Each photo must be titled as follows: Photo name by your name. For example: Pileated woodpeckers on stump by Jane Smith.jpg. Below are instructions for accomplishing this on several devices.
Renaming photos on Android sounds simple, but it often causes confusion. Gallery apps, cloud backups, and file managers all treat photo names differently, which explains why changes sometimes fail or disappear. The steps below show reliable ways to rename photos and explain what actually changes each time.
- Open the Files or My Files app on your phone.
- Go to Images, Camera, or Downloads, depending on where the photo is saved.
This ensures you work with the actual file, not just a gallery preview.
Rename a single photo file
- Tap and hold the photo you want to rename.
- Tap the three-dot menu and select Rename.
- Enter the new name and tap OK
Renaming Single Images Using File Explorer
The simplest method of renaming pictures in Windows 11 is by using File Explorer. This process is most suitable for renaming a single image or just a few.
Steps:
- Open File Explorer using the Windows + E keys or by clicking the File Explorer icon on the taskbar.
- Navigate to the directory where the image you want to rename is saved.
- Right-click on the photo file, and from the context menu, choose Rename.
- Enter the new name for the photo. Ensure that the file extension (e.g., .jpg, .png) is retained.
- Press Enter to save the new name.
The Photos app on your iPhone or iPad doesn’t enable changing the file name. The easiest approach is to send the image to your computer and edit it there:
- Find the image in your Photos app.
- Click the Share button (lower left below the opened photo).
- Use ‘Email’ or ‘AirDrop’ to send it to your computer. (AirDrop only works with Apple products.)
- Follow the instructions for Macintosh below.
The Photos app on your Mac doesn’t make it easy to change a filename. It’s more straightforward to Share the photo to your email, and save it in a regular folder on your computer. Then you can rename it in your main Finder. Here is a step-by-step process:
- Find the file in Finder, in List view.
- Control-click on the name.
- Select ‘Rename’ from the popup menu.
- Type over the filename with a descriptive name for the photo and your name. For example, if you have a photo of a beautiful butterfly at the on a flower, you might label it as “Swallowtail lunch break by Joan Smith.jpg”
- Press ‘Enter’ to finalize it.