Batch Rename

Batch Rename provides a fast, interactive way to rename multiple Revit elements at once. Instead of tediously renaming views, sheets, or levels one by one through the Project Browser, you can apply bulk operations like find and replace, prefix/suffix manipulation, sequential numbering, and case changes. All changes are previewed in real time before committing, and the modeless window stays open between operations so you can chain multiple renames without relaunching.

Experimental

Batch Rename is currently in the Experimental panel. Features and behavior may change as development continues.

From the developer

This one is still experimental, so I am actively looking for feedback. If something feels off or you have ideas for operations I should add, open an issue on GitHub.

Getting Started

Find Batch Rename on the Amorphous ribbon tab in the Batch Process panel.

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Features

• Batch rename views, sheets, and levels in a single operation
• Five rename operations - Find & Replace, Prefix, Suffix, Number, and Case
• Live preview - See new names update in real time as you type
• Conflict detection - Duplicate new names are highlighted in orange to prevent errors
• Search/filter - Narrow the list by typing in the filter bar
• Select All/None with per-item checkboxes for fine-grained control
• Sheet dual target - Rename either sheet Name or sheet Number
• Single undo - All renames are wrapped in one transaction for easy rollback
• Modeless window - Revit stays interactive while the window is open
• Regex support - Use regular expressions for advanced find and replace patterns

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How to Use

Basic Workflow

1. Choose a category - Click the Views, Sheets, or Levels chip at the top to load elements of that type
2. Pick an operation - Select one of the five operation chips: Find & Replace, Prefix, Suffix, Number, or Case
3. Configure the operation - Fill in the input fields that appear (e.g., search text, prefix string, numbering pattern)
4. Review the preview - The “New Name” column updates in real time. Changed names appear in purple and conflicts in orange
5. Refine the selection - Use the search bar to filter, or toggle individual checkboxes to include/exclude items
6. Apply - Click RENAME to commit all changes in a single transaction

After renaming, the list refreshes automatically with the updated names. The window stays open so you can immediately apply another operation.

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Element Categories

Select which type of Revit elements to rename using the category chips at the top of the window.

Category	Elements Included	Sort Order
Views	All non-template, printable views in the project	By view type, then by name
Sheets	All sheets in the project	By sheet number
Levels	All levels in the project	By elevation

Note

View templates and non-printable views are excluded from the Views list. Only user-facing views appear.

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Rename Operations

Find & Replace

Replace text within element names. Supports both plain text and regular expressions.

Option	Description	Default
Find	Text or regex pattern to search for	(empty)
Replace	Replacement text	(empty)
Case Sensitive	Match exact case when searching	Off
Regex	Treat the Find field as a regular expression	Off

Example: Find MECH - and replace with Mechanical - across all mechanical view names.

Regex Patterns

When the Regex toggle is enabled, the Find field accepts regular expression syntax:

Pattern	Matches
Level \d+	”Level” followed by one or more digits
^WIP	”WIP” at the start of a name
\(OLD\)$	”(OLD)” at the end of a name
A|B	”A” or “B”
.+Copy$	Any name ending in “Copy”

Tip

Regex patterns are a powerful way to target specific naming patterns. If you are unfamiliar with regular expressions, leave the Regex toggle off and use plain text matching instead.

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Prefix

Add or remove text at the beginning of names.

Option	Description	Default
Add / Remove	Toggle between adding a prefix or stripping it	Add
Text	The prefix string to add or remove	(empty)

When removing a prefix, only names that start with the specified text are affected. Names that do not contain the prefix are left unchanged.

Example: Add the prefix WIP - to all selected views to mark work-in-progress items. Remove it later when they are finalized.

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Suffix

Add or remove text at the end of names. Works the same as Prefix but operates on the end of the string.

Option	Description	Default
Add / Remove	Toggle between adding a suffix or stripping it	Add
Text	The suffix string to add or remove	(empty)

When removing a suffix, only names that end with the specified text are affected. Names that do not contain the suffix are left unchanged.

Example: Add the suffix - REVIEW to sheets that need review, then strip it once approved.

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Number

Apply sequential numbering with a customizable pattern.

Option	Description	Default
Pattern	Naming pattern using ## for padded numbers and {name} for the original name	(empty)
Start	First number in the sequence	1
Step	Increment between consecutive items	1

The number of # characters determines zero-padding width. For example, ### with start 1 produces 001, 002, 003, etc. If the pattern contains no # characters but includes {name}, the original name is substituted without any numbering.

Pattern examples:

Pattern	Start	Step	Result
Level ##	1	1	Level 01, Level 02, Level 03…
{name} - ##	1	1	Floor Plan - 01, Elevation - 02…
Sheet A-###	100	1	Sheet A-100, Sheet A-101, Sheet A-102…
A-{name}	-	-	A-Floor Plan, A-Section… (name substitution only)

Note

Items are numbered in the order they appear in the list. The sort order depends on the selected category: views sort by type then name, sheets sort by sheet number, and levels sort by elevation.

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Case

Convert names to a different letter case.

Mode	Result	Example
UPPER	All characters uppercase	floor plan becomes FLOOR PLAN
lower	All characters lowercase	Floor Plan becomes floor plan
Title Case	First letter of each word capitalized	floor plan becomes Floor Plan

Case conversion uses invariant culture, so results are consistent regardless of system locale.

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Sheets: Name vs Number

When the Sheets category is selected, an additional Target toggle appears. Choose whether to rename the sheet Name (e.g., “Floor Plan - Level 1”) or the sheet Number (e.g., “A-101”).

