Looking for the Finder’s own rename shortcut (the Return key)? See How to rename files in the Finder.

Once the A Better Finder Rename service has been activated, you can give it a keyboard shortcut (a “hot key”). A Better Finder Rename does not come with a built-in shortcut; macOS lets you choose one yourself.

Assigning the hot key

The shortcut is assigned in System Settings; the steps are on the service activation page.

Using the hot key

  1. Select the files that you want to rename in the Finder
  2. Press your key combination

The application will now launch automatically and the preview table will already contain all the selected files. The hot key also works in other applications that offer the Services menu for selected files.

Try it on your own files

The free trial renames up to 10 files at a time, with no time limit. Version 12.36 for macOS 15 Sequoia and later, Intel and Apple Silicon. Older macOS versions