How to Change the Default Name When Creating a New Folder

Folders are the most used element in Windows, and in any other operating system, to organize all our files and files on the hard drive. Operating systems have their own directory tree, and, in addition, we can create with a couple of clicks the folders we want to use them freely. In Windows, when we create a new directory, it appears with the name “New folder” , and, by default, it is waiting for us to change the name to whatever we want. It has always been this way. However, if we want, we can change the default name to another very easily.

The name “New Folder” is more than reasonable. After all, nothing could better define what it is that we just created. If we leave that name by default, and create another directory, it will have the name ” New folder (2) ” by default, and so on. This is because neither the folders can be unnamed, nor can there be two with the same name in the same branch of the directory tree.

Windows is full of tricks of all kinds. And, how could it be less, thanks to a simple change in the registry we will be able to easily change this default name so that, when creating a new one, it has the name that we want.

Rename “new folder”

To make this change in Windows it is necessary to make a small change in the registry. The change is perfectly reversible, so we should not have problems with our PC, as long as we follow the steps that we indicate below well.

The first thing will be to open the Windows registry editor. We can open this by typing “regedit” in the Windows search bar. Once inside, we must move to the following directory:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer

Here we must locate a registry key called “NameTemplate”. In case this key does not exist, we will create it. We right-click on a blank space and create New> Key. And we will give it the name “NameTemplate”.

Once here, we right-click on the blank space and choose New> String value. We will give this new value the name “RenameNameTemplate”. Now, we double click on it and inside we will write the name we want. What we must bear in mind is that it cannot have prohibited characters, such as:

/ ? : * " > < | " ' *[(code]

We accept everything and that’s it. We can now close the registry editor. Before seeing the changes reflected, we will have to restart Explorer.exe , or the entire computer, for this new function to take effect. From now on, when we create a new folder, it will have the new name that we have given it.

Use the date as a name for a new folder

In addition to the previous trick, there is another one that will allow us to make each time we create a new folder, it has the date as its default name.

To do this, the first thing to do is change the Windows 10 settings so that the date appears with dashes instead of slashes. To do this, we will open the Windows 10 Settings menu (with the Windows + I keyboard shortcut), we will choose ” Time and language “, the “Region” section and we will click on ” Change data format “.

Here, what we must do is select the “Short date” section and change the type of date that appears represented by the model that appears with dashes. This is because folder names do not support forward slashes.

Once this is done, the next step will be to open the registry editor (by typing “regedit” in the Windows 10 search engine) and we will move to the following key:

[code] HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT / Directory / shell

Once here, we right-click and create a new key called “Folder”. We enter it, we right click again on the blank space and we will create another new key called “command”.

Inside this new key, we edit the “default” value so that it contains the following content:

cmd.exe /c md "%1/%%DATE%%"

We accept all the changes, close the registry editor and restart explorer.exe, or the computer in general. We have already finished.

Now, when we right-click anywhere to create a new folder, we will see a new option in the context menu called “Folder”. If we select it, the linked CMD command will be triggered. What this command does is create a new folder (hence the md) using the current date as the name.

If we have knowledge of CMD we can change and personalize the name even more. We could, for example, add the time to it, or use a UNIX time and date so that each folder has a unique value by default.

How to revert to the default names

As we have already said, both changes are totally safe and reversible . In case at some point we regret it and want to go back to the original values (that is, to the name “New Folder”), then we should simply undo what we have done.

In the case of having changed the name using the first of the techniques, what we must do is go back to the registry key “NameTemplate”, right-click on it and delete it. After restarting explorer.exe, or the entire computer, when we create a new folder it will have the default name again.

Second, if we have opted for the date trick, the process is the same as in the previous one. But the difference is that we must delete the registry key “Folder” that we have created. We will also have to restart explorer, or the PC, for the changes to take effect. After doing so, we will see that the new option to create this custom folder no longer exists.