How to rename file extension
|
A visitor of this web site wrote:
"I had a hard drive crash.
A recovery software program recovered a number of digital photos but for some reason saved them with the file extension ".PHB".
Photoshop can't open this file so I can't change it. Any ideas?"
If a file extension (the suffix of a file name) has been modified for any reason,
chances are that you can not open the file anymore.
The simple remedy is to carry out a "rename file extension",
i.e. to rename the file and give it its original file extension back.
When one or very few files are concerned, a manual modification of the file name is easy.
But if hundreds of files are concerned,
you may not want to type in the same letters for hours of course!
So we tell you how to do it in both cases.
|
1. Rename file extension, single rename
Of course, you need to know what was the original file extension.
To rename a file extension or even a complete file name:
- Open a file manager, the windows explorer
(not the internet explorer) or even better, any similar tool
(e.g. PowerDesk under Windoze, under Linux one would take the Konqueror or the Krusader).
- Click once on a file,
(not double-click, this would open it or probably tell it can't open because it does not recognize the bad extension)
- Type the F2 key on the keyboard to be able to edit the file name
- Delete the characters of the bad file extension and type the extension you want instead
(JPG or TIF or PSD or whatever it was originally)
- Type Enter
(the Enter key)
After that your file will open again as expected, for example when you double-click it in the file manager
(windows explorer or similar).
2. Rename file extension, batch rename
If many files are concerned with the problem decribed above, you will need a tool to rename the file extensions of all your files at once.
Therefore I recommend a small program I use very often to rename a large bunch of files: PowerRen 2000. This small program is very convenient to use for any renaming task. It is able to do much more than just renaming a file extension. It is free and easy to use, you can download it at one of the following pages:
PowerRen 2000 download 1 (batch rename file extension software)
PowerRen 2000 download 2 (batch rename file extension software)
For some unknown reason, the download pages of PowerRen 2000 are not up anymore. But I have found another
free batch renamer
1-4a Rename, that seems to be even more powerfull.
Download 1-4a Rename (batch rename file extension software and much more).
The good news are that
1-4a Rename is slim (less than 700 kilobytes), no install, just copy the file
rename.exe into a new folder under your program folder and launch it. It works also well with older Windoze versions like win98 and it works well under Linux through the Wine.
