How to add date and time to filename

Case: I want to add a date or time to my filenames, for example to make photos, downloads, or documents easier to sort.

Use a renaming method with date and time tags when you want the timestamp to become part of the filename. This is different from the Timestamp method, which changes the file level Created, Modified, or Accessed timestamps.

Do the following:

Add the files to the list.
If there are methods in the method list click the Clear Methods toolbar button.
Add the New Name method and configure it like this:

New name: <Date Modified:yyyy-mm-dd>_<Name>
Apply To: Name

Verify the names in the list and click Start Batch.

The new file names should now look something like this: 2024-07-15_MyDocument.pdf.

You can use different tags depending on which date you want in the filename:

<Date:yyyy-mm-dd> uses the current date when the batch is started.
<Date Created:yyyy-mm-dd> uses the file created date.
<Date Modified:yyyy-mm-dd> uses the file modified date.
<IMG Year>-<IMG Month>-<IMG Day> uses the date taken from image metadata when available.

Other timestamp metadata fields may also be available depending on the file type. Select a file in the list and open the Item Details panel from the left hand toolbar to see all metadata fields found for that file. When you click a field, Advanced Renamer will show the tag for that field at the bottom of the panel, and you can copy the tag into your renaming method.

Tip: You can also include time in the name. For example, <Date Modified:yyyy-mm-dd>_<Time Modified:hh-nn-ss>_<Name> will add both date and time while avoiding characters that are invalid in filenames.

Timestamps can also be adjusted when they are inserted into filenames. For example, you can add or subtract hours, days, months, or years from the value used in the new filename. See Adjusting output value for details.