Job archive-rename-organise-with-manifest · revised 11 October 2026
Rename and sort one folder of files into a clear structure, with a manifest
A folder of badly named files, handed over by an agreed secure route, is copied into an agreed naming scheme after you approve a dry run. A manifest has a row for every file and shows none changed.
You might be seeing
- The same document exists under several names in several folders
- Files fail to copy to new storage because of their names or the length of their paths
No passwords, keys, card details or admin invites needed to start.
What usually happened
Files pile up under personal naming habits: one document under several names, names with characters or lengths that some systems reject, and folders that mix years and subjects. Renaming by hand, or by a bulk tool run directly on the originals, risks name collisions, overwritten files and no record of what each file was called before.
Who it’s for: An office manager or small-business owner whose shared drive or archive holds thousands of business files named scan0001, final_v2_REAL or after whoever saved them.
Usually starts when: Nobody can find anything, someone who knew the system is leaving, or a move to new storage is planned and the files should be tidy first.
The result: A copy of the folder tree holds every file that can be named safely under the agreed rule and folder structure. Files that cannot be named safely, such as collisions and invalid or over-long names, are held back, listed with a reason and left out of the copy until you decide. A manifest has one row for every source file, renamed or held, with its old path, new path, size and checksum, so the counts and the contents can be shown to match the original.
Check whether this job fits
Answer these without sending any file. Nothing is submitted unless you choose to contact us.
Checks you can run yourself
Sample your current names
List the first fifty file names in the folder and count how many you could not identify without opening them. Do not rename anything.
Look for: The share of unclear names, and any characters or very long paths that make copying difficult.
What you get
- The reorganised copy of the folder tree
- A manifest with one row for every source file: old path, new path or 'held', status, size and checksum
- An exceptions list of the held files (collisions, over-long paths, invalid characters) and a reversal list that restores the original names
Included
- One folder tree of up to 5,000 files, handed over by an agreed secure route and handled as a copy, with the originals left in place
- A naming rule and folder structure agreed in writing, built from the file's own name, folder, dates and metadata, or from a mapping spreadsheet you provide that holds no personal data
- A dry-run manifest that you approve before anything is applied to the copy, with every file that cannot be named safely marked held
- Verification that file counts and checksums match, that every source file has exactly one manifest row, that no name breaks agreed length and character rules, and that the rename can be reversed from the manifest
Not included
- Moving, deleting or changing your originals
- Removing duplicate files by comparing their content, which is a separate job
- Deciding what to keep under a retention rule or a legal hold; that is legal advice
- Choosing names by reading document contents, unless added to the quote
- Files with personal data in them or in their file and folder names, and files we cannot be given a copy of through an agreed secure route
- Writing, supplying or running a program on your own computers or storage
How we know it’s done
Agreed with you before work starts. Each check produces evidence you keep.
Every file in the source folder tree has exactly one row in the manifest, with a status of renamed or held and a stated reason for each held file, and the number of source files equals the number of renamed files in the reorganised copy plus the number of held files.
Evidence: The counts and the manifest with its status column.
For every renamed row, the checksum of the source file equals the checksum of the file at its new path.
Evidence: The manifest checksum columns and the verification output.
No new name contains a character the target system disallows, ends in a space or a period, or is a reserved device name, no path exceeds the agreed length, and no two names collide when letter case is ignored. Any violation is held and on the exceptions list.
Evidence: The rule check output and the exceptions list.
A named person approved the dry-run manifest before it was applied, and restoring a sample of 50 renamed files (all of them if there are fewer) from the reversal list returns their original names.
Evidence: The written approval and the test restore result.
Sign-off. You browse the reorganised copy, check some files against the manifest and sign off in writing. Payment follows sign-off.
If it fails. If the agreed checks do not pass, you do not pay for this fixed scope. If the files cannot be worked on or no naming rule can be agreed, we explain why, hand back what we have and agree whether to re-quote or stop. No surprise work.
