When using "Custom Name", Lightroom Classic should display the existing filename instead of an empty field.

Question

Currently, selecting Custom Name in the Rename Photo dialog does not display the filename of the selected photo.
Instead, Lightroom Classic reuses the last custom name entered, even when a different photo is selected.
This behavior is confusing for users performing single-photo renaming because the command behaves more like a persistent naming preset than a traditional rename operation.
For single-file renaming, the expected behavior would be to display the current filename of the selected photo in an editable text field, allowing quick modifications without retyping the entire name.
Instead, when selecting Custom Name, Lightroom initially presents an empty field rather than the current filename.
What makes this behavior particularly confusing is that Lightroom remembers and automatically reuses the last value entered in the Custom Name field, even when a completely different file is selected.
For example, after renaming:
IMG_20260920_123456.CR3
to:
IMG_20260920_123456.CR3_mod
selecting another image such as:
DSC_80456.CR3
and pressing F2 may still present:
IMG_20260920_123456.CR3_mod
as the suggested Custom Name.
This behavior is understandable if Custom Name is intended as a reusable naming template. However, when working with a single image, users often expect to edit the existing filename rather than overwrite it with a previously used value.
Displaying the current filename in an editable field would provide a more intuitive experience while remaining fully compatible with the existing template-based workflow.
This is not a request for new functionality, but for a more intuitive and consistent implementation of functionality that Lightroom Classic already appears to provide in other rename scenarios and that aligns with standard file renaming behavior found in Windows, macOS, and most file management applications.

Anshul_Saini · Answer

Hi ​@sincere_art5173,Apologies for the delayed response here, and thank you for taking the time to explain the behavior and the distinction you’re making so clearly.I understand that you’re not asking how to build a reusable renaming template. Your point is specifically about single-photo renaming: when you press F2 and choose Custom Name, you’d like Lightroom Classic to populate the editable field with that photo’s current filename rather than presenting/reusing the previous Custom Name value. That would let you modify the existing name directly, similar to a conventional file rename.Lightroom Classic’s Custom Name currently retains the previously entered custom value, so it doesn’t provide that direct edit-in-place workflow.You may already be aware of this, but just for completeness, there is a partial workaround using the Filename Template Editor. In the Rename Photo dialog, you can choose Edit from the File Naming menu and build a template that includes the existing filename together with custom text. This can be useful when you simply need to append or prepend something without retyping the entire filename.That said, it isn’t equivalent to what you’re requesting. It requires setting up a template and doesn’t place the current filename into the Custom Name field, where you can simply edit any part of it. I can see why that’s unnecessarily cumbersome for one-off filename changes.Thanks for the thoughtful feedback and for clearly describing the expected workflow.Best,Anshul Saini

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