for your answer, I've in fact been able to do this in all previous versions. It's not working for me, your advice did not work, and I'm not alone in this. But thanks again. It's possible that my problem is not related to upgrading to Big Sur, "post hoc ergo propter hoc" is the classic logical fallacy. Just because I upgraded doesn't mean that's what caused it, but it happened after the upgrade. If anyone else has the problem, what I've done is just save it with a different name, the name I want, then discard the old named file. But it's cumbersome. I'll report it again if it continues.

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Answer 4

Lanny

Level 6

13,225 points

Feb 12, 2021 9:08 AM in response to Antony the Translator

There were no changes with this in Big Sur, it has always worked like this in prior macOS versions.

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Renaming Files

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