The “Type” column in the grid shows the complementary field for reference, so you always know which sheet you are looking at. When targeting Name, the Type column shows the sheet number, and vice versa.

Tip

Use the Number operation with the Number target to produce a clean sequential sheet numbering like A-101, A-102, A-103. Set the pattern to A-### and the start value to 101.

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Conflict Detection

When two or more items would end up with the same new name, those rows are highlighted in orange. Conflicting items are automatically excluded from the rename to prevent Revit errors. Resolve conflicts by adjusting your operation inputs or deselecting specific items.

The RENAME button is disabled when no valid renames are available. This happens when nothing has changed or when all changes produce conflicts.

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Search and Filter

Type in the search bar to filter the list. Matching is case-insensitive and searches both the current name and the new name columns.

Use the Select All and None links to quickly toggle all visible checkboxes.

Caution

Rename operations apply to all checked items in the full list, not just the visible (filtered) items. Use checkboxes to control exactly which items are renamed.

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Status Bar

The bottom status bar displays a live summary of the current state:

Indicator	Description
Selected	Number of checked items out of the total
Will rename	Number of items that will actually be renamed (changed and no conflict)
Conflicts	Number of items with duplicate new names (if any)

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User Interface

Window Layout

Element	Description
Category chips	Views, Sheets, Levels. Select which element type to load
Operation chips	Find & Replace, Prefix, Suffix, Number, Case. Select the rename operation
Input panel	Dynamic fields that change based on the selected operation
Search bar	Filter the list by name
Select All / None	Bulk checkbox toggles
Data grid	Shows current names, new names (preview), and checkboxes
Status bar	Live summary of selection, rename count, and conflicts
RENAME button	Commits all checked, non-conflicting renames in one transaction
Refresh button	Re-collects elements from Revit (in the title bar)

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Esc	Close window
Double-click title bar	Maximize or restore window

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Use Cases

Scenario	Recommended Approach
Standardize naming conventions	Use Find & Replace to change abbreviations like MECH - to Mechanical - across all views
Mark work-in-progress items	Add a WIP - prefix to selected views, then remove it when they are finalized
Renumber sheets	Switch to Sheets category, set target to Number, and use the Number operation to produce A-101, A-102, etc.
Clean up imported levels	Rename imported levels to a consistent pattern like Level 01, Level 02 using sequential numbering
Case normalization	Convert inconsistently cased view names to Title Case or UPPER across the entire project
Batch suffix for coordination	Add - COORD suffix to all views shared with consultants
Remove unwanted text	Use Find & Replace to strip out legacy text like (OLD) or Copy from duplicated views

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Tips & Best Practices

• Chain operations - The window stays open after each rename. Apply multiple operations in sequence (e.g., first standardize case, then add a prefix) without relaunching
• Preview before committing - Leave all checkboxes unchecked while configuring your operation, then selectively enable the items you want to rename
• Use Revit Undo - If a rename produces unexpected results, press Ctrl+Z in Revit to revert the entire batch in one step. All renames are wrapped in a single transaction
• Refresh after external changes - If you add or delete views, sheets, or levels outside the tool, click the refresh button in the title bar to re-collect elements from Revit
• Combine search with selection - Use the search bar to find specific items, then use Select All to check only those visible items
• Check the status bar - Always glance at the status bar before clicking RENAME to confirm the number of items that will be renamed and whether any conflicts exist

Tip

For large-scale renaming across an entire project, work through one category at a time. Start with Levels (fewest items), then Sheets, then Views. This keeps each batch manageable and easy to verify.

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Limitations

Limitation	Details
View templates excluded	View templates and non-printable views do not appear in the Views list
Sort order is fixed	Items are sorted by their category’s default order (views by type/name, sheets by number, levels by elevation). Custom sorting is not supported
Regex errors are silent	Invalid regex patterns in Find & Replace fall back to the original name without displaying an error
Individual failures do not abort	If a single rename fails due to a Revit API constraint, the error is logged but the remaining renames in the batch continue
No persistent settings	All operation inputs reset when the window is closed

From the developer

I know persistent settings and custom sort order would be nice. Those are on my list for when Batch Rename graduates out of Experimental. I’m also considering support for agency-specific or office-specific naming standards as built-in presets. If any of these would help your workflow, let me know on GitHub.

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Troubleshooting

Names did not change as expected

Possible causes:

• The item’s checkbox was unchecked, so it was skipped
• A conflict was detected (orange highlight), which automatically excluded the item
• The Find text did not match because case sensitivity was enabled

Solution: Check that the item is selected (checkbox enabled) and not flagged as a conflict. For Find & Replace, try toggling Case Sensitive off. Review the “New Name” preview column before clicking RENAME.

RENAME button is disabled

Possible causes:

• No items have changed names (the new name matches the current name for all checked items)
• All changes result in conflicts

Solution: Adjust your operation inputs to produce actual name changes. If conflicts exist, modify the pattern or deselect conflicting items until valid renames are available.

Some items were not renamed

Possible causes:

• The item was unchecked
• The item had a conflict with another item’s new name
• A Revit API constraint prevented the rename (e.g., a reserved name)

Solution: Check the status bar for conflict counts. Re-run the operation with adjusted inputs. For persistent failures, check if the element has restrictions in Revit.

List is empty after selecting a category

Possible causes:

• The project has no elements of that type (e.g., no sheets created yet)
• For Views, all views are templates or non-printable

Solution: Verify that the project contains the expected elements in the Project Browser. Add views, sheets, or levels as needed, then click the refresh button.

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Related Tools

• File Export - Batch export Revit files to NWC, PDF, DWG, and IFC
• Export Families - Batch export family (.rfa) files from a project