Windows does not allow certain characters to be included in the name of a file or a folder by default and for this reason, these characters can be termed as illegal characters in the name of a file or a folder. Example of such characters include the exclamation mark, the at (@) symbol, colon, inverted commas, forward slash, backslash etc.
This means that if you attempt to create a file or a folder directly using any of the illegal or prohibited characters, Windows will throw an exception.
Remove Invalid characters from file names easily
Easy File Renamer is 100% secure and downloaded from the official site
There are two ways to remove invalid characters from file names. Firstly you can perform this task via programming languages. These languages include C#, Python and Java. Mastering these languages requires a lot of dedication and drive, which means that this isn’t a desirable solution as most of us want to achieve our objective with the minimum amount of pain.
The other method is to use a software program for file renaming. This is a much easier method, however, the user should ensure the software program they’re opting for is something which delivers 100% accurate results. In this example, we will be using Easy File Renamer to remove invalid characters from file names.
- Step 1
Download the setup file of Easy File Renamer and install it by executing the setup file. Once the installation has been completed, reboot your computer.
- Step 2
Launch the program and add up all files for which you need to fix the file names. Navigate to the Step 1 section in Easy File Renamer user interface and click Add Files (under Files) or Add Folders (under Folders) (as applicable). Select all the files which you want to rename, click Open and you will notice all the files will populate the Easy File Renamer user interface.
- Step 3
The next step involves selecting the renaming rule to be applied. Even though Easy File Renamer provides a total of 10 unique rules to choose from, the most relevant renaming rule (relating to the subject under discussion) is Remove Text. Select this rule from the dropdown box just under Step 2.
- Step 4
Now enter a single character/ several characters in succession in the Text box and then also select the radio box for Remove All (to remove all instances of the character you want to get rid of.
- Step 5
Now click the tiny Add Rule button to signal your confirmation of the rule, which will result in the rule you chose (Remove Text) being added to the vacant space in the Applied Rules area. If you want to apply more instances of the same rule or another rule you should again repeat the entire process outlined in the last step as well as this step until you think you’re all set to greenlight the renaming operation.
- Step 6
Take a peek at the Item New Name column. This shows the preview of the file names that will be applied once the renaming operation is set in motion. Once you’re happy that all seem good, click the the Rename button (located in the bottom-right corner of the screen) and then select Yes in the prompt that appears on the screen.
- Step 7
The whole rename operation will be performed swiftly and as a result, the file names will be purged of all the invalid characters which you wanted to remove.