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Excel spreadsheet with macros to bulk/batch rename, copy and move files in Windows Explorer

Sat, 2021-01-23 12:48 — Michael Dew
 

Excel spreadsheet with Visual Basic macros which allow bulk renaming, copying, and moving of  files or folders in Windows Explorer.

Designed for Windows computers only, not Macs.

Download for $8CAD from https://legaltree.gumroad.com/l/cvrqj 

The following tabs in the spreadsheet offer the following functionality:

Rename files in place: Tool to rename files in their existing locations. The new name data can be created in Excel, typically using the original file names as starting data and then manipulating the data as needed e.g. using “find and replace”, or functions such as LEFT, RIGHT, LEN, VLOOKUP, etc.

Create subfolders: Tool to create empty subfolders (up to three levels) in the specified parent folder. Useful, for example, to create library of year and month folders for photographs.

Rename paths ("Move"): Tool to rename any part of the path e.g. just the file name, just the folder path, or both.

Copy to folders (& can rename): Tool to put copies of listed files into specified target folders. The target folders do not need to already exist, but will be made by the macro as needed.

Helper sheet (Build file names): Helper sheet to assist with building useful file names from pre-existing data. File metadata e.g. date modified, or photo date last taken, can be extracted from files using the FileList Software described in the previous video at https://youtu.be/6E1Th5RTTBk

Security issues
The spreadsheet was developed using macros (programmed in visual basic) and in order for the spreadsheet to operate your security settings in Microsoft Excel must be set to allow macros to run. 
 
Macros can pose a security risk because they make your computer perform certain steps automatically, but are typically only dangerous when made to be that way by a computer programmer with a malicious intention – hence the warning when you change the security settings in Excel. However, the macros available in the spreadsheet available for download on this page are made with good intentions and should not harm your computer. Users downloading and using this spreadsheet do so entirely at their own risk and agree to accept all risks associated with using the spreadsheet. 
 
To enable macros in Excel click:
  • File (i.e. the menu on the top left)
  • Options
  • Trust Centre
  • Trust Centre Settings
  • Macro settings
  • Enable all macros, and on that same page also check the box for "Trust access to the VBA project object model". 
Modern versions of Excel are very protective in shielding users from files with macros, and you may need to save the spreadsheet in a "trusted location" in order for the macros to run.
 
To designate the location the file is saved in as a trusted location, in Excel click:
  • File (i.e. the menu on the top left)
  • Options
  • Trust Centre
  • Trust Centre Settings
  • Trusted Locations
  • Add new location.
  • Copy and paste the path of the folder containing the spreadsheet in the dialog box to specify that folder as a trusted location. 

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