How can I Reset Number Sequencing When Batch Renaming in Bridge

Report · Dec 31, 2018

Hi,

I've been looking for a way to reset the number sequencing when batch renaming in Bridge but have not been able to find a way to do this.

I found some older posts which said it was not possible but nothing more recent so was not sure if this was still a limitation or there is a workaround that may be suggested without having to manually set the sequence number back to 1 each time.

What I'm trying to do view all assets within a series of folders which I can do via View -> Show Items from Subfolders. I then Select All and then Batch Rename. This works but the sequencing keeps counting up. I'd like to have it reset back to 1 for each folder.

For example- Before Batch Rename

Folder: San_Francisco
Has files DSC6060, DSC6065, DSC6068

Folder: New_York

Has files DSC6060, DSC6065, DSC6068

Current Output - After Batch Rename

Folder: San_Francisco
Has files San_Francisco_1, San_Francisco_2, San_Francisco_3

Folder: New_York

Has files New_York_4, New_York_5, New_York_6

Ideal Output - After Batch Rename

Folder: San_Francisco
Has files San_Francisco_1, San_Francisco_2, San_Francisco_3

Folder: New_York

Has files New_York_1, New_York_2, New_York_3

Report · Dec 31, 2018

I don’t believe that the Batch Rename Tool can work this way, it has no way to leverage the parent folder/directory to reset per folder, the sequence is for processed files only.

I would suggest that you work one folder/directory at time, and save a Batch Rename Tool Preset for each directory so that the sequence can be better managed (auto incremented, reset etc).

Otherwise this may be a task for a custom Bridge script, an OS script or other software.

Bulk Rename Utility • View topic - Auto Start Number for Next Folder

Report · Jan 03, 2019

Hi,

As stated by Stephen this behavior is as per the design of the Batch rename tool.

Report · Jan 03, 2019

Yep, this would require scripting or a different tool.

Report · Jan 03, 2019

I asked over at the ExifTool forum and the creator of ExifTool is considering adding this ability to an upcoming release:

Reset Sequential Numbering for Each Directory Processed?

Report · Jan 03, 2019

Thanks so much, that's good to know! I'll follow that thread and check to see if this ever gets added. Would save a lot of time for some of the work I do.

I appreciate the info and help here!

Report · Jan 03, 2019

Thank you, I appreciate the follow up!

Report · May 23, 2019

This is one [of many reasons] I stopped using Bridge and swapped to LR.
Forgetting to reset number when working a large numbers of files in the early hours after very long days used to catch me out repeatedly. Which drove me nuts and made for more work when you just wanted to go to bed.

Usefully LR auto resets file start number. Less usefully it cannot rename raw/jpeg pairs as one. Not a problem seeing as I gave up jpeg shooting years back so not an issue anymore [for me]. However this has only become a pain again as I shoot raw on phone which produces file pairs again. Also LR's ignoring of anything not image related means I have to rename GoPro video+audio file pairs in Bridge. Hence why I wondered if this very long overdue update had been added. Auto-incement should be optional at that.

Report · Jul 10, 2023

I've ran into the same issue. Adobe Bridge is a really convenient way to batch rename files but the increment not resetting is absolutely maddening. The fact that Adobe has not fixed this or provided a new option is nothing new for them. They have been sitting on countless low-hanging-fruit type quality of life improvements across their whole suite of products. With an active code base this would literally take a programmer a few minutes to provide an option to turn off auto-incrementing this field.

Report · Jul 14, 2023

Update:

Phil Harvey did add this feature to ExifTool, the command is:

exiftool -fileOrder Filename -Filename=%f_%-1.3C.%e -r  dir

Where "dir" is the top-level/root directory to process.

dir
  sub-dir-A
      batch-A1.png
      batch-A2.png
      batch-A3.png
  sub-dir-B
      batch-B1.png
      batch-B2.png
      batch-B3.png

__________________

dir
   sub-dir-A
      batch-A1_001.png
      batch-A2_002.png
      batch-A3_003.png
   sub-dir-B
      batch-B1_001.png
      batch-B2_002.png
      batch-B3_003.png

Report · Aug 03, 2025

Even, as a seasoned user, one can have the issue: I rename folder 1, then change folder, why can't there be an option in batch rename to continue the numbering as now, OR to reset the numbering to 1?

I imported a month of holidays pictures, why should they continue the numbering for each day?