How to Rename MP3 Files Based on ID Tags

Rename song files after their ID3 tags.

MP3 tags store information about a song, including the name of the artist, album, track, the year it came out and more. Many times, these tags (called ID3 tags) have more information in them than the file name itself, which can sometimes be obtuse and hard to understand. If you have an MP3 collection with good ID3 tags but poor file names, you can use any of these programs to quickly replace the file name with information taken from the ID3 tag.

Instructions

Using MP3Tag

1. Download and install MP3tag (see Resources). Launch the program after installation is complete.

2. Go to "File," then "Change Directory." Select the directory with the MP3 files you want to edit and click "Select Folder."

3. Right-click on the MP3 you want to edit and select "Convert," then "Tag - Filename." By default, MP3tag will name the file based on artist name, followed by album name, then track number and then the title of the song. You can change this order by moving the values in the text box but be sure to leave the "%" symbols before and after each value.

4. Click "OK" to rename the file.

Using ID3-TagIT

1. Download and install ID3-TagIT (see Resources). Launch the program after installation is complete.

2. Using the navigation tree on the right side of the program window, select the folder with the files you want to edit.

3. Click on the file in the middle pane of the program window to highlight it.

4. Go to "ID3-Functions" and select either "Filename -> TAG ver. 1" or "Filename -> TAG ver. 2," depending on which version the ID3 tag is. You can find this out by looking at the bottom bar of the main program window. It will either say "Shown Ver. 2" or "Shown Ver. 1."

5. Select the format you want the file the be named. By default, the file will be named by artist first, followed by album title, track number and song title. You can change the order or add/subtract information by clicking on the parameter tags in the menu. After you have made your choices, click "OK" to rename the file.

UsingTagScanner

1. Download and install Tagscanner (see resources). Launch the program after installation is complete.

2. Click on "Browse." Select the folder with the MP3s you want to edit and click "OK."

3. Click on the "Music Renamer" tab in the top left corner of the program window, then click on the song you want to edit.

4. Set the format of the file name by clicking on the button with the small white triangle on the right side of the program window. By default, Tagscanner will rename the files based on artist name, followed by album name, track number and then song title. You can add additional parameters for the the file name by clicking on the tags.

5. Click "rename" to change the name of the file based on the parameters you chose.

References

• MP3tag Help: Tag - Filename

Resources

• MP3Tag: The Universal Tage Editor
• ID3-TagIT: Information
• XDlab: TagScanner