When it fits, and when we stop
It fits when
- You can hand over a copy of the files through a secure route agreed in writing before any file moves; nothing is run on your own systems
- The naming rule can be written down, and a named person approves the dry run
- Neither the files nor their file and folder names hold personal data. A person's name in a file name counts, because every name is sent to us
We stop and tell you if
- The files cannot be copied and handed over by a secure route agreed first
- No naming rule can be written down
- Many files would collide under any workable rule and nobody can decide how they should be named
- File or folder names, or the files themselves, hold personal data
What could go wrong
The originals are never touched. The reorganised copy is separate, and the reversal list restores every original name. If you do not like the result, delete the copy.
Scroll the table sideways to read it all.
| Risk | How we handle it |
|---|---|
| Two files end up with the same new name and one overwrites the other. | The dry run checks for collisions, including names that differ only by letter case, and holds them for your decision before anything is applied. |
| A new name or path is rejected by the next system. | Character, reserved-name and length rules from the target system are agreed first and checked in the dry run. |
| A file is changed or lost in the copy. | Checksums of every file are compared before and after, and every source file must have one manifest row. |
| A person's name sits in a file or folder name and is handed over without anyone noticing. | You confirm in writing that the names and files hold no personal data, and the first enquiry has only invented examples. If personal data appears we stop, do not process it and agree with you how the files are returned or deleted. |
A reviewer who did not build the manifest checks the counts, a sample of checksums and the exceptions list, and a named person on your side approves the dry run before it is applied.
How we deliver
We arrange the work and independent review, then show you the result against the agreed checks. You keep authority over your systems.
- Agree the naming rule, folder structure, length and character rules and the dry-run approver in writing
- Receive the copy by the agreed secure route and produce a listing of every file with its size and checksum
- Build the dry-run manifest, with one row for every file, and flag collisions, invalid names and over-long paths as held for your decision
- After approval, apply the rename to the copy only and write the final manifest
- Verify counts and checksums, test the reversal list on a sample, and have an independent reviewer check the exceptions
- Hand over the copy, manifest, exceptions and reversal list
This is a one-off job, not a subscription. We confirm eligibility, the total price, a start window and a delivery date before you accept. Work starts only after the agreed files, the secure handling route and the acceptance checks are written down. An enquiry creates no charge or booking. We give no legal, medical, financial or tax advice.
Need to keep it working?
If new files keep arriving without a naming habit, a monthly tidy of the new files can be agreed separately.
Ongoing work is separately scoped and quoted: no monitoring, response-time guarantee or automatic subscription is included in this job.
Explore an ongoing engineering lane, or mention the responsibility you need in your enquiry.
What you can check
This is a new service. We have not delivered this job for a client yet.
Other ways to get this done
- Free and paid bulk-rename programs exist for Windows and Mac. If your naming rule is simple, one of them on a copy of the folder may be enough. Keep the original folder and make a list of old names first.
- Before renaming anything, check the rules of the system the files will move to: Windows disallows some characters and reserved names, and limits path length unless long paths are enabled. learn.microsoft.com
Questions
Can the files stay on our own computers?
Not for this fixed job. The checks compare the contents of every file, so we need a copy handed over by a secure route that we agree first. We do not supply a ready-made program for you to run. If the files cannot be copied to a contractor, this job does not fit.
Will you delete duplicates?
No. Finding duplicates by content is a separate job, and deleting is always your decision.
What if two files would get the same name?
The dry run holds them back and lists the collisions, and you decide how each is named. Nothing is overwritten.
Send an enquiry
Send us
- The file count, the approximate total size, the folder depth and the kinds of file
- Five or six invented examples of current names and the names you would like instead
- Whether the files can be copied to a contractor at all, and whether any file or folder name contains a person's name; no files in the first enquiry
Later, once you agree
- The files through the secure handover route we agree in writing, with your confirmation that they and their names hold no personal data and that you may share them
- The written naming rule and folder structure, and the person who approves the dry run
- The length and character rules of the system the files will live on next
You keep ownership of every file we work on and of what we return. No upload portal exists yet, and the first enquiry never includes documents: send a description, counts and an invented or redacted sample only. Work can start only after we have agreed with you, in writing, a secure way to hand the files over, who may see them, how long we keep them and how we delete them. If we cannot offer a way you are comfortable with, we decline and nothing is charged. Files may be handled by automated software, including services run by other companies, and we tell you which in writing before any file moves. We work on copies, never on your only original, and we do not send, publish or contact anyone for you.
Email fallback: open your mail app
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